The Black Diamond (20 page)

"Where did they find the painting?"

"In the storeroom of a French gallery. It had been disguised—hidden beneath the canvas of a rather bland oil painting. I'd traced it there two days earlier."

"Two days earlier! Then why didn't you seize it?"

Julian rubbed a silky tendril of Aurora's hair between his fingers. "Because, my impatient wife, one doesn't just march into a gallery and make off with a painting."

"You could have bought it."

"It wasn't for sale. My guess is the owner knew bloody well what lay beneath that canvas's ordinary veneer. For all I know, he was the one who had concealed it there. I couldn't take that chance. So I waited until I'd had ample time to map out the best way to break into the storeroom at night and make off with the painting undetected. I was poised to do just that when I got word the Macalls were about to strike. That necessitated a change in plans. It wouldn't do to have the three of us trip over each other in our attempts to snatch the painting. Hence, knowing what proficient thieves they were, I simply sat back and let them do the ugly deed. They seized the painting … after which, I seized them."

"I see." Aurora averted her gaze, a troubled expression clouding her face.

"There's a disagreeable side to adventure,
soleil
," Julian reminded her quietly. "I tried to tell you that."

"I didn't care about you then."

That pronouncement caught Julian completely off guard. "Pardon me?"

"You think I'm upset because you killed a man. Well, you're wrong. You also think I'm a sheltered child, but, as
I've
tried to tell
you
, I'm not. The day you stood in Slayde's study, described to me what you do, I understood fully that some of your encounters were not … tranquil. So if you think my reaction is one of horror, you're a fool. On the contrary, I'm proud you acted so honorably, restored a treasure to its rightful owner." Aurora swallowed, her fingers tensing in Julian's. "But I'm worried."

"Aurora." He caught her face between his palms, brought her gaze around to meet his. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"'Tis not me I'm concerned about," she replied, vulnerability and confusion reflected in her eyes. "'Tis you."

Julian felt a constriction in his chest.

"Before, you were a stranger," she explained simply. "Now you're my husband. I'm as surprised to hear myself saying this as you are. But these past few days … I never expected…" She hesitated, as if trying to make sense of her puzzling sentiments. "The important thing is, I don't want you hurt. And suddenly I realize you might be."

"Don't worry,
soleil
." Julian eased the sheets off her shoulders, unnerved by her emotional stirrings—or perhaps by his own reaction to them—silencing both in the only way he knew how. "I won't be hurt." He pressed his lips to her throat, cupping her breasts as he dropped the sheets to the bed. "I have a remarkable incentive to stay well."

Aurora moaned softly, pleasure rippling through her in tiny shivers. "Julian," she whispered. "Make love to me."

Her words were silenced by his mouth.

* * *

"Good morning, Your Grace. Have you an appointment with Mr. Camden?" The young clerk frowned, rifling through his book as he searched for a nonexistent notation.

"No, Tolladay, we don't," Julian returned, looking impatiently about the meticulous walnut-furnished office. "But my wife and I need to see Mr. Camden on a matter of some urgency. We've driven a long way. I'm certain he'll make himself available."

Tolladay consulted his watch, then glanced at the closed inner office door. "He had an early morning appointment, sir. They should be finishing up any minute now."

"We'll wait," Julian assured him.

As if on cue the door opened, and Henry Camden's voice drifted out to them. "I'll see to it straightaway, Guillford."

"Oh no," Aurora muttered under her breath.

"Relax." Julian squeezed her elbow. "It was inevitable that we run into him sometime. It might as well be now."

"Julian." Camden spotted his guests and halted in surprise. "I had no idea you were here. Was I expecting you and your bride this morning…?" He broke off, realizing the awkwardness of the situation.

"No, Mr. Camden," Aurora inserted quickly. "And we apologize for arriving unannounced. I hope it doesn't present a problem." Her gaze flickered to the viscount. "Hello, Lord Guillford."

Guillford was staring at them, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. "Aurora," he acknowledged in a strained tone. "Camden and I have concluded our meeting, so your arrival presents no problem for me." He cleared his throat, plainly striving to regain his composure. "Before I take my leave, let me extend my sincere congratulations on your recent marriage."

"T
hank
you, Guillford," Julian said, his stance as casual as the viscount's was stiff. "My wife and I both appreciate your good wishes."

"Yes, well, I'd best be on my way." Guillford turned to Henry. "Please contact me when you have those figures." With that he left the office, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Aurora's breath expelled in a rush. "Mr. Camden, I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"Nonsense." Henry waved her protest away, a hint of a smile playing about his lips. "A little scandal is good once in a while. It keeps one on one's toes." He gestured toward his inner office. "Won't you both come in?"

"T
hank
you for being so gracious," Aurora said when they were seated.

"Not gracious, my dear—adaptable." His kindly eyes twinkled. "You've been wed to this gentleman for but a few days. I've worked with him for years. I've learned to expect the unexpected. Speaking of which, before we address the reason for your visit, I, too, would like to extend my best wishes. May you enjoy a long and happy life together."

"We intend to, Henry," Julian replied. "Long, happy, and—if the past few days are any indication—rife with excitement."

"Which brings us to the purpose of your visit?" Camden prompted.

"Yes." Julian leaned forward. "Henry, this meeting concerns Geoffrey's strongbox."

"I see." The solicitor glanced uneasily at Aurora.

"My wife knows everything." A corner of Julian's mouth lifted. "Actually, a good deal more than you do, given your timely exit from Morland Manor the day you presented me with the chest." He held up his palm, anticipating Henry's protest. "I realize your decision to leave when you did was rooted in your customary integrity."

"I won't deny I was curious about Geoffrey's legacy," Henry clarified. "But curiosity is not the quality upon which my family built our reputation. As I explained to you at Morland Manor, Geoffrey's instructions were that you view the contents of the chest alone."

"And I better than anyone understand why—else I'd be sharing my findings with you now."

"I understand."

"But I have shared them with Aurora. So don't worry about speaking freely."

"Very well." A puzzled expression crossed Camden's face. "But I don't understand. Given your information and my lack thereof, what can I do for you?"

"You can tell us if my great-grandfather entrusted you with a similar chest," Aurora inserted.

The solicitor frowned. "I don't understand."

Aurora chewed her lip, carefully measuring her words. "Based upon a discovery we made at Pembourne, we have reason to believe that James Huntley might have bequeathed a twin chest to his heirs. Did he?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Mr. Camden, I'm a Huntley," Aurora reminded him. "I understand you'd feel more comfortable if Slayde were here issuing this request, but with Courtney about to deliver their first child, that just wasn't possible. I did bring a note in Slayde's hand, should you require it, asking that you release to me anything of James's that you might have in your possession…"

"That wouldn't be necessary," Camden interrupted. "I've known you since you were a babe, Aurora. If I had what you were seeking, I'd be perfectly willing to turn it over to either you or Slayde. The fact is, I don't. Whatever you discovered that led you to believe James possessed a similar strongbox—at least one he entrusted to my family's care—was misleading. I simply don't have it."

"Dammit." Julian came to his feet. "It's got to be somewhere. I
know
it exists. Every instinct tells me so."

Slowly Henry rose from behind his desk. "If my curiosity were aroused before, it's clamoring now."

"I know, Henry. And soon, I hope, we'll be able to supply the answers to all your questions. But for now—" Julian gripped Aurora's elbow, guiding her to her feet. "We'd best be going."

"Very well. I wish you luck." Henry studied them both, an ironic gleam in his eye. "'Tis hard to believe there might at long last be peace between the Huntleys and the Bencrofts. I'd begun to think of that as an impossibility. But if anyone can accomplish the impossible, Julian, you can. Especially with this particular young lady by your side." He crossed over and opened the door for them to pass. "I'm certain you'll find precisely what you seek."

* * *

By the next day, Aurora had her doubts.

Having left Somerset posthaste, they'd driven to Pembourne at a breakneck pace, hoping that in their absence Courtney and Slayde had uncovered something of consequence.

The results were as disheartening as their own. Despite hours of poring over books and scrutinizing papers, neither Courtney nor Slayde had turned up one shred of pertinent information on either James Huntley or his falcons.

"What's next?" Slayde demanded, lounging dejectedly on the library settee.

"Morland." Julian spat out the word as if it were poison. "It's time to tear my father's home apart, bit by bit. Since the key was concealed at Pembourne, perhaps the strongbox—or at least a hint of its whereabouts—is hidden at Morland. 'Twould be just like our great-grandfathers to divide the clues between the two estates. It would ensure that both families were needed to locate the chest."

"But you've already searched Morland several times over," Aurora protested. "Surely you of all people would have spotted a strongbox that looks identical to your great-grandfather's."

"If it were visible, yes. But it's possible I overlooked Geoffrey's hiding place. Certainly I might have overlooked a clue, if that's what's concealed at Morland rather than the box itself. Remember, Rory, at the time I explored the estate, I wasn't looking for anything specific. Now I am."

"Julian," Courtney suggested from her propped position in an armchair, "isn't it possible your line of thinking is leading you in the wrong direction?"

"How so?"

"Let's presume the strongbox exists, and that the key to James's falcon cages unlocks it. It's still possible that no clue of the chest's whereabouts can be found at either Pembourne or Morland—and for a very good reason. Has it occurred to you that James used the chest not to house a clue, but to house the black diamond when he hid it?"

Julian raked a hand through his hair. "I considered that possibility. However, given the nature of James and Geoffrey's partnership, I think not. If Geoffrey used his strongbox to convey a piece of this puzzle, I'm willing to bet James did the same. What's more, I don't believe James would ever have taken the risk of hanging a key that would unlock something as valuable as the black diamond out in the open for all to see—even if the chances were slim that someone would realize its dual purpose."

"Even if someone suspected that the key fit a strongbox as well as a cage, they wouldn't know where to find that strongbox," Slayde pointed out. "Which is the very dilemma we now face—
and
the reason I agree with Julian. Why would our great-grandfathers provide us with the key to their greatest treasures without also providing us with the means to find those treasures? They wouldn't. Thus, if another strongbox exists, I believe it exists to convey additional information to make our search a plausible one."