Chapter Twenty-Three
“I didn’t know it was possible to enjoy having intercourse so much without actually having it!” confessed Deo, collapsing in a panting heap on top of Emily. A comfort kiss had led to caresses and fondling and rubbing, and, well, now here they were, naked, tangled up, and sated.
Em giggled. “Is that what we’re doing?”
“Yes,” he said emphatically.
His plan to sleep in the sitting room had come to nought, because he was weak where Em was concerned. There was no other excuse. That and the fact that he couldn’t bear it when she got upset. A hint of tears on her part, and he was giving in.
It had been a near run thing tonight, too.
He had come perilously close to slipping his cock inside her as he rubbed it against her lips.
The position was erotic as hell and very dangerous.
Even knowing their situation now was barely enough to stop him.
Perhaps he should just post back to London and see her father? They really couldn’t go on like this.
He pulled her close and she snuggled into him. He did love that. It was impossible to imagine his life without her now.
*
After breakfast the next morning, Deo accompanied Emily straight to the library to continue where they had left off yesterday. Emily went to the table and he to his desk.
“Deo.” Something in Em’s voice made him turn from the desk, where he was about to sit down, with a presentiment of fear.
“What—” He took a step toward her.
“Deo, it’s gone!” She was staring at a box. “The goblet! It’s gone!”
He stepped closer and saw that the box was empty.
Em put out a hand to him, and he steadied her with his arm as she staggered. “Where . . . how?” she said helplessly, as he eased her down into her chair.
“I don’t know, Em,” he said grimly and began checking the other boxes.
“The shield, the broach, the cross, and the drinking horn are also gone. And the belt buckle. Everything of obvious value. Clearly, we should have taken more precautions. There is a thief in the house. Stay here. I will alert the duke.”
He left the room, going in search of his host. He found him in his study. Ten minutes later, Deo, Em, the duke, Emrys, Annis, and the duchess were all gathered in the study.
“I will ask Creighton to assemble the servants immediately,” said the duke.
“Where are Bidenden and Kenrick?” asked Deo.
“Gone shooting, I believe; I heard them organizing it yesterday,” said Emrys.
“The first thing we need to do is organize a full-scale search. For which we will need a fair few people,” said Deo.
“Surely whoever took the items will have absconded with them immediately?” said Emrys.
“As much as it pains me to do so, we must question the servants first, I think,” said the duke.
“I will ask Creighton to assemble everyone in the ballroom. I will address them. The rest of you, watch everyone’s faces, if anyone is guilty or knows something, their expression may reveal it.
I am going to put the fear of God into them anyway.
I cannot believe—” He stopped, clearly profoundly affected by this apparent betrayal by people he trusted.
He left the room, and the duchess wrung her hands, tears starting to her eyes. “This is so upsetting!”
Annis put her arm round her. “I know. I cannot believe it either.”
Shortly, the duke came back into the room with Creighton, who looked around at the assembled company and then at the duke. “Your Grace?”
The duke shut the door. “Creighton, I need you to assemble the household. All of the household—outdoor and indoor servants, no exceptions—in the ballroom immediately.”
Creighton’s eyebrows went up, and he visibly fought the impulse to ask why. After a moment he bowed. “Of course, Your Grace, at once.”
“He’s well trained,” remarked Emrys, as the door shut on the butler.
Within thirty minutes, everyone was assembled in the ballroom. The chatter died down as the duke and duchess entered with Deo, Em, Annis, and Emrys. Deo estimated there were between forty and fifty people gathered in the room.
The duke and duchess took their places at the front of the room and the rest of them positioned themselves so that they could see everyone’s faces.
They were clearly puzzled as to why they had been assembled.
Creighton and Mrs. Williams, the housekeeper, were doing a head count.
Smiggens and Hastings, as the most senior outdoor servants, nodded at a question from Creighton.
Creighton turned to the duke. “All the servants are present as requested, Your Grace.”
“Thank you, Creighton.”
As soon as the duke began speaking, the silence in the room was absolute. People even stopped shuffling. All eyes were trained on the duke. Sarah stood beside him, her face impassive, but her clenched hands were an indication of her distress.
“Firstly, I would like to thank all of you for your years of faithful and excellent service to us. Many of you have been in our family’s employ for decades.
And those who are relatively new have come to us with exemplary references.
On the back of that, what I have to say now pains me deeply.
” He paused. Deo, scanning faces, saw smiles and frowns and worried glances, but nothing that he would characterize as guilt per se.
“You would all be aware of the enterprise that has been going forward over the last week or so, led by the Earl of Pendrell and his wife.” All eyes turned to Deo and Em.
“The excavation has been a successful one, providing much valuable information and, as you would also be aware, valuable items. It never occurred to me or the duchess that those items might be at risk in this house, such strong faith did I have in the honor and integrity of my household.” The duke’s voice deepened.
“I am devastated to discover that my faith has been misplaced.”
A gasp of horror went round the room and Deo scanned rapidly, looking for anyone turning pale, frightened, or likely to bolt. There were shocked expressions aplenty. He couldn’t see every face in the room, but of the ones he could see, either they were very good actors, or they were not guilty.
“The responsible party will be found,” the duke continued. “They will be arrested and charged. The likely consequences are transportation or hanging for a theft of this magnitude.”
The servants began to shuffle and murmur.
“I am, however, as you know, a compassionate man. I will give you a moment of amnesty. If the guilty party will step forward now and offer up the location of the stolen items, I will show leniency. You have five minutes.” He took out his watch. “Starting now.”
The next five minutes were agonizing, as they all waited.
No one stepped forward or spoke. At the end of the five minutes, the duke put his watch back into his pocket and said, “You leave me with no choice. Until the miscreant is found, you will all remain here while a search is conducted of the house and grounds.”
The murmurs rose at this, and the duke waited until they died down. “Before we commence that task, I will ask you all one last question.”
He paused and waited again for the noise to subside.
“Does anyone have any information that might assist us in our search? Has anyone seen or heard anything suspicious or untoward?”
There was a pause and then Creighton spoke. “Your Grace, if I might say something?”
“Of course, Creighton.”
He bowed. “Thank you, Your Grace. I am truly shocked by this occurrence, and I hope that you know you have my unswerving loyalty. I will do whatever I can to assist you in the recovery of the items in question.”
“Thank you, Creighton.”
Creighton bowed again, then he turned and addressed the crowd behind him.
“You all know the duke and duchess are generous and kind employers. We are privileged to work for them and the envy of our peers. Do not squander that good fortune. If anyone in this room knows anything at all, speak now, for you know the consequences if you do not.” His tone of voice sent a visible shiver through a number of their ranks.
The next twenty minutes were chaos as Creighton’s word let loose a torrent of protestations of innocence and avowals of loyalty from the servants, none of whom seemed to know anything to the purpose, but who were all keen to establish their own innocence of any wrongdoing.
If there was a thief among them, they were playing a deep game and were far more hardened than Deo would have thought possible for an opportunistic criminal.
This argued for someone with the ability to cooly plan such a theft and the sangfroid to remain calm in the face of discovery and deflect suspicion from themselves.
Were any of these people capable of that?
He was about to ask the duke who their newest servant was, when the duke managed to restore order by requesting in a carrying voice, “Silence, please.”
The noise stopped abruptly. “The servants’ quarters in the attics will be searched by the Ashfords.
Mrs. Williams, you will accompany them as you have the keys to all the rooms. Creighton, you will accompany myself and the duchess and search the cellars and servants’ rooms in the basement.
Hastings and Smiggens, you will go with the Pendrells and search the outdoor servants’ rooms. The rest of you will remain here until the searches are complete.
I regret the necessity to do this, but I have no other choice.
If you are not guilty, you have nothing to fear. ”
Murmurs greeted this, and they all dispersed to their appointed places of search, with the instruction to report back to the ballroom when done, or if anything was found.
Deo and Em followed Hastings and Smiggens out of the house. “We will search the stables first, I think,” said Deo.