by Ayles, Abby
“What have I done to you, Joanna? Why would you do this to me after we have been practically sisters since we were children?”
“I am ashamed of myself. I truly am.”
“And well you should be!” Duke Cartwright said, drawing his eyebrows together.
“You could have sullied the Duke in a way that was not repairable. Have you told anyone in the city about your accusations?”
Joanna shook her head. “No, my Lord. I have not.”
He nodded. “That is a good thing, Joanna. See that you speak the truth from now on. Tell me about the paintings. How did you get them and where did you put them?”
“I was in the collection room with the Balfours. They took the paintings and put them in the Duke Colbourn’s chambers.”
Duke Colbourn bristled inside. They had intentionally made it look like was stealing. He shook his head, looking disappointed.
“My Lady, I do not understand why you would allow that to happen to me. If the paintings had been discovered there this morning, it would not be redeemable. I would be forced to leave Norrend and Miss Cartwright, two things I have no intention of doing anytime soon.”
“I suppose that means we are not leaving as planned?” Mr. Covington said. The duke looked at him.
“No, Mr. Covington, I am staying here. You are a free man and can roam the world if you please. But I cannot. I will be married within the year.”
Annabelle felt chills cover her body. He was talking about her. He was looking at her. When he smiled, she smiled back. He lost his smile when he looked at Joanna.
“You have put my entire life in jeopardy and I want answers.”
Joanna stammered at him.
“I… Lord Gilbert can be very persuasive. But, my lords, I did not know they were going to take the paintings. I have made myself look like a fool and I am ashamed. Lord Gilbert said he only wanted to help me with my plan to have you dismissed from Norrend.”
Annabelle winced at the words. She could hardly believe they were coming from Joanna’s mouth. She was so upset and disappointed in her friend.
“When we saw that the paintings were not there today, I… I realized what I had done. I helped them steal the paintings. I do not know where they have taken them or what they will do with them.”
“This is very disturbing.” Duke Cartwright looked at the Duke Colbourn. “I am not aware that the two know much about fine works of art. They cannot sell them outright because they are registered to me and they would have to travel far before anyone would buy them not knowing they are mine. Do you suppose they will destroy them or otherwise damage them?”
Duke Colbourn shook his head. “I do not know them well, my Lord. But I do not think they are stupid enough to damage the paintings. More than likely, they will try to sell them. But you are correct, they are registered to you. And I have traveled far to come see them. It took me a bit of time but I found the paintings I desired.”
“If you wish, you may purchase the Vecelli painting and leave the missing ones to me to find.”
Duke Colbourn shook his head. “No, my Lord, I will wait and purchase all the ones I have chosen at the same time. Whether or not the three paintings are recovered in good condition, I will buy them. I feel responsible for this.”
“You are in no way responsible. You should not think that way. If the paintings are not in the same condition they were when they left my home – if they have left – I will not charge the same price for them. We will base it on their condition upon their return.”
“Yes, my Lord, I agree to that.”
“I will send a message to Reverend Stovington requesting the young men make a visit. If they do not come tonight, we will see them at church in the morning.”
Chapter 31
There was no message from the reverend the rest of that Saturday night and the Balfour brothers did not pay a visit.
When Annabelle went to sleep that night, she could hear Joanna weeping in her room.
She was not surprised to see Julia sitting on her bed waiting for her, her nightgown and cap on already.
“Julia. Can you not sleep?”
“I thought Joanna would go home tonight but she has decided to stay. Why do you think she chose to stay?”
“I do not think she wants to see your parents. She is too ashamed. They would question her if she cried in her room there like she is doing in her room here.”
Julia nodded, a satisfied look on her face.
“That does make perfect sense.” She scooted over on the bed and Annabelle sat next to her after changing into her nightgown.
“Tomorrow is Sunday,” Julia said.
“It is God’s day and we will have to put on a smile for church. I do not feel a lot like smiling. I can think of nothing in my life right now that would make me smile.”
Annabelle looked at her with raised eyebrows.
“Am I not a blessing? Is it not your privilege and honor to be my best friend in the world?”
Julia laughed. Annabelle nodded.
“I thought I could make you smile. I know you are unhappy with what is going on but it will be resolved soon enough.”
“I feel responsible. She is my twin sister. I feel whatever she does is a reflection on me and that now people will not think of me the same.”
“No one in this house will think of you any differently,” Annabelle replied, shaking her head. She reached over and took Julia’s hand, looking into her eyes comfortingly.
“You did not do this. The fact that she is your sister, even a twin sister, does not make you responsible for the choices she makes. She is someone completely different from you. You are my best friend. Please understand how much I care about you.”
She brought Julia’s hand to her chest and held it against her heart. Julia sighed.
“Thank you, Annabelle. I feel different now.”
“Would you like to sleep in here tonight?”
“That would be a great comfort to me.”
Annabelle held her hand out, sweeping it over the huge bed behind them.
“There is plenty of room and you are always welcome. Come, let us get some sleep so that we will not have droopy, puffy eyes in the morning.”
The girls had climbed in the bed and both were asleep within minutes. The day had been long and disappointing.
As they were on the way to church, after a hearty breakfast, they were quiet, not wanting to interrupt the conversation of her father and Duke Colbourn.
Annabelle listened to them discuss what they planned to say to Reverend Stovington and the Lords Balfour. Her father was unhappy that they had not received a message back from him.
They reached the church, where many other buggies and carriages were pulled into the dirt lot beside the building. There were a few people outside but it appeared almost everyone was almost inside.
Duke Cartwright stepped down from the carriage, glancing around him. “It looks as though there are not many people attending church today. Are we late? Perhaps we are early.”
Annabelle shook her head. “No, father. We are here at the same time we usually are.”
The men walked ahead of the women into the church, passing several people who were talking quietly. They looked at the group as they passed but none of them said anything directly to them.
“Mother?” Annabelle looked at her mother, worried. “Something feels different today.”
The Duchess of Norrend nodded at her daughter. “I agree, my dear. But we will not know until we get inside, will we?”
We might not even know then, Annabelle thought, her heart racing. What if something had happened to the Reverend? Or to either of the Balfour brothers? They were the ones who knew where the paintings were. If they had them in their possession, they might have opened themselves up to dangerous people. Or had the reverend participated in the theft in some way.
Annabelle’s eyes darted to her father, as if he could read her thoughts. She would not want him to know she suspected the rev
erend even for a second. She did not feel it was possible but was rather thinking of anything and everything that might be an answer.
“My Lords!” A man Annabelle did not recognize came around a corner and spotted her father and the rest of them.
“Have you seen Reverend Stovington?”
Annabelle was covered in chills.
“Is he missing?” she asked. The man looked at her.
“Yes, my Lady, he is. He has not been seen since last night. He had a late visitor, Their Graces, the Duke and Duchess of Rochester Island. They stayed until late into the evening and left. They said he did not mention going anywhere and there was no sign that he was planning to leave his church.”
“I suspect something else may have happened to him,” Duke Colbourn said, frowning.
“Yes, that was my thought, too, your Grace,” the man replied.
“Thank you for your information,” Duke Cartwright said, turning to his wife and daughters.
“I must find the Lords Balfour. They will have to answer for this. I am sure they will know what has happened to the reverend. He would not miss a Sunday at his church unless he was detained elsewhere and unable to come.”
“I agree, my Lord,” his wife answered. “We will wait for you here.”
“But, mother…” Annabelle began to protest and then slid her eyes to her father and Duke Colbourn. She closed her mouth and took a step back, looking down. It was not her place to help the men. The Dukes and Mr. Covington went down the middle aisle toward the altar at the end and the ladies sat down in the back pew, watching them.
Duke Colbourn could not have felt much more confused. He looked back on the time he had spent at Norrend and could not remember anything he had done to make Joanna betray him in such a way.
Not even for the chance of getting a husband. Would a woman really go to such lengths just to get someone as unattractive and crude as Lord Gilbert Balfour?
He followed Duke Cartwright to the stage where the altar was. They stepped up on it and went to the door to the right that would lead to the offices of the church. The door on the opposite side led to the quarters where the reverend and any of his charges or those seeking sanctuary could take a room.
“We will check the offices first,” Duke Cartwright said. “If there is no sign of foul play, we will check the rooms. I do not wish to invade anyone’s privacy.”
“I do not think the Balfour brothers will be here, my Lord,” Mr. Covington said. “If the reverend is missing, they will know they are suspect. We may have to search for them elsewhere.”
“I hope they are here,” Duke Cartwright said.
“I do not wish to spend my Sunday searching for them.”
“We will need to find Reverend Stovington. I must say, my Lord.” Duke Colbourn shook his head.
“I do not think the Lords Balfour are very intelligent. If they are planning all of this, they have not thought anything through. If they did harm to Reverend Stovington, they will hang. And they have made it perfectly clear that something is afoot by not being here when he is missing.”
“They might be here,” Mr. Covington said.
The Dukes looked at him, nodding. “Perhaps.”
They went through the long hallway that curved around the back end of the church. Duke Cartwright opened doors as he went, putting his head in to see if anyone occupied the room.
There were four offices and two classrooms for the children. No one was in the offices. There were children, whose parents did not expect the Reverend to be missing in both the classrooms. They looked up at the men in surprise.
Duke Cartwright just smiled at them and closed the door. He turned to his companions, shaking his head.
“They are not in the offices nor the classrooms. I suppose we will have to check the rooms. I hesitate to do so because it is very personal. But we must find them.”
“I am sure we cannot be the only ones looking for the reverend, my Lord,” Duke Colbourn said.
“Though we may be the only ones looking for the Lords Balfour.”
Duke Cartwright nodded.
“I believe you are right, Duke Colbourn.”
The men crossed the stage to the other side, passing through the door to the bedrooms. As they had suspected, there were two other men walking down the hallway. They turned when they heard the men come through the door.
Duke Cartwright put his hands behind his back and clasped them together, walking swiftly to the two men.
“Have you seen the Reverend or any sign of where he might be?”
Both men shook their heads and one answered, “No, my Lord. We have been looking in every room and he does not appear to be here. We are quite worried about him. He would not leave without giving notice or getting a replacement for himself.”
“I agree,” Duke Cartwright nodded at them. “I will check below with my companions. You continue to look up here.”
The men nodded and bowed at the waist.
“Yes, my Lord,” they said at the same time.
Duke Colbourn gave Duke Cartwright a quizzical look when the older man turned back to leave the hallway.
“What is below, my Lord?”
Duke Cartwright looked up at Duke Colbourn, who was taller than him.
“The cellar.”
Chapter 32
The three men went down a spiral staircase that led to the damp parts of the church. Duke Colbourn found the underground rooms to be intriguing. The walls were made of stone, with etchings of animals, leaves, flowers, and other objects of nature decorating them. The floor was also stone but the Duke was impressed by how smooth it was.
It must have taken some time to make the rooms as uniquely well-done as they were. There were lanterns on the walls and Duke Cartwright lit one to carry with them as they walked through the rooms.
“I do not believe I have ever been in a church with a cellar that looked like this, my Lord,” Duke Colbourn said.
“How long have you known about this place?”
“I have always been aware the cellar was made this way. I believe the church held functions down here some years ago, when it was first built. It does not seem suitable for such things now.”
Duke Cartwright just smiled at him.
“I suppose it is not. If the Lords Balfour are down here, we will insist on getting our answers.”
“You do realize they will not admit to anything,” Mr. Covington said. “They will deny all. Criminals always do.”
“I will be able to tell if they are lying to me,” Duke Cartwright sounded confident. Duke Colbourn wondered how he could be that way.
“One way or another, I will have my paintings.”
The three men walked quietly through the tunnels and hallways. Duke Cartwright held up the lantern while the other two men lit their own. They split up to search the large cellar, meeting up in the middle where they had started.
“They are not here.”
“Did you see any signs that they might have been or that anyone has been down here recently?” Duke Cartwright asked. Both men shook their heads.
“No, I am sorry, my Lord,” Mr. Covington said.
Duke Cartwright sighed, heavily.
“We must continue the search outside.”
“Perhaps someone else has found out where the reverend went.” Mr. Covington said.
“We will find out. I have not been…” Duke Cartwright stopped speaking when the door they were about to pass through opened and the Lords Balfour came through, Gilbert first with his brother behind him.
The two young Lords stopped and stared at the three men.
Duke Colbourn thought they looked scared out of their minds. He knew instantly that they were guilty of everything Joanna had said.
Despite that, he knew that unless the two boys confessed or the paintings were found in their possession, there was no proof of their guilt.
He half expected the two to turn tail and run back up the steps to get away from them. But they didn’t. Lord Gi
lbert calmly stepped into the main room, his brother coming through behind him.
“Good morning, your grace. your Grace.” Lord Gilbert did not acknowledge Mr. Covington, bowing at the Dukes.
“Have you seen the reverend?”
Duke Colbourn’s heart sank. They had the perfect reason for being down in the cellar, and even for looking guilty. Everyone was looking for the reverend and by asking the question, Lord Gilbert was using the disappearance as an excuse to keep from looking like he was doing something wrong.
“We have been looking for him,” Duke Cartwright answered.
His tone indicated to the Duke Colbourn that he was thinking the same thing.
“When did you last see him?”
“Yesterday evening,” Lord Gilbert responded. “He is not down here?”
“No, we have not seen him.” Duke Cartwright crossed his arms over his chest.
“We must talk. We have questions to ask you.”
“What is it about, my Lord?”
“It is about the paintings Duke Colbourn was purchasing from me. They have gone missing.”
“Oh my, that is not good news,” Lord Gilbert said. His face did not change. He did not look worried.
“No, it is not. And Joanna claims that you have taken them.”
Lord Gilbert raised his eyebrows and looked genuinely surprised.
“Why would she say such a thing?”
“She was very credible,” Duke Colbourn said.
Lord Gilbert gave him a sarcastic look.
“It seems to me she has lied before. She has caused trouble in the past. I find it hard to believe you would take her word for anything.”
Duke Cartwright frowned.
“I do believe the last words I spoke to you was to advise you to go to Lord Rickman and ask for permission to court Joanna. You appeared to be getting very close to her. I know that she was under that impression as well. I believe we all were. If you feel she is not worthy of being trusted and believed, why would you allow yourself to be involved with her?”
Lord Gilbert had the courtesy to look ashamed for a moment.
Duke Colbourn had to refrain from losing his temper. They were guilty and they were not going to own up to it, just as Mr. Covington had said.