Wanting to stretch his legs, he dismissed his carriage and started to walk home. He was acting very strangely about Kristine-Kit. He turned the name over in his mind, thinking it a good fit. A name with sharp edges, like hers. He hoped to God he wouldn't have to learn any new names for her; he was confused enough already.

Even though he was finally making progress, he felt a deep sense of disquiet, and he didn't know why. He suspected that it wouldn't go away until he caught up with Kit once and for all.

Chapter 19

The next step was to visit the very proper Lady Kathryn Travers. He-had learned Lady Jane's address from Lady Graham, so that afternoon he paid a call. The Travers house was located between Mayfair and Soho, respectable but modest. The door was answered by a saucy chambermaid. Her brows rose when he presented his card. "Cor, a blooming lord."

"Very little blooms in December," he said gravely. "Especially not lords. Is Lady Kathryn home?"

"If she isn't home to you, she's a bloody fool," the maid said irreverently as she led him to the drawing room.

A few minutes later, Kathryn entered, her expression hostile. "I hoped I had seen the last of you, Lord Strathmore." She did not ask him to sit down. "Have we anything more to say to each other?"

"Well, I do owe you a sincere apology for the way I treated you. Shall I get down on my knees?"

He made a move to do so, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand. "Don't be foolish," she said irritably. "That would only ruin fifty pounds worth of expert tailoring. I gather that mature reflection persuaded you that I was telling the truth."

"That, plus a visit with my aunt, the dowager Lady Steed."

Her expression became even warier. "I didn't know that Lady Steed was your aunt."

"Great-aunt, to be precise. She issued an invitation for you to call. She'd like to see you and your sister again."

Before Kathryn could reply, a large tabby wandered into the drawing room and began twining around the visitor's ankles, leaving drifts of fur in its wake. Lucien glanced down in time to see the cat hook a claw into his polished boots. "I might as well have groveled. By the time this feline finishes with me, all of that expensive tailoring will be ruined anyhow."

Kathryn lost some of her dignity as she swooped forward and retrieved the animal. As she banished it, protesting, from the room, she said, "I'm sorry, my lord. Like all cats, Sebastian has an instinct for being where he is least wanted."

"I presume that Kristine has a cat called Viola?"

She stiffened. "How did you know that?"

"I didn't," he said mildly. "It was merely a joke derived from Aunt Josephine's saying that you and your sister enjoyed acting in the Shakespearean plays that featured twins."

Her manner eased fractionally. "We had a natural advantage in that area. As for the cats, we got kittens from the same litter. Since she named hers Viola, my tom became Sebastian."

He was glad she was softening, though the cat deserved more credit than his own fabled charm. "My main reason for calling concerns your sister. I'm afraid she may be in trouble."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Explain yourself." She had a remarkable range of suspicious expressions.

Choosing his words carefully, he said, "When I met Kristine, she was engaged in… fraudulent and illegal activities. I don't think she is a criminal in the usual sense, but I fear she is involved in something that could be dangerous."

A faint sigh went through Kathryn. "You're probably right, but what do you want me to do about it?"

"I understand why you don't want to reveal her location to me, but please, send her a message," he urged. "Whatever the trouble is, I think I can help."

Her gray eyes ice-cool, Kathryn asked, "Are you one of Kristine's lovers?"

So Kathryn could be as bold as her sister. "No, I am not," Lucien said evenly. "I'll admit that I wish I was,but my first concern is her safety. I think she is venturing into deeper waters than she realizes."

Her face suddenly older than her years, Kathryn said, "I wish I could help you, Lord Strathmore, but I honestly have no idea where Kristine is. I wish to God that I did."

Her words were utterly convincing, and Lucien sensed that she was as concerned about her sister as he was. "Come for a drive with me. The day is more like October than December, and the fresh air will do you good."

When she hesitated, he said, "How much trouble can I cause in an open curricle when I have my hands full of reins?"

A hint of a smile showed in her eyes. "A persuasive argument. Very well, I'll get my cloak and bonnet."

Both garments, predictably, were dark, sober, and practical. Though Lady Kathryn might not feel that she would make a good governess, she dressed like one. Lucien was fascinated by how she could look so much like her sister, yet be restrained to the point of near-invisibility.

As if reading his mind, she said, "Kristine could wear this same cloak and look so dashing and fashionable that everyone would stare at her. She told me once that a good actress should be able to walk down a street and be seen, or walk down the same street and not be seen. She could do either." Kathryn smiled ironically. "When my sister doesn't want to be seen, she pretends that she is me. Then no one notices her."

"Surely the reverse must be true," Lucien said as he helped her into his curricle. "If you want to be seen, all you have to do is walk down the street pretending to be her."

She settled her skirts primly about her ankles. "I would never wish to attract that kind of vulgar attention."

He studied her from the corner of his eye as they drove through the busy London streets. She sat silently, feeling no need to fill the air with chatter. Though her manner was more reserved than her sister's, she shared the same marvelous, heart-catching profile. The sight of her made him ache for Kit.

When they reached the relative peace of the park, he asked, "Did you ever resent your sister for dazzling everyone?"

"How can one resent the sun for shining?" she answered. "Besides, Kristine enjoyed being the center of attention and I didn't, so there was no competition between us."

"Never?" he asked skeptically.

"Never." She glanced at him askance. "I'm not sure if a non-twin can understand this. Because we are similar in so many ways, a compliment to her pleases me as much as if it were made to me. I have always delighted in her achievements."

She sounded sincere, yet he had the impression that she was not telling the whole truth. Surely there must have been times when Kathryn had yearned for attention.

She continued, "The reverse is also true. Once a stuffy widower who was considering me for his next wife claimed that I was far prettier than Kristine. Even if the idea hadn't been nonsense, I would have been angry. How could he expect me to take pleasure in a compliment made at my sister's expense?"

"That was clumsy," Lucien agreed. "Yet it is not impossible that the fellow might have honestly found you more attractive. The glory of the sun does not lessen the loveliness of the moon."

She gave him a quick, startled glance. Then her gaze fell to her gloved hands. "You have a glib tongue, my lord."

"Yes," he admitted, "but that doesn't mean I don't sometimes tell the truth, as I just did."

Sudden laughter lit her face, and for a moment it was as if Kit was sitting beside him with all her teasing, volatile charm. Lucien's hands tightened on the reins, confusing his horses, and he reminded himself this was not the sister he wanted.

Yet while Kathryn did not have her sister's radiant sensuality, there was an intriguing hint of passion lurking beneath her proper surface. A good thing she was the sort of respectable female that a gentleman could court but not seduce. Otherwise, he might have been tempted to further their acquaintance, and his life was confused enough already.

Kit was a different story. Having chosen to kick over the traces of conventional morality, she was fair game. If-when-they became lovers, it would be as equals.

Yet he was still acutely aware of the woman sitting beside him. With an inward smile, he told himself it was a good thing Kathryn had a strong right arm and was willing to use it. No, it was his right cheek that had stung, so she must have struck him with her left hand.

He asked, "Kira, are you and your sister both left-handed?"

Her previous wariness returned. "Why did you call me that?"

"My aunt said that you and Kristine called each other Kit and Kira. I used your nickname because I like it."

"Lady Steed noticed a great deal," she said repressively. "But those names are private to my sister and me. It sounds strange to hear 'Kira' on a stranger's lips."

"I'm sorry," he said meekly. "I'll restrict myself to calling you Kathryn if you prefer."

"Lady Kathryn, if you please. We are not on familiar terms with each other."

"Yet."

She gave him a straight look. "I am not Kristine, Lord Strathmore, and I don't appreciate being used as a tool to help you find her."

He was surprised at how much he disliked the fact that she felt that way. He pulled his horses to a halt on the side of the track so he could give her his full attention. "It's true that I want to find your sister, for selfish reasons as well as disinterested ones. But you are an intriguing woman in your own right. I think we could be friends, if you would allow yourself, instead of growling like a cornered wildcat."