To Trust a Thief (12 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Min had been given a few days off from classes and she’d spent them tearing apart the secret room, going through each and every bookshelf in the library, and combing through any other possible hiding place that she could think of, looking for the second blasted portrait. Her desperation grew with every passing day. But still, nothing turned up. When she finally resumed her lessons she found herself welcoming the distraction they offered.

She avoided Bryant whenever possible. After their interlude in the greenhouse, Min was even more uncomfortable with her feelings toward him than she had been before. But while she might have been able to avoid him physically, she couldn’t banish him from her thoughts.

She’d given the papers from Bryant a cursory thumb-through, but so far they didn’t seem to contain anything helpful. However, her options were growing thinner by the minute. It wouldn’t hurt to take a closer look.

As soon as they were dismissed from classes for the day, Min and Charlotte rushed back to their room to retrieve the papers. They rounded the corner to their hallway and came face to face with a vile-looking man, dressed all in black and wielding a large stick in his callused and filthy hands.

Charlotte emitted a frightened shriek. Min sucked back a scream and flattened herself against the wall. The man, instead of politely backing away, pressed close enough that Min could smell his foul breath.

“Pardon, ladies. Didn’t mean to alarm you.” He lowered the stick and bowed. “Just cleanin’ up the cobwebs.”

One end of his stick was covered with rags that still held a few shimmering strands. His movements also caused the dirty scarf around his neck to slip, revealing several fresh bruises that looked disturbingly like fingerprints. Min pressed her hand to her chest and tried to calm her racing heart as she belatedly recognized Thornmont’s new handyman.

“Mr. Gage!” she exclaimed. “No, no, you just startled us, that’s all.” She was only half relieved to realize the identity of the terrifying figure.

Min glanced at Charlotte, who had recovered her composure and now seemed unperturbed by the man’s presence.

“Well, we don’t want to keep you from your work.” Charlotte grabbed Min’s hand and pulled her down the corridor. “Good day, Mr. Gage.”

“Thank ’ee, Miss,” he drawled.

Min paused before she entered her doorway and looked back to find Gage still staring. His eyes held a wicked amusement that sent chills through her blood. He slowly licked his lips. Min shuddered and bolted into the safety of her room, slamming the door behind her.

“That man scares me.” She tried to repress the shiver of revulsion crawling up her spine.

“Who, Mr. Gage?” Charlotte asked. “He’s menacing, I’ll give you that, but his appearance is really no more than a combination of bad eyesight and worse teeth. He’s harmless.”

Min didn’t agree, but she wasn’t in the mood to argue. Besides, she felt rather silly now that her initial fright had eased, and she supposed that Charlotte could be right. She would try to be a little kinder to the odious creature in the future.

She went straight to the cupboard and grasped the handle of the cabinet door. To her surprise, the door swung silently open. Min stared for a moment, the unused key forgotten in the palm of her hand.

“What is it?” Charlotte asked.

“The door! It wasn’t locked. It wasn’t even latched.”

“Well, that was rather careless of you.”

“That’s just it, Charlotte. I was
not
careless. I locked this cupboard last night. I know I did.”

Charlotte studied her for a moment before replying. “Perhaps you meant to but got distracted.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Is everything still there?” Charlotte asked.

“Thank goodness!” she said, pulling the papers out and holding them close to her chest.

Charlotte nodded and climbed onto Min’s bed. “Let’s see what these stuffy old documents have to offer.”

Min scrambled up after her, flopped down on her belly, and flipped through the pages, skimming various deeds, notes, records, and ledger entries.

“Nothing,” Min said, slamming the last page over.

“They didn’t help much, did they,” Charlotte observed. “A bit interesting, I’ll admit. But I thought they would name a place for us to begin searching.”

Min put her head down and groaned. “We are never going to find that blasted necklace.”

“Oh, Min. You will. If anyone is determined to solve a good mystery, it’s you.”

“I’m not so certain of that. But thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“What about the map in the locket?”

Min pulled the locket from her blouse, flipped it open, and carefully removed the portrait to retrieve the map. “What on earth…?” She took a closer look at the back of the portrait. “That lying, thieving, no good bast—”

“Min!” Charlotte gave her a sharp look of disapproval and then leaned forward to look at the portrait. “What are we looking at?”

Min fumed as she held the back of the portrait up for Charlotte’s inspection, all warm feelings for Bryant doused in a river of ice-cold fury.

“That smudge?” Charlotte asked. “That’s what all the fuss is about?”

“That smudge wasn’t there the last time I looked at the map.”

“Are you sure? It is an old portrait.”

“Exactly. An old portrait. With a very new streak of dust on it.” Min wiped her finger through the tiny spot on the canvas, smearing the dirt into the fibers.

“But that’s impossible. You never take it off. Mr. Westley couldn’t have…”

“I know. But somehow…” Min froze at the memory of the locket lying on her pillow beside her the morning after their interlude behind the drapes. “I’ll kill him,” she said, jumping up from the bed and stomping toward the door.

“Min! Calm down! I don’t think he’s returned yet, so you’ll have to put your murder plans on hold for the moment.”

Min paced the room, the thought of Bryant in possession of the map eating at her. He could be out even now solving the whole mystery and finding the necklace. “I need to find that second portrait before he does. If he gets to it first and has a copy of the locket map, then—”

“Then he’ll do exactly what you are planning to do and make off with the treasure without sharing?”

Min frowned, hating the reminder of her necessary duplicity. “I don’t have a choice, Charlotte. If I did…”

“I know. I’m sorry. Is there anywhere left you haven’t looked?”

“We’ve looked everywhere. We even found a secret compartment the other night in the gallery room. It would have been the perfect spot to stash something precious, but there was nothing in there but…”

“But what?”

“A bundle of old rags.”

Charlotte leaned forward. “How large a bundle?”

“Large enough,” Min said, jumping up.

“Did you look through them?”

“I didn’t get the chance.” She stomped toward the door, all remnants of guilt evaporating in a rush of anger and near terror that Bryant might indeed have both maps. “But I’ll bloody well take the chance now.”

“Min, he could have been telling the truth. There might not have been anything in that bundle.”

Min opened her mouth to protest but Charlotte pressed on. “Besides, even if there were, there’s nothing you can really do about it.”

“Don’t be so sure. He didn’t come down to breakfast today. Maybe I can find something before he gets back.”

Charlotte jumped in front of her, barring the way. “What are you going to do? Just slip into his room and rifle through his things? Are you mad, girl?”

“It will be perfectly safe, Charlotte. No one ventures up to the servants’ floor and it should be empty at this time of day. Even if I get caught, it’s my house. I have every right to be up there.”

“Oh, you do not! It doesn’t matter whose house this is—if you get caught in an instructor’s room, a
male
instructor’s
bed
room, you’re done for. We are going to get in trouble if we are missed, and if you get caught…”

“I won’t stay long. I’ll just look around quickly.” She darted around Charlotte who tried in vain to block the door.

“But what if he’s there?”

“Then I’ll think of something.”

“If you get caught you are both finished!”

“I can’t just sit around all day. I’m running out of time, Charlotte. And if he’s keeping something from me, then I have even more reason to go.”

“Min,” Charlotte tried again.

But Min ignored her and trotted down the hall toward the stairs.

Chapter Twenty

Min slowed as she reached the top of the stairs and stopped on the landing. She peered around the corner. Seeing no one, she sprinted down the corridor into the men’s wing, opening each door and peeking inside. The first two were in a state of comfortable untidiness, strewn with personal items and clothing. But the third was neat as a pin, unpleasant and uninviting. It
must
be Bryant’s. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

She experienced a moment of anxiety as she looked around. The chamber was devoid of any trappings that might suggest someone lived there. It consisted of the same four-poster bed, armoire, and dresser that all the servants’ rooms possessed. A small, round table sat near the window, and a pleasant armchair waited comfortably nearby. Yet aside from a single comb on the dresser top, there were no other possessions in the room at all. No books, toiletry items, or even discarded clothing strewn about.

Min went to the armoire, thinking she might be mistaken about it being Bryant’s room after all. She opened the doors to reveal a long black wool coat, a dark jersey cloak, an evening suit, a top hat perched on the highest shelf, and a pair of polished leather boots. A partially opened drawer revealed a pile of crisp white shirts folded neatly inside. She breathed in deeply, smiling at the familiar scent that enveloped her. The faint mix of forest pine and worn leather would forever conjure images of Bryant in her mind. Yes, she had the right room.

She rooted through the drawers, careful to disturb nothing. The more she looked, the more she realized there would be nothing to find. She should have known he’d be too clever to leave anything lying about.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway and Min closed the doors of the armoire.

Blast!
She couldn’t imagine that Bryant would be too happy to find her in his room. Her stomach rolled with sudden dread at the possibility that he might not be alone. This idea may not have been such a good one after all.

She stood by the bed, her hands twisting knots in her skirts. The footsteps halted just outside the door. Min froze. With a last desperate look around the room, she dove underneath the bed and clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle her breathing. She listened intently as the door opened and someone entered the room.

Several seconds later, Min heard the armoire doors being thrown open. She inched forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the room’s new occupant. She was almost certain it was Bryant, but she wasn’t willing to risk the consequences of discovery if she were wrong.

Min slowly lifted the edge of the bed skirt and peered out. A pair of feet encased in decidedly scuffed and worn boots stood near the armoire. Its drawers were being opened and shut as the mystery guest rifled through the contents. The strong scent of stale tobacco drifted toward her. Min grimaced. Definitely
not
Bryant. She crept forward a little more, careful to stay hidden beneath the bed. Min knew that she hadn’t left her cupboard open, so the possibility existed that the same person who went through her things was now going through Bryant’s.

Unfortunately, all Min could see of the intruder was the worn boots. The man closed the doors with a brief muttered curse, and Min listened as he headed for the door.

More footsteps!

Someone else was coming down the corridor. She had no doubt that whoever the intruder was, he would never escape in time. Min prayed that the prowler would not decide to hide himself as she had done. The only dependable hiding place was the one she occupied, and she really didn’t want to share her cramped space with the would-be burglar.

The door opened and Min held her breath.

“You!” Bryant’s familiar voice sounded angry but not surprised. “I thought I made myself clear to you.”

Silence answered his remark.

Min wished she could see Bryant’s face to make sense of the situation.

“You didn’t really think I would be stupid enough to hide anything where you could get at it, did you?” Bryant asked. “Ransacking my room won’t help you, you little weasel.”

Min knew Bryant wasn’t addressing her but couldn’t help feeling offended and foolish anyway.

“Just doin’ me job, mate. Rellik says your time’s runnin’ out. He wants results and he wants ’em quick.”

“I already told you to tell Rellik he will get the necklace when I find it. Sending his runt-of-the-litter lapdog to breathe down my neck will not make the search go any faster.”

“Ye better watch yerself there, Westley. One o’these days you won’t be Rellik’s favorite errand boy no more. Even you ’ave to sleep sometime.”

Min bit her lip, a shiver of fear rippling through her.

“Stay out of my way and you won’t have to find out just how little of a threat you are.”

“’E won’t wait much longer—not the most patient of gentlemen, you know. Until you do what you were sent for, I’ll be keepin’ an eye on things.” The intruder pushed his way past Bryant and into the hall.

Bryant closed the door, softly cursing Rellik and his underling.

Min’s breaths sounded overly loud in the suddenly ominous quiet in the room. She tried to stifle them as best she could and listened intently. Had Bryant left the room as well? She didn’t think so, but then she couldn’t hear him, either. She had just made up her mind to crawl out of her hiding place when a pair of strong hands clamped around her ankles. She yelped as she was yanked from beneath the bed. Her skirts remained behind as she was dragged, and Min tried desperately to pull them along.

She clawed at the rug and tried to free herself but found herself flipped over and trapped instead. Bryant straddled her, pinning her to the ground, while his hands captured her wrists. She struggled briefly and then surrendered. She twisted her head back and forth, trying to dislodge the skirts that now completely covered her face.

“I can’t breathe,” she said. But the layers of fabric obstructed her voice, turning into something that sounded more like, “Mm mmmm mmmmm.”

“What was that?” Bryant asked.

“I can’t breathe!” she said again.

“Oh, sorry.” He used one hand to pull her skirts away from her face but kept her wrists firmly held in the other.

“Ah, better.” Min took in a deep breath of air and looked up at Bryant.

Well this is awkward
. For the first time in her life, Min was grateful for the many layers of clothing she was required to wear each day. Had she still been on her island, Bryant would be seeing a lot more of her than just her pantaloons, stockings, and (hopefully) at least one petticoat.

Completely at a loss for words, she decided to pretend she wasn’t flat on her back with her skirts over her head. “How was your ride?” she asked, putting on her best demure-young-lady face. “Is the weather nice today?”

Bryant burst into laughter. He released her hands and eased up a bit but kept her legs pinned beneath his own.

Min sat up as much as she could and pummeled him with her fists. “Oh, get off me, you big oaf!”

Bryant, still chuckling, fended off her punches. “Now why would I want to do that? This is really quite comfortable.”

Gazing down at her, Bryant’s laughter faded. He brushed her ever-errant curls back from her face. “What were you doing under my bed?”

“I, um…” Min racked her brain for an excuse he’d believe. For some reason, whenever he touched her, her mind went to mush. Completely irritating. She sat back a bit and Bryant dropped his hand. “When I heard that man coming in, I hid under the bed in case it wasn’t you,” she explained.

“It’s a good thing you did. Did he see you?”

“I don’t think so, and all I saw of him were his boots. Could you…get off me? Please?”

Bryant hesitated and for a second Min wasn’t sure he’d comply. Then he jumped up, hauling her to her feet as he went.

“Thank you,” Min said, making sure all her clothing was in order. “What did that man want? And did he mean Lord Tyson Rellik? The same man who lives in the big manor house on the other side of the hill and owns half the village? Well, I guess we know why he recommended you for this position. I’d wondered why he’d bother with the needs of my aunt’s little school. He doesn’t seem the thoughtful sort.”

“He is a business associate. No one with whom you need to concern yourself.” Bryant ran his hands through his hair and paced away from her. “Why did you want to see me so badly that you couldn’t wait until tonight? Or did you just hope to rifle through my drawers and make it out of here before I came back?”

Min flushed and Bryant stepped closer. “Your presence in my room is…ill advised.”

Min couldn’t identify the tone in his voice, but it sent shivers down her spine. Not that she’d let him see that. “You have no right to be angry with me! You’re the one wh—”

An unexpected and very unwelcome knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Back under the bed with you,” Bryant said with a wave of his hand as he headed toward the door. Min was already scurrying back to her hiding place. Her skirts stuck on a loose board beneath the bed and she tugged. Part of the board came with it. She heard the door open.

“Mr. Westley,” came a simpering voice. “I do hope I’m not disturbing you.”

Min rolled her eyes and scowled. What did that little trollop want?

“Lady Katherine.” Min was happy to note that Bryant’s voice sounded strained and impatient. “In fact, I’m rather busy at the moment. May I help you with something?”

Good for him. Min peered into the small hole that was uncovered by the loose board and had to bite her lip to keep from gasping out loud. The bundle of rags from the gallery room was concealed in the hole. Min grabbed them, her heart pounding when she felt the hard object inside them. It was too dark to see what it was under the bed, but it felt like a frame. A small metal frame.

“You have a visitor downstairs,” Katherine’s voice purred. “I volunteered to come let you know.”

“Thank you. I’ll be down in a moment.”

“Oh, it’s no one important. Aren’t you going to ask me in? It really wouldn’t do for someone to see me talking to you outside your bedroom door. And I would much prefer to continue our conversation in private.”

Min stifled an outraged gasp and forced herself to return to the task at hand. She shoved the frame down the front of her corset and put the rags back in the hole. The board stuck a little and Min held her breath when it finally slid into place with an audible
thump
.

“Absolutely not,” Bryant replied, his voice exceptionally stern and condescending. Min sighed in relief, though she wasn’t sure if it was because he hadn’t heard her rustlings or because Bryant had turned Katherine down.

“It would be highly improper to invite you into my private quarters. Run along now and tell my guest I will be down shortly. I will see you in class later this afternoon, Lady Katherine. Good afternoon,” Bryant said firmly, his declaration followed by the sound of the door closing.

Min wiggled out from under the bed, stood up, and smoothed her skirts. “That little… How dare she! What did she think she was doing?”

“Well, I can tell you what she was trying to do,” Bryant answered, “but I am not quite sure why she thought I would be interested.”

“Humph,” Min snorted, hands on her hips. “Katherine thinks everyone is interested in her.”

“And why are you so angry?” Bryant closed the distance between them. “Does it matter to you so much?”

“I… No, I…” Min sputtered, once again struck speechless. She shook her head. “You might want to watch your back. Her ladyship doesn’t take rejection well.”

Bryant gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry about me. I always watch my back.”

“Oh. Well…good.”

“Now, why are you here?”

“I—” Min pressed her hand against her corset to make sure the frame was secure.

“Or, I suppose the better question would be, what did you hope to find? I assume it wasn’t me.”

Min blushed, not sure if it was more from embarrassment or anger. “I wasn’t looking for anything.”

“You aren’t a very good liar, Minuette. An admirable quality but not one that helps you at the moment.”

“All right. Fine. I think you know more than you are saying. I just wanted to give you the chance to talk.” The excuse sounded flimsy, even to her.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Yes I did. I thought we should talk.”

“Now? Why?” He moved a little closer with every question. “Why?” When she didn’t answer, he shook his head. “I thought we had an agreement.”

“We did. Yet you’ve given me no reason to place my faith in you and a million reasons not to.”

“Just as you’ve given me no reason to place my faith in you.”

She glared up at him. “Oh really? So you’ve told me everything you know? You didn’t tell me about Lord Rellik or your real reasons for being here. Other than some vague mentions of places you’ve searched and a few old papers that are of no real help, you haven’t contributed much to the search at all. You are always riding off and disappearing. Where did you go this morning? Back to your partner? What else are you hiding from
me
?”

He stopped in front of her and trailed his hands up her arms. Min swallowed, trying to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. Her head swam at his touch and she tried to back away, but he held tight.

“Stop trying to distract me!”

Bryant pulled her in closer.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” she asked. She wanted to trust him. Desperately. But if she did, and he betrayed her…she just couldn’t risk it. She’d already lost her father. She wouldn’t lose her mother, too. And Arthur. He’d be ruined. “What’s going on? And what does Lord Rellik have to do with all this?”

Bryant shook his head and looked at the floor, gritting his teeth so hard she could hear his jaw pop.

“You won’t tell me?”

He brought his gaze up to meet hers, speaking through clenched teeth. “I
can’t
tell you.”

“Yet you dare question whether or not I’m sharing everything with you.” The hypocrisy was a bitter sting on her tongue, but it was better that than hand everything to him and get nothing in return.