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“I am sorry,Maman.”
She shook her head. “Non.I only thought, perhaps it would be best if the gemstone stayed lost.”
“Why, this is quite thrilling,” Madeleine interrupted excitedly as she returned with the unneeded smelling salts. “And you never breathed a word of it all this time, Collette. Where is the gem now?”
“We were all sworn to secrecy. I did not fully understand the politics of the time, but it was one of the last promises I made to my Richard. He made me swear to tell no one of its existence, and I have not. I knew the stone was exceedingly valuable and therefore very dangerous. We were all in great danger from the moment it came into our possession, but then it was a dangerous time. I have put it out of my mind as much as possible. I have not thought of it for years until today.”
John’s mind was racing. Obviously, his Uncle Louis had confided to his son that his mother had the gemstone last when she was traveling with her sister. It was not a large leap to deduce that his own mother knew something of its whereabouts. Once Henri had heard the story, he had obviously resolved to gift it to Napoleon in a bid to return himself to favor.
“A lesser man than my father would have sold the stone,” John said. “That is a reasonable lie I could tell Toussaint.”
“That is true,” his mother agreed. “In fact, yourPèreconsidered it, but decided in the end, that it would be unwise. There was of course, the idea that it did not truly belong to us, but to the Crown of France. To sell it, we would need to find someone to cut it to disguise its origins, which seemed a sacrilege. And who could say that the day might come when we would be in even greater need? Richard thought it likely, a spy or assassin might come looking for the stone and it would be best to have some leverage with which to bargain. I suppose that has happened, years after I stopped fearing it. It was one of the reasons you and I lived so quietly, secluded in the country. YourPèredid not think it wise to advertise our location or our habits. I suppose, even after his death, I heeded his wisdom.”
“But you know where it is hidden?”
Collette nodded. “YourPèreworried that I might be taken hostage, and wanted me to be able to give my kidnappers the information, which he said was not worth my life. He cautioned me not to keep a thing of such value in our home, or indeed anywhere on our estate. He was most insistent on this before we even arrived on English soil, and then he… My Richard...” She broke off, even after all these years, saddened by his father’s death
“Where is it,Maman?” John said gently.
Madeline leaned closer as well, eager to hear.
“After your Father died, I did not know who to trust.” John nodded. “I went to a priest and in the confines of confession, spoke to him, of a stolen gem which was in my possession. Once he realized that it could not be returned, he helped me. I believe he always thought that there was more to the story than I was telling him, but God rest him, he did not pry.”
“He is also dead then?”
“Oh yes, many years ago.” Collette crossed herself and muttered a prayer for his salvation. “He was ancient when I met him, but he helped me. He hid the gem in the archives of the church rectory, quite obscure, located half a day’s ride from the manor. I suppose it is about the same distance from this cottage, come to think of it.”
“In a church!” said Madeline, clapping her hands with glee at the clandestine maneuvering. “How perfect.”
“I think I had best recover it at once,” Sir John decided, frowning in concentration.
“Why? It is safely hidden there in the archives,” objected Collette.
“We cannot know for certain that it is still there at all. The rectory may have burned down, or the archives could have been destroyed. Any number of things could have happened over the years. Although it was very wise of you to hide the gem against the possibility of threat, I do not think it would be prudent to leave something of such value unguarded when Iknowthat someone is seeking it now. My only concern is in leaving you while I retrieve it.”
“Nonsense, we shall be perfectly fine, will we not, Madeleine?” Collette said easily, smiling at her son. “As you said, this villainous nephew of mine most likely does not even know where to find me, or the stone. Even if he does, he would not harm us. We are family.”
John shook his head. His mother had not seen the wild fervor in his cousin’s eyes. John was quite certain Henri was capable of anything. Family feeling would not still his hand. “I hope he does not find you,Maman, but if he does, you most certainly must not let him in. Bar the door and windows.”
“Very well,Jean.You know best,” his mother agreed.
“I will make all possible haste,”John said, rising to his feet. “I will not rest easy again until I can guard you and the stone personally. I need a fresh horse. Madeleine, will you send word to the stable? And tell Carlton I have need of him.”
“Certainly, I shall just let the groom know,” the woman agreed, and left the room on her errand with an air of excitement and importance. John had never seen Madeline so animated, but he supposed that it was not every day that she found herself embroiled in such a fascinating plot.
After Madeline left them, Ashbrooke sat and took his mother’s hands in his own. “Tell me as best you can remember exactly where the Sancy is hidden,Maman.”
“Oh, heavens. In the archives,” she said, “in a book.”
“A book?”
“Yes. We brought only the gemstone from France. It was set into a simple necklace and sewn into a small pouch in my petticoat, but hiding the whole garment would have been difficult. A nosey servant could have found it, and discarded it. After the trip from France, it was rather soiled. Anyway, the priest hollowed out a book to hide the stone. It was a very small volume, with a red leather cover and the title was...” Collette hesitated thinking. “It was something unremarkable, something about a treatise on the proper growing of some sort of vegetable, I believe. I suppose the intent was to mask the importance of its contents so no one would suspect.”
“I understand,” Sir John said as he prepared to leave.
Madeline reentered the room with Carlton at her side.
As John buttoned his coat, he addressed his mother again. “Open the door to no one, and be exceedingly cautious, I beg of you,” he said, embracing his mother briefly. “I will return with all haste.” Sir John nodded to Carlton at the door. “Remain with my lady mother.” He commanded. “See her safe.”
