Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

ANNE

M y blue embroidery threads formed a knot so large I didn’t even try to untangle it. I stabbed the needle through the fabric and set the hoop aside, picking up my teacup instead. My stomach had been in an even greater knot since breakfast.

I could hardly sit still, a heavy sense of dread hovering over me like a storm cloud. Lady Tottenham was still keeping to her room, but the rumors about the gentlemen who had been sent home were still circling the drawing room.

“I can understand why Lord Kirkham, Mr. St. Vincent, and Mr. Barnwall were sent away,” Victoria said as she worked on her own embroidery across from me. “All three of them are complete boors. They must have broken one of Lady Tottenham’s rules. But it astonishes me that Mr. Holland would be banished from the house. Lady Tottenham seemed to favor him greatly.” Her eyes slid in my direction. “I cannot understand why she would interrupt your courtship.”

I glanced out the window. A fresh wave of confusion and disappointment made my heart sting. Mr. Lymington, Mr. Hatcher, and Mr. Amesbury rode horses on the back lawn while Mrs. Pike and Octavia watched them at a nearby table. Besides those five, all that remained of the party were Victoria and myself. “I don’t understand it either,” I muttered before taking a gulp of tea. My throat burned.

A slew of questions had been racing through my mind all morning. Had Alexander been blamed for burning the rabbit? Or had he been discovered in the hexagon room with me and sent away for reasons of impropriety? That didn’t seem likely, but I could think of no other explanation. He had disappeared so suddenly, just like the other three men. Just like Mrs. Fitzgibbon and her cousins. I hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye, and with Lady Tottenham ill in her room, I couldn’t even ask for an explanation.

I should have been the one sent away.

The only reason Alexander had gone to the hexagon room had been to help me.

I thought of how my stomach had ached from laughter the night before, and now it ached with dread. Without Alexander at the house, the days would be long and dreary.

A pang of longing struck me squarely in the chest. I scratched at my collarbone, trying to make the feeling go away, but it only grew stronger. I already missed him.

Victoria reached forward and placed a gentle hand on my knee, pulling me from my thoughts. “Remember, this is only a house party. A strange one, yes, but you will see Mr. Holland again when it is over.” She gave a soft smile. “He will find you.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t as certain as Victoria. Once I was reunited with Miles, everything would change. If the two brothers never reconciled, then I might never be allowed to be Alexander’s friend again. My chest felt hollow as I took a deep breath. “You’re right. Thank you, Victoria.”

She set her embroidery down on the table before stretching her back. “Now I am going to venture outside for a walk. Would you like to join me?”

What I truly wanted was to be alone. I had far too many emotions and thoughts to sort through. I shook my head. “I’m afraid I lack the energy today.” I gave a rueful smile.

“That is quite all right.” She made her way to the door, waving her lace-gloved hand. “I hope to find your spirits improved when I return.”

I waved, keeping my posture straight until she disappeared into the corridor. The moment she was gone, I slumped my back against the settee. After my victory of finding the key the night before, I would have expected to carry that triumphant feeling with me for days. Instead, I felt utterly defeated. Tears stung the back of my eyes. I never would have thought my friendship with Alexander would leave behind such a void, but I was drowning in it. My neck heated with anger at Lady Tottenham. Why on earth would she send him away? It didn’t make sense.

I stood up in one determined motion. There was no use in wasting the day. Even if Alexander was gone—especially if he was gone—I needed to finish Lady Tottenham’s game. He might have been sent away because he had helped me find the key. I couldn’t waste the opportunity to finish solving the riddle. There was nothing on the schedule for the day, so I had all the time I needed to search for the final pieces of the puzzle.

There was nothing I could do to find out where Alexander was until Lady Tottenham returned to the party. The one thing I could control was my effort to win the game. With all the other guests outside, I would have the freedom to roam and search the house. It was the perfect opportunity.

I hurried to my bedchamber to retrieve the tiny gold key before taking the stairs to the second floor. It was unlikely that Lady Tottenham would place multiple clues in the same room, so I began my search in the study.

Starting on the left side of the room, I examined every inch of the blue walls and ornate portraits. I paid close attention to the plasterwork and wood carvings, moved books on the shelves, and checked behind each one. My meticulous search lasted half an hour. When I was confident I had scoured every inch of the room, I made my way out to the corridor.

The wide and long passage on the second floor was my next task, but it was daunting. Lady Tottenham’s ‘exercise hall’ might as well have been an art gallery. Countless portraits and other paintings striped the walls that led to a window, cushioned bench, and a bookshelf. The tables and sideboards that flanked the corridor were topped with vases and busts. A tiger skin rug, with the head still attached, stared at me from underneath the nearest table. The exhibition was crowded enough to overwhelm me, yet wide and vast enough to almost justify such excessive decoration. Lady Tottenham was nothing if not excessive. She took great pride in this part of the house.

I walked forward, uncertain of the best place to start. The air was surprisingly cold. I wrapped my arms around myself as gooseflesh erupted over my skin. My footfalls echoed as I made my way to the opposite end, taking a brief glance at each item I passed. I gripped the key in my palm hard enough to leave an impression. I unfolded my fingers. “What do you unlock?” I whispered, casting my gaze across the many frames on the walls. Oval frames, landscapes, and portraits stretched all the way up to the ceiling.

I walked slowly as I scrutinized each one on the left side. After several minutes, I paused on a small portrait of a young woman with ginger curls. Her sharp green eyes were familiar. The painting was not as well done as some of the others, but it was still clearly Lady Tottenham. She could not have been older than twenty when it was commissioned. Her pursed lips and vibrant eyes revealed her impish disposition, even all those decades ago. Her larger portrait was at the center of the wall. The likeness must have been taken after her marriage to Lord Tottenham. I gasped when I noticed the small tan rabbit tucked under her arm.

A pang of grief struck my chest at the reminder that Alexander wasn’t here to see it. He would have laughed.

I checked both portraits of Lady Tottenham closely, but there were no keyholes hidden in the paint strokes. I took a deep breath as my frustration rose. I hardly knew what I was looking for. A heart in its frame. Lady Tottenham’s heart.

The key to her heart was the rabbit, but there was an actual key beneath its foot.

Finding her heart in its frame might only be another clue that would lead me to the true location of the keyhole. My head hurt as I examined the portraits again. There must have been something I was missing.

My gaze froze on the small portrait of her younger likeness. She wore a delicate chain with a large locket resting over her chest. The brush strokes were smudged together, the paint flaking off. It didn’t seem to match the rest of the portrait, as if it had been added years after the original work had been done.

I knew I was alone, but I still glanced over my shoulder before scratching lightly at the paint. Tiny flecks stuck to my fingertips. Was the locket significant? Was it some sort of clue? I couldn’t look away from that particular portrait. My instincts told me that I was close to discovering something.

I took hold of the gilded frame, jostling it slightly. It was less than two feet tall, and was attached to the wall at both upper corners. I lifted it away from the striped wallpaper, peering behind it.

I nearly dropped the frame on my toes.

The same locket that had been painted over the portrait hung from a nail behind the frame.

My hands shook as I set the portrait down on the floor and unhooked the locket from the wall.

The heavy gold locket was the size of half my palm. The details were much clearer than they had been in the portrait. It was engraved with a small depiction of cupid on one side, with his bow drawn. On the other side was a border in the shape of a heart. At the center, was a tiny keyhole.

My pulse raced. I hadn’t expected to find the next clue so quickly. Luck had been on my side. I held up the key to the corresponding hole on the locket. It was a perfect match. Was the locket the prize? Or was there something else inside? I hardly knew what to expect as I wiggled the key into the hole and turned it. My heart leaped as the locket sprung open. A tiny slip of parchment fluttered to the floor.

I snatched it up, nearly dropping the locket in the process. Was it only another clue? I thought I had reached the end of the game, but I should have known better. There was still a week remaining of the house party. I read the short message written on the parchment.

18 Archard Street

“What?” I whispered. I hadn’t expected the clues to lead me away from Birch House, but that seemed to be what Lady Tottenham intended. Was it a London address?

Urgency rose up in my throat, making it difficult to draw a breath. I lacked the patience to wait another day to discover what that address meant. With Lady Tottenham feeling unwell, today was my best opportunity to leave the house unnoticed. I was familiar with London, but not with the address inside the locket. The day was young, and my next clue was waiting for me.

I had to find it.

A wild excitement thrummed through my veins as I hastily hung up the portrait, taking the locket and key with me as I made my way back down the stairs. I found a straw bonnet that matched my lavender gown, a shawl, and my reticule before sneaking out into the courtyard. I slipped the locket inside the reticule, counting my shillings as I started in the direction of the square. I needed to find a coachman willing to convey me to 18 Archard Street with very little money. It wouldn’t be an easy task, to be sure.

“Ma’am?” A young man emerged from the stables, waving one arm high above his head. He doffed his hat in greeting as he approached. “Where’re you off to?”

“Oh—” I froze, unsure of how much I should reveal. “I have business in Town. I hoped to find a coach to convey me to my destination.”

“That is my responsibility, ma’am.” He gave a polite smile. “The mistress instructed me to provide the needed conveyance for her guests. I’ll have a coach prepared straight away.”

I gave a small nod, though the situation made me slightly uneasy. Had he been watching for me? He had jumped out of the stables so quickly.

I waited as he assembled the team of horses and led the coach out to the middle of the courtyard. He opened the door, motioning me inside. I took his hand as I stepped up and sat on the velvet cushions. The tassels that hung from the ceiling matched the blue cushions. “What is your destination?” the coachman asked.

I hesitated. I hadn’t the slightest idea where the locket was leading me. I didn’t know how far it was from Birch House, or if the coachman would even be willing to convey me there. “The address is in an area I’m unfamiliar with.” I gave an apologetic smile. “Do you know where to find Archard Street?”

He smiled. “Oh, yes. Would it be Eighteen Archard Street, perchance?”

My stomach twisted. “Y-yes.”

He gave a brisk nod. “A short journey. You shall be there in no time at all.” He threw the door shut before clambering into his seat and setting the horses in motion.

I stared out the window. As nervous as I was, I was also painfully curious. I bounced my leg, struggling to sit still. I wanted to tell Alexander about what I had discovered. Where was he? He must have still been in London somewhere. He could not have gone far, especially not since Miles’s return was what had brought him to Town in the first place. It surprised me that he hadn’t left me with a note explaining what had happened or where he had gone. My heart ached, dampening the thrill I had been feeling only moments before.

As the coachman had promised, it was a short journey. Archard Street was just outside London, at the center of a small village east of Birch House. That explained why I hadn’t recognized the name. The coach stopped in front of a row of shops and businesses. The cream stone appeared old and grey under the cloudy sky. My stomach fluttered when I noticed the number at the top of one door.

18

The coachman opened my door, and my legs shook as I stepped out onto the uneven cobblestones. A breeze nearly stole my bonnet as I walked up to the front steps. Did someone live here? Or was it a shop of some sort? I took a deep breath to calm my nerves as I knocked three times on the cracked white paint of the door. I didn’t even know what I would say when the door opened. Good day, I’m sorry to intrude, but I found your address in a locket hidden behind a portrait.

My shoulders tightened when the door swung open. A short, stout man with grey hair stood just beyond it. He wore a pair of spectacles on his nose. I recognized him instantly. It was the man Lady Tottenham had met with in the drawing room when Alexander and I had been hiding between the doors. The words I had planned to say evaded me for several seconds.

“Good day, sir.” I cleared my throat. “My name is Lady Daventry. This may sound peculiar, but—” I searched for a proper explanation, but he stopped me.

“Congratulations, my lady.” His face spread into a smile. “You must have found the locket.”

I blinked, trying not to appear as perplexed as I felt. “Y-yes. I did.” My head swam with confusion.

He gave a deep bow. “Mr. Burrowes, at your service. Please, do come inside.” He stepped out of the doorway, waving me forward. The old floorboards creaked under my feet as I stepped into the entryway. Mr. Burrowes led me toward the room to our left. Bookshelves lined the walls, and two leather chairs faced a desk.

“Have a seat, my lady.” Mr. Burrowes moved to the opposite side of the desk, waiting for me to sit in one of the leather chairs.

When we were both settled, he clasped his hands atop the desk with a smile. “Do you have the locket? I must verify that you are indeed the winner of Lady Tottenham’s game.”

A sense of accomplishment jolted through me. Winner? I hardly had time to process his words. “Yes, it’s here.” I reached inside my reticule, fumbling for the locket before sliding it across the desk. “I-I confess I’m quite confused.” I gave a nervous laugh. “I’m not certain why I’m here.”

Mr. Burrowes pushed his spectacles farther up the bridge of his nose, lifting the locket in front of his gaze with a satisfied smile. “That is for me to explain.”

I nodded, watching his every move with misgiving. I had assumed this man was Lady Tottenham’s secret lover, though I would never tell him that. He slid the locket back to me before unlocking a cupboard behind him. The silence was excruciating as he thumbed through a stack of documents, finally settling on one and withdrawing it from the pile.

He turned to face me in his chair. “Lady Tottenham is one of my most creative clients. I was the only solicitor in the county who would agree to carry out her… unique arrangements.” He chuckled. “I know nothing about you, Lady Daventry, but I can make the assumption that you must be quite clever, and quite determined.”

He set the document down on the desk, sliding it forward. I didn’t have time to read a single word of it before Mr. Burrowes spoke again.

“Today, according to Lady Tottenham’s instruction, we shall name you the sole beneficiary of her property, possessions, and fortune…which amounts to approximately fifty thousand pounds.”