Page 81 of The Runaway Duchess
“Damien,” Evander greeted as he and Adrian stood. “It has been a while.”
Damien nodded as he took a careful step forward. Evander was much improved indeed; however, there was still a haunted look in his blue eyes that even his grin could not hide.
“Stop dawdling, would you, and give us a proper greeting,” Adrian drawled sarcastically.
“Well, do excuse me for being startled to receive a visit fromallthe Mason siblings at once.”
Damien’s grin widened, and he moved, shaking first Adrian’s hand, then Evander’s. Then, before he could help himself, he reached forward and pulled Evander into a tight hug. For a moment, his friend froze, then his arms came around him, and Evander patted his back.
“It seems we have both changed,” Evander chuckled as they pulled away. “I do not ever recall you being one for displays of affection.”
Damien merely chuckled as he looked his friend up and down again, still in disbelief that he was actually there. In London. In his home.
“Have you decided to return?” Damien asked, the three of them settling into their seats.
“It is only temporary,” Evander replied, his tone suddenly somber. “I am not quite ready to return to the busy streets of London. I would not... I do not wish to be seen.”
“Well, for however long, we are happy to have you back,” Adrian replied, clapping his brother on the back. “Mother is over the moon. She even wants to parade him for the Season.”
Again, Damien caught the wince on Evander’s face, and he wondered what or who he was so set to avoid.
“What brings you back?” Damien inquired.
“You, actually,” Evander replied, surprising Damien.
“Me?” Damien echoed, raising his brows.
“Well, your problem anyway,” Evander went on. “I know that I have not been present in London for quite a while, but I still have ears and eyes in all sorts of places. I reached out to them after your little visit with Caroline, just to see if they could find anything out about this boy that was brought to your doorstep, the one you told me about.”
Damien felt his heartbeat quicken. Even after months of searching, he still had little information on George’s birth, and had begun to think of his efforts as a failure.
“Have you found anything about him?” Damien urged.
“One of my little spies caught sight of this woman who brought the boy to you, no doubt on her way here with him,” Evander explained. “She was spotted again in the market a few times, this time in a maid’s uniform. I have not figured out the specific one yet, but I believe that she may be working in one of the houses here in Mayfair.”
Damien’s brows furrowed with confusion.
“A maid? She said she worked for the orphanage the boy came from,” he replied.
“And could she provide the name of that orphanage?” Evander asked.
Damien shook his head, remembering how strange he had thought it was that she could not be specific about where she claimed to work.
“It was a ruse, I am sure of it,” Evander went on. “Someone wants to set you up, old friend.”
Damien leaned back in his chair, his mind racing with possibilities. There were so many people from his past who would want to find a way to hurt him. During his and Adrian’s search for Evander, he had bloodied many faces and broken many bones. Those men were too weak physically to fight him and win, but maybe one of them had found a cleverer way to attack him. The other question that kept echoing in his mind was why such a person had not yet exploited the claim. What were they waiting for?
“Evander!”
Caroline’s sweet voice broke through the room, shooing away Damien’s intense thoughts and bringing him back to the present. He looked up just in time to see Caroline, Elara, Jeremy, and George all rush into the dining room, each of them wearing a beaming grin.
He sat forward, ready to stop Caroline from hugging Evander, but as he stood, she slowed just as she reached him, and instead of throwing her arms around him for a tight hug, she rose on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. His heart thudded and swelled at the sight. It seemed his wife was very good at meeting people where they were.
“Caroline,” Evander greeted warmly. “I believe I owe you an apology and congratulations.”
“I will happily accept your congratulations, but I certainly refuse any apology as it is not needed,” she replied, her tone matter-of-fact as she moved away from Evander to take her seat beside Damien.
Damien slid his hand into her lap and gave her thigh a warm squeeze, his appreciation growing for her with every passing breath. He kept his hand firmly on his wife as he watched Jeremy approach Evander with a warm handshake and, of course, jokes, pointing out that they had both been ‘traveling’. It was a poor joke in Damien’s opinion, but it did elicit a chuckle from Evander, proving that Jeremy’s silly mood was as contagious as ever.
