Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

M ax had been prepared for their plan to break the curse to go all wrong.

He had assumed a wide variety of reasons that might prevent it.

Perhaps Isolde would get angry and attack them supernaturally. Maybe he and Amelia would both lose all of their powers. Conceivably it could be called off by his own untimely death.

What he hadn’t been prepared for was an onslaught of visitors, both noble and beyond.

It started with Lord and Lady Grantham, who called upon him the afternoon after he and Amelia had found the locket. They had been friends of his parents, but he had always found them rather pompous.

He recalled seeing them at his art exhibition. He had assumed they had attended simply to collect gossip, although Lady Grantham had made the excuse that she was keeping an eye on him on behalf of his mother.

When Whitaker announced them, Max wondered whether they would believe it if he said he wasn’t in.

But it was far too obvious that he was in residence, so he reluctantly greeted them in Blackwood Manor’s drawing room.

“Lord Blackwood, we apologize for imposing, but when we didn’t receive a return letter, we knew we must come to call upon you as we passed by on our way to our own estate,” Lady Grantham said effusively, even as her gaze wandered around the room with interest. Max wondered how much of this visit was due to her wanting to collect information about his current living situation.

“I apologize,” he said stiltedly. “I have been busy.”

“We are offering you a sizeable sum for the Roman statue of the young woman,” Lord Grantham said. “It was one of your mother’s favorites, and my wife would like it to remember her by. Would you be interested in accepting?”

Max pretended to be considering the offer, even though he was in disbelief. The timing might not be ideal, but was this actually going to turn out? He knew that Lord Grantham was, in part, making an excuse as this was a sought-after statue, but he was willing to play along.

“I am interested,” he said, stroking his chin, “although it is a nearly priceless piece.”

“I understand, my lord, but the moment I saw it again, I knew I had to have it,” Lady Grantham said, even as her husband attempted to shush her, for she clearly didn’t understand how bargaining worked. “May I see it again?”

“That could be arranged,” Max said, needing this deal but hoping it could take place another day. “When could you return?”

“Actually, we were hoping to see it today,” Lord Grantham said apologetically. “We will not be this way for some time again now, so we were hoping we could complete this before we left.”

“We could always stay over,” Lady Grantham said hopefully, but Max was already shaking his head.

“No need. We can do this quickly.”

They stood and he was just about to show them into the ballroom when Amelia came walking in, her head down. “Max, I?—”

She stopped suddenly when she nearly walked right into Lady Grantham. Belatedly, she lifted her head and realized that they were not alone.

“Oh, goodness, I am so sorry. I didn’t know you had company,” she said, before slowly beginning to back out of the room.

“Oh, no problem whatsoever,” Lady Grantham said, a wide, knowing smile on her face. “And who might this be?”

Amelia looked from her to Max and back again, but she most certainly wasn’t the type of woman to back down, no matter who she was facing – even when she was wearing a faded painting apron over a rather worn morning gown. Max had seen her face Isolde without fear. He doubted she would back down from Lady Grantham.

“I am Amelia Lennox,” she introduced herself, even though her eyes were wide and rather drawn from the long days and late nights she had been keeping. “The earl hired me to restore one of the portraits in his collection.”

“The earl?” Lady Grantham said, her eyes flashing as she obviously hadn’t missed Amelia calling him by his given name when she had first walked in the room.

“Yes,” Amelia said slowly as though she was talking to a child. “Who else here would have hired me?”

“Of course,” Lady Grantham said, slightly flustered, and Max had to hide his grin behind his hand. “Are you staying here?”

“There isn’t anywhere else nearby, is there?” Amelia said, raising a brow in challenge.

“Of course not,” Lady Grantham said. “Well, the servants’ quarters here at Blackwood were always well kept up, if I remember correctly.”

“I am sure they are,” Amelia said, folding her hands in front of her, neither confirming nor denying her current accommodations.

“Lord and Lady Grantham are interested in possibly buying one of the statues in my collection. The Roman young lady,” Max explained. “I am taking them to the ballroom to view it again.”

“Lovely,” Amelia said with a small smile. “It is a beautiful piece.”

“I shall see you soon,” Max said, resting a hand on her shoulder for longer than one would touch a friend – or most especially someone in his employ – as he walked by her. The truth was, he didn’t care what these people, nor anyone else, thought of him and his relationship with Amelia. Let them talk. After everything they had faced so far, a little gossip amongst the ton meant absolutely nothing.

Amelia watched him with wide eyes as though understanding just what he was doing, and he winked at her as he led Lord and Lady Grantham out.

She needed to know that she came first.

Now and always.

Amelia had been taken aback when she had come upon the noble couple in the drawing room. She had been most excited to share with Max the incantation she had written that she was certain would break the curse, but that would have to wait. They certainly couldn’t risk anything with others here.

Actually, come to think of it, they must make sure not to anger Isolde today. It was one thing to cause gossip that an unattached, unchaperoned young woman was staying with the earl. Having an angry spirit involve them in her curse would be quite another.

Amelia was rounding the bottom of the grand staircase near the front foyer to return to her bedroom to prepare for the ritual when a knock sounded on the front door. She paused, a hand on the banister as she waited for Whitaker to answer it, but when she didn’t hear footsteps approaching, she walked to the door and opened it herself.

She nearly fell over at the person who was standing on the other side.

“Charlie!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“Is that any way to greet a travel-weary friend?” he asked with a chuckle as he held his arms out to her. She stepped into them woodenly, still in shock. “I came to make sure that you were well. You have been gone for a time with no word. I had to make sure that the earl hadn’t trapped you in a tower where he was holding you as his prisoner.”

She laughed slightly. “No chance of that,” she said. “He has actually been a very welcoming host.”

She wasn’t about to tell Charlie just how welcoming he had been.

“This is not exactly close to London,” she said, leading him into the house.

“You don’t seem particularly happy to see me,” he said with a frown, leaning in close – a bit too close for her liking. She had always known he had feelings for her, but now she didn’t want to jeopardize the bond she and Max had formed.

“I am always happy to see you,” she said truthfully. “It is just that this project does not provide me much time to myself. I do not want to see you here bored and lonely.”

He laughed. “I am very rarely bored or lonely. That being said, I am actually staying with a friend in the area, so it was convenient for me to come by and see how you were. I will not be staying.”

Relief swept through Amelia, startling her. She had always been one to welcome time spent with others. She considered her life in London, which was full of her society meetings, whether that be with her artist group or her magical one. It all seemed so far removed now, as she had become so caught up with her current purpose that she had nearly forgotten herself.

It’s his fault.

She shook Isolde’s voice out of her head. It was not Max’s fault. He had hired her to do a job, and she was following through. It was Isolde’s fault.

She sensed Isolde’s frustration, and calmed her mind as she remembered that now was not the time to rile the spirit.

“Would you like to come in for tea?” she asked Charlie now, more brightness in her tone than she actually felt. But since Max was currently entertaining, she didn’t see any harm in doing so herself. “I am sure that Lord Blackwood wouldn’t mind, and his servants are most welcoming.”

“I would love to,” he said, following her deeper into the manor, his head craning around as he took in all of the pieces covering the walls, as well as the dark spaces where paintings had lived before they were sold. She remembered her own first foray around the house and imagined that he was noting all of the same things. Amelia detoured around the drawing room, not wanting to encounter Max and his guests, leading Charlie to the back parlor room. She encountered a maid along the way and asked her to advise the housekeeper where they were and to please bring tea.

As soon as the eager maid left, Charlie sank into a sofa and looked at Amelia piercingly, his expression more serious than she had ever seen it before.

“Are you sure you are well?” he asked. “You look rather… drawn.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, needing him to believe her so that he wouldn’t cause any additional turmoil. This house had enough of it already. “This has been a difficult job, but one I should complete in due time.”

“When you are finished with it, what will you do?” he asked. “Will you return to London right away? We miss you there. I miss you. It’s where you belong.”

“I—” she opened her mouth to answer, but as she did, she saw motion in the door, and looked to see Max’s figure striding away.

“Amelia?”

She returned her attention to Charlie.

“I am not certain of the future yet,” she said with a forced smile. “Taking things one day at a time, as I always do. Now, tell me, how are you enjoying my former London accommodations?”

The change in subject distracted him, and they continued to chat about nothing of true consequence as the housekeeper herself brought the tea in. Finally, after an hour or so, Amelia began to get a bit twitchy.

Before she could say anything, Max appeared in the doorway as though he had sensed her unease.

“Amelia,” he greeted her with a nod, “how is your day?”

“Just fine,” she said. “My lord, I am not sure if you recall Charlie Bastian?” she gestured to her friend who was sitting across from her, now leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and a frown on his face as he scrutinized Max.

“Ah, yes, you were one of the artists invited to my exhibition,” Max said. “Amelia told me that you secured another commission at the event.”

“Yes, a portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson,” Charlie said proudly. “Already finished it and I am happy to say they were quite pleased with it. I was nearby visiting so I came to check in on Amelia. It has been some time since I had heard from her.”

“It seems everyone was in the area today,” Max murmured as Lord and Lady Grantham stepped into the room behind him, Lady Grantham looking awfully pleased with herself.

“Another visitor! Why, my lord, I didn’t know you were so keen on hosting. Miss Lennox, I am delighted to find you are still here,” Lady Grantham said, walking toward her. “I have so much to ask you. I have never had much talent myself besides the odd watercolors, but I do enjoy the art of others.”

As she introduced herself to Charlie, expressed her delight to find that he was also an artist, and then launched into her questions about their careers, Amelia wondered whether she and Max would ever be able to continue with the day they had planned.

It seemed they were about to find out.