Three days later, Lin returned.
"Well?"
"I have the plans, all is agreed," Lin said. "Who is available to get started on this phaeton? Lord Mallin wants it before the month is out."
I swallowed before replying.
"The marriage is to be so soon?"
"The night before I left, Lord Mallin told Lord Sanditon about the present," Lin told me. "And he gave the man his blessing. So I imagine so…"
"Of course. Quite right. Quite expected. Well we have the wheels and axes made… Thomas is finishing off another job for me at the moment, I expect he'll be done soon enough. But James and Michael are both available, they can be pulled off what they're doing now."
"Good," Lin said. "I'll see to it right away."
"Was… Were our clients all quite well, when you left them?"
Lin raised an eyebrow.
"Lady Mai was a little out of sorts after you left. But I did not see much of her as she spent some time with her friend, Miss Hara."
"I don't know why you think that would be of interest to me," I said. "Dismissed."
"I think your departure offended the young Lady."
"I said dismissed."
LIn left without another word. I strode about my office, breathing heavily. I had work to do. I grabbed my coat and hat and departed from the office. I had to see a man about some horses.
Three days after Lin's return saw me sat at home, reading. It was late in the evening and I had just finished a good cup of tea when my butler, Mr Shepard, appeared in the doorway.
"I beg your pardon, sir, but there is a man at the door claiming to be of your acquaintance."
"Does this man have a name?"
"He introduced himself as Osamu Yasuhara, Earl of Sanditon and eldest son of the Marquess of Guinton."
I scowled.
"Would you like me to tell the gentleman that you are not in?"
"As much as I want to turn away the heir to a march, I daresay it will not go in my favour," I muttered. "Show him in."
And so Lord Sanditon strode into my private parlor. I did not stand to greet him, but waved towards a seat. He did not bother with any pleasantries.
"Lady Mai rejected my offer."
I stiffened in my seat.
"And you drove all the way to London to tell me that?"
"No, I drove all the way to London to tell you that she ran away."
"What?" I fixed him with a look. "What did you say to her?"
"It was not me," he said. "It was her governess."
"What happened?" I demanded.
"A week or so after you left, I proposed. It has been expected of me for some time," Lord Sanditon said. "I have known Lady Mai for a while, we were once good friends. But unfortunately, it is the sad state of modern affairs that means that if two young people of disparate gender become friends, everyone else expects them to marry." He sighed. "I was not opposed to the idea. I was at least friends with Lady Mai, I thought we could make it work, even if we did not feel anything more than friendship for each other." He smiled sadly. "But I should have known her better. She wants romance and she deserves it."
"So she turned you down?"
"Yes, and I took my leave of the household. But the following day, Lord Mallin visited me and told me that Lady Mai had run away. It seems her governess disagreed with her choice and let her opinions be known."
"Why have you told me this? Has Lady Mai been found?"
"No. Miss Hara knows nothing of her flight, but she suggested that someone ought to check here, to see if Lady Mai came to London."
"Why would she be—"
"Do not play the fool with me, Davis," Lord Sanditon interrupted. "If you were truly blind to her attentions towards you then you are not the man I thought you were."
"Lady Mai does not know my address," I pointed out. "If she came to London, surely she would go somewhere Lord Mallin owns?"
"The properties have already been checked," Lord Sanditon said. He sighed. "And so have the hotels…"
"Then perhaps she has not come to London," I said. "Perhaps she has gone elsewhere…"
"But where else would she go?"
"Is that a question you are specifically asking me?" I asked.
"If you have an answer, I will hear it. Otherwise, I will take my leave of you. I must continue looking."
"What do you know of her departure?"
"She left in a hired coach and changed at Birmingham, we lost her trail after that…"
I pondered this for a minute.
"She could have gone many places from Birmingham," I said. "Cardiff, Reading, Oxford, Southampton, Cambridge, Bath… it is somewhat of a crossroads."
"I'm glad you see the scale of the problem."
"You said you have been friends with her for a while," I went on. "You have talked to her about past friends, perhaps?"
"Mine or hers? I'm sure they have come up?" Lord Sanditon replied with a frown. "Why?"
"She told me, when I was at Drifton Manor, about some stable boys she used to know. Miss Hara mentioned to me that she had had a passing fancy for one of them. Perhaps it is possible she is seeking them out?"
"Stable boys? Yes… Yes, I remember something of them. She told me they were orphans and their parents turned up and took them home."
"Did she tell you where, exactly?" I asked.
"If she did, I do not remember."
"Then I suggest you write to Lord Mallin and ask him to recall the lie he told her," I said. "I can think of nothing else."
Lord Sanditon frowned.
"The lie?" he repeated. "The story is not true? What do you know, Davis?"
"Nothing of consequence."
He stared at me, searching my eyes for something.
"Who are you really, Davis?"
"I am Sir Oliver Davis, knight of the realm and maker of fine carriages."
"And before that?"
"I don't see why I should tell you anything," I said. "Don't you have a girl to look for?"
"Will you help me search for her?"
"No."
"You feel nothing for her?"
"What I feel is neither here nor there," I state.
Lord Sanditon sighed again.
"I think had we met under different circumstances, we would have been friends, Davis. Friends tell each other secrets, you know—"
"But we are not friends," I pointed out.
"Even if Lady Mai is found, there is a chance her reputation will be ruined forever. You understand this?"
"I daresay that then she will be forced to accept you—"
"My parents would never allow that," Lord Sanditon said. "They care more for reputation than anything else. There is nothing I can do about that. But the disgraced daughter of an earl marrying a knight… Well that would be less unheard of, do you not think?"
"What is your—"
"I have a certain amount of sway with Lord Mallin. He trusts me. I could put in a good word for you. But I want to know the truth."
"There is no truth to be told," I muttered darkly. "I want you to leave my—"
"I prefer the company of men," Lord Sanditon interjected. "It is why I have not sought the hand of any other woman. Lady Mai, as a friend, is one of the few women I have ever cared about."
"Telling me your secret changes nothing."
He regarded me for a moment.
"You disappoint me, Davis."
I bowed my head. Lord Sanditon took his leave and I sink back into my chair.
What has she done…?
Thomas finished the order to a standard I was happy with. I made the arrangements as promised and that debacle was soon resolved. Lord Sanditon did not make a repeat visit for which I was thankful.
I put his confession from my mind.
But I could not forget the fact that Lady Mai was missing. I spent days wracking my brains, trying to remember her saying she wanted to visit any particular place. Nothing came to mind. Plenty of other memories did, however.
Like when she taught me and Gene to read.
Like when we all fell asleep in the hayloft.
Like when Gene and I fought over who would marry her.
Like when Gene…
"You've been out of sorts for days," Lin's voice interrupted my thoughts. "What has happened?"
"Nothing to be concerned over," I replied. "How comes Lord Mallin's order?"
"On schedule." Lin frowned down at me. "Miss Mori has invited us over for dinner tonight."
"I must decline."
"With what excuse?"
"I—"
"You have no excuse," Lin said. "You forced me to go to a ball. I am now forcing you to go to Miss Mori's dinner party."
"You will do no such thing."
"Get over yourself Davis. Unless you have a good reason not to come, you will be accompanying me to the dinner party."
"Lady Mai ran away from home."
Lin's eyes widened in alarm.
"What? Why did you not say something? Why are we not out searching for her? Where was she last seen?"
"She was last seen in Birmingham, they don't know where she went after that. I told Lord Sanditon that perhaps she was looking for some childhood friends she had mentioned to me."
"The stable boys?" Lin asked.
I frowned.
"How do you know about that?"
"When I danced with Miss Hara, she seemed very interested in telling me all about these two stables boys that Lady Mai had known… I had thought nothing of it at the time."
"And do you know where they were sent?" I asked.
"Miss Hara told me that they had returned to Southampton."
"Somewhere far enough that Lady Mai would not be tempted to try and visit for the day…" I muttered. "Well, I suppose we ought to write to Lord Sanditon, though he might already know… He said he would write to Lord Mallin."
"Write to him? Why on earth would we do that?" Lin asked. "We'll write to them once we're on the road."
"On the road?" My frown deepened. "We aren't going to Southampton, Lin. We have work to do."
"Oh for goodness sake! Davis! A girl's safety is at stake! What has gotten into you? What would your mother say?"
"My mother is dead," I muttered without thinking.
If Lin had been alarmed before, he looked positively distraught now.
"Mrs Davis—"
"Is not my mother," I said, rolling my eyes.
Lin chose to sit down at that point.
"You mean to tell me, that I have believed that woman to be your mother for how long?" He sighed. "Who is she to you then? An aunt?"
"You're going to be late for Miss Mori's dinner party."
"Davis. Be straight with me."
I rolled my eyes yet again and straightened in my seat.
"Professor Davis and his wife took me in at the age of seventeen, before I went to university. They cared for me throughout my studies and at graduation, asked to formally adopt me, as they had no children of their own. That is why I bear their name. That is all."
"And your birth parents?"
"Mother dead, father gone."
"This is an evening of wonders indeed," Lin said. "Now who can we leave in charge while we go to Southampton?"
"I am not going to Southampton, Lin."
"You can choose between Miss Mori's dinner party, or looking for Lady Mai. But if you pick the former, I will tell your adopted mother all about your decision, and the way you pined over Lady Mai when we were at Drifton Manor."
I scowled.
"I should sack you for insubordination."
"But you will not."
"No, I will not," I muttered. I sighed, stood up and strode to the window. "It is too late to leave now, we'll leave at first light. If we ride, we might make it in one day."
"You want to go at military pace?" Lin asked, surprised.
"If you think you can't keep up, then you can remain behind. But I want this to disrupt my life as little as possible. I'll make the arrangements here. James kept things running smoothly."
"And this way, we can still attend to Miss Mori."
"That, you can do alone."
Lin rolled his eyes but relented.
"I will meet you at first light tomorrow," he said.
"And you better be well rested," I replied. "Do not let Miss Mori keep you up too late."
He scowled, and left.
We left at first light the next morning. I had left two letters with my butler, one to be sent to Lord Sanditon if he managed to find a current address, and the other to be given to him if he chose to call in on me again.
I was not sure either would happen.
We rode hard, stopping only to feed and water the horses around lunchtime.
"Where are we going to look?" Lin asked me over supper.
We had found an inn upon our arrival in Southampton that was willing to stable our horses and care for them. I finished my stew before replying.
"I imagine she is searching for the stable boys," I said. "If she has any sense, she'll have asked at the local churches for a record of where they live. Or she might have looked for places where people work with horses. She will have no luck with either."
Lin narrowed his eyes and took a sip of his wine.
"Yes, I suppose she won't."
"What makes you say that," I asked.
"Well, one stable boy is sat before me, is he not?"
I supposed it was only a matter of time before he worked it out.
"Where is your brother?" he asked.
"Dead," I stated. Lin did not flinch, but waited for me to elaborate. "When we were sixteen, Lord Mallin noticed, or had it noticed for him, that my brother, Gene, and I were friendly with Lady Mai. He thought we might have less than savoury ideas about the young Lady. So he found us a job at a racecourse near Windsor. We were told to leave the only place we had ever known and we had very little choice in it. On the journey, Gene was run over by a speeding carriage and killed. The owner of said carriage was a one Lord Urado, peer of the realm. He could not afford the scandal and offered me anything to keep quiet. I asked for a burial for my brother, and an education. He sent me to live with the Davises and got me a place at Cambridge. The rest…" I shrugged.
"Damn. I am very sorry for your loss."
"Gene used to try and convince me that one day he'd make it big and be able to marry Lady Mai. It was a ridiculous dream… But when I saw the request from Lord Mallin. I was interested to see how she had turned out."
"And you were pleased with the results?" Lin asked.
I scowled at him.
"She was everything I remembered," I muttered. "It was a stupid boyhood inclination and for a wild moment I forgot who I was."
"You are not a stable boy any more."
"I may wear nicer clothes, but I am still the same person," I said. "Lord Mallin would never give his consent. Even if this escapade of hers does tarnish her reputation."
Lin decided not to argue the point.
"So you almost worked at Ascot?"
"Yes. Lord Mallin had been kind enough to recognise that we were at least talented with the horses."
"And that is why you chose to go into carriage design?"
"No, that was from a safety viewpoint. Why do you think I am so adamant about testing the brakes on each of our carriages?"
"I see."
"We ought to sleep."
"Yes, I suppose we should. Thank you for telling me this."
"If you tell anyone—"
"You'll skin me alive, I know, I know."
I smiled and we departed for bed.
Author's note: So it's not quite the new year for me, but I'm having a crisis about it anyway! I'm feeling a bit better (I'm ill if you don't read my other stories) but I'm still ill... Also, I'm questioning whether I should take writing a bit more seriously? Thoughts?