Page 59 of The Hidden Heart

“No. I could find nothing missing.”

“Well, if he wasn’t a thief, then what was he after?” Lady Vesey asked, irritated that tonight she was not the center of attention. No amount of exposed bosom could match the excitement of an intruder.

“I did not say he was not a thief, my lovely Lady Vesey,” Kestwick told her with a thin smile. “My theory is that he was searching for what he would like to steal right before he leaves. I feel sure he did not plan to get caught and tip everyone off to what he was doing. What do you think, Mr. Cobb?”

Everyone turned toward Cobb, sitting at the other end of the table. “About what, my lord?” he replied phlegmatically.

“Why, my theory, sir, about the thief.”

“Aye, it might be a thief, my lord. As to what he was thinking, I’m afraid I’ve no idea of that.” Cobb’s face, while not exactly challenging, was not deferential, either.

“I, uh, I don’t like all this talk of thieves,” Mr. Goodrich spoke up, surprising them all. Jessica could not remember his saying anything at all the night before at the table; his attention had seemed to be fully occupied by the array of silverware before him. “After all, we do not know it was a thief.”

“Very true, Mr. Goodrich,” the minister said in his mellifluous voice. Though Jessica had not found that he usually said anything particularly striking, she supposed that his parishioners must enjoy listening to his sermons simply because of his lovely voice. “We do not really know why he was there, and doubtless we should not cast aspersions on the poor man.”

Jessica glanced at the duke and saw the corner of his mouth tighten. She suspected that Cleybourne would like to cast a few aspersions—and other things—at the intruder for the nasty gash over his eye.

“Funny thing, all these people breaking into houses,” Vesey said idly.

Cleybourne looked at him, his eyes narrowing. “What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s been a rash of them recently, hasn’t there? I mean, didn’t someone break in here a few nights ago? And then there was that night at the General’s house.”

Jessica frowned. “What are you talking about? When did someone break into the General’s house?”

“Oh, ’twas after you left,” Vesey said casually.

“What happened? Who was it?”

Vesey shrugged. “Don’t know. Do you remember what the innkeeper said, Leona? He was the chap who told us about it.”

“I don’t really recall,” Leona said, her tone expressing a vast disinterest in the matter.

Vesey frowned, obviously exerting his brain. “I think he said they had been in the study or the library or some such place. You know, I think he said nothing was missing there. Odd, don’t you think?”

“Definitely odd.” Cleybourne’s brows were drawn together in a dark scowl. He looked at Vesey, then glanced down the table at Jessica.

Jessica lifted her brows a little, conveying her own puzzlement. She would have named Vesey as the most likely candidate for both the incidents here at the castle. But it seemed bizarre that he would then call attention to the connection between the two—and to another at the General’s house. What could be the meaning of it? What could he hope to achieve? On the other hand, she reasoned, given Vesey’s apparent mental powers, perhaps he had no purpose at all but was merely blathering. Still, she could not deny the possibility that he brought them up because he had not had anything to do with them and that what he said was simply what had gone through his mind—the oddity of someone breaking into this house twice and the General’s, as well, all in a fairly short span of time.

If that were the case, then there was something else entirely going on, and Jessica had no idea what it was. Disturbed by the idea, she continued to mull it over during the rest of dinner, not paying much attention to what else was said. Afterward, as she left the dining room, she was surprised when someone grabbed her arm and whisked her into the music room, quickly closing the pocket door after them. She looked up into the face of her companion, startled.

“Darius! Whatever are you doing? Why did you pull me in here?”

“How else was I to get to talk to you? You have been avoiding me all day,” he said almost petulantly. “Whenever I enter a room, you leave. You scarcely speak to me. You will not look at me.”

“I thought we agreed to stay out of each other’s way,” Jessica said, irritation lacing her voice. “That will be the easiest for both of us.”

“Not for me. I don’t want to avoid you,” Darius protested. “Jessica, when I saw you again…I knew what a fool I had been to let you go.”

“Let me go?” Jessica asked, astonished. “As I remember, you tossed me away.”

“I know I hurt you,” Darius said. “And you have every right to be angry at me. But I am asking you to give me a chance to redeem myself.”

“Redeem yourself? Darius, it is a little late for that. It is in the past; there is nothing that can be done about it. You cannot change what happened.”

“No, but I can try to make up for it. If you will but give me another chance, Jessica…”

He took a step toward her, and Jessica backed up. “Another chance! Have you gone mad?”