She forced a smile so he wouldn’t see she, too, was disappointed in the lack of any evidence that could help them recover Anne. “Well, now you must. I command it.”

A hint of a smile softened his expression. “Then who am I to argue,” he said softly, and held out an arm.

She blinked as she stared at the outstretched arm. The hopeful look on his face. Once again, she was drawn to take his offering, to forget what she knew.

But she couldn’t. She’d left her heart unguarded going into this endeavor, and knowing he’d lied to her crushed it. She wasn’t ready to offer it again so swiftly, even if she could find empathy for her husband.

“We should go up,” she said, pretending not to notice his arm as she swept past him. “To ready for supper.”

He said nothing, but she felt his stare on her back as they walked up the hill to the house. Back to the place where they would each have to pretend nothing had changed when everything had.

Chapter 21

Jasper sat at the head of his dining table, his wife across from him and her family between them. Thomasina picked at her dessert, and he had to admit he was no hungrier than she was as he thought of their thwarted attempts to find information on his brother and Maitland’s blasted treasure.

“Where did you two disappear to this afternoon?” Juliana asked, oblivious to the tender subject she was wading into.

Jasper watched Thomasina flinch, but her fake smile was bright as she said, “We walked around the estate. There’s so much to—to discover.”

He appreciated her attempts to not lie directly. He supposed that was an accusation against him and he couldn’t help but feel it.

“Thomasina was a great help to me as I’ve been putting off going through some of my late brother’s items,” he said.

Mr. Shelley tilted his head. “After all this time? I’d have thought you’d just fold them into your own life.”

Thomasina cleared her throat. “What did you do, Father?” she asked, changing the subject, much to Jasper’s relief. She met his gaze evenly and he nodded his thanks to her.

“I prepared for my trip to Gretna Green tomorrow,” he said, arching a brow in Jasper’s direction. “As forcefully requested by your husband.”

“I did the same,” Juliana said as she glanced at Thomasina.

She jerked her gaze toward her sister. “What? You’ll go with him?”

There was a lifetime of communication that flowed between the sisters in that moment. Jasper watched it, mesmerized by their connection, feeling, and not for the first time, all he had lost out on through his strained relationship with Solomon.

Juliana cleared her throat. “I think it best. I can help Father stay on task. You know how he depends on me to organize his duties.”

Thomasina bent her head, her hand clenching on the table before her. How he hated she had to endure this. How both she and Juliana did, thanks to all those in their lives who they could not depend upon. It was patently unfair.