Suitors and Sabotage(25)
The trio stepped out of the way in the event that others might wish to continue down the corridor toward the grand saloon and the predinner gathering. They stood in front of the large unlit hearth in a loose triangle. The boys’ eyes sparkled as if anticipating a laugh; Percy and Jake seldom took Imogene’s frustrations seriously.
“What do you think of my pendant?” she asked with no preamble. Imogene had worn the topaz necklace as an accusation and to show the miscreant the failure of his lark.
Percy’s foolish grin faded, and his mouth curled in distaste. “Really, Imogene, what a boring topic. I have never thought it particularly attractive.”
“Yes, but are you not surprised that it is once again in my possession?”
“Hardly. Who would want to borrow such a thing?”
Jake snorted in support of his friend and, though he said nothing, made it plain he thought Imogene one of the silliest girls in Kent.
“No one borrowed it,” Imogene snapped.
“There, see? I said as much. Not even worthy of a conversation … so why are we talking about it?”
Imogene glared at her brother to little effect. “Then you had nothing to do with my pendant vacating my jewelry case and hiding in another room?”
“Nothing at all. What would be the fun in that?”
And with those words, Percy and Jake looked at each other, shrugged, and left Imogene standing by the fireplace unable to answer his question.
“Are you well, my dear?”
Imogene turned her frown toward the first step of the staircase. “Yes, of course, Mr. Tabard,” she said before realizing that her folded brow told a different story. She took a deep breath and adopted a calm demeanor.
“Were Jake and Percy giving you a hard time?” Mr. Tabard puckered his lips, likely trying to adopt the disapproving appearance of Cousin Clara, who had always been the one to rein Jake in.
“No, no. I’m just having trouble understanding something. I’m rather puzzled.”
With a sigh and a nod, Mr. Tabard offered his arm, and they strolled down the hallway. “Life is a puzzle, my dear,” he said in a blousy tone. “Or so your cousin used to say. Puzzling and unpredictable, and needs a steady hand at the helm.” He patted the top of Imogene’s hand as they approached the grand saloon. “So very glad to know that Jake was not the cause of your confusion. Yes, good to know. Clara would have been terribly disappointed.”
Imogene’s frown returned unbidden. “Indeed, she could not abide malice.… Percy and Jake’s antics are seldom purposefully cruel.”
That was the difficulty. For when she considered the theft, she no longer saw the stamp of two young men intent on mischief. The incident did not offer any amusement. No, the accusations that could have followed would have been serious, with far-reaching consequences. Even if Percy and Jake had taken a dislike to Ben or Ernest, to see one of the Steeples falsely accused would be out of character. The blame could also have been laid at their valet’s doorstep … or Kate’s … or the housemaids’. It would have meant dismissal and an upheaval downstairs. No, this was not a prank of the same sort as a spider in her bed, a dousing, or teasing the dogs.
But if Percy and Jake were not the instigators of the theft, then who was?
It was a question that occupied Imogene for a majority of the evening—certainly from the soup to the jellies. Ernest tried to draw her out with a conversation about the abbey, which was a brief diversion from her troubled thoughts. But unfortunately, as soon as the beauty of the day, Carden Abbey, the countryside, and the horses had been exhausted, Imogene’s mind doggedly returned to the puzzle.
Who had stolen her topaz necklace, and why had it been in Ben’s room?
chapter 7
In which a question about the question is questioned
“Is today the day?” Ben asked Ernest as they waited in the yard for the carriage to be brought around. It was too fine a day to linger indoors: warm with a fragrant breeze, layers of clouds playing with the sun. This was the fifth dry day in a row; it would have been a miracle in Chotsdown, where Musson House hunkered on the coast.
“The day for what?”
“Toad! What is the purpose of this visit—all this excessive civility? Is today the day you ask Imogene to marry you?”
Ernest shifted his balance and turned to stare at the sky above the stables. “That’s a rather personal question.”
“You are hedging. I take it to mean the answer is no.” Ben shook his head in disbelief, and he considered offering Ernest a snarl, but his brother was still staring at nothing. The effort would have been wasted.
“Haste is not necessary.”
“Not necessary? Brother dear, we are off in two days. You are running out of time.” Ben watched Ernest shift again. “Feeling uncertain?”
“I believe that Imogene is not quite ready. We have only begun to know each other.”
“Have you changed your mind?”
Ernest’s head snapped around, and he frowned at Ben. “How can you even suggest such inconstancy? You know me better than that.”
“Well, you better get a wiggle on.” Ben held up his hand, waving two fingers in front of Ernest’s face. “If you don’t, you will have to wait until the Chivelys return to London in the autumn. Someone else may push you to the back of the line by then.” His words were meant as a jest, but Ernest didn’t smile. “Though it’s unlikely,” he added lamely.