Page 33 of The Scholar's Key
Mrs. MacNall studied him for a moment before she walked down a corridor, turning through a door that must be her bedroom. Noah closed his eyes and listened, hearing the jingle of a key and then the click of a drawer. So she must have it locked away somewhere. She emerged moments later, the gold and red jewellery draped over her fingers.
“Here you are,” she said, and he lifted it, studying it as though he was appreciating its beauty, but the truth was, he was looking for where the key could possibly fit. He wished he had more time to thoroughly examine it, but she was already reaching for it and he reluctantly returned it. “It’s beautiful,” he said, just as he caught sight of the ruby heart in the middle of the lock – and what appeared to be a hole in the gold plate behind it.
“Thank you,” she said, before taking it and walking it back to the room. He followed her, hoping he could make her believe that he was interested in what he could do for her there.
He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, attempting to appear nonchalant, but he watched her as closely as possible, seeing where she unlocked the drawer and then replaced the necklace. She turned the key before tucking it away in a bag that she then hid in the depths of the wardrobe. She hadn’t seen him yet, and he turned away, looking outward to the corridor, until he heard her step closer behind him.
“Now,” she said, wrapping a hand around his neck, “what comes next?”
Noah closed his eyes and took a breath. He knew that most men in his position would go along with this willingly, but the truth was, he had such little desire to follow through with her, for all he could think about was how untrue that would be to Percy – whether or not Percy herself had any care for his loyalty or would ever actually return his affections.
But how was he going to get out of this?
Finally, he decided that, like in most situations in life, the best solution was to tell the truth.
He turned around, taking a step backward so that she wasn’t touching him anymore.
“Mrs. MacNall—”
“Marianne.”
“Marianne. I don’t know how to say this, for you seem a lovely woman and I thought I was interested, truly I did, but I find my thoughts are rather preoccupied with the young woman I previously mentioned.”
“Lady Persephone.”
“Yes.”
She stared at him for a beat.
“Then why, might I ask, did you go to such trouble to seek me out, to return to my home? Was there something else that you were looking for?”
Did she suspect his true aim?
“Experience, Mrs. MacNall. I was looking for experience. But I find that my body is not complying with what I came searching for.”
“I see,” she said, although he could tell that she held her suspicions. “Well, then, Mr. Rowley, perhaps our paths will cross again. I hope that you receive all that you wish from your Lady Persephone.”
He nodded his head, pausing in the doorway, realizing that she likely expected something more from him.
“Is this enough?” he asked, holding out two guineas, but she shook her head with a smile.
“I did nothing,” she said.
“But for your time,” he insisted, but she reached out, closing his fingers back around the coins.
“You are a gentleman, Mr. Rowley, which is a rarity these days. Thank you for showing me that men like you still exist. Now, good luck with your young woman.”
She stood on her toes, pressing a quick kiss against his cheek before opening the door and showing him out.
Suddenly he was feeling quite regretful – for while he had no romantic notions toward Mrs. MacNall, he found he rather liked her – which was going to make stealing from her all the more distasteful.
* * *
Percy was tryingto be patient.
But the time between when she and Noah had last spoken – and kissed – and the dinner with Noah and his aunt and uncle seemed to take a sennight, even though it was truly only a day.
She would like to say it was because she wondered whether or not he had found the necklace, and if he had, what secrets the necklace had imparted.
