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"Of course." Slayde's palm struck the table with a bang. "What better way to ensure that only the Huntleys and the Bencrofts—together—find the gems recovered by the Fox and the Falcon than to bury clues in both our homes."
"Exactly," Julian confirmed. "I've dealt with enough stolen treasures myself to know that there are an infinite number of sites where one can conceal them—inside caves, behind stone boulders, beneath grassy tracts—the possibilities are limitless. Any of those sites would take either detailed instructions or a map to find. My great-grandfather obviously believed that the same heir who would be worthy of his legacy would also be shrewd enough to amass the clues he and James left, then use the combined information as a guide to their specific hiding place."
"So where do we begin searching for these clues?" Courtney demanded, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "At least those concealed here at Pembourne?"
"We begin by reviewing whatever knowledge Slayde has of James Huntley: his habits, interests, which rooms at Pembourne he customarily occupied. We also pore over any documents or personal effects of James's that might still exist, any of which might help determine our path."
"Personal effects?" Frowning, Slayde rose. "I don't recall James leaving anything of consequence—certainly nothing as dramatic as a dagger or a journal. As for documents, I'll go through every shred of paper at Pembourne looking for a clue of some kind. Personal habits are another issue entirely. According to my father, James had few ties to the estate … or to anything else in England, for that matter. As you well know, he spent most of his time abroad. He seldom returned to Pembourne for more than a few weeks at a time."
"But when he did, he could usually be found on the fa
r grounds with his falcons," Aurora inserted. "They were his greatest fascination—significant enough, obviously, to spawn his alias."
"That's true." Even as he spoke, Slayde arched a surprised brow at his sister. "I didn't realize you knew so much about our great-grandfather. I was aware of James's affinity for falcons because Father referred to it several times during our discussions on the Huntley family history—discussions meant to prepare me for the title I would someday inherit. But you were no more than a babe then. How is it you recall those conversations?"
"I don't. Nor do I need to. Mr. Scollard told me all about Great-grandfather's preoccupation with his falcons." Aurora pursed her lips. "Now that I think of it, perhaps I should have paid more attention to Mr. Scollard's stories. I always assumed he was just imparting interesting tidbits of my past. Knowing him as I do, I should have guessed he was revealing something of great value. In any case, that's how I learned of James and his falcons. Moreover, I picked up scraps of information from Siebert on the day I first discovered the empty falcon cages. I was fifteen at the time, and insane with boredom. I accosted Siebert the moment I returned to the manor; after all, he'd been at Pembourne forever, so it stood to reason he'd heard tell of James's pastime. And of course he had, however minimally. After grappling with the countless questions I fired at him, our poor butler suggested I peruse the library where James kept dozens of volumes on the subject of falcons."
"And did you?"
"With pleasure. It provided me with a much-needed diversion." Aurora shot Slayde a pointed look. "Need I remind you that I was confined to this estate for over a decade?"
"Need I remind you that you spent most of that decade trying to escape, giving my guards a merry chase?"
Aurora grinned, feeling not a shred of remorse. "Very well, then. During those few occasions when I wasn't eluding your guards or visiting Mr. Scollard, I was reading. I'm familiar with every book in our library. A good portion of them are about the art of falconing, with James's notes and dates jotted in the margins. You'd be surprised at how much I gleaned about the different types of falcons and their characteristics. Which brings me to my first suggestion: I think we should pore over every one of James's books and search the falcon cages—which I've been dying to do since Julian's first visit—to see if there might be some clue concealed within them."
"They've been untouched for years," Slayde reminded her. "I doubt there's anything in them but cobwebs and dust."
"Still, it's worth a try."
"I agree," Julian interrupted, coming to his feet. "So let's stop talking and begin searching. James must have left something of himself behind, just as Geoffrey did. In addition, if I'm right, if the clues leading to the black diamond are hidden at Pembourne and Morland, 'tis up to us to find them, combine them, and complete our great-grandfathers' mission."
"I'll begin in the library," Courtney offered. "First I'll collect all James's falcon books. Then I'll scrutinize them one by one." Seeing Aurora's stunned expression, she grinned, patting her abdomen. "No, Aurora, I haven't lost my adventurous spirit, only my agility. My attempts to cross the grounds would only slow you down and worry Slayde silly. 'Tis best that I remain here and take on a more sedentary job."
"Without question," Slayde concurred instantly. "Aurora, you accompany Courtney to the library. And don't let her do anything foolish. You climb the ladder and hand down the books. The two of you can read through them together. I, in the meantime, will go through and inspect every personal article Father bequeathed me when he died—just in the event James passed something down, something we inadvertently overlooked, given that we hadn't a notion of his true identity. Julian, before I get started I'll instruct Siebert to show you to the falcon cages. You're welcome to scour every inch of them for clues. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Julian nodded his assent.
Aurora bit her lip, torn between flagrant refusal and allegiance to Courtney. Hell and damnation, she didn't answer to Slayde anymore. Further, he knew bloody well she was itching to inspect those falcon cages—and equally averse to being cooped up in this blasted manor again. On the other hand, she understood the basis for her brother's command. Courtney would never be content being idle. Left alone she would scramble up the ladder to reach every one of those texts, jeopardizing her well-being even as she convinced herself that she and the babe would remain unharmed.
In the end there was no choice to make.
"Come, Courtney." Aurora gestured to her friend. "Let's get started."
Julian caught Aurora's arm as she passed. "I'll personally rush straight to the library and deliver any clues I might find," he vowed quietly.
Aurora's head came up. He understands, she realized in astonishment, seeing the approval—together with some profound, unnamed memory—flicker in his eyes. He admires my decision.
It was that unnamed memory that captured her interest.
Studying Julian's enigmatic expression, Aurora had the oddest feeling that her husband's admiration stemmed from something personal, some firsthand experience … or relationship … that elicited the kind of loyalty he evidently respected. Could it also be responsible for the honor he so fervently pursued? And if so, who or what had inspired it?
Lord, she had so much to learn about this man, so much she intended to learn if they were going to have a real marriage. That notion almost made her smile, given that—by her own claim—she'd never expected to marry at all.
Mr. Scollard had been right all along—as usual.
"Soleil?" Evidently Julian thought her silence implied skepticism. "I will let you know if I discover anything in the cages."
"Thank you," she said aloud. "I'll try to be patient. But waiting is something I'm not very good at."
