Page 46 of The Heir's Fortune
Although, as much as he hated to admit that he couldn’t handle this himself, there was relief in having additional manpower to provide protection – or to perhaps even ward off any attacks.
They were currently sitting around the drawing room as he and Cassandra updated them on all that had occurred.
“It is rather hard to believe that this could all be over soon,” Rowley said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “It seemed so simple when it began.”
“With a riddle,” Cassandra said with a smile.
“Leading to Anthony breaking the codes of the books,” Hope added.
“With your help,” Whitehall said, placing his hand on his wife’s leg.
“Then there was our discovery of the necklace in Bath,” Percy said with a smile at Rowley.
“Which turned out to not be a necklace at all, but a compass and ocular device that helped us with the map we found in Spain,” Faith finished, and Ferrington chuckled.
“Who would have thought that we would all have a hand in this?”
“I would say it’s our greatest adventure so far,” Devon said, and Cassandra intertwined her fingers in his.
“Or the greatest of love stories,” she said, beaming at all of them around the room, although her happiness made Gideon’s stomach twist, for not all of them had found such an ending.
“We haven’t yet finished this adventure, though,” he said. “Now it is time to find the treasure.”
“When would you like to go?” Devon asked, although from the look in his eye, Gideon was sure he was already aware of just what he was thinking.
“We should not wait too long,” Gideon said, looking around at the gentlemen. “Did you all bring your firearms?”
“I truly hope it does not come to that,” Hope said fervently.
“Nor do I, but it is best to be prepared,” Gideon said grimly. “Why do we not go tomorrow? It will give you all time to settle in and have a decent meal and sleep before we begin tomorrow. After we have breakfast, we will meet at the front entrance. From my readings on the map, we shouldn’t need horses, but it might be slow going as we will need the compass to find the final location.”
“Does everyone have walking boots?” Cassandra asked, looking around, and Gideon held his hand up as he looked at her with some exasperation.
“Cassandra, do we really need to have this conversation?”
“We are going with you, Gideon, whether you like it or not,” she said stubbornly. “We have all been a part of this as much as you have, and we are not going to sit here and darn socks while we wait for you to return!”
“I cannot say I have ever seen you darn a sock.”
“You know what I mean,” she said, continuing around him. “No one has heard anything of the Spaniards for days and we are likely safer with you than here alone. Either we accompany you or follow behind you. Your choice.”
Gideon sighed as he looked around at the rest of the men, but they all just shrugged, none of them willing to take on the women.
“Very well,” he said. “We shall go together.”
“Here we thoughtwe would not be seeing one another for ages, and we are back together already!” Percy said as the five women sat in a small circle in the drawing room after dinner.
“It is so different from the last time, though, is it not?” Hope said as she lifted her glass of brandy to her lips. Even though all of the men were now well aware of their secret appreciation for the drink, at this point it seemed tradition to enjoy it without them. “At our last party, we were all accompanied by chaperones, and here we all are, married women.” Suddenly she stopped, a gasp escaping her lips as her eyelids flew up. “I am so sorry, Madeline, I should not have said that. I only meant that we do not have chaperones because we had to travel with one before we were married, and?—”
“It is fine,” Madeline said, waving Hope’s worries away. “It is no insult. You are all happily married, and I am pleased for all of you.”
“You will be soon as well, I am sure of it,” Hope, ever the optimist, said enthusiastically.
Madeline reached across the table between them and patted her hand.
“You are kind, Hope, but I am not sure that is at all true.”
“Are you certain about that?” Cassandra asked smugly from her seat next to Hope, raising one eyebrow from over her drink. “No gentleman has caught your eye as of late?”
