by Alice Kirks
“I believe that we owe you a great debt of gratitude for finding them, Lord Geoffrey,” Lord Alymer replied. “I can see that you will have a bright future as the magistrate of this community.”
Geoffrey gave Lord Alymer an uncomfortable smile. Any time he was reminded of his position or how well he was doing at it, he began to feel that sense of dread he’d felt for so long rising in his throat. He did his best to move past it, saying, “Thank you kindly, Lord Alymer, but it was not through any of my work that your property was recovered. It was through chance that my gamekeeper found the items. I wish I could take credit for it, but I must place it where it is due.”
Geoffrey took a moment to look across at Lady Bridget. He tried to make the gaze look like nothing more than a glance, but as soon as his eyes were on her, he couldn’t hide the delight that came to his face. Bridget, on the other hand, looked... well, Geoffrey couldn’t quite put his finger on what she seemed to be feeling. He couldn’t tell if the look on her face said that she was impressed by Lord Geoffrey, or she was wary of him.
He sincerely hoped that it was the former. Geoffrey worried that Bridget was becoming aware of what was transpiring behind her father’s back. He wouldn’t have been surprised; Bridget was so bright and intuitive that he wouldn’t have been shocked if she’d had everything figured out right from the start.
Geoffrey also hoped that Bridget’s fascination with him was growing just as much as his was with her. Whenever they spoke he tried to give off his usual charm, and hoped that his mischievousness was well matched to hers. He was trying to walk the fine line between being mysterious and yet engaging; he never wanted to seem so mysterious that he started to turn her away. As he looked upon her more, he found that she returned his gaze with a look that said, what secrets are you hiding? Geoffrey gave her a small smirk; one that he hoped communicated some you will discover, some are just for me.
Geoffrey snapped back to focusing on Lord Alymer, who was looking at him expectantly. “I do hope that we are able to recover the jewels that were inside your tankards very soon, Lord Alymer,” Geoffrey said truthfully. He was becoming more frustrated by the second with his accomplice, and decided he wouldn’t leave his meeting with Henry tonight until he told him exactly where he had hidden the jewels.
Lord Alymer looked to his two beautiful daughters sadly. “While I am pleased that the tankards have been located, it was truly the jewels that were more of a loss,” Lord Alymer admitted. Deborah and Bridget, too, looked sadly towards their father. It seemed that the whole family knew something about those jewels that was escaping Geoffrey.
“They were, of course, the more valuable items,” Geoffrey suggested.
Lord Alymer nodded, albeit hesitantly. “Certainly, but it was not simply the monetary value of the jewels that concerns us, Lord Geoffrey.” Lord Alymer took Deborah’s hand, and Deborah, in turn, took Bridget’s hand. “Those jewels were my late wife’s. She cherished them above any of her other possessions because she made it very clear that they were to be passed on to the girls on their wedding days. And though she is no longer with us, I know she would have my head if they weren’t there to be given to each of them on the days of their marriages,” Lord Alymer explained. Bridget and Deborah chuckled at their father’s words, but a lump suddenly formed in Lord Geoffrey’s throat.
He hadn’t realised the emotional significance of the jewels, and now felt even more annoyed with Henry’s foolishness. Those jewels could be anywhere by now, and they might not ever be able to be recovered. Geoffrey felt his pulse quickening as he tried to calm himself down, with no luck.
All he wanted to do was race over to Henry’s home and demand to know where he had taken the jewels, so that Geoffrey could get them back and return them to the Stanhopes. He cursed himself for letting an amateur such as Henry take care of the stolen goods. He should have just done everything himself.
“I had no idea of the emotional significance of the jewels, Lord Alymer, I apologise,” Geoffrey said, truthfully. He hoped that his apology only revealed his regret about his lack of realisation of this point as a magistrate, not as someone who was a part of stealing the jewels in the first place. When Lord Alymer smiled at him, Geoffrey was relieved to see that his apology had been accepted as he’d hoped.
“How were you to know? We never disclosed that to anyone beyond the three of us,” Lord Alymer responded kindly. He gently let go of Deborah’s hand, but the two sisters continued to be connected. “I am certain that with someone as bright and competent as you leading the investigation, the jewels will be recovered in no time.”
Geoffrey gave Lord Alymer the best smile he could muster. This comment made him feel twice as guilty as he had been feeling before. Now, not only was his new, unwanted position of magistrate putting pressure on him, but his involvement in the theft now weighed even more heavily on him as well. Geoffrey felt so ashamed of his involvement that he very nearly was ill. But, he knew that doing anything out of the ordinary would reveal far too much to the Stanhopes, and so he pulled himself together as best he could.
“I will endeavour to do my best to locate your jewels, My Lord,” Geoffrey promised nervously, but Lord Alymer gave him an encouraging smile.
“That is all I could ask for, and I am sure that your father would be proud of you regardless of your outcome in this task,” Lord Alymer reassured him. Geoffrey appreciated the kindness that Lord Alymer was showing him, but it only succeeded in making him feel worse about everything else that had gone on. “I am, however, mildly concerned for the safety and security of the area with the thief still at large,” Lord Alymer continued. “I know that you are and will be doing your very best, but I must implore you to look out for your tenants more than usual in the meantime. We never know where or when this thief could strike next.”
It was Geoffrey’s turn to reassure Lord Alymer. “Yes, of course, My Lord, I certainly understand your concerns. They are most valid. However, I must ensure you that our community is still safe and that we are doing our utmost to make sure that all of our tenants feel safe and comfortable in this uncertain time.” Geoffrey knew that his reassurance was valid because he knew exactly who the thief was, and that he wouldn’t be striking again for quite some time... if ever. However, Geoffrey hoped that his reassurance came off as competence in his duties, as opposed to having an intimate knowledge of the perpetrator of the crime.
“Of course I think you’re doing a wonderful job of all of this, Lord Geoffrey,” Lord Alymer said encouragingly, “it is just that I am an anxious old man who worries far too much for his own good. Isn’t that right, girls?” Lord Alymer looked to his two daughters, who nodded emphatically. Everyone had a good chuckle at Lord Alymer’s comment, and Geoffrey reassured Lord Alymer that he was not coming off as an anxious old man.
However, as they spoke more, Geoffrey began to think about the true impact that his actions were having on others. He had understood that while he was having a good deal of fun racing around in the darkness and getting thrills out of having such daring adventures, there were real people who he was hurting. One of those people happened to be the most beautiful, engaging, entrancing young woman that Geoffrey had ever encountered. That fact made his terrible mistake all the more obvious. Geoffrey and the Stanhopes talked for a little more together, but Geoffrey eventually did have to cut their gathering short because he was feeling such an urge to go and speak with Henry right then. And so, the Stanhopes returned to their estate, and Geoffrey set off to speak with his cousin. He silently prayed that the misguided young man would have the location of those very important jewels.
Chapter 13
When Geoffrey arrived in the barn and saw that Lightning was in the hallway with her halter linked on either side, he knew that his inclination that Henry would be in the barn was correct. “Henry?” Geoffrey called into the barn, startling some of the other horses. It was almost silent in the large stables, except for the sound of hay being tossed.
Geoffrey assumed
that Henry was attending to some of the work that needed to be done but which the stable hands hadn’t got around to yet. Henry was kind like that: he did not have to do this work for them, but because he knew the stable hands had so many other things to attend to when they came into work, he would typically help them out with one or two things each time he came in for a ride.
Geoffrey walked around to the hay storage and found Henry piling it as he thought he would be. “Henry!” Geoffrey called to him again, this time more gruffly, and Henry jumped about a foot in the air.
“My God, man!” Henry said when he turned around to face him. “Do you take joy out of sneaking up on a lad like that? Why didn’t you announce yourself sooner?”
“I did,” Geoffrey explained brusquely. “I called your name as soon as I entered the barn. You must not have heard me because of the hay.”
Henry took a few more breaths to calm his racing heart. “What can I do for you?” he asked Geoffrey. Henry continued to toss the hay as he talked until Geoffrey grabbed the fork from him and put it against the wall.
“This is serious, cousin,” Geoffrey began. “You made a foolish error in hiding the tankards in the woods. What in heaven’s name possessed you to think that was a good idea? That was far too close to the estate, and our involvement in all of this can never be discovered.”
Henry sighed and sat down on one of the bales of hay. “I realised that as soon as I had done it. The truth is, though, that I panicked that night. They needed to be somewhere that I could be sure they would be found by a responsible person who would not take them for themselves, but also in a place where not many people went. The wood was the first place that came to mind because I knew that hardly anyone beyond Mr. Fenwych ever went in there. And that when Mr. Fenwych did find them, he would do the right thing and return them. It was the best decision I felt I could make at the time,” Henry said, defeated.
Geoffrey took a few deep breaths and tried to quell his rage. He understood what Henry was saying, but it was still a very bad business to have had the stolen goods found so close to their estate. It would certainly be noticed at some point the coincidence that the items had turned up on the new magistrate’s land. “I understand,” Geoffrey finally said, surprisingly calm. “It was a good thing that the items were found, but I do not want any fingers pointed at us. You understand me, I’m sure.”
Henry nodded emphatically. “Of course. I am sorry that I caused you concern, especially when you have shown such charity in this matter,” Henry said gratefully. He got a sly look on his face, and then continued, “Your compassion in this matter wouldn’t have anything to do with you interest in one of the Stanhope girls, would it?”
Geoffrey was surprised that his cousin was so observant. “A small part of it might have something to do with that,” Geoffrey admitted. He thought fondly for a moment on the beauty of Bridget’s smile, the way her hair fell against her neck, how beautiful her laugh was, and how utterly enchanted he was with her.
Throughout their visit this morning (that Lord Alymer and Lady Deborah had also attended, unfortunately) Bridget had been giving him looks much like the one she had done on the night that she caught him in the dining room at their estate. The thought of the look of excitement, arousal and pleasure that Bridget got on her face drove Geoffrey to distraction and made his heart pound. He had never had a young woman look at him that way before, and no young woman had ever made him feel as foolish as he did when he thought of her.
He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed her sooner, and although Geoffrey had long been against getting married, he did enjoy the prospect of spending the rest of his life with someone as exciting as Bridget. He was also buoyed by the fact that at least for the time being, Lord Alymer seemed to be pleased with him and his work. He was not sure how long that would last, but for now it was good enough for him.
Geoffrey also loved the way Bridget saw the world. To many of the other women in town, life was just an opportunity to find a rich husband, settle down and do everything that society expected of them. But to Bridget, it seemed that she was taking life by the horns and getting everything that she could from it. Geoffrey still was not pleased with his lot in life, but the possibility that Bridget might one day be by his side in all of it made that prospect far better.
Henry smiled at his cousin. “I do not believe I have ever seen you with such a girlish look on your face, cousin. If I were to guess what you were feeling, I would hazard a guess that our young Lord Geoffrey might be falling in love. Which, might I add, is rather surprising considering I thought you were a happily confirmed bachelor.”
Geoffrey looked jokingly annoyed at his cousin. “Henry, there cannot be any love in our relationship yet, for we have only met a few times,” Geoffrey chastised him. “I may find Lady Bridget to be quite beautiful, but I do not see our relationship progressing in the direction of marriage just yet, for you know how I feel about being wedded to someone. And especially now that my father, who longed to see me make an excellent match, has passed away, there is no pressure coming to me from anyone. I am able to take any romance that should come my way at my own pace.”
Henry’s look suddenly turned serious. “I know I have said this many times, but I am still very sorry for you loss. Uncle Philip was an upstanding gentleman, and I know that he was very proud of both you and Miles,” Henry assured him.
Geoffrey smirked. “I can rest assured that my father was proud of me. But to be proud of Miles is another matter entirely,” Geoffrey said.
Henry gave him a quizzical look. “Has something transpired between the two of you that I was not aware of?” Henry asked.
“A great many things, cousin, a great many things,” Geoffrey said as he crossed the stall to look out of the window on the other side. “But I shall save that story for a day when things are more resolved between Miles and me.” He turned back towards Henry and became serious once more. “But before I go, there is something else of great importance that pertains to Ladies Bridget and Deborah directly. There were two precious jewels inside of those tankards that were not recovered when they were found in the woods. They belonged to the girls’ deceased mother and were to be given to them on their wedding days. Where did they go?”
The colour suddenly drained from Henry’s face. “I did not realise the emotional significance of the jewels, Geoffrey,” Henry explained. There was a long pause after he said that, and it made Geoffrey quite anxious.
“You do still know where those are, don’t you? They remain in your possession, don’t they?” Geoffrey demanded. Henry looked away from his cousin, ashamed. The panic that Geoffrey had been feeling began to increase as he waited for Henry to finally respond.
At long last, Henry looked sheepishly at Geoffrey. “I unfortunately do not have them anymore,” he said simply. Geoffrey looked at him, stunned.
“Unfortunately? UNFORTUNATELY?” Geoffrey roared. “Those jewels were of great significance to the only woman who I have ever shown interest in, and all you can tell me is that you do not have them anymore?”
Henry looked mildly terrified. “I...I took them somewhere; if you would just give me time to go and see if they’re still there...” Henry spluttered.
“NO!” Geoffrey shouted at him. “I am not allowing you to do anything alone that has to do with any of this ever again. I will go with you to wherever you took them as soon as possible, and you will make sure that the jewels are restored to the Stanhopes if it is the last thing you do!” With that, Geoffrey turned on his heel and stormed back to the house. He could not believe that he had to deal not only with his ridiculous brother, but also with his cousin, who was currently spoiling any chance Geoffrey had of being together with Bridget.
Chapter 14
The day after the Stanhopes paid a visit to Geoffrey, Lord Alymer invited both Nott brothers over to their estate for an afternoon ride. Both Deborah and Bridget were delighted by the idea, and Bridget was certain by the sly smile on her father’s face t
hat he was not just inviting the boys over because he was grateful to Geoffrey. Bridget had a sense that their father knew of each girl’s interest in one of the brothers.
When the carriage pulled up in front of the Stanhope Estate, the family of three waited patiently outside. When the servant opened the door, Bridget was surprised to see that only Lord Geoffrey exited from the carriage. He stepped down, walked to Lord Alymer and gave his hand a hearty shake.
“Thank you very much for the kind offer of a ride with you and your daughters on this fine afternoon, Lord Alymer,” Geoffrey thanked him. When he noticed the way all three Stanhopes were looking back into the carriage expecting to see Miles coming out of it, Geoffrey explained. “My brother shall be along shortly. He had some last-minute business that he had to attend to, but he shouldn’t be longer than a moment.”
