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Chapter 16
“Are you being forced to leave at first light?” Nick asked as Giulia entered his bedchamber. She shot him a dry look but did not do him the courtesy of responding. Instead, she cornered Jack in his customary seat near the fire and discussed something with him for far too long. Well, it was only a moment, but their heads bent so close together made the hair on the back of Nick’s neck bristle.
Why was he so completely jealous of Jack? It was ridiculous. He had never been jealous of another man a day in his life.
Giulia approached him and lowered herself into the overstuffed wingback chair beside his bed. “I have good news.” Her smile was contagious, and he could not help answering with one of his own. She looked very pleased with herself.
“And do you care to share it with me today, or must I wait until your departure at first light?”
Giulia sighed, sitting back in the chair. “I am not going anywhere yet. And I am to continue eating meals with the earl.”
“That is wonderful news.” Nick grinned. If Robert would endure an outburst like that and then invite the guest back, there was some thawing occurring. Perhaps the earl had simply needed her to stand up to him.
“That is not good news at all, Nick. I don’t want to continue eating that way. Lord Hart is rude, belittling, and conceited—”
“If that is not your news, then what is?”
She eyed him for a moment, obviously displeased by being cut off. “I found us another mystery.” Her eyes gleamed and he was instantly aware of a desire to present her with new mysteries as often as he could.
“But we have not solved our first one yet.”
“Yes, but I do not see what more we can do about that. We have exhausted all of our avenues of information.” She glanced away for a moment and it was obvious she was keeping something from him. He had thought it once or twice before, but now it was clear. She was avoiding something.
“Very well,” Nick said, trying to keep her talking. “Do not keep me in suspense.”
She leaned forward, a customary action when one wished to discuss secrets and mysteries, despite how alone they might be or how much the others around them could not care at all about the matter they were discussing. Jack certainly did not.
“I have found an abandoned door. The lock was broken so I was able to get inside; I found a staircase that led to the top of a tower and, you’ll never guess…”
He waited for a moment before realizing that she expected a guess. “No, I will not.”
“You are no fun. It was another door! Only this time, it was locked, and I could not get in.” The slightest pout tilted her lips and her chocolate eyes glittered.
He must make a note to request a hot cup of chocolate one of these mornings.
“Where was this door?” he asked, amused by her eagerness.
“At the top of the tower in the west wing. I would ask if you have seen it, but the door to the stairs was so old and forgotten, I could hardly wrench it open. The hinges were terribly rusty.”
“So tell me, Giulia, what is so mysterious about this particular set of doors?”
“Well,” she said, pulling her legs up under her and tucking her gown around her feet, “they were old. Completely different than the rest of the doors in this ancient place. They could even be original to the castle.”
Jack stepped up behind Giulia and began gathering the items from Nick’s tea, setting them on the tray.
“How is that so mysterious?” Nick asked, ignoring his valet. “The Pepper men have been notorious for the immaculate maintenance of this castle. It is a point of pride for them, and many features in the building are original to the castle. Half of the tapestries, I imagine, and the grand chandelier that greets you at the front door are only part of it.”
“Perhaps,” Giulia agreed, “but none of the doors are.”
He gazed at her for a moment and decided to bite the bait. She was going somewhere with this, he just could not guess where. “And why is that so fascinating?”
“Because of that Pepper pride. Everything in this castle is pristine and well cared for, even the west wing, which has not had much use at all in the last few decades. According to my sources, at least.”
“That is correct.”
She leaned closer still. “Then why would the earl care so particularly for the grounds and the building and keep the dust away, yet ignore this one dilapidated door? Unless he wished to hide whatever was behind it.”
She had a point there.
