“You are both most certainly welcome to visit anytime you’d like to get away. Consider it a standing invitation.” Cole raised his glass.
“Lot of trouble brewing with the king, wouldn’t you say?” Nathaniel asked.
“I try not to say.” Cole shook his head. “I fear I’m in enough trouble as it is over what I’ve already said.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Why, just the other day I was telling someone that Henry—”
“My lord! My lord!” Julie dashed into the dining room.
Cole stood up. “Ms. Masterson, what is the meaning of this ruckus?”
Julie had found a white apron somewhere and she was twisting it as she answered. “It’s awful, Lord Johnson. Just awful.”
Abby rose to her feet and put her arms around Julie. “There, there. It’s quiet all right, child. Come have a seat and tell us what troubles you so.”
“Probably knowing she’s going to have to pick up all those hair pins in the morning,” Nathaniel said, which earned him a nasty look from his wife.
Julie took several deep breaths and faced Cole. “I was in your mother’s chamber, cleaning it up since she’s coming next week.”
Cole nodded. “Go on.”
“And I went into the chest to make sure everything was there, just the way she likes it. You know, my lord, how peculiar she is about everything being just so. There was that one time, the—”
“Yes, yes, I know exactly how the countess is. What happened?” Cole asked.
“It’s missing, my lord. All of it.”
“All of what?”
“All the jewelry.”
“The jewelry is missing? Impossible.” Cole slammed his fist on the table. “Jewelry does not vanish. Someone took it.”
“Have you had any visitors from the king?” Nathaniel asked. “Maybe someone who would try to steal it?”
“I can’t imagine anyone being so bold as to steal from me after I welcomed them into my home.”
“Perhaps one of the servants?” Abby asked.
“Surely not one of my servants. Why, my servants have been with me for years. Not a one of them would stoop so low as to steal from me.”
Daniel appeared beside Sasha and winked.
“I think Julie missed her calling,” Sasha replied, nodding toward her friend. Daniel’s submissive sat in a chair with her arm dramatically thrown over her eyes, murmuring, “Gone. All gone,” while Abby tried to calm her down.
“That’s my girl.” Daniel laughed and after listening to the group in the other room said, “Looks like we’re up.”
Sasha nodded and he took her by the wrist, dragging her into the dining room.
“Look what I found out in the stables, trying to get away.” Daniel pushed her toward Cole.
“Who are you?” Cole asked.
“I was just looking for somewhere to spend the night, my lord,” Sasha said. “And I thought to use your stables.”
“A likely story.” Cole glanced at Daniel. “Did she have anything in her possession?”
“No, my lord.”
Cole slowly walked around her. “Where did you come from, girl?”
“Please don’t ask me that, my lord.”
“You are found on my estate, shortly after some very valuable items go missing and I’m not supposed to ask where you’re from?”
Sasha nodded. “That’s right. And I’d be ever so thankful if you didn’t ask what I was doing.”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I requested that you not ask me that.”
“Yes, which is precisely why I asked.”
Sasha clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms over her chest.
Cole turned back to Daniel. “How thoroughly did you check to make sure she wasn’t carrying anything?”
“I only checked her hands, my lord.”
“That’s what I thought. Strip her.”
“My lord, there are ladies present,” Nathaniel said.
“Then nothing they’ll see will come as a shock. Now, Covington.”
Daniel walked behind Sasha and lifted the dress over her head. She’d slipped a black tank top under the outfit to cover her back, so she was exposed only from the waist down. Like the day before, when she was late bringing the drinks, she wasn’t uncomfortable. She felt only excitement.
“Hmm.” Cole took his time looking over her body. “Very nice, and she doesn’t seem to be hiding anything. Search the pockets of her dress. Look for hidden ones.”
“A-ha!” Daniel said, holding up a sheet of paper. “A summons from the king.”
Cole jerked it out of his hand and held it up to Sasha. “You come from the king’s court?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it?” He narrowed his eyes. “And what does it have to do with my family’s jewelry?”
Sasha said the first thing that came to her head. “I plead the fifth.”
Cole’s eyes danced with amusement. “There is no fifth amendment yet. You can’t plead the fifth.”
“Then I invent it.”
“Wrong country.”
“Damn.”
“Out with it.”
“I’m just looking for a place to sleep, I promise. That’s all.”
Cole cupped her chin and held her face so she had no choice but to look at him. “I have ways to get you to talk.”
“Lot of trouble brewing with the king, wouldn’t you say?” Nathaniel asked.
“I try not to say.” Cole shook his head. “I fear I’m in enough trouble as it is over what I’ve already said.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Why, just the other day I was telling someone that Henry—”
“My lord! My lord!” Julie dashed into the dining room.
Cole stood up. “Ms. Masterson, what is the meaning of this ruckus?”
Julie had found a white apron somewhere and she was twisting it as she answered. “It’s awful, Lord Johnson. Just awful.”
Abby rose to her feet and put her arms around Julie. “There, there. It’s quiet all right, child. Come have a seat and tell us what troubles you so.”
“Probably knowing she’s going to have to pick up all those hair pins in the morning,” Nathaniel said, which earned him a nasty look from his wife.
Julie took several deep breaths and faced Cole. “I was in your mother’s chamber, cleaning it up since she’s coming next week.”
Cole nodded. “Go on.”
“And I went into the chest to make sure everything was there, just the way she likes it. You know, my lord, how peculiar she is about everything being just so. There was that one time, the—”
“Yes, yes, I know exactly how the countess is. What happened?” Cole asked.
“It’s missing, my lord. All of it.”
“All of what?”
“All the jewelry.”
“The jewelry is missing? Impossible.” Cole slammed his fist on the table. “Jewelry does not vanish. Someone took it.”
“Have you had any visitors from the king?” Nathaniel asked. “Maybe someone who would try to steal it?”
“I can’t imagine anyone being so bold as to steal from me after I welcomed them into my home.”
“Perhaps one of the servants?” Abby asked.
“Surely not one of my servants. Why, my servants have been with me for years. Not a one of them would stoop so low as to steal from me.”
Daniel appeared beside Sasha and winked.
“I think Julie missed her calling,” Sasha replied, nodding toward her friend. Daniel’s submissive sat in a chair with her arm dramatically thrown over her eyes, murmuring, “Gone. All gone,” while Abby tried to calm her down.
“That’s my girl.” Daniel laughed and after listening to the group in the other room said, “Looks like we’re up.”
Sasha nodded and he took her by the wrist, dragging her into the dining room.
“Look what I found out in the stables, trying to get away.” Daniel pushed her toward Cole.
“Who are you?” Cole asked.
“I was just looking for somewhere to spend the night, my lord,” Sasha said. “And I thought to use your stables.”
“A likely story.” Cole glanced at Daniel. “Did she have anything in her possession?”
“No, my lord.”
Cole slowly walked around her. “Where did you come from, girl?”
“Please don’t ask me that, my lord.”
“You are found on my estate, shortly after some very valuable items go missing and I’m not supposed to ask where you’re from?”
Sasha nodded. “That’s right. And I’d be ever so thankful if you didn’t ask what I was doing.”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I requested that you not ask me that.”
“Yes, which is precisely why I asked.”
Sasha clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms over her chest.
Cole turned back to Daniel. “How thoroughly did you check to make sure she wasn’t carrying anything?”
“I only checked her hands, my lord.”
“That’s what I thought. Strip her.”
“My lord, there are ladies present,” Nathaniel said.
“Then nothing they’ll see will come as a shock. Now, Covington.”
Daniel walked behind Sasha and lifted the dress over her head. She’d slipped a black tank top under the outfit to cover her back, so she was exposed only from the waist down. Like the day before, when she was late bringing the drinks, she wasn’t uncomfortable. She felt only excitement.
“Hmm.” Cole took his time looking over her body. “Very nice, and she doesn’t seem to be hiding anything. Search the pockets of her dress. Look for hidden ones.”
“A-ha!” Daniel said, holding up a sheet of paper. “A summons from the king.”
Cole jerked it out of his hand and held it up to Sasha. “You come from the king’s court?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it?” He narrowed his eyes. “And what does it have to do with my family’s jewelry?”
Sasha said the first thing that came to her head. “I plead the fifth.”
Cole’s eyes danced with amusement. “There is no fifth amendment yet. You can’t plead the fifth.”
“Then I invent it.”
“Wrong country.”
“Damn.”
“Out with it.”
“I’m just looking for a place to sleep, I promise. That’s all.”
Cole cupped her chin and held her face so she had no choice but to look at him. “I have ways to get you to talk.”
