Alexander raised a brow. "Then we will need to be open and honest. We will need a structured plan, follow some logical order." He focused his attention on Grace. "Forgive me, but you cannot go barging into ballrooms in the hope someone will unwittingly reveal information."
"I'm sure she only did what she thought best," Elliot said feeling the need to come to her defence. He could berate her for her folly, but he'd be damned if anyone else could.
"Lord Hale is right," Grace said fiddling with her fingers in her lap. "I was angry and frustrated, although the evening wasn't entirely wasted."
The carriage rumbled to a halt outside the house on Duke Street.
"Let's continue our conversation in the parlour," Evelyn added before turning to Grace. "Would you mind if we all examined the diary? I know you allowed me to flick through while Katie dressed your hair, but if you'd rather we—"
"No, it's fine. We need to work together. Finding Caroline is what's important."
There was the faintest trace of resentment in Grace's words, and Elliot wondered if she had spent her whole life pandering to her sister's whims and demands. If they discovered her sister had been gallivanting off on some wild jaunt, Elliot would string her up from a tree on the common and leave her as food for the crows.
As they made their way inside, he put his hand on Alexander's arm causing him to stop abruptly. "You've blood here I assume? I am in need of something soothing to drink."
He inclined his head. "Wait for us in the parlour, Evelyn. We will be but a few minutes."
They moved into the drawing room and Alexander rang the bell. "Is this just about blood?" he asked dubiously. "I have a suspicion it's about Mrs. Denton."
"I do need a drink. And I do need to ask you something. But first let me apologise for leaving Grace alone here. I did not expect it to be such an inconvenience."
"It's not that I didn't want to help you. You must understand, my motives are purely selfish. I enjoy being alone with Evelyn and I get somewhat angry and frustrated when things don't go to plan."
There was a light rap on the door and Mrs. Shaw scuttled in. "Yes, my lord?"
"Could you bring us both some refreshment? We'll drink in here. Thank you, Mrs. Shaw."
"Right you are, my lord." The old woman gave a merry nod and waddled away.
"I understand," Elliot said. "I do not suppose this was how you envisaged spending the first week of married life."
"As always, Evelyn has the right of it. Without your help, we might not be married. So, I promise to stop sulking and to concentrate my efforts in helping Mrs. Denton. Besides, the sooner we solve the mystery, the sooner I can take Evelyn home to Hampshire."
Elliot chuckled. He was beginning to see the attraction of devoting all one's time and effort to one woman, and as Mrs. Shaw returned with their drinks, he said, "How did you feel in the beginning? How did you feel when you first met Evelyn?"
Alexander gestured to the chair, and they both sat down and swallowed a mouthful of blood. "Confused. I concentrated all my efforts on being angry. It was a way of suppressing the need she roused in me. I struggled to fight the attraction. I think you know the rest."
"Was it a purely physical attraction?" He asked because he feared his fascination with Grace went beyond sexual gratification and the thought of navigating unchartered waters unnerved him.
"Yes, but it was more than that. I feel different when I'm with her, as though we are the only two people in the world who speak the same language."
"Mrs. Denton believes that a man must love with his heart not just his anatomy if he is to ever truly satisfy a woman." Elliot stared at Alexander as he almost spurted blood all over his evening clothes. "Do you think it's true?"
Recovering quickly, Alexander pondered the question. "If anyone were listening to this conversation, they would think we've lost our minds. But yes, I suppose it's true. Don't ask me to explain it. You must discover it for yourself." Alexander sighed and narrowed his gaze. "Elliot, in the short time I've known you, you have always struck me as a man in complete control, of your life, your wants and desires. If Grace Denton has caused some change in you, then you owe it to yourself to pursue the possibility that there could be more to it than a fanciful attraction." He snorted. "Now I sound like a matron offering advice to a debutante."
Elliot rubbed his chin as he contemplated his friend's words. "My idea of pursuing the possibility is to use more licentious means. I doubt there are many matrons willing to offer the same advice."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"What do you know of Mr. Denton?" Alexander enquired.
Elliot shrugged. "Not much. He's dead—"
"I know that."
"She was married to him for a few months, a loveless arrangement, I gather. I sense a deep passion within her. But it is anchored down by the weight of a heavy burden."
"Perhaps he was unkind to her. Cold, even."