Page 52 of The Earl's Secret
Devon hadn’t been lying when he had said that Castleton held a certain charm. From the ruins to the gardens to the lake itself, the exterior held its own appeal that could not be denied. Even though the interior was falling apart, its character was held in the staid, dark brick, the arches over the doorways, the décor of the bedrooms. As much as it all likely should have been redone by now, it was like walking through history of various eras.
Of course, Devon wasn’t entirely sure that a woman like Lady Embury would feel the same, but he hoped that she wouldn’t voice any contrary opinions to the duchess, for he knew how insulted she would be.
As the gentlemen arrived, they began to congregate in the billiards room, although few of them actually played but rather had a drink and caught one another up on any recent occurrences.
The women, he assumed, were upstairs in a drawing room, although if he knew this particular group as well as he thought he did, they were not going to be gossiping and perfecting their needlework.
They were much more likely speaking of banned books and attempting to solve riddles.
Dinner was a rousing affair with the many voices, even as the duchess seemed rather on edge. The duke, however, was quite thrilled with the company around the table.
“Welcome all to Castleton,” he said, his arms spread wide to greet them all. “It is lovely to have you all in my home again.”
If Devon was correct, it seemed that the duke believed them to be men he had known in his youth, but no one commented upon it and rather seemed pleased to be so welcomed by the duke’s good spirits. The food was as suspect as always, and many of the plates were returned to the kitchen untouched. Devon noticed Cassandra and Gideon exchange a glance, and he wished that he could assure them no one was judging them.
Although he was likely wrong in that. For even though all of their close friends would understand, the chaperones who had accompanied the young ladies were likely questioning the sense in coming here – and the duchess wondering why she had allowed it.
It was a slight relief when the ladies retired to the drawing room, for then the gentlemen were able to discuss the riddle.
First, however, Whitehall had something to say.
“Listen, Ashford, I know you want to find this treasure and restore your coffers to what they once were,” he said, not mincing words. “But how long do you want to spend on this chase that could lead to absolutely nothing? It is striking more like a childish game and I think we had best be done with it. It is a waste of our time.”
“Now, listen here—” Devon began, as quick to defend Gideon as he was his sister, but Gideon held up a hand.
“I can fight my own battles now,” he said quietly to Devon, who nodded in understanding. “Whitehall, you might be entirely correct, and if so, I understand and appreciate your sentiments. But until we prove it to be an impossibility, how is this treasure hunt any worse than some of the other things we have done?”
They were all silent for a moment, Rowley snorting as he was obviously remembering a prank or two.
“Everything else we do is for the thrill,” Whitehall continued to argue. “This is… it’s a bore, to be honest. It is a manual labor search that none of us are particularly adept at. There are many other things I would far rather be doing.”
“Such as?” Gideon asked, spreading out his hands in front of him.
“Such as wooing women. Rowing in races. Dressing up statues. Convincing Lord Peabrook that he has won an extravagant contest.”
Devon couldn’t help but smile. They had come up with some fairly creative ideas in the past.
“Just because we are solving this riddle does not mean that we cannot have a few games on the side,” Ferrington said, his disposition as sunny as Whitehall’s was cloudy. “Why not this? Let us have a wager for the time we are here. Whoever can come up with the most outlandish hoax will be the victor. In the meantime, if we are able to solve a couple of clues for Ashford, then all the better.”
Gideon seemed somewhat uncertain about that, but when the other gentlemen began to nod in agreement, he sighed. “Very well. But nothing that will upset my mother or involve my family, understood?”
“Of course,” they were all quick to agree.
He hadn’t said anything about involving the other women, but Devon knew one thing was for certain – if he wanted to remain in Cassandra’s good graces, neither she nor her friends could be the subject of their prank. He could only imagine what the rest of the men were going to come up with. Perhaps it would be best if he sit this one out entirely.
He hoped he didn’t look guilty when he sat down next to her once they joined the ladies in the drawing room.
“I must admit that when I pushed the idea of this visit on my mother, I had forgotten about Lady Embury,” Cassandra murmured in his ear later as she took a seat next to him on the sofa. He had known she was there without even seeing her, sensing her presence with a tingling up his spine.
“Your mother will charm them soon enough,” he said, “and they shall forget all of the hardship that your family – and Castleton – has had to endure. Do not fret.”
“I never fret.”
Devon smiled, not answering, for he knew that to argue with her would just incense her all the more.
“Where are you beginning your search tomorrow?” he asked, turning to look at her.
“We have decided that continuing to search is not the best tactic.”
