Page 38 of Unmasking the Silver Heiress
Nell groaned, shaking her head without raising it from her forearms. "Perhaps we were. It is difficult to say. She said I reminded her of one of her birds. A parakeet, I believe."
"Well, that's nonsense," Nate assured her. "You are quite clearly a starling."
It got a weak laugh out of her, but a laugh nonetheless. She heaved a little sigh and pulled herself up, turning to face him. "How did you find the mother?"
"Likely just as draining, but for different reasons," he said. "I need to reflect on what she said to me before we can move forward, but I did agree to a dinner invitation in a week's time. They wish to introduce us to the people worth knowing 'round Dover."
She gave a nod that could be described as accepting, if less than enthusiastic. He had the strangest urge to reach forward and tuck a wayward curl behind her ear, where it had escaped from her bun in a springy coil. "At least it isn't tonight."
Shewasbirdlike in a way, he supposed. Delicate and poised and prone to being startled off, but certainly not a parakeet. Nell would never dress so garishly nor squawk so loudly.
At the sound of the front door being opened and shut again, they exchanged a look and sighed in unison. It was only Kit, however, and he strode into the drawing room, batting off a very flustered maid as he removed his own gloves and scarf.
"Sir!" the girl cried in distress, sparing a desperate glance at Nathaniel.
"It's all right," Nate assured her. "Kit never has been much for manners. You may return to your duties."
She shot Kit a look of disapproval, but did as she was told, bustling out as Kit tossed his things onto a nearby chair. He didn't acknowledge her at all, nor Nate's having to speak to her, and instead smiled genially at the two of them, as though their presence was an unexpected surprise.
"It's gotten cold today," he commented, heaving himself into the chair next to his things. "I predict snowfall in the next week or so."
Nell was doing her absolute best to stifle a yawn behind her dainty hands, though she was not fooling either of the gentlemen in attendance.
"This time of year makes me groggy too," Kit said sympathetically. "My mum swears by an afternoon nap to keep yourself going till the warmth comes back."
"Oh, a nap sounds just the thing," Nell agreed in a soft voice. "It must be well past midday by now, though I feel like I only just rolled out of bed."
"We had a number of surprises this morning," Nate said to his cousin. "It seems Mrs. Atlas is already attracting hopeful friends."
"It wasn't as grand as all that," she demurred, looking a bit embarrassed at the implication that such a thing were even possible. "Simply a local family wishing to say hello. I'm afraid I'm just not quite as exuberant as their daughter. Conversation with her has left me quite wrung out."
"You should indulge in that nap, my dear," Nate assured her, reaching over to give her hand a squeeze. "I promise to show you anything interesting we uncover while you're recovering. I imagine it will just be more dust and spiders."
"There was a family of squirrels in the lobby when we first got here," Kit told her cheerfully. "They seem to be settling into the oak outside nicely, even without the benefit of vaulted ceilings."
"We must invite them for Christmas," she said behind another yawn. She gave a sleepy smile to the two of them and pushed herself to her feet. "I am going to take your mother's advice. Perhaps the two of you might join us for dinner in a night or two? I am anxious to meet her."
"The feeling is mutual," Kit assured her, coming to his feet in a gesture of respect as she crossed the room. "Rest well, Mrs. Atlas."
"Thank you, Mr. Cooper," she said softly. To Nathaniel, she promised, "I won't sleep terribly long."
"Take as long as you need," he told her, the strangest feeling of contentment stirring within him at such a silly, simple exchange. When she closed the door behind her, he thought he might have sat there, staring at the spot where she'd been for quite a while, had his cousin not been present and so irritatingly perceptive.
"Who came to visit?" Kit asked, not bothering to return to his chair.
Nate sighed, rubbing his eyes in the hopes that it would give him a second wind. He hated having to recount events he hadn't properly parsed for himself yet, but Kit had always had the worst timing. "It was Lady Dempierre and the daughter," he said, ignoring the way Kit's eyes widened. "I think we need to go down to the cellars and investigate. Immediately."
"There are cellars?" Kit said in genuine bafflement.
"Evidently," Nate said with a shrug. He pushed himself to his feet, noticing as he did that Nell had left her spectacles on the side table. He reached for them and tucked them carefully into his waistcoat to return to her later. When he looked back at his cousin, the quizzical expression was still painted over his face. "Shall we go?"
"I guess we shall," Kit answered, and without a second glance at his pile of discarded outerwear, he led the way out of the drawing room and in search of the cellars.
* * *
They wastedabout an hour asking the staff about any underground areas and making three full rotations of the property in search of the typical lean-to of a cellar entrance.
In the end, it was Kit who solved the puzzle.
