Page 44 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
Samantha and Catherine smiled at one another, just as another waltz struck up and Nox’s uncle and aunt began to dance.
“Has a thaw set in yet with them, or are they still being beastly to you?” Catherine asked.
Samantha shook her head.
“They are not openly hostile, but neither do they do anything to make my presence welcome. It is as though I were a piece of furniture or a servant to be dismissed at will. I can do nothing right, though I do not think I have done anything wrong. It is the way that they keep Nox to themselves, and after any interview with them he is always somewhat distant and restrained. I cannot fully understand it,” she replied, watching as the dancers whirled and twirled about.
“It will take some time for them to grow used to the idea of Nox returning from the dead. I am surprised that his uncle has taken it so well, after all, he was the Earl of Brimsey and held every advantage of the rank. One would think that he would be angry at the thought of being cast aside in favor of a nephew he thought dead,” Rebecca said.
“They have Duchess Sinclair to thank for that. There would never have been any question of Nox’s lineage if she had not recognized him. It was all pure fortune. If it had not been for her then Nox and I would surely have fled to the Caribbean,” Samantha replied.
She had pondered this fact often in the previous weeks, and she knew that she and Nox owed much to the Duchess, whose quick thinking had secured Nox’s fortune. But Rebecca was right, it did seem strange that Nox’s uncle should behave so benevolently in light of his own fortune being so immediately taken away by the arrival of a nephew he had thought dead.
“I presume he was only glad to discover that the nephew he had thought lost was alive. Perhaps he did not relish the responsibility,” Samantha replied, just as a commotion came from the doorway of the salon.
“Gone, Your Grace?” Anderton, Samantha’s father’s butler was saying.
“Yes, gone, stolen, taken from the desk drawer. I put it there myself this very evening,” her father was shouting.
“Did you lock the drawer, Your Grace?” the butler asked, and Samantha’s father rounded on him angrily.
“I should not have to lock a drawer in my own study, in my own house. Someone has stolen the papers from right under my very nose. Lock the doors, Anderton. No one is leaving until the culprit is discovered,” Samantha’s father cried out, and a murmur of astonishment rippled through the room.
“What is going on?” Rebecca whispered, as the Duke strode into the center of the room.
The quartet had ceased playing and even Regina had fallen quiet, as the Duke looked angrily around him.
“I have just gone to my study to deal with an important piece of correspondence,” he began, composing himself, though his face was flushed.
“Randolf, I hardly think it appropriate with our guests here,” Regina began, but Samantha’s father rounded on her.
“Be quiet, Regina, for once in your life, be quiet!” he exclaimed, and Regina fell silent, much to Samantha’s bemusement.
“When I went to my study, I discovered that a most important and vital document was missing from the drawer of my desk. I placed that document there only a few hours ago before the arrival of our guests,” Samantha’s father said, looking around him with an accusing expression on his face.
“Well, we were sitting here the whole time,” Rebecca whispered, “besides, someone would surely have seen whoever it was.”
“I cannot allow anyone to leave until everyone has been searched. I demand it,” Samantha’s father declared.
He had a manic and delirious look about him and Samantha could not begin to imagine what it was in the document which was so important. Her father was a man with powerful connections, however, and had often had business at court and Parliament to see to. Now, he gazed around him, his expression seething, as Regina began to protest.
“Randolf, you cannot treat our guests like this, and you will upset Hubert if you do not–” she began, but again her husband hushed her, and Regina folded her arms with a sulky expression on her face.
“Regina does not like being made second place,” Samantha whispered, and Rebecca and Catherine giggled.
Just then, Nox appeared at the terrace door, whistling to himself, as he strode back into the salon, oblivious to what was occurring around him.
“Did I miss anything, it is awfully quiet in here,” he exclaimed, and Samantha gave him a warning look.
“You,” Samantha’s father declared, pointing at Nox.
“Your Grace, I am at a loss to understand your meaning,” Nox said, a confused smile coming over his face.
“You, where have you been? In my study?” the Duke declared, stepping forward, his finger still pointing at Nox, who began to protest.
“I have merely been taking the air outside, Your Grace. I find gatherings such as these terribly stuffy. When one has spent a lifetime at sea, one needs fresh air. It is not quite the same as the salt of the ocean, but–” he began, his words trailing off, as the Duke rushed toward him.
“Father, no!” Samantha exclaimed, stepping between them, as Nox sprang back, ready to defend himself.
