The Lady and Her Treasured Earl (The Revelstoke Legacy Book 2)

by Lynda Hurst

  Mary pressed, “And you didn’t say yes because?”

  “I couldn’t say yes until I was certain what my feelings towards the man actually were. To this day, I still don’t know,” lamented Margaret. “I do know that he is kind and charming, and would make the perfect husband for any woman, only I don’t know if he would be perfect for me.”

  Faith supplied, “At the risk of sounding terribly cliche, I have to say: perfection is entirely within the eye of the beholder. If you’re still feeling uncertain, then may I make a suggestion?”

  Margaret replied, “By all means.”

  Faith began, “As long as we’ve been living under the same roof, I’ve known you to be at your best and at your happiest while here at Prestonridge Manor and its lands. Maybe if we can have him here within your environs where you are the most comfortable, your answer to his proposal may be that much clearer to you. Let’s say we have a country house party here to break up the season and have him be invited. Then Devlin and I can become better acquainted with him, and you may finally have your answer for him. Mary, you and Jackson can invite a few people as well.”

  Mary piped up, “That’s a fantastic idea! Jackson was also at a loss as to how to spend more time with Lady Celia before he actually proposed.”

  Margaret, shocked to hear that Jackson had an intended in mind, felt the blood drain from her face, but only for a moment as she reminded herself that she was no longer concerning herself with his affairs of the heart. With some effort to keep her voice steady, she stated, “I think that a house party here is a wonderful idea. I believe if I can observe Jeffrey amidst my own kin, then I can probably come up with an answer straight away.”

  Having realized she may have hurt Margaret’s feelings, Mary said, “I apologize for my insensitivity, Margaret. I know you have never admitted it out loud, but it was obvious to me how much you cared for the stubborn man otherwise known as my twin. Knowing you better now, I can definitely say with authority that my brother is a ninny for not seeing the beautiful, wonderful woman you are now.”

  Sighing, Margaret replied, “It’s all right. I now have a potentially happy future to think about as Jeffrey is my best chance at a happy marriage.”

  ***

  Jackson was nearing the open door of the drawing room, on his way to collect his sister Mary for their trip back home, when he overheard Margaret mention a happy future with Jeffrey, whom he presumed to be Lord Collingwood. He stopped and strained to listen harder to what was being discussed.

  He heard Mary’s voice say, “At least with the party here, we could use some fun as a distraction from this engagement business. But just think, with your marriage to Jeffrey, you’d be a duchess yourself once his father hands down his title to him! He’s as rich as Midas, which makes your sizable dowry almost unnecessary. And children! Oh, what beautiful children you would both have!”

  Jackson felt queer upon hearing what his sister was saying, but his heart seized a little when Margaret said, sounding wistful, “Yes, I would like children. A definite, valuable benefit to being married is that I would be allowed to have children.” He didn’t understand why her words affected him or why it bothered him that she had eyes for the Collingwood fellow, but he knew that it put him off-kilter to hear she had future prospects that didn’t involve him. Hearing proof straight from the source that he had been replaced in her affections and that she was planning on marrying Collingwood had him feeling nonplussed.

  Mary continued on, “Do you think Jeffrey would join in your investigations with the Revelstoke legacy? Adding another head to the mix may be advantageous in the ideas department.”

  “Or not,” interrupted Faith. “The lot of you are the only ones allowed inside information because of your direct involvement. I’m not sure I can allow a perfect stranger to be thrust into my family’s secrets so handily.”

  “You’re right, Faith,” Margaret said. “I won’t be disclosing anything pertaining to the treasure to Jeffrey until you deem he’s worthy of the knowledge. For now, I’d like to know when we can begin working on that bookcase.”

  Intrigued, Jackson decided to make his presence known by entering the room. “What bookcase?” he queried. “Does it have something to do with the Artemis clue?”

  All three ladies had looked up at his entry with surprise awash on all of their faces, clearly not expecting his sudden appearance interrupting their absorbing exchange. Sighting Margaret, he noted the high color spotting her cheeks and her dodging his direct gaze, but she cleared her throat before she answered, “Upon my visit to Revelstoke Place, I had discovered this book which describes the house’s origins during the reign of King John. According to one depiction, the Artemis clue may be referring to a high relief mural that may be hiding beneath that great bookcase in the Revelstoke library.” Margaret proceeded to share everything of import to the Artemis clue she had learned thus far with Jackson.

  Jackson had since seated himself comfortably across from Margaret and was leaning forward, absorbing everything she had discovered. “You have been busy since last I saw you. So, when do we head over? I can round up a few of our strongest footmen to help with that oak monstrosity of a bookcase. Faith, can we borrow a few maids to help with unshelving those books?”

  Faith replied, “There will be plenty of time for that after I attend to Grayson who must be waking from his nap right about now. And not until after we’ve had our dinner. I’m determined not to miss out on this new development since I haven’t been able to contribute much to the investigation itself.”

  Reluctantly, Jackson acquiesced, “All right. But first, I must accompany Mary home as our father is expecting us at dinner tonight. Shall we meet at Revelstoke Place after dinner?”

  Mary clapped her hands excitedly and jumped up to practically drag her brother out the door to quickly be on their way. “Yes, I can’t wait to see what we’ll find behind that bookcase. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can work on that clue!”

  Margaret smiled at Mary’s eagerness, and called out, “We will meet you there for six o’clock!”

  Jackson led Mary out of the room, and called over his shoulder, “Yes, we will look forward to advancing our treasure hunt until then.”

  At this point, he couldn’t tell whether he was thrilled at the thought of following an important lead to the Artemis clue or whether it was the thrill of working on the clue together with Margaret again. There was no denying the anticipation bubbling up within him, but there was also no reason for him to start feeding this sudden interest in Margaret after years of steadily ignoring her subtle advances.

  If he wasn’t careful, his plans concerning Lady Celia could potentially be ruined, not because he wasn’t going to go through with the proposal, but because Margaret presented a threat to the iron control he had on his heart.

  8

  Revelstoke Library—Later that Evening

  Along with three footmen and two maids in tow, a party consisting of Margaret, Faith, and Devlin met with the Ellesmere twins at the appointed time outside of Revelstoke Place. Eager to be on with the treasure hunt, the ladies, while chattering excitedly, had led the way into the house first and through the library doors, the two maids following discreetly behind. The men were several paces behind, likely due to having unloaded the cart and were then laden with various tools to aid in extracting a sturdy bookcase from the wall.

  Armed with the knowledge that the library was once an anteroom that adjoined to the chapel, the placement of the high relief mural they sought would have been positioned above the antechamber’s only entrance. The changes that have been made to the monastery to make it a residence fit for an earl had also seen to a re-designed layout that had seen new walls and extra rooms built.

  Margaret marveled at the history hidden within these walls, not even a proper mile away from the home in which she had grown up, and it amazed her even more that this newfound passion for research and self-study was extremely gratifying for her. Gone were the days of laz
ing about with no greater care than waiting for the latest fashion plates to arrive for her to follow.

  Instead, her days were now filled with activities most ladies of her station wouldn’t dream of sullying themselves with. Since Cousin Benjie’s arrest, Devlin had made it a point to see that both she and Faith learn to protect themselves by learning to shoot. At first, they had started with the small pistol, but Margaret had taken to the sport so well, she had also moved on to other pistol types then later on to Devlin’s favorite hunting rifle for practice. When she excelled in that, she then moved on to archery.

  And all of these recent developments in her life could be attributed to the day she decided she would take on the Artemis clue. Her life was full to say the least, and not even the most handsome suitor could sway her from her fervent passion in solving one of the oldest puzzles attached with this house.

  Not even if Jackson himself offered himself to her.

  One look at the great bookcase, and it was already clear that their work could take them long into the night. From top to bottom, the bookcase took up the height of the room, and its solid construction would almost make it immovable without the proper tools. Its width took up one entire library wall and would require everyone’s hands to remove all of the books contained within its shelves.

  “All right, shall we begin?” Margaret said while pulling books from the shelves. Faith and Mary followed suit, as did the two maids. Books that hadn’t seen a proper dusting were handily wiped down by the Prestonridge maids. A ladder had been produced, and a footman scrambled up to the top to begin handing down the books from the higher shelves.

  Margaret peered at each book, seeing if any were of interest, particularly any which could contain material pertaining to the origins of the Revelstoke legacy. After all, Faith’s own late mother had found the first clue within this very room, and so Margaret had set aside those titles that may have relevance to the very subject.

  Once the last book had been unshelved, Faith announced, “Gentlemen, if you will? The bookcase is ready.”

  Jackson and Devlin inspected the frame of the bookcase and gestured to where the bolts and nails held it in place to the wall. The three footmen, each armed with a different tool, set to work carefully dismantling the bookcase. Jackson and Devlin each picked up a mallet and longhammer respectively, and began the process of stripping apart the shelving units.

  The women stood back as the men worked, and once in a while, issued a call to “be careful.” With the shelving divested from the rectangular frame, the two footmen with iron crows worked mightily at prying the planks from the walls. Doing their best not to damage whatever was behind the bookcase, the footmen worked cautiously at the women’s insistence.

  With the final plank pulled away, the bookcase backing was then wrenched from the wall’s recess from a mighty pull by Devlin. Margaret anxiously held her breath, anticipating the moment of truth as Faith had grabbed her arm in nervous expectancy.

  However, everyone was sorely disappointed to find nothing there but a blank wall that hadn’t been plastered like the rest of the library walls, its wooden boards exposed. Jackson muttered, “That’s a shame.” To Margaret, he said, “Sorry, but it doesn’t appear to be here. What did that book say after you had it translated by the vicar?”

  Margaret shook off her stunned disbelief at his words and took a moment to absorb what it was Jackson was asking. Scanning through the information she had gleaned, she had an answer for him that pleased her greatly. Smiling brightly, she replied, “The book mentioned that King John ordered the monastery be searched despite the baron’s assurance there was nothing here. In doing so, extensive damage was done to search behind walls and the like. The baron-turned-earl was given the monastery by the king, and the new Earl of Revelstoke had built his home here repairing damaged walls and building new rooms to make this place a home. I say we look to see what’s behind those boards.”

  Jackson was amazed by the change in Margaret: from mild disappointment to brilliant cheeriness all in the space of minutes. Her face, which turned alive and glowing with animation during her explanation, charmed him tremendously, and he found himself answering her smile back with one of his. Her enthusiasm was certainly catching as everyone in the room was happy not to have let this setback deter them from finding the Artemis clue treasure.

  “As you wish,” he said quietly to Margaret alone and used his iron crow to rip the old planks from the wall. One of the footmen stepped up to help, making faster progress with two men on the job.

  Once the boards were clear, Jackson called, “It’s done. Would you please hand me that lamp next to you, Faith?”

  She handed him the requested item, and said impatiently “Be quick about it. You’re going too slowly for our liking.” He raised a brow at her, but took the lamp and turned to Margaret. “My lady, will you do us the honors?”

  Accepting the proffered lamp, she raised it inside the newly made hole, and gasped, “I don’t believe it!”

  Faith exclaimed, “What is it? Is there nothing there?”

  “No, the complete opposite, actually,” Margaret said, her eyes and smile widening at the sight before her. “The book was right about the mural depicting the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece and its location here in the house.”

  Faith looked up where Margaret pointed and continued observing aloud, “If you see there, just in the center of the mural, there’s Zeus and Hera. Then to the left, Artemis should be…” Her voice trailed off, the jubilance in her voice slowly leaking out at her last three words.

  Faith peered where Margaret indicated, and could not believe that the piece they’d been searching for had broken off the mural completely. On closer inspection, most of the mural was intact, except for hewn chunks on either end of the mural. “Oh, dear,” was all Faith could say.

  Crestfallen, Margaret said, “King John’s troops must have been a little overzealous in searching for the treasure, and had destroyed a genuine work of art.” At a loss, Margaret slumped into a nearby overstuffed chair, looking for all the world dejected and lost. Jackson sympathized with her plight, having shared in her joy only moments before, and had no words to cheer her.

  Faith had drawn closer to her poor sister-in-law and was patting her shoulder comfortingly while babbling in an effort to raise Margaret’s spirits. “You couldn’t have known the mural wouldn’t have been in one piece. There are plenty of broken pieces of art out there that are just as good on their own as their once-intact selves. Take the Venus de Milo, for example. She’s just as famous as if she had both of her arms. Why, my father kept a few broken pieces of various sculptures in this very library, and warned us against mishandling any of them while we were in here.”

  At Faith’s last sentence, Margaret perked up again. “Were any of them of Artemis and Orion?”

  Faith wrinkled her brow, thinking hard back to the past. “It could have been possible. But as a child, I never got a good look because of my father’s stern warning.”

  Devlin offered his two cents into the conversation with a question. “Where are they all now, Faith?”

  Faith faced her husband of two years and genteelly said, “In an effort to pay off some debts, my father sold off some of the pieces gradually over the years. And if I remember, the last one was sold about eight years ago.” Devlin knew which year she was referring to and had the decency to blush, knowing he was the one responsible for bringing the Revelstoke name into shame and ruin. Before he could sink deeper into his shame, Faith reached out for his hand which he readily took, brought their joined hands up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. A simple act of love and forgiveness shone out of that tender gesture.

  Margaret felt a twinge of envy at the couple’s display of genuine affection and had to look away. She fervently wished someone would look at her like that, the way her brother did his wife, but if wishes were pennies, she would have had a veritable fortune by now.

  However, as used to their demonstrations of love
as she was over the years, she easily turned her mind back to her problem at hand. Faith’s admission that there once existed pieces of broken sculptures littered throughout this very same library had brought hope back to the forefront within Margaret.

  Before Margaret could form a question for Faith about them, an unexpected corner had beat her to the punch. Mary asked, “If the former earl had participated in such an exchange, would he have made record of the transaction somehow? Maybe there’s a detailed record of what was sold and what monies he accrued with them?”

  Faith cried, “That’s a brilliant deduction, Mary! I wish I’d thought of it myself. My father would have kept books of accounts relating to the estate here.” She pulled herself free from Devlin and began searching the other shelves for the aforementioned books. Margaret noticed her brother looking slightly uncomfortable while Faith searched high and low for at least one of her father’s large ledgers.

  “Er, sweetheart, those books are no longer there since I had them moved and brought back to our estate,” Devlin called after her.