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"What's next?" Slayde demanded, lounging dejectedly on the library settee.
"Morland." Julian spat out the word as if it were poison. "It's time to tear my father's home apart, bit by bit. Since the key was concealed at Pembourne, perhaps the strongbox—or at least a hint of its whereabouts—is hidden at Morland. 'Twould be just like our great-grandfathers to divide the clues between the two estates. It would ensure that both families were needed to locate the chest."
"But you've already searched Morland several times over," Aurora protested. "Surely you of all people would have spotted a strongbox that looks identical to your great-grandfather's."
"If it were visible, yes. But it's possible I overlooked Geoffrey's hiding place. Certainly I might have overlooked a clue, if that's what's concealed at Morland rather than the box itself. Remember, Rory, at the time I explored the estate, I wasn't looking for anything specific. Now I am."
"Julian," Courtney suggested from her propped position in an armchair, "isn't it possible your line of thinking is leading you in the wrong direction?"
"How so?"
"Let's presume the strongbox exists, and that the key to James's falcon cages unlocks it. It'
s still possible that no clue of the chest's whereabouts can be found at either Pembourne or Morland—and for a very good reason. Has it occurred to you that James used the chest not to house a clue, but to house the black diamond when he hid it?"
Julian raked a hand through his hair. "I considered that possibility. However, given the nature of James and Geoffrey's partnership, I think not. If Geoffrey used his strongbox to convey a piece of this puzzle, I'm willing to bet James did the same. What's more, I don't believe James would ever have taken the risk of hanging a key that would unlock something as valuable as the black diamond out in the open for all to see—even if the chances were slim that someone would realize its dual purpose."
"Even if someone suspected that the key fit a strongbox as well as a cage, they wouldn't know where to find that strongbox," Slayde pointed out. "Which is the very dilemma we now face—and the reason I agree with Julian. Why would our great-grandfathers provide us with the key to their greatest treasures without also providing us with the means to find those treasures? They wouldn't. Thus, if another strongbox exists, I believe it exists to convey additional information to make our search a plausible one."
"Oh, it exists," Julian stated flatly. "I know it. Clearly James and Geoffrey wanted us to realize that, which is why they made the two keys look so similar. The question is, where is the strongbox? In my opinion, the avenue leading to its discovery lies either here or at Morland."
"Then let's go." Aurora bolted to her feet, snatching. Julian's hand and heading toward the door. "We're wasting time. It's only an hour's drive to Morland. Courtney and Slayde can continue exploring Pembourne. You and I will tear through Morland, stone by stone."
* * *
An hour and a quarter later, Aurora and Julian's carriage passed through Morland's iron gates and rounded the drive to the manor. Aurora felt a chill encase her heart as she caught sight of the cold, austere dwelling, ugly memories crowding her mind as the house loomed closer.
"Aurora?" Feeling his wife tense beside him, Julian frowned, watching her obvious fervent reaction. "Are you all right?"
"I'd forgotten how morose this estate looks." A shiver. "It hasn't changed a bit."
Julian's brows arched. "You've been here?"
"Only on the grounds. And only once. With Courtney. Before she and Slayde were married. She came to confront your father. She was hoping to bring Slayde some semblance of peace. I accompanied her, waited in the carriage while she spoke with Lawrence."
"My father would sooner have sold his soul to the devil than have granted peace to a Huntley."
"Yes, I know."
Julian's knuckles brushed her cheek. "You don't have to go in—not if it upsets you."
"Of course I do!" Aurora sat bolt upright. "I'm as determined to find that strongbox as you are—certainly determined enough to overcome a trace of uneasiness."
"Spoken like a true adventurer." Julian winked, glancing about as the carriage came to a halt. "Given your abundance of spirit, do you feel brave enough to strike out on your own? Because we'll make the most effective use of our time if we divide up. And since neither of us wants to stay here a moment longer than necessary, my goal is to find what we're seeking and be gone as quickly as possible."
"An excellent plan. Where shall I begin?"
"I'll search the first floor, go through each sitting room, salon, and anteroom. You go to the upstairs level and scrutinize each bedchamber—desks, nightstands, wardrobes—then check out the sitting rooms. I suspect you'll find most of the furniture bare, since no one other than my father and his servants have lived here for years."
Aurora nodded, accepting Julian's assistance in alighting. Then, head held high, she accompanied him to the entranceway door.
"Your Grace. I wasn't expecting you." A haughty-looking butler received them, and Aurora immediately recognized him as the man who'd admitted Courtney on their one and only visit to Morland.
"Thayer." Julian looped an arm about Aurora's waist. "This is my wife, the Duchess of Morland." He pronounced the title with purposeful intensity, as if daring Thayer to treat Aurora with disrespect.
"Your Grace." Thayer's lips pursed but he bowed, greeting Aurora with all the dignity her new title commanded. "Welcome to Morland."
"Thank you."
