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But I could fit in among these people, couldn’t I? If my father was one of them, then I had his blue blood running through my veins as well. Sure, the country club crowd had pretty much rejected me thus far. A memory of Thaddeus in that dim hallway suggesting we rendezvous behind closed doors flashed in my mind. But that didn’t have to mean anything. I was already holding my own with the families I’d met so far.
Well, with the exception of one member, but I just had to continue to steer clear of him.
“…don’t you agree, Rory? Rory?” Faith’s voice brought me fully from my own inner musings and I blinked at her and nodded.
“Uh…yes. Yes, wholeheartedly.”
Faith smiled, turning back to Mrs. Ramsbottom. I let out a slow exhale at obviously having answered the unknown question correctly. “I can’t even imagine how much art goes unseen for decades because someone didn’t know its value and stuck it away in an attic,” Faith said. “Works of beauty and mastery should be appreciated. I shudder to imagine the hidden gems all over town just waiting to be uncovered.”
I crossed my legs, my slacks chafing the scrape I’d received as I’d high jumped over a scratchy holly bush the morning before. I bit my lip in an effort not to grimace as Mrs. Ramsbottom began speaking about a particular relative who’d had the absolute gall to install vinyl windows in the sunroom. Against my will, my mind moved to Gage, dripping wet in a pair of suit pants and a button-down shirt and tie, standing next to his wrecked and smoking car, a geyser of water shooting into the sky as we stared at each other across a gathering crowd.
At first, being chased by him had been thrilling, honestly. But stupid too. Someone could have been hurt. When I’d heard the crash, my heart had nearly stopped beating. I’d taken the dogs and booked it to where his car had decimated a fire hydrant.
It had been at least partially my fault, as I was the one who’d run from him. I needed to get out of town, and fast. It would be in everyone’s best interest if I conducted my research quickly and expediently and try my very best not to run into Gage Buchanan again.
“Are you okay?” Faith shook my arm lightly.
“What?”
“You groaned.”
“What? Oh. Yes. Yes. I’m fine. Just…vinyl windows.” I drew my shoulders up and shivered.
“It’s positively sinful,” Mrs. Ramsbottom said. “My point being that I agree with you, Faith. Not every generation of Ramsbottoms has had the same good sense. If there are valuables stuffed away in our attic, I have a good idea who put them there.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “He didn’t have the Ramsbottom look,” she said. “I often wondered if his mother…” She raised her brows as though some evils simply shouldn’t be put into words. “Anyway, my butler is bringing down what he was able to find. That must be him now,” she said as footsteps sounded outside the room and the door began to open. “Thank you, Rupert—”
I froze as Gage Buchanan entered the room, his smile hyena-like as his gaze latched on to me.
“Gage? Well this is a surprise,” Mrs. Ramsbottom said as she stood.
“Edna. How are you? I’m sorry to barge in like this, but I wanted to warn you…”
“Warn me? Whatever for?”
Next to me, I heard Faith suck in a quiet breath as though bracing for confrontation. Gage glanced over at me again and narrowed his eyes, one side of his mouth tipping ever so slightly before he looked back to Mrs. Ramsbottom and said, “Blight. There’s a terrible blight affecting boxwood in Calliope.”
Mrs. Ramsbottom blinked rapidly for a moment. “Blight?”
“Mm,” he hummed.
She cleared her throat, leaning closer as though to check if his pupils were dilated. “I’ll tell my gardener straightaway. Of course. But Gage, there was no reason for you to go out of your way and come here in person. Not that it’s not lovely to see you. But, you could have called about the…blight.”
“I see I’m interrupting something,” he said, walking farther into the room. “I apologize. Hi, Faith.” He shot her a narrow-eyed look. “And you’re…Aurora, right? Castle, was it? No, don’t get up. I believe we met a few days ago.” He came to tower over me as he reached his hand out.
I lowered myself back into the chair. Trapped. When I took his hand, his face blossomed in a wolfish smile, and even though he was obviously gloating about having cornered me, it still made my heart do a small twirl in my chest. I yanked my hand out of his overly tight grasp. “Did we? I’m sorry but I don’t remember.”
He let out a soft chuckle and stepped away just as the butler walked in the room holding the handle of an art case. The man nodded to Mrs. Ramsbottom. “Thank you, Rupert. You may leave that on the table,” she said.
Rupert walked the short distance to the library table between where we were sitting and the door and placed it carefully on top and then quickly exited the room.
“May I?” Gage asked as he walked over to the table and unzipped the case.
“Oh, I…of course. Be my guest,” Mrs. Ramsbottom said, giving him another slightly confused look as though he was acting quite out of character.
He opened the case and looked down at the top painting and then lifted that one slightly to look at the one beneath it. “Nice.” He spun toward me causing both me and Faith to startle. “You’re an appraiser, isn’t that right, Ms. Castle?”
“That’s right,” I said with a tight smile. I almost wanted to laugh. I knew now that he wasn’t going to expose me. At least, not publicly. If he was going to do that, he’d have done it straight off. Blight? Really? But I saw his game. He was going to attempt to put me in the hot seat, like I’d done to him with my uncle Cash.
“Excellent,” he said. “I’ve always been an art lover. I’d love to hear more about your training. I didn’t get nearly enough time with you at my mother’s home.”
