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“No.”
“The least you could do is listen to reason.”
“You have yet to share a logical argument to convince me to close it.” Simon folded his hands over his stomach, hoping his relaxed pose would add to her anger and cause her to walk out, leaving him in peace.
“I think it’s obvious. It was a travesty for you to open our family home to the public to begin with. Now, it’s apparently become a dangerous place where people should fear for their personal safety.”
“There is no danger to the public. And as I explained before I opened it, the best way to honor your father’s memory and his collection is to allow other people to enjoy the items he gathered. You took some of the furnishings and stated you didn’t want any of the artifacts.”
“Those things wouldn’t go well with my décor.” Anna lifted her nose as if to ward off guilt for choosing her interior furnishings based on her tastes rather than her father’s memory.
“Of course.” Simon well knew she’d never liked any of the items her father had collected. Then again, Simon hadn’t wanted to live amidst the collection either, hence the reason he’d thought of a museum.
The late marquess had gone too far with his assortment of artifacts, even in Simon’s view. He had been more interested in his collection than his children, and Simon would venture to say Anna had become demanding as a child in order to gain his attention. She lived in a world where everything was black and white—either her way or none at all.
“My friends often remark about how upset I must be to have the public walking through my childhood home,” she said, adding a sniff for good measure. “Then there are the comments about how, as a child, could I sleep at night, knowing there were mummies in the house. I don’t want Father’s odd antiquities to become fodder for gossip any more than they already have.”
Simon sighed. The argument was one they’d already covered numerous times. “I’m sorry you feel that way. But I am not going to close it.” When Anna started to protest, he lifted a hand to silence her. “Again, there is no danger. Not to anyone but me.” That much seemed clear. He was the connection, though he couldn’t say why he was sure of that. “It will soon pass, and all will return to normal.”
He was determined to get to the bottom of it. Then not only the museum but hislifewould return to normal. He brushed aside the realization that returning to his regular routine wasn’t as pleasing as it should’ve been because his quiet existence hadn’t included Norah. Once he discovered who was behind the thefts, he wouldn’t have an excuse to see her anymore.
The thought had him scowling. While he told himself he would soon readjust to life without her, it wouldn’t be the same. He rubbed his chest at the tightness there. “I’m not going to close the museum,” he repeated.
Anna stiffened. “Mark my words. This is a mistake, Simon. The blame for any further issues will be on your shoulders.” Then she spun away, her gown flaring as she made a dramatic exit.
Simon straightened in his chair. Could Anna have anything to do with the stolen items? Had she hired some unscrupulous characters to break into the museum and steal a few things? Maybe Simon had interrupted them the other night when they’d returned to take something else.
While the suspicion seemed ridiculous on the surface since she hadn’t taken any action in the years since he’d opened the museum, he wrote the possibility on his list.
Perhaps he had more enemies than he realized. Who else would benefit from the museum closing?
*
Norah, Lena, andElla entered the Museum of Forgotten Treasures that afternoon, along with Dorothy. The maid took one look at the cluttered interior and sank into a chair near the door with a beleaguered sigh.
“We won’t be overly long.” Norah attempted to reassure the maid while Ella spoke with the man who sold tickets and requested an audience with the director.
Lena leaned close to her sisters as they waited in the first room of exhibits. “Do you think Sally and Dorothy flipped a coin to see who had to accompany us?”
Ella laughed. “They have both had more than their fair share of visits to shops and museums, haven’t they?”
“I would think they might appreciate the opportunity to step out of the house for a time.” Norah shook her head. “How can they not enjoy looking at something different?”
Lena frowned as she glanced around. “Even I have to admit that some of the places we’ve visited have been less than enjoyable.”
“True.” Ella’s gaze followed Lena’s. “This one, in particular, is in need of a thorough cleaning.”
Norah agreed. But the look on Simon’s face the previous day had prompted her to find a way to help. Ella had reluctantly agreed, along with Marbury and Simon, that the three of them could visit a few museums to look around and speak with the directors to share news of the stolen items. Several restrictions had been placed on them to help ensure their safety, including their promise to only go together and only to the museums with which Simon was familiar.
Norah was relieved to take action, even if it meant looking through some of the less popular museums. While the coin and other things were unlikely to be displayed in a place like this, one never knew what might come of a conversation.
“This museum makes me appreciate Vanbridge’s all the more,” Ella murmured as she studied the nearby artifacts.
She was right, Norah decided. Simon’s was a step above all of the ones they had viewed since their arrival in London. Then again, she thought he was a step above as well. The feelings she’d developed for him were concerning. He was forever in her mind from the moment she woke to when she closed her eyes at night. Then there were her dreams. He had appeared in more than one, and they were very unsettling, filled with heated kisses and warm caresses.
Her numerous thoughts of him were shocking. After all, she’d met a fair number of men since arriving in London without giving them a second thought. Was it only because she felt sorry for him? As much as she wished that were the case, she knew it wasn’t true. She liked spending time with him. Their conversations were always interesting. He was intelligent and clever, not to mention creative. His concern for his servants and employees was admirable, too.
The man was nearly perfect. The thought made her want to stomp her foot in protest. He was upsetting her carefully laid plans by tugging at her heart.
