“Why were they in here? Did you put them in here?” she asked.
“I’ve never seen these before. Sabrina must have hidden them. She sometimes used this room as her studio.” He ran his hands along the frame. “The wood is soft. She commissioned an artist to carve a batch from fir three years ago. Most painters prefer tougher wood, for durability.” He studied the painting. “If my sister painted your brother once, perhaps she painted others. There may be more clues yet, even if they are years old.”
It was the flimsiest scrap of a chance, and it would likely lead to nothing, but Saffron pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen from the writing desk, buzzing with renewed excitement. “How many are there?”
“Over a hundred, at least.” He peered into the space beneath the desk. “I thought I’d found all her paintings. I should have guessed she would not have made it easy for me.”
“Let’s begin, then.” If she could find more evidence of Basil in Sabrina’s paintings, maybe that would be enough to shake Angelica’s determination.
Working together, they uncovered and inspected each painting.
“This would have been much easier in my old studio,” he said as he lifted yet another piece from the hidden alcove.
“It is amazing how I can see the progression as her art evolved,” Saffron said. “She was quite talented, but it is more than that. She was determined.”
“Nothing would stop her from achieving what she desired. I loved that about her.”
Saffron examined the latest painting he’d grabbed. As disappointed as she was that none of them had included an image of Basil, she marveled at the beautiful scene of horses in a meadow. She felt like she could reach out and touch them.
“What are you going to do with them? Add them to the auction?”
Leo rubbed some dust from a frame. “No. They belong in museums.”
She touched his hand. “She would not have wanted you cooped up here with them, like ghosts.”
He crumpled under her touch. “If it hadn’t been for me, she might have survived.”
There was no point in telling him it wasn’t his fault. She didn’t know the circumstances of her death, and it felt uncomfortable to ask. If he wanted her to know, he would have offered the information. “Sometimes we have to let them go. We are only hurting ourselves by hanging on.”
“Enough of the past,” Leo said. “Come with me. There’s somewhere I’d like to take you. The estate will survive for a few hours without us.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Saffron clutched Leo’sarm as they navigated the ruts in the road.
“Are we not taking the carriage?” she asked.
Leo smiled. “I thought perhaps you would approve if we chose the scenic route. Although…” He gestured to the trio of muttering maids who followed them, picking their way through the muck. Saffron had enlisted them as impromptu chaperones, as they had been heading into town anyway. “They might not appreciate it as much.”
As they got closer to what Saffron thought was a town, she spied a bramble of flowers. She walked closer, taking in their varied perfumes.
“This town is known for its gardens,” Leo said. Then he took her hand and pulled her into the maze, leaving behind the giggles of the maids. They stopped in a small clearing, surrounded by clinging vines braided into patterns. She reached out and touched a petal, and a drop of water splattered in a puddle. The path led straight ahead, then branched to the left and right with tall hedges forming walls around them.
“It is so beautiful here,” she said.
A dozen starlings settled onto a cherry tree nearby and chittered at them.
They must be used to being fed.
She pulled a bow of the tree down and released it, spraying small cherries to the ground. The birds fluttered away, then returned, falling on the fruit, and pecking them to pieces.
“Come,” Leo said, taking her hand and placing it on his arm. “We’re nearly there.”
“The town?” she asked.
He nodded. “I thought this was a good opportunity for us to see if the injured man is awake.”
“Oh,” she said. “Yes. Of course.”
