Seeing Danger (Sinclair and Raven #2)(9)
“Good evening, Sinclair.”
He did not look at Nicholas Braithwaite as he spoke. Turning on his heel, Dev walked away.
The woman had piqued his interest, and when that happened there was little to be done but follow that interest until he had answers to all the questions currently swirling inside his head.
Dev thought about her as he danced with others. He thought about her as he talked with friends and acquaintances. He then returned to partner her for the supper dance. However, it seemed she had fled.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dev walked around the room, until he was sure he had covered every inch, and still he could not find her. Tempted as he was to change his vision, he was not foolish enough to risk it, and would only resort to that in a dire situation.
Finding Essie, he tapped her shoulder, and his sister detached herself from a group of women.
“Essie, have you seen Miss Braithwaite?”
“Why?”
“We were engaged for the supper waltz.”
Essie frowned.
“But haven't you already danced with her?”
“Yes,” Dev said, not liking where this was going and wishing he had kept his mouth closed and continued searching on his own.
“Then why are you dancing with her again?”
“People can dance more than once, surely?”
“Not you and her.”
No one could annoy him quite like a sibling.
“I am attempting to be nice, is there a problem with that?” Frustrated, he ended the sentence on a growl.
“What did you say to her?”
“What?”
Essie placed her fingers on his arm, then nodded, which Dev guessed meant she wanted to walk. Not an easy task, surrounded by hundreds of people.
“You must have said something to her, if she has disappeared.”
“I asked if she would dance the supper dance with me, and her aunt accepted, and now I cannot find her.”
“Why would she have fled when she knew you were to dance with her, if you said nothing to upset her?”
“All right, I may have asked her about the other night, which was perfectly acceptable considering the circumstances,” he defended himself.
“I thought I was going to find out more about her, and then you would talk with her?”
“I don't remember us discussing that.”
“It was what I gathered from our discussion. But as you have now frightened her off, then you shall have to find her and apologize. “
She spoke out the side of her mouth.
“I'm your brother. Shouldn't you be on my side?” he groused.
“I can't help you with her if you don't tell me what happened,” Essie said in her calm, rational voice.
“How do you know I need help?”
“You're strung tighter than a piano wire.”
“Lord, I wish I had kept my mouth shut,” he groaned.
He watched the sweetest of the Sinclair siblings narrow her eyes in a calculating manner.
“If you will alert me when Sir Richard Kimpton is heading in my direction, I shall tell you where I last saw her.”
“I thought we were not using our senses in public?” This time Dev looked smug.
“That's the deal, brother. I cannot abide that windbag Kimpton, and his breath is quite foul.”
“Shall I warn him off you, sister?” Dev looked around the room and found Kimpton several feet away, fast approaching.
“No indeed, I can do that. But it would be easier if I had warning and could duck out of sight.”
“Deal.”
“Miss Braithwaite left the room through that door,” she pointed over Dev's shoulder, “ten minutes ago.”
“Kimpton is approaching fast on your left.”
“Love you, brother.”
“And you, sister.”
They parted. Dev headed for the door and slipped through. Switching his vision now that he was away from several hundred brightly clad people, he began walking the halls.
He saw colors behind doors, some extremely close to each other, which suggested more than just chatting was taking place. Continuing on, he found a set of stairs and descended; at the bottom he found another door, and this one led to a conservatory.
The smell of flowers and trees, both citrus and garden variety, hit him. Cam would love this place. He found Lilliana Braithwaite at the rear, tucked behind a large statue of a Roman gentleman wearing a brief loincloth.
“Hide-and-seek is a particular favorite of my family. Perhaps you would care to join us one day for a game?” Dev said, blocking her escape route.
“Lord Sinclair!”
“The very person.”
“What are you doing here?”
She was attempting to appear calm and find that blank look and insipid smile she usually had on her face when he saw her. However, this time, he could see nerves were making that difficult.
“I was looking for my dance partner, Miss Braithwaite.”
“Oh well, yes, of course. Good Lord, is it that time already? I had simply hoped for a short respite from the ballroom, and had not realized the hour had advanced so.”
As far as lies went it was a good one, yet a lie nonetheless. Dev was slowly coming to the conclusion that the woman was very good at hiding behind what she wanted people to believe she was, when in fact she was far different.