“Sorry, I…” he started but didn’t know how to finish.
To be quite honest, neither did she. However, that didn’t matter right now. They found a clue.
“That’s perfectly all right,” she smiled, reassuring him.
They exchanged a meaningful gaze, and she knew that there was something. Something she could not explain. Something far more than just this mystery binding them together. She tried to remind herself that she did not know this man. She was here only to help him, nothing else. But she could not prevent herself from enjoying his company, could she? She blushed at the thought and quickly banished it from her mind.
“What does the note say?” she asked in a desperate effort to change the subject.
He unfolded it. She could see him swallow as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and then down.
“It’s a letter,” he said.
“What does it say?” she asked then bit her lip. Perhaps it was too intimate. Perhaps it was not to be shared with a stranger.
Her heart rebelled at this word. She did not wish to be a stranger to him. However, that was exactly what she was.
“If it’s too personal…” she started apologetically.
Instead of a reply, he simply started to read the letter. “My dear, you are the moon that lights up the path of my weary existence. I am so fortunate to have found you, and I hope you shall continue to light up my path for many years to come. Be patient, my love.”
Lydia frowned. “That is a love letter.”
“I have not written many in my life, but yes, I do believe it is,” he said. She appreciated his effort at making a joke at a moment such as this one. That was obviously his coping mechanism to make a situation feel less stressful than it was.
“Is it signed?” she inquired.
“No,” he said, flipping the letter over. “Just what I read.”
“Then, we cannot even be sure it was for Rachel,” Lydia pointed out.
“Why else would she keep it hidden if it wasn’t meant for her?” he wondered. “That doesn’t make sense.”
She had to admit he was right. “Yes. That is the only logical conclusion. It must be for her. But I do not like that be patient part.”
“Neither do I,” he nodded. “It means she was waiting for something, for someone.”
She sighed, seeing the concern in his eyes, hearing it in his voice. She wanted to tell him it would be all right, that they would find her, but she could not make that promise.
“Thank you,” he suddenly said, with a trembling voice. “I never would have found it without you.”
“I’m sure you would,” she said, but they both knew it was not so. He would probably never dare to partially destroy his missing sister’s favorite possession. Lydia had no such concerns.
“We should take this to Mother,” he said, lifting the chain in his hand and allowing it to drop and dangle in midair. They both stared at the heart.
“Is it a locket?” she inquired. It seemed to be too thin.
“No,” he shook his head after he tried to open it.
“It would have been too easy to find someone’s photograph inside,” Lydia sighed. To be quite honest, she did not wish this mystery to be over that quickly. That would mean she would not spend any more time with the Duke which was also something she was looking forward to, no matter how much she refused to admit it to herself.
“Do you think your mother will recognize it?” she asked.
“Exactly the opposite,” he corrected her. “I think she won’t, and that is what frightens me.”
She understood what that meant. Someone else must have given it to his sister. The same person who wrote that letter. The same person who bade her to be patient. When someone was told to be patient, that meant that someone was waiting for something. Lydia shuddered.
What was Rachel waiting for?