Charlie brushed away a tangle of ferns. “Here we are.”
He eyed what initially appeared to be nothing more than a tangle of vines and creepers growing out of a tumbledown wall. Then, on closer inspection, he managed to make out the shape of a small building with a stone archway. Most of the chapel’s roof had caved in, with vines and a large, flowering shrub overtopping it.
“How long has it been in disrepair?” he asked.
“Well over a hundred years. Johnny and I used to play here when we were children, when the family came to visit the graveyard or have a picnic. When we were older, we’d sail over because it was the perfect place to sneak away from our parents. Sometimes we would hide things out here, too. Notes to each other, special trinkets . . . that sort of thing.”
“Ah, so you think someone might have stashed the brooch here. Your brother, I presume.”
Charlie gave him a grimace by way of answer.
Kade frowned. “Why would your brother steal the brooch when he knows how upsetting it would be for you and your family?”
She opened her hands in a helpless gesture. “To pawn it, perhaps? He’s fallen in with a fast crowd—people like Sir Leslie. Johnny obviously owes him or someone else money, although he wouldn’t tell me how much.”
“Do you really think he would steal a priceless family heirloom to pay off his debts?” Kade shook his head. “I imagine it wouldn’t be easy to pawn, either.”
“He doesn’t always exercise the best judgment, I’m afraid.”
“I take it you asked him about the brooch when you were on the beach.”
She wrinkled her nose. “He got quite angry with me for even suggesting he took it.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I don’t know, which is rather awful of me.”
Kade gently cupped her cheek. “There’s nothing awful about you, Charlotte Stewart. In fact, you are exactly the opposite of that.”
Her gaze filled with something akin to wonder at his mild compliment. Did no one in her family or amongst her friends really appreciate this wonderful girl? Her display of emotion made him long to pull her into his arms and shelter her for the rest of their days.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back.
A few moments later, she gave him a rueful smile. “Well, we can’t stand about mooning at each other like a pair of ninnies. We have to conduct a search before the others start wondering where we are.”
“Good point. Why don’t you let me go first and try to clear a path? It’s quite a tangle.”
He pushed his way through the heavy undergrowth and finally broke through to a small patch of dirt in front of the chapel door.
Charlie followed him through and crouched down to peer inside the chapel. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here recently. Not that you can really tell.”
When she straightened up, she caught the brim of her hat on an overhanging vine, knocking it half off.
“Allow me,” Kade said, reaching to straighten it.
She shook her head, then took off the hat and carefully placed it on a pile of broken slate. “It will only get covered with cobwebs and dead leaves once we’re inside.”
“Better than your hair getting dirty.”
“Actually, no. If my hat gets dirty, Mamma will become suspicious. If my hair gets dirty, I can simply put my hat back on and no one’s the wiser.”
“Very logical of you.”
“You have to work to keep ahead of my mother.” She waved him in. “After you, sir.”
Kade ducked under the low arch, Charlie following closely behind.
