by Diane Noble
Kate gasped. “Sir Wellington?”
Reg laughed. “In his dreams. He’s been after the Queen to bestow knighthood on him for years. It’s no secret. Actually, he’d be the first to admit it.”
Reg began putting his satchel back together. “I was just telling your wife that until I do further testing, and other experts have a look at the urn, we really don’t know much more than when I arrived. So far it appears to be an incredibly clever copy.”
“Is Collin Wellington trustworthy in your opinion?” Kate asked as Reg returned the urn to the glass shelf.
He adjusted it slightly so the spotlight illumined it with the glow that seemed to emanate from inside, then turned back to Kate. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious, I suppose,” she said quickly.
He didn’t answer right away, then furrowing his brow, he said, “His reputation is spotless in his field. But there have been rumors lately about him getting himself into some sort of financial difficulty.” He paused. “I take it you’re asking because of the romance between your friend and Wellington. I don’t like to pass along hearsay, but in this case, I believe it’s warranted. If I were you, I would advise her to go slowly, get to know him well before making any commitment. You never know what a person might do when he’s got money troubles.”
Kate exchanged glances with Paul, who raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for your honesty,” she said to Reg after a brief hesitation.
“When I read the story in your Chronicle about how they met, I wondered about its coincidence,” he said.
“So did we,” Kate said.
“Well, folks, it’s been good to meet you.” He reached out to shake Kate’s hand, then Paul’s. “I hope you understand that I have to report this to the FBI. I believe what you have here is a copy, a very good one, but the uncertainty of my preliminary findings, plus the museum robberies, make it necessary.”
“Does that mean they’ll be coming for it?” Paul asked.
“I really don’t know. I don’t work closely with them. I’m just required to report findings such as this. However, I will be letting them know about today’s tests. They may well require you to give up the piece for further testing.” He shrugged. “I really can’t say.”
He said his good-byes, wished them luck, then with satchel in hand, he headed back to the minivan. Kate and Paul stood at the entrance of the church, watching him cross the parking lot. Before he reached his vehicle, he was in deep conversation on his cell phone.
Kate sighed. “We really don’t know much more about the urn than we did before he got here.”
“I know you’re disappointed.”
She smiled. “It’s true I was expecting an easy end to at least part of the mystery of the urn’s origins. I just had the feeling he wasn’t telling me everything he knows about the urn.”
“How did you pick up on that?”
She considered the question as she watched Reg climb into his vehicle. “More from what he didn’t say than what he did say. And the FBI comment. If there was any doubt that this wasn’t a copy, don’t you think he’d have them over here before we could say Rumpelstiltskin?” She thought about it for a moment. “Perhaps even have brought an agent with him?”
Her husband laughed and circled his arm around her shoulders. They waved as the archaeologist, Indiana Jones hat pulled low over his forehead, drove off in the minivan.
“That’s another thing I love about you.”
She wrinkled her nose, looking up at him. “What?”
“The hypotheses you toss in my direction when you’re sleuthing. You keep my brain doing calisthenics.”
“By the way,” she said. The voice message concerning the thousands of dollars they owed weighed heavily on her mind. But as she looked into his eyes, she didn’t want to break her promise, or see that sparkle of fun and love disappear, so she just smiled and gave him a quick kiss before trotting to her car.
As she pulled out of the parking lot and turned right on Mountain Laurel, she spotted Reg’s van and hurried to catch up with it.
She wasn’t intending to tail him, but when it came time for her to turn onto Smoky Mountain Road, she decided against it and followed him into town.
He parked right in front of the diner. Nothing unusual in that. Except when she slowed to pull to the side of the road, she saw the GTO in the nearby library parking lot.
Her heart slammed into her ribs. Could there be a connection between Dr. Hosea and the Carrot-top and Curly duo?
She got out of the car and hesitated, wondering if she should look around inside the diner or wait to see who might emerge.
But before she could decide, the door of the diner opened, and the Diner Duo waltzed out, arguing about who was going to drive.
Seconds later, Reg exited with a takeout bag and a Styrofoam cup.
Reg didn’t even give so much as a glance toward the GTO as it revved its engine and roared down the street.
But before the car disappeared, Curly, who was in the passenger seat, turned and looked back.
And it appeared he was looking straight at Reg.
Chapter Nineteen
Thursday afternoon, Kate sat at the kitchen table to read Livvy’s latest article in that morning’s edition of the Chronicle. The sting of tears came again as she read about Livvy’s impressions of her two days in Assisi.
Joys Discovered in Assisi
by Livvy Jenner
The tolling bells from the Basilica of Santa Chiara gently woke me on our first morning in Assisi. I got out of bed and walked to the window, which I had left open the night before. The evening breeze had quickly lulled me to sleep.
As I approached the window, my breath was taken away. Directly in front of me, I could see the city of Assisi beginning to come to life as the sun crept up in the sky. I tried to count the number of church towers and stopped at about sixteen. So many other things were craving my attention.
I looked to my left and saw the early morning mist beginning to rise, revealing the olive groves rolling down the hillside from Assisi toward San Damiano. I was so enthralled I could hardly move. But when I glanced at the alarm clock, I realized that breakfast would be served in twenty minutes, and I needed to get ready.
Kate got up to pour herself a glass of iced tea as she struggled to get her emotions under control. I know it was in our best interest not to go. But how I miss realizing that dream.
She sat back down and picked up the paper again.
After breakfast, the tour’s first excursion was to the Basilica of San Francesco. The basilica was less than a mile away from the hotel, so walking was in order—though not your ordinary morning stroll, to be sure. Assisi is built on a hillside, so every street goes either uphill or downhill. And they are narrow cobblestone streets with sidewalks barely wide enough for one person.
The ubiquitous coffee shops—or coffee bars, as they’re called—sent forth the wonderful aroma of coffee and freshly baked bread as we made our way across town.
The article continued with descriptions of their visits to several sites of interest in the city of Assisi, ending with a side trip to the Carceri at Mount Subasio, where Francis and his followers often went to get away and pray.
Kate folded the newspaper and placed it on the counter so Paul could read it when he got home. The phone rang, and she hurried toward it, hoping it was Melissa.
It was Renee.
Renee’s voice took on the excited pitch of a much younger woman’s. “I just had the most wonderful news,” she breathed into the telephone. She rushed on, not waiting for Kate to respond. “It’s about Collin. He called this morning to tell me he was on his way to Heathrow.”
“To fly here?”
“Where else?”
“That’s wonderful, Renee. We can’t wait to meet him.” That was an understatement.
“And meet him you shall! That’s why I called,” she said. “I’m inviting a few friends over for a little welcome tea in honor of him tomorrow afternoon. I would like for y
ou and Paul to attend.”
“I’ll check with Paul, but I think our calendar’s clear.” As mysterious as Paul’s behavior had been lately, she couldn’t be sure of where he would be when.
“Collin is staying at the Hamilton Springs Hotel.”
Kate wondered what she was getting at. “Mmm, that’s nice. It’s the loveliest place in town.”
“I’m telling you that so if anyone asks, you can assure them he’s not moving in here with Mother and me.”
“Oh, I don’t think anyone—”
“After the rumors that Mother’s been spreading all over town, don’t be surprised if it comes up in conversation.”
Kate sighed. “I’ll be glad to let people know.”
“Good. Four o’clock, then, tomorrow for afternoon tea.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” She wondered at the shiver that traveled up her spine, though, as she replaced the phone in the receiver.
Of course, she wouldn’t miss the tea—for Renee’s sake. But something told her there might be more than social niceties exchanged.
She shivered again.
Chapter Twenty
Kate and Paul arrived at Renee’s home at a quarter to four. It was a perfect day for a tea—sunny and breezy with a scattering of buttermilk clouds to keep the air cool—and Kate was glad for Renee’s sake.
A beaming Renee met them at the door. Collin was at her side, looking every bit the English gentleman. Again, Kate was reminded of Anthony Hopkins in Shadowlands.
He smiled at Kate as Renee introduced them, bent to kiss her hand, then gave Paul a hearty handshake.
He was charming. Kate could think of no better word to describe him during the first few minutes after they met. She could see why Renee was smitten with him.
After they stepped inside, Renee excused herself to see to things in the kitchen, and Collin, acting as if he were already the gentleman of the house, escorted Kate and Paul out to the back patio and flower garden.
Kate caught her breath. The setting was even prettier than the day Renee had invited her to lunch. There were three round tables set with linens of different shades of pink. A floral teapot had been placed in the center of each table beside a small vase of violets, pink roses, and baby’s breath.
Those who had arrived before Paul and Kate were milling about the garden sipping sparkling drinks in glass flutes, each with a floating strawberry.
“Would you care for some sparkling cider?” Collin asked Kate. His earlier warmth seemed to cool before her eyes and she shivered.
She didn’t like the way his eyes seemed to pierce hers or his frosty scrutiny as he assessed her. But for appearances, she smiled and said, “Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you.”
“And you, Reverend Hanlon?”
“I’ll take a glass, but let me help you,” Paul said, and the two walked over to another round table on the patio that held the bottles of cider, silver service for tea and coffee, and some small crystal bowls of mints and mixed nuts.
Kate spotted Caroline sitting off to one side of the garden, her expression sour. Kisses sat on her lap, and his expression was equally perturbed. He seemed to be staring directly at Collin, who was filling the flutes.
Kate made her way over to Caroline and pulled up a folding chair.
“The least she could’ve done was invite some of my friends,” Caroline grumbled.
Kate glanced around. “Renee told me she planned to invite the Copper Mill folks who met Collin on the tour. I’m sure she did it to put Collin at ease. I think it’s a lovely gesture.”
“Hmmph,” Caroline said. “You, your husband, and me are the obvious exceptions. So much for putting us at ease.”
Kisses put his ears back and growled as Collin and Paul walked over with the sparkling-cider flutes. And it wasn’t Paul he was growling at.
Collin didn’t seem to notice. He handed Kate her drink, then smiled at Caroline. “Mrs. Johnston, may I get you something to drink?” The rumbling growl from the little Chihuahua grew louder.
“I told you,” she said, “that kind of cider doesn’t agree with me.”
“Ah yes, so you did,” he said, never losing his smile. “How about something else? Perhaps a glass of milk might settle the stomach.” His British upper-class accent made even an ordinary glass of milk sound elegant.
Caroline sniffed. “I wouldn’t care for anything, thank you.” Another menacing growl from Kisses accentuated her words.
Mayor Lawton Briddle and his wife, Lucy Mae, walked over to join them, breaking the awkward moment. And just then, Livvy and Danny Jenner arrived and made a beeline over to greet Collin. LuAnne was next, livening the party considerably with her noisy arrival and shout of “Buon giorno!” when she spotted Collin. She almost knocked him over with a giant bear hug.
Through it all, Collin seemed to be taking the friendly adulation with good humor. There was no hint of the stiff British countenance Kate had expected.
When the hubbub died down, Collin said to Livvy, who was standing between him and Kate, “Your articles have been wonderfully written.”
Livvy flushed. “Thank you. I’m pleased you came up with the idea. We’ve had a lot of interest in the urn. A steady stream of visitors have come to see its display at the church, even folks from out of town.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it again myself,” Collin said and lifted his flute to his lips.
In that instant, Kate thought she caught a glint of warning in his eyes as he met her gaze over the rim of the flute. If she’d blinked, she would have missed it.
Stunned, she watched him carefully as he turned to chat with those who’d been on the Triple T Tour. They drifted off to one side, sharing memories and laughter and chatter about putting together another trip somewhere else in the world.
Paul gave Kate an understanding squeeze of the fingers as Livvy left the others and returned to Kate’s side.
“Forgive us,” she said. “This has turned into a reunion that I don’t really think Renee intended.”
“Nothing to forgive, really.” Kate looked around. “But speaking of Renee, I haven’t seen her since we got here. Maybe we should go in and see if we can help.”
“Good idea,” Livvy said, and the two left for the kitchen.
They found Renee putting the final touches on three tiered dishes of finger sandwiches.
“Let us carry these out for you,” Kate said, reaching for one of the dishes.
When Renee met her gaze, Kate could see a spark of fiery emotion in her eyes.
“Is everything okay?”
“Of course,” Renee huffed. “If you don’t consider the war Mother has declared.”
“Oh dear,” Kate said.
“Not only that. She’s got an ally.”
Livvy had stepped up to take another of the sandwich plates. “Who is that?”
Renee shook her head. “The last creature I would have expected it from. Kisses.”
“Collin is a charming man,” Kate said. “I’m sure he’ll win them over in time.”
Renee’s penciled brow arched. “Not necessarily. I just found out Collin detests small dogs.” Then her expression softened. “But he did say that he’d do anything for me, including learning to love a dog that reminds him of a rodent.”
Rodent? If anyone else on the planet had dared to compare Kisses to a rodent, Renee would have been up in arms. It appeared Collin had truly won her heart.
The party went on without a hitch. Even Caroline seemed to loosen up and have a good time. When Collin fixed her a special cup of tea and a scone with Devonshire cream he’d brought from England, she actually gave him a begrudging smile—right before telling him she thought it had curdled during its transatlantic flight.
WHILE THE MEAL was being served, Kate leaned back in her chair and met the probing gaze of the man who’d been seated across from her: Collin Wellington. Renee sat to his right, and Paul sat to Kate’s. Their conversation had been pleasant, but when Kate brought up Collin�
��s academic background and interests, he had successfully evaded every direct question.
Finally, she put down her scone and leaned forward. “I’d love to know more about the urn,” she said pleasantly.
His smile seemed to tighten. “What more is there to know? It’s a beautiful replica, and I think Renee made a wise decision when she purchased it.”
“I’m curious about how the urn opens,” Kate said. “She said you demonstrated how it’s done when she first bought it, but she hasn’t been able to open it since. She showed me the steps, but I couldn’t do it either.”
His smile seemed plastered in place, and his eyes were growing cooler by the second. “It’s tricky,” he said evenly. “I’ll have to show her again. And you, if you would like.”
“Yes, you will, dear,” Renee said, beaming up at him.
“And the language is a curiosity,” Kate went on. “Etruscan.”
Collin’s eyes widened. “You’re very observant.”
Beside her, Paul chuckled. “If you knew my Kate better, you’d know that’s an understatement.”
“Is that a fact?” Collin said, his eyes never leaving Kate’s.
“I’m just so curious about it. It seems interesting that the artist would use a thousand-year-old language paired with artwork depicting Saint Francis and Saint Clare.”
“That’s what makes the original so valuable. It’s quite an unusual piece because the artist, back in the twelfth century, wanted to honor both Saint Francis and the history of the language of the area.”
“And the original is...?” Kate asked, lifting her brow.
He colored slightly and looked away from Kate’s probing gaze. “We’ll leave that subject for another time.” His expression emphasized the conversation was over.
Around them rose the sounds of laughter and light banter as the other guests talked about their memories.
Kate stood. “I’ll clear the dishes,” she said to Renee.
Paul started to stand to help her, but Collin insisted he sit down and said he would give her a hand. A smiling Renee looked on with approval.