Page 18 of Lady in Ruby
Caroline’s eyes narrowed. Had it all been a trick to distract her? Was that what he was warning her to forget about, or else he’d reveal how wantonly she’d behaved?
One thing was certain—something wrong was happening at Hollydell. There were strange tensions in the spiced air, and she decided that she would find out what was going on. More than anything, she felt the need to protect her family from any possible trouble. Snowdon meant trouble. Perhaps Francis meant trouble in his own way. The presence of Timothy Stockan could mean trouble for Estelle, if his intentions were less honorable than they seemed. So Caroline would learn everyone’s secrets…starting with the mysterious, too-perfect Lord Snowdon.
Chapter 8
Caroline found her father back in his laboratory, having returned from his errand to the village.
“Papa, I saw something rather odd today,” Caroline said, starting obliquely, so as to not shock her father with wild accusations.
“Eh? What was that, darling?” Her father lifted his gaze from his worktable, his expression distracted, though he tried to focus on her words.
“It’s about Lord Snowdon.”
“Snowdon?” Now he was paying attention. “What about him?”
“Well, I thought I saw him take something from your bedchamber.”
“Take?” her father repeated.
“Yes. Something small. I didn’t see what. He had it tucked under his jacket, you know.”
Her father poked his spectacles up on his nose, frowning. “Are you quite sure, darling? Gentlemen are not in the habit of walking off with other people’s belongings.”
“Well, I didn’t see any particular object,” she admitted. “Just that he had something under his jacket.”
“And what did he say about it?”
“Er, I didn’t ask.” First there was the whole matter of avoiding a compromising scene, and then their mouths had been otherwise occupied.
“Hmm, I expect it was an innocent misinterpretation,” he said. “Perhaps you saw him retrieve a fresh cloth from the linen cupboard. That door is next to our bedchamber, you know.”
“Maybe,” she said, though she’d been sure she saw Snowdon pull the bedchamber door shut. Not to mention that someone else had been looking for something in his room a moment later. “But I would feel better if you checked your room tonight, just to be certain.”
Her father smiled and nodded. “Very sensible. I’ll do just that.”
“Thank you, Papa. I’m sorry I bothered you while you’re working. Any progress on the new formula?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Perhaps. I think this latest iteration will work, but I hesitate to test it until I’m completely sure. The risks of a mistake are significant. Any error could result in the death of the test subject…” Whenever one of his pigs died, he felt the loss keenly, valuing animal life to a degree not common among his colleagues.
“I can help tomorrow,” she offered.
“Don’t you have that skating party tomorrow? I want you away from the lab…I mean, a young lady ought to be enjoying herself with others her own age. Not puttering around here with me.”
“I love puttering with you,” she said, giving him an impulsive hug. “And I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished. This formula will help so many people!”
“If we can perfect it,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Now run along, darling. I’ll be done here in a moment and we’ll all enjoy dinner together. Your mother said it will be grand. Don’t know why everything has to be so fancy. The first Christmas wasn’t fancy. I suspect anyone staying the night in a stable behind an inn would be quite happy with a shepherd’s pie.”
Caroline left her father muttering about the fripperies of modern celebrations, and returned to the house to see if her mother needed assistance. But everything was in hand, thanks to impeccable planning and reliable servants…who’d somehow managed to add yet more evergreen boughs and mistletoe inside, decking every conceivable surface.
“Maggie, there’s no more room in the house for greenery,” Caroline said, encountering the maid with her arms full of pine branches.
“Oh, miss, we’ve got to replace the old greens!” Maggie explained, rather breathlessly. “Wouldn’t do to let them get dry. House is a tinderbox then!”
Caroline winced at the idea of Hollydell Manor going up in flames as the result of a dry holly bough dipping too close to a candle. “Goodness, please trim back anything by a fireplace. I’m going up to get dressed for dinner.”
* * * *
Night came swiftly at this time of the year, and by five o’clock the windows showed only darkness and stars outside.
