No doubt Miss Kendrick had seen a lot in her life, which accounted for her sardonic tone. She led him to the parlor and began cross-examining him with the skill of a barrister. Her distrust reminded him of Helena and the haunted look he had seen in her eyes. His patience for Miss Kendrick increased. She was another wounded bird, perhaps hurt by the same father who had hurt Helena.
“Prestwick lied,” Miss Kendrick said with a frown. “Our father received a letter a week after he let that coldhearted bastard take her. It said Helena contracted a fever and died at an inn along the way. Since we never heard from her, I assume he wouldn’t allow it. I am guessing he is dead now.”
“Prestwick is dead.”
A small smile played about the corners of her mouth. “Good.”
Questions crowded his head and he didn’t know what to ask first. Yet, even if he did know where to start, he wanted answers from Helena. He wanted her to trust him enough to share her past ordeals, and reuniting her with her sister could be the first step toward earning that trust.
“How is my sister?
“Well, but she misses you.”
Miss Kendrick nodded. “She misses who I was, and I am no longer that girl.”
Sebastian knew that wasn’t true. Helena’s only desire was to reunite with Lavinia. “She knows about you, Miss Kendrick, and she is driven to find you despite your circumstances.”
“She wants to find Cora, Pearl, and Gracie. I am a link to our sisters.”
Sebastian hid his surprise at learning Helena had more than one sister. “And do you know of their whereabouts?”
She sat up straighter, her wariness returning. “They are safe. Now I will interview you, my lord.”
He wasn’t able to answer many of the young woman’s questions, since he didn’t know what Helena’s life had been like with Prestwick. But he told Miss Kendrick about her stubborn streak, how she loved to read, her generosity with the old man and child in the rookery that evening, and how she had been dubbed the Whitechapel Angel and came to his aid. He spoke of her bravery when she fought off the footpad, and her loyalty to him and Eve when she defended them against Lady Lovelace. The more he spoke of Helena and all the ways she was unique, the more his heart swelled with admiration.
He didn’t tell her sister about the tenderness with which Helena had placed her lips against his bruised cheek, or the soft glow in her eyes when she looked at him. The way his pulse sped when she was near, or how he wanted to hold her and absorb her hurts. His throat felt tight and scratchy all of a sudden.
Maybe Eve was right. Was he falling in lovewith Helena?
“It wasn’t until a year after we received word Helena was dead that I learned the reason she had been taken.” If he thought Miss Kendrick’s eyes were cold earlier, they were shards of ice now. “Our pathetic sire had wagered her in a game of loo like she was livestock and lost, just as he always did. The gentleman came to collect his winnings the next morning.”
Sebastian cursed under his breath. More than ever, he wanted to wrap his fingers around both men’s necks. “No gentleman I know would accept that wager, much less collect the debt.”
“Which is the reason I consider him a fiend, but our father was even worse.”
What kind of depravity made a man gamble with his daughter’s freedom? He could see Helena’s reluctance to trust in a new light. The one man she should have been able to count on—her own father—had betrayed her. He couldn’t think on it without a harsh pain in his chest. He cleared his throat. “She will want to see you as soon as she learns I’ve found you.”
“Of course, and I want to see her,” Miss Kendrick said, “but that is impossible. She can’t be seen with me. Not if she is a lady. Perhaps you could deliver a message to her instead.”
Sebastian agreed it was important to protect Helena’s reputation, but he couldn’t agree with keeping her away from her only family. “Perhaps an inconspicuous meeting place would suffice. It is easy to find privacy in the pleasure gardens. I could bring her there tonight.”
“No, it’s too risky. I could be recognized by any number of gentlemen.”