Page 37 of Lady in Ruby
“Come in, Caro,” her father said. “We were just speaking of Foster’s activities. Hard to believe that our friend and neighbor was driven to such terrible deeds. But money—or the lack of it—sometimes works on people’s brains in dark ways.”
Caroline shook her head. “I never would have thought he could be so changed from the boy I once knew. I wish—”
But before she could voice any wish, Timothy and Estelle entered the room, beaming and bright. They shared the news that they intended to marry at some time in the next year, before leaving for America.
“Excellent news!” Caroline said, not mentioning that she already knew. She was overjoyed that Timothy wanted to marry Estelle. It meant she’d be well cared for no matter what.
Full of this good news, they ate a hearty breakfast in the brilliant sunlight streaming through the windows. Nearly every servant found a reason to come in and speak to Caroline that morning, most of them leaving humble gifts in their wake: an embroidered handkerchief from Maggie, a set of buttons carved from bone by the footmen, a green glass bottle of dandelion wine from Cook. Caroline was practically in tears at the end of it. She had always loved her home, but she hadn’t quite realized how much her home loved her back.
Then Timothy asked Estelle if she would like to take a short walk around the gardens, and she accepted the offer as if he’d handed her summer in a jar.
After they left, Snowdon said, “There is one more thing.” He walked over to the table and picked out a box gaily wrapped in blue-and-white-striped fabric. He offered it to Mr Garland. “Not exactly a gift, sir, since it’s yours already.”
Mr Garland opened the box and pulled out…his lab notes.
“Wait, what?” Caroline asked. “Foster stole those.”
“He stole the notes he was meant to steal,” Snowdon explained. “When I first got here, your father handed me the real notes to keep safe.”
“Which you did to perfection, my good man. You hid the real notes in a present!” Mr Garland beamed at him.
“The best way to hide something is among other things just like it. I suspected my room would be searched, and it was. But no one would think to open all the gifts meant for exchanging later. They were out in the open, obvious, and ordinary.”
“Brilliant,” said Caroline. “I wonder who taught you to think like that.”
Snowdon gave her a glance. “Maybe someday you can meet them.”
“Ahem,” Mr Garland said quickly. “I really ought to go to my lab. Just to check on things.”
“And I must have a word with the housekeeper,” Mrs Garland added.
Caroline’s parents could never be accused of not understanding the needs of others.
When they were alone, Snowdon said, “In fact, I do have a present for you.”
He retrieved another item from the table, and she pulled off the white cloth to reveal a wooden box with a brass lock. Carved into the top of the dense mahogany were the initials NGS.
“The box is actually mine,” he said. “I always bring it along when I might have important papers to keep safe from prying eyes. But now you can use it to keep your rubies in. They ought be kept safe.”
“And the initials?”
“They stand for Nicholas George Snowdon. That’s my name. No lord—that was a bit of armor to help prevent anyone from being too quick to challenge me. I’m just plain Mr Snowdon.”
“But your name really is Snowdon! How funny. I never really thought you were a snowman come to life,” she added.
“I may have played into that accidentally,” he said. “I got the idea for my appearance from overhearing you and Miss Clement as you built the snowman in the woods earlier that day. I’d arrived well in advance so I could scout out the area and learn what I could of the property and the surrounding land, just in case I would need the information later on. As, indeed, proved to be the case.”
“So when you heard me list all the qualities for an ideal suitor…”
“I did my best to appear to be exactly that. I thought it would be the best way to distract everyone else from my real reason for being at Hollydell. No one questions it when a gentleman seems eager to court a young lady.”
“Seems,” she echoed. Was that all it was? All the conversations as they walked through the snow? The stolen kisses, and the way his smile made her heart pound? Was that all part of his pretense? “So your attentions toward me were only an excuse.”
“It started that way,” he admitted, his eyes the soft blue of a winter morning. “I never intended to hurt you. And I knew that I would only be here a short time. It seemed quite harmless…except that I quickly realized that when I was pretending to court you, I wasn’t pretending at all. I found myself looking for every excuse to see you again, to talk to you again. To make you smile…you have the most enchanting smile,” he added.
She was finding it difficult to breathe.
He went on, “I’d also like to point out that by your own rules, you are free to marry now, since it won’t mean you have to deny your friend’s position as companion to you.”
