by Ayles, Abby
But to Joanna, who knew him much better than they, he was smooth, manipulating, and calculating. He was highly intelligent, that she knew. But it did not seem to her that he was on the good side of things. He found ways to make things worse for other people.
Lord Gilbert had told her several stories that he must not have thought were as bad as they were but to Joanna, they showed what a scheming, devious man he could be.
She blamed Lord Leonard for Lord Gilbert’s involvement in anything improper. He was the older, bigger brother. Lord Gilbert did anything he asked. It was an odd thing to see. Joanna wondered if she and Julia had a relationship like that.
Lord Leonard came back to the table and sat in the third chair, picking up his cards. They played for five minutes to the second and he was on his feet again, checking the foyer. On his third attempt, he looked back inside and frantically waved his arms.
“Grab them! We must go quickly!”
Lord Gilbert and Joanna jumped to their feet so quickly, the back of his legs tipped Lord Gilbert’s chair over. He snatched it before it went crashing to the ground. He did not want to draw any attention to them. He and Joanna crossed the floor quickly, grabbed the three sacks and brought them to Lord Leonard.
The three of them darted across the foyer to the stairs and went up as quickly as they could. Joanna ended up at the bottom, still going up when the men were already on the second floor. They turned to look at her but said nothing. Their faces said enough.
She hurried past them and went to the door to Duke Colbourn’s room. She set the painting down in front of the door, leaning it against her legs, so that her hand was free to turn the knob and open the door.
For one brief moment, she was afraid the duke had come back to his chambers during lunch. To her relief, the room was empty. She moved through the doorway. Lord Gilbert came in after her and then Lord Leonard. Lord Leonard closed the door behind him and set the edge of the painting on the floor, looking around.
“Where shall they be hidden? It must be somewhere that is easily accessible but no one would look there unless told to.”
Joanna scanned the room and pointed at a large hutch standing against one wall. It was used for large coats during cold winter seasons. It was at least four and a half feet wide and stretched back about the same.
“In there, or behind it?” she suggested.
Lord Gilbert looked at Lord Leonard. The older brother nodded and the three laid the paintings on top of each other on the bed. Lord Gilbert and Lord Leonard pushed and pulled on the hutch until it was scooted out a foot. They placed the paintings behind it and shoved it back so they were pushed against the wall.
Joanna watched them with an uneasy feeling. Somehow, this was going to go wrong. Something was going to go wrong. She was no longer sure she wanted the duke to be sent away from the mansion. Annabelle did look happy with him.
“I do not know if we should do this,” she said. She regretted it the moment she said it. Lord Gilbert crossed the room and took her face in his hands. He was not rough with her but he scared her nonetheless.
“It is too late to back out now, my dear. The time has come for you to have what you want. Annabelle has been receiving her every wish every day of her life, has she not?”
Joanna nodded. He took his hands from her face but his eyes remained locked on hers.
“And you have not. You have experienced great loss. A loss no one else can understand. They do not seem to care, do they? Have they?”
Joanna pulled in a deep breath, shaking her head.
“No, I suppose they have not.” Her voice came out defeated. It really was too late. When the paintings were found in Duke Colbourn’s room, it would appear he was attempting to steal them. He would be sent away from the mansion and Annabelle would not have her duke anymore.
Somehow, the idea did not sound as good as it had when Lord Leonard had first come up with it.
The older brother took a few steps to stand beside them. “We cannot stand her all day. The reason we are here is because you were insistent that Annabelle be punished for the years she has treated you badly. This is what you told us, is it not?”
Joanna nodded.
“Then you will reap the rewards when the paintings are found and he is sent away. Come, we must leave this room before we are discovered.”
The three hurried to the door, slipped through and made it to the top of the stairs unseen. Lord Leonard was there first and stopped, holding up his hand. He scanned the floor below.
“We will go directly to the dining hall.”
Lord Gilbert and Joanna nodded at him. They walked as casually as they could down the stairs and crossed the foyer to the dining hall doors. Lord Leonard opened it and allowed the other two to pass him.
The food looked delicious, distracting Joanna from her worry. She had not realized how hungry she was. She crossed the room to the table where the bread and meat was laid out, picking up a plate from the side of the table.
She lifted her eyes long enough to see Annabelle standing near the window with Julia and Duke Colbourn. They were laughing and smiling.
Joanna looked at Annabelle’s face. Her eyes were directed at the duke. Her smile beamed. The sun spraying through the window caught her in its light, surrounding her with a glowing halo.
Joanna straightened up. Resentment flooded her. Annabelle was always bathed in glory. All she had to do was stand in front of a window and gaze at a handsome duke. She was given everything while Joanna received scraps.
She clenched her jaw. She would make sure they found those paintings in Duke Colbourn’s chambers. He would be sent away. He would be humiliated and Annabelle would be alone again. For once, she would feel the pain that Joanna felt when a loved one is taken away.
Lord Gilbert’s hand on her elbow distracted her from her thoughts. She looked over at him.
“You are lost in thought, my Lady,” Lord Gilbert said, a look of concern on his face. She was touched. He would stand by her. No matter what happened.
Lord Gilbert was concerned about her. But it was not out of love. The look of anger on her face when she looked at Annabelle was obvious to him. He knew everyone else would see it, too. He gave her a gentle look, knowing it would calm her down.
The look disappeared from her face and she gazed at him lovingly.
He did not feel in the least sorry for her.
Chapter 26
Duke Colbourn woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and happy. He was looking forward to his day with Annabelle, not knowing what to expect. There was a ball later that evening, a birthday party for a prominent member of society.
He had purchased a tunic to match Annabelle’s dress, which he had not seen but had asked about as discreetly as possible.
In reality, he simply asked Julia about it so he would purchase the right color. For all he knew, Julia could have told Annabelle that they would match.
He and Mr. Covington planned to meet first thing this morning in the storage wing. Duke Colbourn wanted to show him what he had seen in the paintings that had made him think they were not genuine. Mr. Covington would be able to fill him in on his error and show him how to avoid the mistake in the future.
He cleaned at the water basin with a soft cloth, dried off and dressed. He brushed his hair and looked in the mirror, scanning his face.
Ten minutes later, he was in the parlor, waiting for Mr. Covington. He looked at the game of cards left out on the table. It was an odd thing. The maids had not cleaned it. Joanna and the Balfour brothers had not picked it up.
He shook his head, moving to pick the cards up and put them back where they belonged. Such a simple thing to do. He was disappointed in the lot of them.
As he slid the cards back onto the shelf, Mr. Covington came through the door.
“You look refreshed!” Mr. Covington said, upon seeing him.
“You slept well, I take it.”
“I did. And you?”
“The bed that was p
rovided to me is one of the finest I have ever slept on. I will remember to thank Duke Cartwright for that when I see him.”
The two men headed to the door to the passageway into the storage wing.
“I see that you and your lady are very compatible,” Mr. Covington said. “I am impressed with her. You have chosen well.”
Duke Colbourn shook his head.
“It had nothing to do with choosing, my Lord. It happened whether I wanted it to or not. As you know, I have not been seeking a wife. Although my age dictates that I find one and my duty is to have an heir, I was not looking.”
Mr. Covington nodded.
“I was aware of that. I never understood why you did not take the opportunities that were presented to you. You have known many fine ladies these past ten years since academy.”
“I had yet to find one that I felt a connection to. With Miss Cartwright…” He shook his head. “It seemed to come naturally. I am… enthralled with her every move. I feel… different. Odd, in a way. But it is good. I like it.”
Mr. Covington laughed. “I am glad you like the feeling of love, my Lord. It is a grand thing.”
“Have you been in love, Mr. Covington ? I have yet to hear you make mention of a female you might be interested in.”
Mr. Covington shook his head. “I have no title to carry on and no heir is required. I am free to do as I please. I have not met a woman who can match my energy. I stay on the move. It does not leave a great deal of time for such things.”
He pushed open the door and entered the main storage room, where the three easels were propped up in a row.
Mr. Covington stopped so abruptly, the Duke bumped into him from behind. Mr. Covington looked back and stepped to the side. “I apologize. The duke must have moved the paintings to a different place.”
Duke Colbourn looked around him at the empty easels. He frowned. Duke Cartwright had said nothing about moving the paintings. He did not know where the man would have moved them to.
“They have not been moved,” he said in a low voice. I believe they have been stolen.”
Mr. Covington’s eyes snapped back to the empty easels. He seemed to be having a little trouble grasping the situation.
“Why do you say that?” he asked. “Surely we will find them stacked to the side or…”
“Those are extremely valuable paintings, Mr. Covington ,” Duke Colbourn interrupted him.
“That was one of the reasons I was worried about their authenticity. He would not stack them to the side. You see how carefully he has boxed and crated these? He would not move them. It would take a great deal of trouble and he knew we were coming in this morning to look at them.
Mr. Covington stood for a moment, thinking. “We need to tell him what has happened.”
The Duke felt a stir of frustration in his chest. Why did these things keep happening to him? It was as if he was not meant to be with Annabelle. But he could not accept that. He knew the connection they had was not like any other.
“Yes. Of course we do. But what is it we will tell him?”
“The truth, of course. We arrived together this morning and the paintings were gone.”
Duke Colbournl sighed.
“This is turning into the strangest business deal I have ever had. Before we go, there may be other paintings that have gone missing. Do you remember what was here?”
“I doubt that I would remember each painting he had in here. It is enough that these three are gone. We must tell him now. He can make his assessment of the rest of them when he is down here.”
They turned to go back to the main wing and find Duke Cartwright. Duke Colbourn had a bad feeling. He was so recently accused, how was this going to look with Duke Cartwright?
He passed through the parlor and went through the door into the foyer, Mr. Covington on his heels. They turned in the direction of Duke Cartwright’s study. It was the one place they knew to find him, though they were not sure he was there at the moment.
A knock on the door and his answer of “Enter” made the two men look at each other with apprehension.
Duke Colbourn opened the door and the two men went in the study. Annabelle stood up from the high-backed chair, turning in their direction. Julia was standing on the other side of the chair, looking at them curiously.
“Duke Cartwright, your grace,” Duke Colbourn said. “I am afraid the paintings, which we were going to inspect further this morning, have been removed from the storage wing. Did you order this removal, my Lord?”
Duke Cartwright frowned, standing up and placing his fists on the surface of this desk, knuckles down.
“Removed? What do you mean? They are not on the easels?”
“They are not on the easels, my Lord,” Mr. Covington confirmed. “My first thought was that you had moved them.”
“I did not move them. I had no reason to. I knew you were going to look at them again today.”
Duke Colbourn nodded.
“That was my reasoning, my Lord. Please, you must come down and see if anything else is missing.”
Duke Cartwright was around the desk and to the door in a flash. Julia and Annabelle hung back but followed the men through the foyer, the parlor, and the narrow passageway. They all filed into the main storage room and stared at the empty easels.
Duke Cartwright was speechless. He took a few steps toward the easels and stopped. He turned with a face as white as a sheet, staring at Duke Colbourn.
“I… I am simply beside myself. I do not know who could have done this.”
“Unfortunately, there are many people who have access to this storage wing, my Lord,” Mr. Covington said. “You do not keep your parlor door locked when you open your home for breakfast and lunch. We know the paintings were here before lunch but Duke Colbourn and I did not return after lunch. Did you or anyone else return after lunch?”
Duke Cartwright shook his head. “I did not. I know of no one else who would have had reason to come back here.”
“There are strangers wandering your halls every day,” Mr. Covington pointed out. The duke shook his head.
“Most of them are not strangers. They are people from the nearby city, they are country fellows with their families. They have been coming here for years, since we opened the home to them. I cannot believe that any of them would do such a thing.”
Duke Cartwright turned and went back to the door, looking as though if he had to see the empty easels any more, he might be sick. The rest of them followed him back through the passageway to the parlor.
Annabelle walked as quickly as she could to keep up with Duke Colbourn, who was in front of her. His face was painted with worry. She knew he was thinking about his bad luck at Norrend. She hoped it would not change his mind about her. So far, she had not brought him anything but aggravation.
They came out into the foyer to see that Duke Cartwright had passed through without acknowledging the presence of a very guilty looking Joanna. She was staring at the card table and swirled around when the duke came through.
“Your Grace!” she said in a frightened voice. “Are you all right, my Lord? You look… distraught.”
The Duke stopped and looked at her.
“Did you see anyone pass through here before you went to lunch yesterday, Joanna?” he asked, his voice stern and angry.
She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. “No, my Lord. I saw no one. What has happened?”
“The paintings we were looking at yesterday have disappeared. Are you sure you saw no one?”
Joanna shook her head again. “No, I am so sorry. Those… those were the very valuable paintings, were they not?”
Duke Cartwright was about to go through the door when he stopped and looked back at her.
“Yes. They were three of the most valuable paintings in my possession.” The Duke knew Joanna knew next to nothing about art. He thought it was odd that she would question him about them.
“Do you have something to tell me, Joanna?” He asked, taking a f
ew steps back into the room in her direction.
She swallowed. Annabelle could see how nervous she was. When she moved her eyes to Duke Colbourn, Annabelle felt nausea rise into her throat.
“Did you not say you were anxious to purchase those, Duke Colbourn?”
Annabelle sucked in her breath sharply, her eyes darting to Duke Colbourn’s face. She saw his jaw clench in anger. He nodded. “Yes, I am anxious to purchase them.”
“Have you found the money you needed?”
Duke Colbourn frowned. Duke Cartwright moved his eyes back and forth between the two, trying to figure out what was going on.
“The money I needed? What do you mean, my Lady?”
“I overheard you telling Mr. Covington that you might not have the funds to cover purchasing all three of the paintings. It seems a coincidence that now the paintings are gone.”
Joanna’s voice was remarkably smooth for the words that came out of her mouth. Annabelle’s anger was tingling under her skin. Joanna’s reputation for telling the truth was in question.
Duke Cartwright looked at the girl in frustration. “
What are you saying, Joanna? Are you accusing the Duke of theft? If you are, I do hope you are right. You will be in serious trouble if you are making false accusations against a high-ranking member of society.”
Joanna kept her eyes focused on them, innocence painted all over her face. She was enjoying the look on Annabelle’s face. She could see her world coming apart in front of her. No duke, no marriage, no children.
“I am merely suggesting that everyone is suspect until the paintings are found. Even my room. But you may search my room, if you like. I certainly did not carry three heavy paintings and put them with my things.”
“Are you saying I should have someone search the duke’s chambers?” Duke Cartwright sounded flabbergasted. He shook his head.
“I will do no such thing. The duke is in fine standing with this family and I will not put him through such humiliation. Kindly keep your thoughts to yourself, young Lady.”
