A Most Dangerous Profession(22)
Still, it was worth it: soon he’d have the third and final onyx box in his possession. He smiled. And then the real search for the Hurst Amulet will begin.
Michael had always said the amulet should be in the possession of their family and he’d become obsessive about it. To Robert, it seemed to be family folklore more than anything else. Almost everything they knew could be labeled as fable and hearsay.
Robert wondered if Michael believed the tales that said the amulet had magical properties. According to the story, the amulet had been created by an ancestor, a white witch of great beauty. Then it had been stolen from her by the laird of the MacLean family. In return, she’d cursed the family so that whenever one of them lost their temper, storms would fly. “Ridiculous,” Robert muttered.
Still, two of Robert’s sisters, Triona and Caitlyn, had married into the MacLean family and, through the years, he’d caught bits of conversations that indicated that the curse existed. But that was foolishness. He was a practical man, one who dealt with facts and not far-fetched nonsense like curses and magical amulets. All he knew was this: there was a family heirloom that, through the ages, had gotten lost. Records proved that it had ended up in the possession of Queen Elizabeth, who had given it to a foreign emissary for reasons unknown, though some suggested she’d grown fearful of it. After that, the amulet had disappeared.
Robert reached under the seat and pulled out his portmanteau. From a secret pocket on the side he removed first a small vial—a potion his sister-in-law had given him before he’d begun the mad chase after Moira, saying it would render the user unconscious, which he thought might be useful. He then removed a black velvet bag.
He replaced the vial in the secret pocket and opened the bag. Inside lay two onyx boxes, their odd engravings gleaming in the gray light. He spread the velvet across his lap and, flipping a few unseen latches, undid the boxes so that they lay completely flat. He placed them upon the velvet and turned them so that the inside surfaces were face up. Then, with a twist, he slid the two panels and clicked them together. They fit perfectly. He tilted the smooth surface so that the light found the etchings, which produced a map. Michael believed that the map would lead them not only to the lost Hurst Amulet, but to other treasures as well.
The map was why a sulfi had held Michael prisoner, demanding the return of the box he’d legitimately purchased. “It’s also why George Aniston wants these,” Robert murmured as he studied the map. It was the only reason Aniston would be persistent in trying to obtain them all; he had to know.
Did Moira know about the map? Robert traced a wriggling line that was perhaps a river. He doubted Aniston would share such information; if the man had any sense, he’d be cautious around a woman of Moira’s resourcefulness. She was much stronger and more devious than Aniston and, if cornered, would fight like a she-wolf.
Robert tilted the metal surface to a better angle, catching the gray light streaming from the window, noting that a mountain range appeared to take up almost half of the map. What country could this be? It certainly wasn’t Egypt; they had very few mountains there. Italy? Greece? Switzerland?
The final panel held the key. He sighed and refolded the boxes, then slid them back into the velvet sack and into his portmanteau. As soon as he had the final box, he’d sprint back to London. Hopefully William would have secured Michael’s freedom, and they’d all examine the map together. Michael’s knowledge of ancient maps should enable him to decipher the markings.
The sound of thundering hooves announced an approaching rider. Robert banged on the roof. The coach immediately pulled to one side and stopped.
Robert leaned out the window, and smiled at the rider who’d just pulled up. “Ah, Leeds. You’re early.”
Leeds patted his lathered horse. “Ye expected me, sir?”
“Oh, yes. Miss MacAllister gave you the slip.”
“Indeed she did, sir. Ye said to tell you if—”
“When’s the last time you saw her?”
“Three days ago, sir. Just as ye said it would, Aniston’s coach came fer her. And every day, she sent it away. The last day, she sent it off as usual, went back inside, and we ne’er saw her again.
“We thought she was still inside the George fer the day, but when she hadna come down fer dinner, I sent someone upstairs.” Leeds shook his head. “She was gone.”
“I warned you,” Robert said, feeling an odd mixture of irritation and excitement. He shouldn’t be excited, damn it.