Bryant didn’t relax.
“Come on, Minuette.”
Min nodded her head and clutched the papers to her chest. “Until later, then,” she said to Bryant.
Charlotte fidgeted, her lips pinched, her eyes looking anywhere but at Bryant and Min. With a small huff of disapproval, she opened the door and checked to ensure the hall was clear before she ducked outside the room.
Bryant handed Min her candlestick and gazed down at her. “Tell no one else, Min.”
She bristled. “I know better. But I couldn’t not tell Charlotte. She already knew that I was searching for the necklace, and she’s my best friend. I tell her everything. Besides, she has a point. It is a little safer if I have someone who can help keep watch. Charlotte would never betray me.”
“If you say so.” Bryant’s air of irritation disappeared as he looked down at her, his face illuminated by the soft glow of the candle. He stroked her face with his thumb. “We are going to have to start trusting each other,” he murmured.
“One of these days,” Min answered.
He took her wrist, pressed a kiss to the inside of it, and then gave her a little push through the door.
Chapter Seventeen
Bryant waited several minutes before leaving, careful to give the girls enough time to reach their destination before he left. Then he quietly entered the gallery. Someone had been prowling through the estate at night and he needed to find out whom. Min was safer thinking it had been him she’d heard in the attics, but she was right; no thief worth his salt would be so careless. Bryant was the best in the business. He didn’t make mistakes. But he knew someone who did.
Bryant paused in front of Tabitha’s portrait, staring at the artist’s rendition of the magnificent jewels. They seemed to flash in the glow of the candlelight. Tabitha held an ornate mask in her hands, apparently dressed for a costume ball in a long-sleeved, Turkish-style brocade jacket that was open to reveal a gauzy green tunic. The tunic fell in folds over matching satin trousers. The turban on her head boasted a grand peacock’s feather fastened by an enormous emerald. The emerald, diamond, and sapphire necklace was at her throat, the pearl-strung pendants encircling her neck and spilling over her chest, reaching to the low-cut neckline of her costume.
He looked up at Tabitha’s face, struck by the expression she wore. The artist had captured an unmistakable sadness emanating from her eyes.
Bryant froze, suddenly aware of someone breathing right behind him. He spun about, grabbed the man by the shoulders, and tackled him to the floor. He found himself staring down into a pair of wide, unblinking eyes, their blood-shot whites completely surrounding black irises.
“Gage,” he growled, leaning on the man’s throat for a second before releasing him. Bryant stood, jamming his fingers through his hair. He prayed Gage hadn’t been there long, hadn’t seen him and the girls slipping from the secret room. The last thing he wanted was Rellik’s pet henchman knowing about Min. “I knew I smelled your repulsive stench. What are you doing here? Besides crashing about the attic in the middle of the night.”
Gage just chuckled, a quiet but menacing sound. “I’m workin’ in the kitchens, mostly, for the moment. The old bat Courtland felt sorry for me and ’ired me to lug around ’eavy pots and such, and do a few other odds and ends,” he answered, his tone mocking and insolent. “Lord Rellik wanted to make sure you’re doing what you were sent to do. Yer takin’ so long, ’e thought you might be gettin’ ideas ’bout making off with something what don’t belong to you.”
Bryant glared at the man, angry and more than a little alarmed. Gage’s next words made his blood run cold.
“Got yerself a secret whore, hmmm? Lord Rellik ain’t a patient man, Westley. ’E won’t be none too ’appy when I tell ’im that you’ve been spendin’ your nights dallyin’ with your little trollop instead o’ lookin’ for the necklace like yer supposed to. Quite a tasty little morsel, though, ain’t she. I’ve been watching ’er, last couple o’ days.” He laughed, running his tongue over cracked lips.
“Minuette Sinclair. Silly name. Maybe I should take ’er to Lord Rellik until you’ve done yer job. Her ladyship would probably pay a fortune to get ’er niece back, hmmm? Get the necklace and a nice ransom to boot. Not a bad plan, if I do say so meself. Lord Rellik, ee’s got a way with the ladies. E’d know what to do wi’ ’er.”
Bryant’s temper boiled.
“Clever little spot you’ve got there, too. ’Idden away like. I wonder, are you playing with just the one, or does the friend play, too, hmmm? ’Course, she weren’t in there too long. Long enough, though, I reckon. No fair taking both and leavin’ none for ol’ Gage. ’Ow about I keep your trollops busy for you while yer finding the necklace. I’ll take good care of ’em.”
The thought of this disgusting creature even laying eyes on Min filled Bryant with a rage so terrible the edges of his vision flickered black. He seized Gage by the throat and slammed him up against the wall, his hand tightening around Gage’s windpipe. Gage’s insolence slid off his face in a flood of fear and he clutched at his throat, trying desperately to remove the vise of Bryant’s hand.
Bryant kept his grip on the man’s thick, greasy neck. He brought his face close to Gage’s, his stomach reeling at the stench coming from the man’s decaying teeth. “I will warn you just once, Gage. Stay away from Miss Sinclair. If I catch you even looking in her direction I will kill you and send your stinking corpse back to the rotten bastard you work for. Am I making myself clear?”
Gage nodded weakly and Bryant released his hold. The shorter man stumbled away, hands clutching his throat.
Bryant stared at him in icy contempt. “You tell your employer that I should have the necklace soon. Until then, I do not want to see your ugly face. Now get out of my sight.”
Gage turned and hastened from the gallery, his face a mask of fury. Bryant stood for a moment, shaking with rage—and a touch of fear. He had no doubt Gage would report everything to Rellik, which of course meant that Min was in danger. And his mother and sister were in danger, as well, especially if Rellik suspected Bryant’s change of heart and was searching for a way to motivate him to find the necklace more quickly.
It was time to have Julian get his family to safety. And he was going to have to keep an even closer eye on the lovely Miss Sinclair.
Chapter Eighteen
Min woke the next morning and dressed in the plain skirt and blouse her aunt preferred for lessons. Charlotte took her time getting dressed while Min waited impatiently. She wanted to get breakfast over and done with. She had a free hour before classes began and the papers hidden at the bottom of her drawer were screaming out to her. And the thought of seeing Bryant again awakened a frenzy of anticipation that embarrassed her.
Min’s stomach erupted in a loud growl, announcing a more physical need than her near painful desire to see Bryant.
“Please, Charlotte, let’s go. We’re late as it is, and you know that if we don’t get down there by eight o’clock, we won’t be allowed in to breakfast.”
Charlotte finished straightening her skirts and narrowed her tired eyes. “It’s your fault I was up so late last night,” she grumbled.
Min crossed the room to give Charlotte a quick hug. “I know, and I appreciate it ever so much. But I am also huuungry.” She laughed, wrapping both arms around her stomach for emphasis as she headed toward the door.
Charlotte broke into a bright smile. “You and that appetite of yours,” she teased, following Min down the hall.
“Actually, food has been one of the last things on my mind lately.”
“Well, that is certainly true enough,” Charlotte agreed. “I wouldn’t be thinking much of food, either, if I had been closeted away with a man half the night.”
“Charlotte!” Min spun to face her friend, her face erupting with heat. She glanced around them to make sure no one had heard Charlotte’s remarks.
“Oh, calm yourself! No one is about. Besides, if you don’t want it ta
lked about, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.”
“Charlotte,” Min pleaded.
“Very well,” Charlotte said, shrugging her shoulders. Min knew she wasn’t appeased, but at least she seemed willing to drop it.
They reached the dining room with time to spare. Min tried to squelch the disappointment that seeped through her when Bryant failed to appear at breakfast. She also needed to see Arthur again soon. But she wasn’t quite sure how to behave around him anymore. Their easy friendship had been irrevocably changed by that kiss…and Min wasn’t certain she was comfortable with how things stood between them now.
She and Charlotte hurried through the buttery scrambled eggs with bacon and Min’s favorite, lime marmalade on toast. Deciding to bypass the hearty porridge that normally accompanied their breakfast, they waited impatiently for permission to be excused.
One of the maids entered the dining room and came to stand behind Min. “Miss Sinclair,” she said, “Lady Courtland would like to see you in her office.”
Min’s stomach dropped. “Did she say why?”
“No, Miss.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Charlotte stood with Min and they hurried out of the room. “Do you have any idea why she wants to see you?” Charlotte asked.
“No.”
“Well…it can’t be too bad, right?”
“Right.” Unless someone had seen her wandering the grounds with Arthur in the middle of the night. Or if Mr. Westley had turned her in for any number of the infractions she’d committed in his presence. “Best see what the trouble is,” she said, straightening her back as she headed to her aunt’s office.
The door stood open, waiting for her. Charlotte gave her hand a squeeze and turned toward the staircase. “Come find me later.”
Min nodded, took a deep breath, and went inside.
Lady Courtland sat at her desk. Several of the instructors stood flanking her. Including Bryant.
A sense of foreboding filled every step but Min made herself continue until she’d reached the chair in front of her aunt’s desk. Bryant gazed at her with a strange expression on his face. Min thought it might be pity. What on earth was going on?
“Sit down, my dear,” Lady Courtland said. Min’s dread increased as her aunt stood and came to sit beside her in the other chair.
Lady Courtland took her hands and patted them over and over. “My dear girl, we’ve had a letter from your uncle.”
No, Min thought. Oh no, no, no, no, no.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news. Your father succumbed to his illness, child. He passed away a few weeks ago. I’m so very sorry.”
Her heart pounded in her chest, anguish piercing her through and through. A strangled sound escaped her throat. Her eyes burned with tears. Lady Courtland folded her in a hug, murmuring words of comfort Min didn’t hear. Mistress Kellar and Mrs. Potter surrounded her and offered their condolences. Min nodded at each of them, not hearing a word they said.
Then Bryant was there, with such a tortured look in his eyes that Min thought he must be feeling every slash of agony that burned through her heart. He didn’t try to touch her. She was grateful. If he touched her, she wouldn’t be able to hold herself together. She’d shatter into a million pieces.
Min muttered something. Everyone nodded.
“Perhaps you should go lie down for a moment,” Lady Courtland suggested.
“No!” Min tried to rein in her growing panic. She needed air. She needed to get away. Now. “I…I think I’d like to go for a walk for a bit. If that’s all right?”
“Of course, my dear. Some fresh air will do you good,” Lady Courtland said.
Min took the letter her aunt held out to her and left the room, not caring if her exit was rude or not. She had to get away from everyone. Tears were falling in hot rivulets down her cheeks before she’d made it to the terrace doors.
Her father was dead. She was too late.
The door to the greenhouse opened but Min didn’t need to look to know who was there. She’d known he would follow her. She waited for him, clutching her letters in her hand, both the one her uncle had written to Lady Courtland and the personal note he’d written to her.
Bryant sat on the bench beside her and some of the tension in her body eased as his warmth enveloped her.
“It’s not over,” she whispered. “The victim’s family is demanding compensation. If they can’t exact it from my father, they insist my mother should be held responsible as his widow.”
Min turned to look at Bryant, sorrow nearly choking the words from her throat. “Why didn’t she leave when she had the chance? What if I can’t help her in time? What if I lose both of them?”
Bryant didn’t say anything. And when the tears began anew, he gathered her in his arms and let her weep like a child.
Min didn’t know how much time had passed before her sobs quieted. Bryant continued stroking her hair, his hand smoothing the wild curls that had escaped their pins. Somewhere in her consciousness she knew she should make Bryant release her. He was her enemy; he was dangerous.
But she didn’t care. He was giving her what she needed most. And for this one moment in time, there was nowhere else in the world she wanted to be.
She curled into him, releasing her breath with a shuddering sigh. “What am I going to do?”
“Shh,” he murmured, his lips grazing her hair. “It’ll be all right. It’ll be all right.”
He kissed her forehead, her temples, her cheeks. He smoothed her hair back from her face, his thumb brushing away the remnants of her grief.
He bent his head slowly toward her. His lips met hers and Min sank into him, taking the comfort he offered, no matter what consequences might follow.
The rest of the world be damned.
Chapter Nineteen
Min had been given a few days off from classes and she’d spent them tearing apart the secret room, going through each and every bookshelf in the library, and combing through any other possible hiding place that she could think of, looking for the second blasted portrait. Her desperation grew with every passing day. But still, nothing turned up. When she finally resumed her lessons she found herself welcoming the distraction they offered.
She avoided Bryant whenever possible. After their interlude in the greenhouse, Min was even more uncomfortable with her feelings toward him than she had been before. But while she might have been able to avoid him physically, she couldn’t banish him from her thoughts.
She’d given the papers from Bryant a cursory thumb-through, but so far they didn’t seem to contain anything helpful. However, her options were growing thinner by the minute. It wouldn’t hurt to take a closer look.
As soon as they were dismissed from classes for the day, Min and Charlotte rushed back to their room to retrieve the papers. They rounded the corner to their hallway and came face to face with a vile-looking man, dressed all in black and wielding a large stick in his callused and filthy hands.
Charlotte emitted a frightened shriek. Min sucked back a scream and flattened herself against the wall. The man, instead of politely backing away, pressed close enough that Min could smell his foul breath.
“Pardon, ladies. Didn’t mean to alarm you.” He lowered the stick and bowed. “Just cleanin’ up the cobwebs.”
One end of his stick was covered with rags that still held a few shimmering strands. His movements also caused the dirty scarf around his neck to slip, revealing several fresh bruises that looked disturbingly like fingerprints. Min pressed her hand to her chest and tried to calm her racing heart as she belatedly recognized Thornmont’s new handyman.
“Mr. Gage!” she exclaimed. “No, no, you just startled us, that’s all.” She was only half relieved to realize the identity of the terrifying figure.
Min glanced at Charlotte, who had recovered her composure and now seemed unperturbed by the man’s presence.
“Well, we don’t want to keep you from your work.” Charlotte grabbed Min’s hand and
pulled her down the corridor. “Good day, Mr. Gage.”
“Thank ’ee, Miss,” he drawled.
Min paused before she entered her doorway and looked back to find Gage still staring. His eyes held a wicked amusement that sent chills through her blood. He slowly licked his lips. Min shuddered and bolted into the safety of her room, slamming the door behind her.
“That man scares me.” She tried to repress the shiver of revulsion crawling up her spine.
“Who, Mr. Gage?” Charlotte asked. “He’s menacing, I’ll give you that, but his appearance is really no more than a combination of bad eyesight and worse teeth. He’s harmless.”
Min didn’t agree, but she wasn’t in the mood to argue. Besides, she felt rather silly now that her initial fright had eased, and she supposed that Charlotte could be right. She would try to be a little kinder to the odious creature in the future.
She went straight to the cupboard and grasped the handle of the cabinet door. To her surprise, the door swung silently open. Min stared for a moment, the unused key forgotten in the palm of her hand.
“What is it?” Charlotte asked.
“The door! It wasn’t locked. It wasn’t even latched.”
“Well, that was rather careless of you.”
“That’s just it, Charlotte. I was not careless. I locked this cupboard last night. I know I did.”
Charlotte studied her for a moment before replying. “Perhaps you meant to but got distracted.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Is everything still there?” Charlotte asked.
“Thank goodness!” she said, pulling the papers out and holding them close to her chest.
Charlotte nodded and climbed onto Min’s bed. “Let’s see what these stuffy old documents have to offer.”
Min scrambled up after her, flopped down on her belly, and flipped through the pages, skimming various deeds, notes, records, and ledger entries.
“Nothing,” Min said, slamming the last page over.
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