by Ayles, Abby
“No one tells the story like Mr. Covington does,” Duke Colbourn said.
“He indulges himself and makes it much more horrific than it really was. But to his credit, it was a deadly storm and yes, our lives were in danger.”
It was but one of many stories Mr. Covington had to offer. After a solid hour of nonstop talking, the Duke cut politely into his speech to suggest they take a look at the paintings.
“Oh yes.” Mr. Covington nodded vigorously. “I am ready to see these beautiful paintings. Please point me in the direction.”
Annabelle watched him move his head, remind her of a chicken. The thought struck her as so funny, she had to turn away and almost choked on her laughter. Julia was standing next to her and patted her on the back.
“Are you all right, Annabelle?”
Annabelle nodded, deciding it would be best to keep such a horrid thought to herself. She was ashamed of herself and vowed not to be so mean-spirited in the future.
Chapter 24
The room was silent while Mr. Covington looked at the paintings. The ones in question had been propped up on easels, as much in the light as possible. Duke Cartwright offered to have the paintings taken outside to be seen in the natural light but Mr. Covington said it made no difference. If there were any problems, he would spot them either way.
The quiet felt like a weight on Annabelle’s shoulders. She shifted in place. She’d asked her father if he would allow her to come and view Mr. Covington’s examination. She was as curious as the rest of them. Knowing her love for fine art, he had agreed she could come along.
Mr. Covington viewed each painting from a distance, then moved in for a closer examination. He looked at the frame and tilted the painting forward to look at the back. After the third painting, he walked away from all three, turned and stared at them, one hand under his chin. Finally, he turned to Duke Cartwright and Duke Colbourn.
“These paintings are genuine,” he said bluntly.
Annabelle watched both her father and Duke Colbourn breathe a sigh of relief at the same time. Their shoulders relaxed and they smiled at each other.
“I am happy to hear it,” Duke Colbourn said. He was elated to hear the paintings were the real thing. “This is why I do not rely on my own judgment. I hope you understand, your grace.”
Duke Cartwright nodded.
“I do. It is a relief to me, as well. Would you care to see the rest of my collection, Mr. Covington?”
“I would like to very much, yes.”
Duke Cartwright went to his side and they walked around the room together, stopping at each painting, lifting it if it was not hanging, making remarks about the artist and the style.
Annabelle was usually very interested in such things. Had it been any other time in her life, listening to an expert such as Mr. Covington talk about paintings and fine art would have been a dream come true.
But when her father walked off with Mr. Covington, he left Duke Colbourn behind and she could not resist the opportunity to speak to him, no matter what they talked about.
“I am so happy the paintings are real,” she said in a low voice, stepping over to him. She had her arms crossed over her chest, gripping her arms with her hands. He noticed and raised his eyebrows.
“Are you cold, my Lady?”
She shook her head, trying to relax her tense muscles. She did not want to admit she was now quite nervous being around him. She had been perfectly relaxed before. What had made the difference?
“I believe I am still feeling the tension from before. The anticipation was terrible. Did you not feel it, too?”
He nodded.
“I must confess I did feel somewhat apprehensive. I did not want Duke Colbourn to think I was in any way disrespecting his knowledge of fine art. It was my own that I was questioning.”
“I understand,” Annabelle nodded. “I believe my father does, too. The Duke is a very thoughtful man. He is known for considering all sides of the equation.”
“I have noticed. If he was any other man, I may not have been able to escape the wrath of the duchess. I am dismayed that she does not approve of me. I did not feel her approval when I arrived and I feel it even less now.”
“I am sorry, my Lord, I will talk with her on your behalf, if you would like.”
Duke Colbourn looked down at her, drinking in the high cheekbones, the dark lips, the narrow, pretty eyes of the woman he loved.
“You are a jewel, my Lady. I must tell you how beautiful I think you are.”
“I thank you, my Lord. I am equally fond of your face.” The way she worded her compliment made them both smile wide.
“You are fond of my face?” Duke Colbourn repeated, chuckling as he said it.
“Yes, your Grace.” She decided to make the most of her blunder. “It is a face I would like to continue seeing frequently. As in daily. For a very long time. As in perhaps the rest of my life.”
Duke Colbourn’s smile widened, if it was at all possible. He had come for the paintings. He had found love. It was an amazing thing to him.
“That is something I am also looking forward to.”
Annabelle wanted to move closer to him but etiquette prevented any further movement. She would have given anything to kiss his lips, to let him know how much she wanted to be his bride.
She held back, turning her head when her father and Mr. Covington came back toward them.
“We are going to have a celebration dinner, Annabelle, Duke Colbourn. Mr. Covington has appraised the value of my art pieces at a much higher amount than I had originally assessed. I must thank you for bringing him to my home, my Lord. It is much appreciated.”
“It is certainly my pleasure.”
Annabelle followed the men through the door and down the narrow passageway that would take them back to the main house. She was behind Duke Colbourn, who glanced over his shoulder at her every so often with a warm smile on his face. She scanned his broad shoulders, his strong legs. He was a well-built man. She could not have found a better man to fall in love with. And how lucky was she that he felt the same way?
The passageway entrance was a door that led from the parlor to the other portion of the mansion. That area had always been used for storage. Every time Annabelle went down the passageway, she wondered why it had not been built a bit wider. Some of the items stored in the space must have been difficult to get through.
“Oh! Joanna. Lord Gilbert. I did not know you were here, my Lord,” she heard her father saying as he went into the parlor through the doorway. She shuddered off a disgusted feeling and put a smile on her face.
“Your Grace. Your Grace. I have just come by for a visit with the lovely Joanna. I hope that is acceptable.” Lord Gilbert bowed to them.
“Yes, I do not see why you cannot call on her. Have you spoken to Lord Rickman?”
Annabelle came around the back of the men, moving past the windows to go around Joanna and Lord Gilbert. Duke Colbourn followed her route.
“I have not.”
Her father had stopped to talk to Lord Gilbert. Annabelle was not in the mood to speak to either of them. She was still stewing about Joanna’s near sabotage of her relationship.
Duke Colbourn reached out and grabbed her arm to slow her down. She stopped and looked back at him. He let go, turning his eyes to the other people in the room.
She instantly understood what he was implying. She was being unladylike, hurrying past the two and trying to leave the room. She stood stock still, her eyes on her father.
“I would suggest that should be your next move, my Lord, as it is he you will need permission from if you plan to court the young lady.”
Annabelle watched Joanna’s back stiffen. She shuffled her feet and clasped her hands behind her back. Because of Annabelle’s position, she could see the girl was kneading her fingers so hard she was changing the color of her skin. She gripped her hands together. She was nervous about something.
Annabelle looked up at the back of the girl’s he
ad, wishing she had not been in such a hurry to leave. The look on Joanna’s face would tell her much more about what the girl was thinking. But she had acted too soon and she was lucky Duke Colbourn had stopped her at all.
By contrast, Lord Gilbert looked completely at ease. He was relaxed and smiling, like he always was. He had turned to the side and she could see his profile. Nothing was a problem for Lord Gilbert.
“I will take that under advisement, your Grace. Thank you.” Lord Gilbert bowed at the waist.
“We are on our way to the dining hall. Lunch will soon be served. We will see you there?”
“Yes. Yes, we will be there.”
Duke Cartwright looked around the room.
“I trust your brother is here?” He looked at Joanna directly.
“He is. Yes. He is around here somewhere. He will be back shortly.”
Duke Cartwight stood for a moment, assessing the situation. He moved his eyes from Joanna to Lord Gilbert.
“Perhaps Joanna should come with us to the dining hall,” he said.
“We are planning to play a game before lunch, my Lord,” Lord Gilbert said. “
I do hope we have your permission to do so. Lord Leonard will be back shortly. The game is ready to play.” He waved his hand at the card table nearby, where indeed, the cards were laid out for a game of Whit.
Duke Cartwright glanced at the table. He nodded. “We will see you in the dining hall.”
“Thank you, my Lord. Thank you.” Lord Gilbert bowed twice as Duke Cartwright walked around him. Annabelle and Duke Colbourn waited until her father and Mr. Covington went through the door to the foyer before following behind them.
True to his word, Lord Leonard was approaching the parlor door. He stopped and bowed to the Dukes. “Your Grace. Your Grace.”
“Lord Leonard,” Duke Cartwright said. “You are staying for lunch?”
“Yes, my Lord, we plan to after a few games of Whit. Joanna expressed an interest in playing and my brother is known to give in to a pretty face.”
“Yes. I have noticed.” Duke Cartwright sounded more serious than Annabelle thought he intended.
“We are going to the dining hall now. We will see you there.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Lord Leonard bowed again and turned toward the parlor door. He stopped and turned back quickly, saying, “Pardon me, my Lord, but did you receive good news about your paintings?”
Duke Cartwright looked back at him.
“Yes. We have genuine paintings.”
“I know that is a relief to you, my Lord. Congratulations.” With that he turned and went to the parlor door.
The men continued but Annabelle hung back a little and watched Lord Leonard slip through the door only opening it enough to get through. She caught a glimpse of Lord Gilbert in the room when the door opened. His face was very serious. He did not look like he was getting ready to play a game of Whit.
She hurried after the men, not wanting to be left behind and asked any questions. Why would Joanna want to play a game before lunch? She was not one to invite others to play games. In all the years she had known her, Joanna had never once asked her to play a game with her. And why did Lord Gilbert look so serious?
When she went into the dining hall, she looked around for Julia. If there was anyone who would share her wonder about the situation, it was her best friend. She spotted the young woman standing by the table of fruit, looking through the selection and picking out strawberries.
The room was filling quickly with people from the city and the nearby countryside. She had to maneuver around several people, excusing herself and curtsying. She finally reached Julia and could not help eyeing the fruit table herself.
“Oh my, those look so very fresh,” she said. Julia looked up at her.
“I did not see you coming. You are like a small kitten on padded feet.”
Annabelle smiled.
“I did not mean to frighten you.”
Julia shrugged.
“Did you enjoy the artwork examination?”
“I did, thank you. It was a relief to find out the works of art are genuine and not forgeries.”
“Oh, that is a relief!” Julia exclaimed, right before taking a bite of her strawberry.
“Did you see my sister? She is in the parlor playing games with the Balfour brothers.” Julia shook her head.
“I do not know what she sees in Lord Gilbert but I am glad she has found someone to spend her time with. She has become much more outgoing, would you not agree?”
Annabelle would agree. But something about it all bothered her. She could not put her finger on it.
“Do you have no suspicions that Lord Gilbert might not be the right suitor for Joanna? You have no concerns?”
Julia took another bite of her strawberry, finishing it and dropping the leaf on her plate. She gave Annabelle a nonchalant look.
“I have spoken with her about my concerns. My sister does not listen to me. She knows that I only come from a place of love. But she does not listen to me. We are twins. I am only minutes older than her. She does not count those minutes as being worthwhile.”
Annabelle gave a humorless chuckle.
Chapter 25
Joanna shifted in the chair nervously. The Dukes were in the storage wing with Mr. Covington and Annabelle surveying the value of the three paintings. She was waiting in the parlor with Lord Gilbert, while Lord Leonard scouted the rest of the house.
She wanted revenge against Duke Colbourn for humiliating her in the street. But the plan Lord Gilbert had come up with was elaborate and dangerous. She would incur the wrath of many people if she did not play her cards right.
Lord Gilbert was very persuasive. When she started to question what they were doing, he always told her that she was the only person alive capable of doing what needed to be done.
She was the only logical one to say the Duke had said crude things to her because Annabelle would never admit it, even if it were true and Julia was too pure to have not slapped the Duke’s face at least once. Joanna was timid, meek, easily controlled.
When the group emerged from the passageway, her heart had nearly beat out of her chest. She was so tense, she gave herself a mild headache. Her hands ached from where she had been kneading them together. She desperately wanted to lie down.
But she had committed herself to the plan Lord Gilbert devised. Once the group was gone to the dining hall, she would remain in the parlor while Lord Gilbert and Lord Leonard went through the passageway, retrieved the three paintings and brought them back. They had large sacks ready, hidden in a corner near the doorway, where no one would look.
If anyone came to the parlor, which was unlikely for at least half an hour or more, Joanna was to say the men had left to get lunch and bring it back for her.
The time it took for the two men to get the paintings went by like molasses dripping from a tree. Joanna thought they would never return. It felt like an eternity.
She paced the room, waiting with a steady beating heart. The doorknob never turned but she kept looking at it as if it had.
Finally, Lord Gilbert and Lord Leonard came back through the door. They propped the paintings up against the wall. Lord Gilbert’s face was glowing with triumph. He smiled wide at Joanna.
“Do you see? Look! Look at this beauty!” He uncovered one of the paintings, looking at it with hungry eyes. Joanna wondered why he found the painting so fascinating. She had seen it before. It did not seem special to her.
But Lord Gilbert’s joy at stealing the painting was written all over his face. Lord Leonard, by contrast, was sober and serious. He covered the painting back up and moved two of them to the door, so that if it opened, the person on the other side would not immediately see them. He returned for the third one and looked down at Lord Gilbert.
“You must get yourself under control, brother. These are the most valuable paintings in that storage room. They will be missed quickly. For all we know, the Dukes may return to look at them after lu
nch. We must put them in the room now.”
He went back to the door, propping the third painting up against the other two. He turned and beckoned to them.
“Come. We must do this now. Each of us will hold a painting. Miss Joanna, you will lead the way because you know which room is his. You do know this?”
She nodded.
“Good.” He casually opened the door and stepped out, looking around the foyer. He would have to make the timing perfect, as some people from the city came late for lunch.
People were coming and going through the area, admiring the paintings and decorations but never going into any other room but the dining hall. That was the only area they were invited besides the foyer.
He stepped back inside, shaking his head. “There are people out there. We will have to wait.”
Lord Gilbert looked at the game table.
“I suppose we should play a game. At least make it look as though we had played a game. Do you agree?”
Lord Leonard nodded.
“That is good thinking. You two set it up. I will find a hiding place for these in this room. We will play for five minutes. Then I will check again. I will check until there is no one out there and we can make it up the stairs without being seen.”
Joanna thought the task sounded completely impossible. She had been in the mansion for so many years, she knew the routine of the people who lived and worked there. The foyer was rarely empty, especially at lunchtime.
Since Duke Cartwright and Duke Colbourn knew they were playing a game of Whit, they might return to the parlor quickly. Then how would they get the paintings out of the room?
Lord Leonard walked around the room, surveying each corner, cabinet, hutch, and trunk. When he found an easel covered up with a large drape, he nodded. Joanna watched him from the table, where she was seated. The others had no idea what kind of man Lord Leonard was. To them, he was a quiet observer, involved in his own thoughts, watching the world move around him.
