Fiona spun around, facing them all with a grin. “I think I’ve figured it out!”
She hurried across the floor, following the eastern point of the wind rose to where another painting hung. There, she found a similar spot on which to push down and produce a clicking sound. The western point came next followed by the southern. Here, Fiona paused. Edward went to where she stood and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Go ahead. Let’s see what happens next.”
“I could be wrong,” she whispered.
“Yes. You could be. But you won’t know unless you try.”
She pushed down below the painting, and he could see now that it was a small lip protruding from the wall. It almost looked as though it had been placed there to help anchor the painting, unless one studied it closely enough to see that the painting didn’t touch it at all. A second of silence followed, and then Edward heard a distinct whirring sound.
“Stand back,” he told everyone while he and Fiona stared down at the floor before them. The wind rose was sinking and turning, the inlaid pieces of marble twisting outward and disappearing into the sides of what turned out to be a large spiral staircase.
“Oh my God,” Fiona murmured, then caught herself and slapped her hand over her mouth.
“I think it’s all right for you to say that, under the circumstances, Fiona,” Edward muttered. He glanced across at the rest of the group. Each person was staring at the newly revealed staircase with shock and awe. Lady Duncaster herself appeared as though she might stumble and fall. Thankfully, Lord Oakland was quickly beside her, offering her his assistance.
“Is that really there?” she asked, pointing one finger toward the first steps leading downward. “Am I actually seeing that?”
Assurances were made while Edward, Belgrave, Lamont, and Montsmouth went to fetch lanterns. “I’ll go first,” Edward said when he returned. “Fiona, you may follow directly behind me, if you wish.” She frowned at him but didn’t argue, for which he was grateful. After all, they were about to explore a place that had been sealed off for decades, so he wasn’t about to take any chances with Fiona going first, no matter how much she probably wanted to do so.
Still, he occasionally felt her hand at his waist as they made their descent, the lantern casting an intimate glow against the solid stone walls while they went. Behind him, he could hear the chatter of those who’d chosen to join him and Fiona on this new little adventure, their voices reverberating in a ghostly way that made it impossible for him to determine their closeness. He counted thirty steps before arriving on a solid dirt floor. Turning up the flame of the lantern, he stepped out from behind a pillar in the center of the staircase and studied the space beyond, almost catching his breath at the sight he beheld. “Incredible.”
“This is it,” Fiona whispered, stepping up beside him. She hesitated there for a second before continuing forward, her feet seemingly drawn to the wondrous collection of carefully wrapped items and boxes, all grouped in various clusters with each containing a label informing the viewer of where the pieces had come from. “Look here. This is from the Gavrois family. And these over here, they have come from the Comte D’Orly.” It was a staggering display of artifacts, no doubt about that. “Look, Edward!”
His heart expanded in response to Fiona’s use of his name. He glanced around, wondering if anyone else had noticed, but they all seemed to be too preoccupied themselves. So he went to where she was standing and placed his hand at her elbow. “What is it?”
Her fingers traced a label attached to a large trunk. Le Duc et La Duchesse de Marveille. “These items here belonged to my great-aunt.” She gave Edward a brief glance – enough for him to see the sheen of moisture that covered her eyes. “I’m almost afraid to look.”
“Do you want me to do it?”
Snatching her fingers back, she stepped aside and nodded, allowing Edward to undo the latch. Carefully, he eased the lid back, revealing the contents. A piece of black velvet fabric was the first thing that came into view. It had been laid out, covering the rest of the items, as if to offer some sort of protection. Edward lifted one end and folded it to the side, then paused as his gaze fell on the items it had been hiding. There were a few books, a couple of decorative porcelain pieces, a clock, but most importantly, a wooden box carved with the scene of a shepherdess tending her sheep. He lifted it out and held it toward Fiona. “I think this is what you’ve been looking for.”
Her lip trembled, and she hesitantly placed her hand upon the lid. “You found it.” She swallowed, then took a deep breath and slowly pushed the lid open. Edward couldn’t help but stare at the dazzling selection of gemstones that came into view. “Oh my goodness.” He looked up to see tears had spilled from Fiona’s eyes and immediately felt his heart clench in response. “There’s the tiara she received from the Empress of Russia. Oh…it’s so beautiful, all of it, don’t you think?”
Reaching up, Edward brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the tears. “It is an extraordinary find,” he whispered.
“I have to show Mama and Papa.” Smiling, she turned to do precisely that when Lady Oakland called to them from the other side of the room.
“You must come and see this, all of you,” the countess said in an eager tone that raised Edward’s curiosity. He followed Fiona over to where her mother was leafing through some papers that had been strewn about on a table. “I found these in that portmanteau over there.” She gestured toward the discarded leather satchel with a wave of her hand.
“What is it?” Rachel asked as she, Emily, and Laura drew closer together with their fiancés. Lord Oakland and Lady Duncaster stepped up alongside them until everyone surrounded the countess.
“Birth certificates – twenty of them, to be exact. And there’s a letter as well.” Lady Oakland bowed her head over the piece of paper she was holding. “It reads as follows: ‘There is a chance my comrades and I will all be long gone before these treasures are found. That has always been our intention since time alone would serve to preserve our most important secret and keep the people who trust us safe. We have done what we could, even though we wish we could have done more. Too many innocents perished during the Terror, but at least we were able to save a few. These children were brought to England under the cover of night, ensuring their families would find continuation by blood, if not by title. They have been placed in modest homes, safely hidden from the Electors and anyone else who may wish to harm them. Experience has taught me that few people in this world can be trusted, which is why no clues will be left to their whereabouts. Hopefully, this will prevent those who wish to undo our work from meeting with any success while assuring our descendants we did what could be done in the name of both life and freedom. Signed, Robert Everton Hayworth, the 3rd Earl of Duncaster.’”
Silence remained for seconds after until Lady Duncaster finally spoke. “I think I need a brandy now.”
“I believe I’ll join you,” Lord Oakland said. He started escorting her back upstairs.
“I can scarcely believe it,” Laura murmured. “This is truly more incredible than anything I ever thought we might find.”
“And there is this as well,” Fiona said. She stepped forward and placed the jewelry box on the table.
“Oh, my dear,” her mother exclaimed. “You actually found it!”
“There will be a lot of work to do, cataloguing all of the items here,” Montsmouth said. “I must confess it far exceeds my expectations.”
They returned upstairs moments later with the intention of taking a closer look at their discovery over the course of the next few days. It was even decided they would make an effort to return whatever was possible for them to return to any surviving members of the families who’d placed their valuables in Duncaster’s safekeeping. In the meantime, the party would disperse to their individual bedrooms for some much needed rest.
Edward escorted Fiona to the top of the stairs and paused there to wish her good night. “Perhaps we can go for a ride tomorrow, if
the weather permits?”
She was clutching the jewelry box as if she feared it might suddenly vanish. “Yes. I would like that.”
Instinct tempted him to dip his head and kiss her, but her sisters and parents were passing right behind her on the way to their own bedchambers, so he resisted the urge. “Good night then,” he murmured instead, waiting until she had moved out of sight before turning toward the left and heading in the direction of his own room.
Chapter 24
When Fiona woke late the following morning, she lay for a long while staring up at the ceiling. It almost seemed as though the previous evening had never happened. Chadwick…Edward…had actually kissed her beneath the stars and with so much passion she was surprised she hadn’t melted on the spot. And they’d found the treasure – a collection of items so impressive, she could scarcely credit its existence. Oh, and her sisters were going to get married tomorrow in the small chapel where Kip had spoken his vows to Sarah.
Sighing with the pleasure of it all, she stretched out her arms before letting herself relax into a collection of languid limbs. This visit to Thorncliff had certainly met with success from a number of different angles. Recalling Edward’s suggestion the previous evening that they go for a ride today, she flung the coverlet aside and got up, ignoring the chill that seeped into her feet from the cool floor underneath. A fire would be stoked by a maid, as soon as she called for one to assist. She did so presently, and ten minutes later she was able to warm herself and her toes in front of the fireplace while changing out of her nightdress and pulling on her chemise, stays, and gown. She’d selected a deep blue velvet today since she knew blue was Edward’s favorite color.
Hurrying from her bedchamber, she half walked, half skipped in her excitement to get downstairs and speak with her family about the treasure and spend more time with Edward. He hadn’t mentioned his intentions last night, but she knew he wouldn’t kiss her like that and then simply go on as if nothing had happened. He would have things to say – things she was more than ready to hear.
She rounded a corner, her feet skidding slightly in her haste to reach the dining room, and immediately collided with a solid surface. “Oomph!”
“Fiona.” Edward’s eyes danced with amusement even as his voice held a note of concern. “Are you all right?”
He’d caught her by the shoulder, his hand still resting there now, and she felt that bit of contact so keenly, it was as if a fire had been struck against her skin. “Yes.” Heavens, she sounded breathless.
Grinning down at her, he removed his hand and stepped back a little. “I don’t suppose I might be the cause of your eagerness this morning?”
She immediately felt herself blush. “And what if you are? Would that please you?”
His eyes seemed to darken a fraction, and she suddenly felt a little unbalanced. They were flirting with each other – an entirely new scenario with which she wasn’t familiar. “Indeed,” he murmured in a low tone that made her insides ripple with awareness. “It would please me a great deal.”
Her heart pitter-pattered like an anxious little rabbit, and yet all she wished to do was fling her arms around him and pull him close. She wanted to return to what they’d had last night with a desperation that made her feel utterly reckless. “Then… er…” Good Lord, she couldn’t think of what to say next, which was most unusual.
“Eat your breakfast and meet me by the front door in half an hour,” he told her seriously. “I’m going to prepare our carriage.”
With this glorious thought in mind, Fiona headed off to endure the longest half hour of her life. But it turned out to be well worth the wait as soon as she saw what he had prepared. “This is quite wonderful,” she said, once he’d handed her up into the carriage and taken the seat beside her. Thick fur pelts had been laid out on the seats, while a heater with hot coals in it sat at their feet offering warmth.
“I’m glad you think so,” Edward said, spreading a thick wool blanket across both of their laps. He slid a bit closer, and she felt his thigh against hers, the scandalous contact blazing a trail along her entire left side. He didn’t seem to notice as he tapped on the roof and the carriage jerked into motion.
Fiona held her breath. She was scarcely able to think, let alone move for fear the slightest action on her part might prompt Edward to add a proper measure of distance. “I like the blue,” he murmured close to her ear.
“I imagined you would. It is, after all, your favorite color.”
He chuckled lightly. “This is the wonderful thing about us, Fiona. We know each other so well that being together like this, in a new kind of way, adds a depth to the experience I think most couples lack.” His hand found hers beneath the blanket, pulling it out so he could place a kiss upon her knuckles. “No gloves?”
“I didn’t want them between us.” She could tell by the slight widening of his eyes he hadn’t expected her to be quite so honest, but she was glad she’d had the courage. It would make things simpler for both of them in the end.
“There will never be anything between us, ever again, Fee.”
She drew a sharp breath, and his mouth descended once more, this time upon her own. His lips were as warm and soft as they’d been the evening before, but the taste of champagne had since disappeared, replaced by the smooth aroma of coffee. She turned more fully toward him, her hands rising to hold him close by the nape of his neck and the back of his head, her fingers reveling in the silky caress of his hair. A growl rose from somewhere deep within his chest, and she instinctively caught it with her mouth, loving the way it hummed through her body. His arms reached around her, and he leaned in, pushing her back against the corner of the squabs, his mouth hard against hers while he gave and took in equal measure.
“Fiona.” Her name was spoken like a breathless benediction, the word stroking at the edge of her soul and leaving her desperate for more. He leaned in, pressing closer, so close she could feel the strength and vitality rippling through him, the hard planes of his body in a snug embrace with her much softer curves.
“Yes?” she whispered while he kissed his way along the curve of her neck.
“I want you so much it hurts,” he confessed before playfully scraping his teeth against her flesh in a way that sent sparks of pleasure spiraling through her. “Forgive me, Fiona…Christ, I’m making a hash of this.”
“Of what?” She could scarcely speak.
He buried his face against the curve of her neck, his breaths coming fast and ragged, like he was struggling to regain control. Eventually he drew back, and the expression on his face made it clear he did so with great difficulty.
“I love you, Fiona. I’ve loved you for quite some time now.” He blurted the words as though fearing he might lose his nerve. It afforded him with a degree of hesitance that went straight to her heart. “I love you with a soul-wrenching desperation that makes me feel mad most of the time. The desire to be with you, to share every fine detail of my life with you, is so acute it makes me tremble to think you might not feel the same. But the way you returned my kiss last night and now makes me dare to ask the most important question of all: if you will have me, my heart, my love. Marry me, Fiona, and—”
“Yes!”
“Yes?”
“Most assuredly, yes.” Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, her fingers reaching for his hair, tunneling through it in an almost crazed determination to touch every part of this man who’d come to mean so much. “I love you too, Edward.” She whispered the words and drew in his scent – that familiar blend of sandalwood, musk, and coffee that made her feel safe, comforted, cared for.
He blew out a shuddering breath and returned his lips to the side of her neck, kissing her there until she sighed and arched, wishing they were already married and anywhere other than in an impractical carriage. He must have felt the same, for his arms shook with self-imposed restraint while he held her and quietly said, “Let us hope your parents had the foresight to procure a special license for u
s as well. Because honestly, I cannot imagine having to wait three weeks in order to make you mine. As long as you agree, of course.”
She pulled him back for a kiss, telling him without words that her need for him was equal to his need for her. Even a day seemed like an insufferable amount of time to wait. Which was why she asked that they cut their ride short and return to Thorncliff immediately. “I want to inform Mama and Papa right away and ensure that marrying tomorrow is indeed a possibility.”
Edward didn’t argue. He even held her hand the entire way back and was still holding firmly onto it when they burst through the door to the green parlor where the rest of their party was gathered. All conversation ceased, and everyone turned to acknowledge their abrupt arrival. Fiona felt her cheeks flush as she tried to calm herself – her breaths had quickened when she’d leapt from the carriage and half walked, half run the necessary distance.
“You look as though you blew in on a gust of wind,” Lady Duncaster remarked from her position in one corner.
“I…We…” Fiona stared at her family’s expectant faces.
Fiona’s mother raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”
“I have asked Fiona for her hand in marriage,” Edward said, his hand tightening around hers with the sort of masculine possessiveness that made her feel incredibly cherished. “And she has accepted.”
A momentary hush fell over the room, and then Lord Oakland was suddenly on his feet and striding toward them. “About bloody time,” he declared with a grin and then immediately apologized for his language. He stuck out his hand to Edward who gave it a firm shake, the relief he felt coming off him in waves.
Fiona hadn’t realized until that moment how nervous he’d been about telling her parents, which was silly, of course. She’d had no doubt in her mind they would be pleased to make him a more permanent part of the family.
Christmas At Thorncliff Manor Page 20
