Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
T he next morning, when Benjamin walked downstairs to breakfast the attitude in the room was as tense as the cravat around his neck was tight.
Lord Abernathy sat at the head of the table. No matter what time of day it was, what meal they were being served, or how formal the gathering was, Lord Abernathy always sat at the head.
“And what of the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen?” the duke asked the manservant standing beside him.
“Every inch has been searched, Your Grace. Every nook and cranny.”
Benjamin crossed the room to the far side, where the food was laid atop the sideboard.
“Maids and the menservants quarters?”
“Yes, Your Grace, every room, including the few not currently occupied. All except the rooms you and your family and guests are in, of course.”
Lord Abernathy sighed heavily and waved the manservant away.
Benjamin took the seat directly to the duke’s left. “Still no sign of the brooch?”
The duke shook his head. “Mr. Stein has had the entire house searched. Not a single indication of who took it or where it is now. Every bit of Mondstein Herrenhaus has been all but ransacked, and there is nothing.”
“How is Her Grace handling the loss?”
“Not well.” Lord Abernathy’s voice lowered. “The brooch is far from the most valuable piece of jewelry she chose to bring, but it carries much sentimental value. I gave it to her our first Christmas together, and she wears it nearly the entire holiday every year.”
Lord Abernathy seemed as though he was working hard to downplay any personal attachment to the brooch, but Benjamin suspected the duke was not, in truth, so wholly unaffected.
“We will find it, Your Grace,” Benjamin said.
Instead of responding, Lord Abernathy took a bite of his food.
Yet another sign His Grace was more upset by the loss of the brooch than he wanted to let on.
“I heard,” Benjamin said at length, “that the servant quarters have all been searched, as has the rest of the house.”
“That is correct.”
“But not the rooms we are using?”
Lord Abernathy’s fork froze halfway between his mouth and the plate. “Why would I have our rooms searched?”
Benjamin had never been particularly good at saying things delicately—it was a skill he’d neither been born with nor needed during his time as a soldier. So, he chose to simply say what was on his mind and be glad it was only the two of them in the room.
“If a servant didn’t take the brooch,” Benjamin said, “then it had to have been one of us.”
Lord Abernathy’s brow creased deeply as his surprised expression quickly morphed into one of outrage. “Are you accusing my own flesh and blood of stealing? You forget your place, Mr. Rockwell.”
He knew this wasn’t going to go over well, but someone had to consider it. “If one of the servants did not take it, then we are all that is left.”
“What a preposterous notion. Why would a member of my own family steal from me? They are free to have whatever they want as is. There is no logic, no reason behind such an idea.”
“More people are staying here than just your immediate family.”
Lord Abernathy rocked back slightly in his chair. “And you think one of them might have done this?”
“I think all individuals in the house must be considered,” Benjamin said. “Be they family or not. Servants or guests. That is the fastest way to find the culprit.”
“I suppose you are right,” Lord Abernathy muttered. “Blast, what a cursed thing to have happened, and so close to Christmas, too. My wife will be miserable until we find her brooch.”
And, Benjamin strongly suspected, that meant His Grace would also be miserable until it was found.
“On a more positive note,” Benjamin said, “it snowed heavily enough last night that the culprit must still be here, in the house. It will be some days yet before anyone can leave.”
Lord Abernathy nodded. “I suppose we have until then to find the brooch, or it is likely the thief will sell it in Lichterwald and then we’ll never find it.”
Soft feminine voices reached them. Both Benjamin and Lord Abernathy returned to their food, quite as though they hadn’t just been discussing last night’s disappearance.
Then again, what chance was there that any of them would be discussing something other than the lost brooch today?
Lady Margaret appeared at the doorway with Miss Yates beside her. Though the ladies had been talking moments ago, when they spotted the gentlemen, they silenced as well.
As he suspected, they no doubt had been talking about the brooch.
What exactly was Lady Margaret’s take on the situation? She’d been the one to whom the duchess had handed the brooch. Last night she’d claimed to have placed it on the small table beside her, and then it had simply been gone the next time she’d glanced over at it.
But a woman such as her would have opinions and thoughts on the matter.
She may have even seen more than she’d been willing to tell last night.
Would she tell him if they spoke without Lord and Lady Abernathy around to hear?
“I believe I shall inquire after Her Grace,” Miss Yates said, then discreetly withdrew rather than enter the room.
Benjamin didn’t blame her. Miss Yates was quite reserved, and the tension in the room was rather thick.
Still, Lady Margaret moved toward the sideboard, and after placing a few bits of food on her plate, she sat directly across from him.
“Is there any news on locating the brooch?” Lady Margaret asked before taking her first bite.
Direct and to the point. Why was he not surprised?
“The entire house has been searched,” the duke said, pushing his plate away even though there was still more than a little food atop it. “Or, I should say, nearly the entire house. We have yet to search the rooms of our guests.”
“You could not be insinuating that I or Miss Yates may be guilty, are you, Your Grace?” Though her words were polite, her tone was steely.
“Have you any notion how much that brooch means to my wife?” the duke said. “How heartbroken she is over it having been taken?”
“I am sorry for all Her Grace is enduring,” Lady Margaret continued, “but searching my room will only prove to be a waste of time.”
“Are you hiding something, Lady Margaret?” Lord Abernathy asked.
She paused for a moment before responding. “No, Your Grace,” she said, at length, “but a lady deserves to have her privacy respected.”
This was exactly how their argument over Beethoven had begun. Both of them were far too stubborn for their own good. Though, one was a duke and the other the sister of a marquess, so it was little wonder they were both used to stating their opinion and having others agree with no argument.
Lord Abernathy spoke in a low, even tone. One that portended trouble. “I believe I shall instruct the servants to search your room next. After all, if you have nothing to hide, you cannot object.”
Lady Margaret didn’t break eye contact with the duke, nor did she shake or wither beneath his fierce scowl. Instead, she placed her fork back down and lifted a single eyebrow. “My brother will not be happy when he hears of how quickly you suspected your guests of being thieves.”
“I had not thought you capable of such debauchery, but I’ve been wrong before.”
“We do not know who took the brooch,” Benjamin tried. “Only that we must search the entire house, or risk losing it forever.”
Lady Margaret flashed him a quick scowl before returning to Lord Abernathy. “And why would I do such a thing? Explain to me my reason.”
“You may not need money, but maybe you took it out of spite. These past few months must have made you realize just how unhappy you are. Life as a single woman isn’t easy, especially when you’re always surrounded by women who seem so much better off.”
Lady Margaret’s face flushed a deep crimson. Benjamin had witnessed many men grow red with anger, but none compared to the sheer fury blazing in her eyes. He knew Lady Margaret well enough to recognize that no accusation could cut deeper or stir her more than this one.
If she were a man, he had no doubt she’d call him out on the spot and demand they settle the matter with pistols at dawn.
Instead, however, she rose from her seat, lips pursed tight. “I believe I will take breakfast in my room,” she said, her tone heavy and sharp.
“If I do find the brooch among your things,” Lord Abernathy continued, his tone low, “make no mistake. You and Miss Yates will be turned out of this house immediately. I don’t care if we are so far from England.”
Lady Margaret gave Lord Abernathy and Benjamin one more parting scowl before turning so fast that her skirt billowed out as she stormed from the room.
If her last look was any indication, she thought him as guilty as Lord Abernathy of accusing her of stealing the brooch.
And if she did think him guilty, what of it? His responsibilities did not include staying in her good graces. She certainly hadn’t ever done anything to stay in his. In fact, she routinely went out of her way to make him uncomfortable.
And yet, he couldn’t let her walk away misunderstanding him in this manner.
Silently, he pushed away from the table and strode out of the room. Lord Abernathy uttered not a single word as Benjamin walked out the door.
It wasn’t hard to catch up to Lady Margaret as she stomped up the stairs.
“It is only logical that every room be searched,” he called once he was only a few stairs below her.
She whirled around. “I gather it was you who recommended my room be searched first?”
“No,” Benjamin said firmly. “I recommended all the rooms be searched. There is always a chance that a servant hid the brooch in one of our rooms, thinking it would never be looked for there.”
“Or,” Lady Margaret pressed, her eyes flashing, “one of the guests might have taken it. Lest you forget, Mr. Rockwell, your name is on that list as well as my own.”
“Which is why I will insist my room be searched along with everyone else’s.”
Her lips pursed into a firm line, and she slowly took two steps down, bringing her eye level to his—and far closer than he was strictly comfortable with. But he wasn’t a man who backed down—figuratively or literally.
“I have been accused of many things in my life,” Lady Margaret said, her tone a bit calmer now but still carrying an edge. “But never, not once, have I been accused of being a thief.”
Lord Abernathy’s reason for accusing Lady Margaret, no doubt, did not help the matter either.
“His Grace is upset,” Benjamin said. “The brooch, we must understand, carries much sentimental value.”
Her gaze dropped. “Lady Abernathy told me as much last night.” Lady Margaret’s shoulders dropped. With a sigh, she ran a hand over her cheek. The fight had gone out of her, and she stood there looking as confused and unsure what to do next as the rest of them felt.
She turned a bit, resting back against the stair railing. “I do feel horrible for Her Grace.”
With Lady Margaret standing as she was now, her shoulder was very nearly touching his. Her skirt brushed against one of his legs.
It would take little movement for him to wrap an arm around her waist.
It would be so simple.
She was already so close.
“I don’t think Lord Abernathy is going to have much success finding the brooch,” she said suddenly.
“Is that so?” Benjamin said even while silently shaking himself. Whatever errant thoughts had invaded his mind moments ago, they were not welcome. He had a far more serious matters to see to.
“No,” Lady Margaret said bluntly. “He’s too upset by the matter. Not five minutes ago he was accusing me of stealing the brooch because I haven’t a husband. Think about it. What woman steals the brooch of a friend because she’s unmarried? It makes no sense.”
“I suppose not.”
“The more I consider it, the more laughable it is. What does he suppose I’ll do next? Wear the brooch to a ball believing it’ll bring me good luck and I’ll catch the eye of someone handsome? That is nothing compared to his assumption that an unattached lady must find her life so dreadful that she must eventually resort to becoming a criminal.”
“His Grace is upset and lashing out at anyone who shows any signs of opposing him.”
“Precisely my point,” Lady Margaret said. “He’s far too attached to be thinking clearly just now. Lady Abernathy is even worse at the moment. Miss Yates, for all her goodness, is far too sweet and soft-spoken to be of much help with this. I suppose we could sit around and wait for Lord Ingram to show some initiative. But as he hasn’t shown any before now, I wouldn’t expect much. The Misters Miles and Oliver Thrup are clever lads, but still quite young.”
He had a feeling he knew where she was taking this conversation.
And he didn’t like it.
“That only leaves us, Lady Margaret,” he said.
Her eyes lit up, and she smiled as though only now coming to the same realization. “So it does. And you know what that means?”
He was about to object.
There were dozens of reasons why it was a terrible idea for either of them to become more involved in the matter than they already were.
But then Lady Margaret placed a hand on his chest and took that one last step closer to him. She was all but pressed up close. She smelled of peppermint, and the lighting from the far windows got caught in the curls of her hair, causing the strands to shimmer like gold.
“You and I, Mr. Rockwell, are going to solve this mystery.”
And Benjamin found he couldn’t say no.