by Ayles, Abby
Duke Colbourn lifted one hand. “If it will make the young lady happy, your Grace, I would be happy to let you look through my room.”
Annabelle noticed the look of satisfaction on Joanna’s face. She was suspicious. The girl was up to something. But she hadn’t removed the paintings. That was a fact.
“Are you sure, Duke Colbourn? This must be completely voluntary.”
Duke Colbourn nodded.
“I have nothing to hide, my Lord.”
Chapter 27
The entire group went up the stairs, Joanna included. She trailed along behind everyone else, looking satisfied with herself. She had thrown suspicion on Duke Colbourn.
Annabelle did not understand her friend’s motives. It seemed excessive to keep accusing Duke Colbourn just because he rejected her advances.
They all gathered around the door to Duke Colbourn’s room, which he reached out and opened himself. He went in and looked around. The room looked the same way it had when he’d left that morning.
He was not a messy sleeper, so his bed was barely touched. He stepped to the side and let the duke come in. The others followed after, looking around the room.
“I see nowhere the paintings could be kept,” Duke Colbourn said, his eyes turning to Joanna, who was the last one to come in. He was far from a stupid man.
If Joanna said that the paintings could possibly be in his room, she had to have a reason for doing so.
When she came in, the lady was looking down at the floor, watching where her feet went. He looked down at the floor but it made no sense to him. The paintings could not be hidden under the floor.
He watched her face when she finally lifted her eyes. She was looking at Duke Cartwright and did not move her eyes from him.
Duke Colbourn was doing his best to hold on to his temper. He was exhausted with being accused of things he had not done.
“Your Grace,” he said, addressing Duke Cartwright. “I have stolen no paintings. I have done nothing to you or your family. I tire of being accused. I would ask that the lady provide proof that the paintings are in my possession or leave me be.”
Duke Cartwright looked at Joanna. “If you would be so kind as to respond to the duke, it would be appreciated.”
Joanna looked around the room.
“I am sure there is somewhere the paintings can be hidden. You have not looked. They would not be in plain sight.”
Annabelle was watching Joanna as closely as the Duke Colbourn. She watched as Joanna ran her eyes around the room, hesitating only once. When she looked at the hutch.
“Father,” she said, moving her eyes from her father to the Duke Colbourn.
“May I ask that the hutch be moved?” There is a space behind it and below it. Or the paintings might be in the hutch.” She wished she could send her thoughts to Duke Colbourn so he would not think she was going along with Joanna’s lies.
She did not enjoy the look he gave her but she would explain herself at a later time. She met his eyes and shook her head just slightly, hoping he would understand it. He looked confused and then turned his eyes to her father.
“I will move the hutch, my Lord.”
“Nonsense. I will have someone on the staff move it. You will not lift a finger to support these accusations. If the paintings are behind the hutch, we will have our guilty party. If not, there is still question about where the paintings might be.”
Annabelle could not tell what her father was thinking when he went to the side of the bed and pulled on a small rope. A speaker from the servant’s quarters sticking out from the wall made a small sound and they could all hear a male voice through the speaker.
“My Lord?” the voice said.
“Albert, come to Duke Colbourn’s room and bring William with you.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
They all stood in silence waiting for the servants. Annabelle could feel the tension in the room. It was so thick, it was like a thundercloud surrounded them. The men came in the room only a few minutes later.
“Albert, you and William move this hutch to the side, please. We want to look behind it and underneath it.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Albert and William took places on either side of the hutch and with a hefty grunt, pulled the hutch away from the wall.
Annabelle watched as the hutch was moved.
There was nothing behind it. Her eyes darted to Joanna’s face. She looked shocked. Annabelle was covered in chills.
Joanna had expected to see the paintings there. When she realized everyone was going to look at her, she made her face as neutral as she could. Guilt covered the neutral look and her face turned red.
Her hands moved to cover her mouth.
“I… I…” She stared at each of them as they all glared at her.
“Joanna, do you know where the paintings are?” Duke Cartwright asked in an angry but calm voice.
Joanna stared at him with wide eyes, shaking her head. “No, my Lord, I…” She could say nothing more. She turned on her heel and darted out the door as quickly as she could.
“Joanna!” Julia ran through the door after her sister, giving Annabelle an apologetic glance.
Annabelle, Duke Colbourn, and Duke Cartwright stood in the room for a moment longer, staring at the empty space behind the wall.
“I do not think the paintings are here,” Duke Cartwright said in a low voice. He looked at Duke Colbourn.
“Do allow me to apologize for Joanna.”
Duke Colbournl shook his head.
“You need not apologize, your Grace. It is not our fault when young people seek attention in the wrong ways. I am not certain what Miss Joanna has against me, but apparently, I have done her wrong somehow. I simply do not understand.”
Duke Cartwright gave him a sarcastic frown. “I have lived with my daughters and wife for more than half my life, my Lord. I will never understand them myself.”
Annabelle watched the dukes speak, keeping her mouth shut until she felt she was not interrupting them. When v looked at her, she decided to speak.
“Did you see how she looked when the paintings were not behind the hutch, father, my Lord?” She moved her eyes from one duke to the other.
“She looked surprised. She thought they were there. Why would she think they were there unless she put them there?”
“Joanna would not have been able to move that hutch by herself. I must assume that she had servants help her, if this is the truth. In the meantime, the paintings are still missing. What do you suggest?”
Duke Colbourn sighed. “I do not know why this is happening. I did not come here to cause problems.”
Duke Cartwright nodded. “I know you came here with only good intentions, my Lord.” He instructed the servants to move the hutch back. When they were finished, Albert approached Duke Cartwright.
“My Lord, I could not help overhear what you said about some of us assisting Lady Joanna. I beg of you, Sir, not to believe such a thing. We are loyal to you. You have no member of your staff in this house who would do such a thing.”
Duke Cartwright looked at Albert appreciatively. “I thank you for that, Albert. However, if you overhear anything that might help us, come to me immediately.”
Albert bowed his head and left the room with William. Annabelle moved to stand next to Julia.
“Father, we will go find Joanna and see if we can coax the truth from her. Do we have your permission?”
Duke Cartwright nodded.
“Yes, that is a good idea, my dear.”
Annabelle followed Julia from the room, looking over her shoulder at Duke Colbourn. He returned her gaze with one of worry. She wanted to talk to him privately but it was not the time. There would be a chance later that evening at dinner.
The two young women walked quickly to the other rooms, looking in for Joanna. She was not in the rooms.
“It looks like we may have to search the house,” Julia said, looking down the hallway as if she expected to see Joanna appear at any moment. T
hey went down the stairs together.
“Do you think she stayed in the house?” Annabelle asked.
Julia shook her head.
“I do not know. It is doubtful, I must say. But where would she go?”
“The garden? Would she take a ride? We should go to the stable and see if she took a horse.”
Julia nodded.
“Yes, I agree. But first, we must check the parlor and we should find the Duchess.”
Agreeing on this, the two ladies went quickly to the parlor, believing Joanna would not be there. She was not but the Duchess was. She was entertaining visitors. When the two girls went in the room, she looked up at them with a smile.
“Good afternoon, my dears,” she said. She looked at the two women sitting across from her on the couch. “This is my daughter, Miss Cartwright and Miss Rickman, daughter of Lord Rickman.”
“We have met,” one of the ladies stood up to greet the young women with an air kiss on either side of their cheeks. “You may not remember, Miss Cartwright. I was one of the ladies who volunteered with the children’s painting class.”
Annabelle smiled. “I do remember you, my Lady, but I am afraid I have forgotten your name.”
“Lady Henrietta Caldwell. It is so good to see you again. You are looking lovely today.”
“Thank you,” Annabelle replied. “Mother, may I speak with you privately?”
The Duchess looked surprised but stood up immediately.
“If you will excuse me, my ladies. It appears my daughter has a crisis on her hands.”
“Yes, it is quite important.”
“I would like to come along, if I may,” Julia said, looking from Annabelle to the Duchess.
“Of course, Julia,” Annabelle replied. “This concerns you, as well, does it not?”
Annabelle noticed the worry cover her mother’s face. The Duchess excused herself from her visitors and walked to the door. The maid, Mary, was standing by the door, dusting a bust of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the ladies coming, moving quickly to open the door for them. She bowed her head when they passed.
“Mary, bring the ladies some tea and pastries. I will return shortly.”
“Yes, my Lady,” Mary replied.
Chapter 28
The Duchess was impatient to know what was going on. She eyed the young ladies as they stepped out into the foyer. “We will walk in the garden. Please tell me what this is all about. Has Joanna acted up again?”
“You are amazingly intuitive, mother,” Annabelle replied. “This does have to do with Joanna. Have you seen her this afternoon?”
“I have not seen her since breakfast. What has happened?”
“The paintings have gone missing. The three that were in question. Did father tell you about them?”
The Duchess nodded.
“He did. And what has that to do with Joanna?”
“She must be participating in this somehow,” Annabelle said as the three women stepped out onto the porch, descended the steps and began walking to the garden.
“This morning, Duke Colbourn and Mr. Covington went to inspect the collection and the three paintings were gone. They told father and we all overheard. Joanna told father to check Duke Colbourn’s chambers for the paintings.”
The Duchess frowned.
“Why would she request such a thing?”
Annabelle shook her head.
“She certainly seems to have a vendetta against him, mother. I do not know why and I am not sure it is because he rejected her advances. He seems as perplexed as we are about this.”
“I am sure he is. Men do not like to be accused when they have done nothing wrong. I assume the paintings were not in his chambers?”
“No, mother, they were not. We are suspicious because Joanna looked very surprised that the paintings were not there. Father has given us permission to find her and question her about this.”
“This is very troubling. There must be a reason for her behavior.”
“Tell her what you told me you saw when you were playing the pianoforte, Annabelle,” Julia said.
Annabelle glanced at Julia and nodded. “Yes, I told Julia that while I played that night, Joanna was sitting in between the Lords Balfour. They were having a conversation over her and she looked very upset. I have no way of knowing what it was about but she looked so unhappy. It was the next day she accused Duke Colbourn of being inappropriate with her. I think they may have given her the idea. As for the paintings, it is always a possibility that they are the ones who took them.”
The Duchess was quietly thinking, an intense look on her face.
“Has no one thought to mention this to Lord Rickman? He will want to know what his daughters are getting into, would he not?”
“I have spoken to my father, my Lady,” Julia said. “Not today but a few days ago. He is not worried. He believes the Lords Balfour will inherit a great fortune from their father and it is my understanding that if he can get Lord Gilbert to marry Joanna, we will need not worry about money for the rest of our lives.”
“I do not believe the Lords Balfour will be inheriting a great fortune,” the Duchess said in a low voice. Annabelle and Julia looked at her, surprised.
“Why do you believe that, my Lady?” Julia asked.
The Duchess looked at the young woman. “The Lords do not carry themselves as though they have wealth. Their clothes are not indicative of wealth. They show very little class and behave in crude ways. Lord Gilbert is more outgoing than his brother. He likes to talk. But what he says has little substance. I do not trust them.”
“Do you trust Duke Colbourn? Despite what Joanna tried to do?”
Her mother nodded. “I have listened to your father. He knows the man much better than I do. If he believes we can trust Duke Colbourn, I have no choice but to accept his decision. It appears he will become a member of the family eventually. Therefore, I will give him as many chances as needed to prove himself worthy.”
Annabelle could not help smiling, despite the circumstances. It felt good to know that her mother accepted Duke Colbourn and that it was she who would be bringing him into the family. As her husband.
The thought made her heart race.
The women continued to walk in the garden. Annabelle could not help admiring the hill fountain and the beautiful flowers and foliage around her. The sun beamed over their heads as mid-day dragged into the afternoon. Dark clouds in the distance indicated there would be rain but for now, it was clear and beautiful.
“Where do you suppose Joanna went?” Annabelle asked, scanning the garden in case the young woman was hiding there somewhere.”
“She is upset?” the Duchess asked.
“Yes, she ran from the room when she saw the paintings weren’t there. The Duke’s chambers showed no signs that they had ever been there.”
“Would she have gone home?” Julia asked. “I suppose we could check there.”
“We must go to the stables and see if a horse is gone,” Annabelle said, bringing up their earlier plan. Julia nodded.
“Yes, that is what we were going to do, is it not?”
“I will go back to my guests,” the Duchess said in a quiet voice. “And if I see Joanna, we will talk immediately. I cannot ignore my visitors any longer.”
“Of course, my Lady,” Julia bowed her head to the Duchess. “We will return once we have checked the stable and my home. We will report to you immediately.”
“See that you do. Be careful.”
“Thank you, my Lady.”
The two young women watched the Duchess turn on her heel and walk back to the house. After a moment’s hesitation, the two of them crossed back over the path and through the gate, walking down to the stables over the green lawn.
“Do you think she went for a ride? If she did, we might not see her for hours.”
“I do not know, Julia,” Annabelle shook her head. “Wherever she went, we must find her. She knows something she is not tell
ing us.”
“I am afraid for her, Annabelle.” Julia looked sad. “I hope we can find her and coax her to tell us the truth. I just cannot believe she has gotten mixed up in something like this. She has been a handful but she has always been a lady to respect. Those Balfour brothers have corrupted her.”
Annabelle thought about her friend’s words as they made their way down the hill to the stables. She did not have a response. Joanna was Julia’s twin sister. She could not imagine how it felt to know such a close relative might be responsible for such actions.
“She should have known better than to let this happen,” Julia continued. “She is a smart girl. I fear she has been taken in by Lord Gilbert and made to do things she did not want to do.”
Annabelle nodded. “I agree with you. But what can we do? If she is responsible in any way, she will need to confess to my father and to Duke Colbourn. She will be shamed. I know neither of the dukes want that to happen.”
Julia looked off into the distance. Annabelle could tell she was wondering where her sister was at that moment in time.
“She must be held accountable if she is at all responsible.”
“I agree but…” Annabelle let her words trail off. She did not want Joanna shamed. She wished the young woman hadn’t gotten herself into this trouble to begin with. And she still was not sure how she was involved.
“I do not understand what she has against Duke Colbourn,” Julia said. “He has been nothing but a gentleman to us all since he arrived. Do you believe she is doing this because she is somehow in love with him and wants revenge because he chose you?”
Annabelle frowned. “I just cannot believe that.”
Julia nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”
They reached the stables. The door was open and they went inside, taking a lantern from a hook by the front door. Annabelle held the lantern up as they walked down the row of stalls. There were horses in each one but the last.
Annabelle looked around for the stable boy. After a moment, she heard a rustling in a stall across from them and held up the lantern.
