AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘My lord. There is a lady at the front door.’ The Chamberlain looked as though he was not certain that lady was the apt word.
‘She has presented her card?’ Sebastian raised one eyebrow at Theo, who shrugged. Whoever it was, it was nothing to do with him.
‘My lord.’ The Chamberlain proffered a salver. Sebastian lifted the rectangle of pasteboard and studied it with a perfectly expressionless face.
‘The Marquesa de Cordovilla. Now, which of us do you think she is visiting?’
‘The lady enquired for Miss Ravenhurst, my lord. Apparently she has a message from her mother.’
‘Miss Ravenhurst is in the library with her Serene Highness and is not to be disturbed. Show the marquesa in here, Heribaut. Interesting,’ Sebastian remarked. ‘I wonder if she really does have a message from Aunt Louisa or if it is simply a ruse to get entry.’
‘To what end?’ Theo felt the first stirrings of amusement he had felt all morning. ‘I am looking forward to seeing the meeting between Ana and Eva.’
She was as dangerous as a snake and as difficult to handle as a flock of cats, but Theo found no difficulty in understanding why he had entangled himself with this woman. Her sheer nerve, let alone her looks, made her stand out like a diamond in a tray of paste stones.
And she was on her best behaviour. ‘Lord Sebastian, Mr Ravenhurst.’ Her curtsy was immaculate, her carriage dress perfection and butter would not melt in her mouth. ‘I do appreciate the honour of a reception. And I see I am interrupting your meal—my apologies.’
‘Please, join us, Marquesa.’ A water ice wouldn’t have melted in Sebastian’s mouth, let alone butter. Theo resumed his seat as she took hers, smiling at the footman who set a place before her.’
‘Coffee only, I thank you.’
‘You have come from Beaumartin? Our aunt is well?’
‘Indeed, yes. Your letter put the cat amongst the pigeons with a vengeance, Mr Ravenhurst. But perhaps I had better wait until Miss Ravenhurst can join us?’
&n
bsp; ‘Heribaut, please enquire if her Serene Highness and Miss Ravenhurst are free.’
It seemed none of them could find a topic for conversation. Ana consumed black, unsweetened coffee, Theo pushed back his chair so he could see the door and Sebastian steepled his long fingers and sat, apparently deep in thought.
Theo suspected Heribaut had informed Eva who the unexpected guest was, for she came through the door first, a warm smile on her lips and her hand extended. ‘Marquesa, how delightful. I have heard so much about you, such a famed connoisseur and expert in art.’
‘Your Serene Highness, you are too good. I merely love handsome—I mean beautiful—oh, my English!—things.’ As she sat again, Eva cast her husband a glance and winked. Sebastian’s eyes crinkled in an appreciative smile, then he was serious again as Elinor entered. ‘Ah, Miss Ravenhurst, I come with a message from your mama.’
‘So kind,’ Elinor murmured, waiting until the staff had filed out and the door had closed. ‘Our cousins know everything about events at the chateau before we left.’
‘As you may imagine, there was a great to-do once your flight had been discovered. Lady James was most affecting, reproaching herself for having spoken to you so severely that you felt elopement was preferable to the rigours of a society wedding. And so we continued, some of us grieving, some vastly entertained,’ And I know which you were, Elinor thought appreciatively, ‘Until breakfast the next day, that is, when Theo’s man arrived with a missive for Leon.’
Theo had always thought the expression a cliché, but now, as they all sat around the breakfast table, the tension could have been cut with a knife.
‘Hythe went to stand behind Lady James’s shoulder, which I thought odd, until I glimpsed the pistols in his belt. Leon read the letter, twice, I believe, each time becoming a little paler. Then he asked Lady James and Monsieur Castelnau to join him in his study. Well, we were agog—at least I was, and the Traceys seemed most interested—so no one went out and we were all making the most dull conversation in the salon when down comes Leon and asks his mother and Julie to join them.’
Ana broke off to take a sip of coffee, quite deliberately prolonging the suspense in Theo’s opinion. ‘So we sat a little longer, none of us quite liking to comment on what our hosts must be up to—and then the screaming began.’
‘Naturally, good manners must have held you in your seats,’ Eva commented. ‘How frustrating.’
‘But, no! How could we resist—off we all went, up the stairs, the noise getting worse by the second, and there, outside the family suites on the premier étage, was Leon, in the act of locking his mother’s door and Julie, biting and screaming, in the more than capable grip of Hythe. She was bundled into her room and by this time all the servants were there—you may imagine the chaos. To cut the story short, a messenger was sent to the family doctor, the servants informed that the countess had been taken ill with some sort of brain fever and that Julie was hysterical with worry.’
‘Did anyone accept that?’ Theo enquired. Thank God, Leon had believed his letter. The count should be safe now, whatever happened to the two women.
‘The servants did, why should they not? The poor woman, grieving over her husband until it all becomes too much to bear? And the two young girls guess nothing—Leon packed them both off home in the company of his elderly relative. And Julie was known to be devoted. But myself and the Traceys? No, of course not. So, Leon tells us the whole story—he did not have much choice, I think. We all went down to the dungeons and found the scene of your imprisonment—and there was the poison. My blood ran cold, believe me.’ She gave a theatrical shudder, but Theo saw the darkness in her eyes. Yes, that horrid chamber had affected her, more than she was willing to betray.
‘And the rest of the treasure?’
‘He showed us that too, before locking it away and asking us all to swear on the bible that we would keep all this secret, except from you.’
‘But what will happen to the countess and to Julie?’ Elinor asked. They were the first words she had spoken since she had sat down. Sebastian and Eva had murmured comments, but Nell had sat impassive throughout. He wondered if she was finding it hard to listen to.
