Her sisters agreed that they had not taken the case. Indeed, it was clear that they had not thought of it since they had taken up residence in the earl’s house.
“The case is missing?” Royce asked, frowning. “Are you certain?”
“Yes. Prue and I looked all over my room, and we could not find it anywhere. I cannot imagine where it could have got to.”
“Do you think it was stolen?” Fitz asked.
Mary looked at him, startled. “Stolen? Why would anyone steal it? It had nothing of importance in it, only the deed of a farm that belonged to our father and a bill of sale for the wagon and horses he bought from old Mr. McCready. The earl took out the things that were valuable—our birth certificates and the marriage certificate, the letter our mother wrote—and locked them in his safe in London.”
“Perhaps whoever took it didn’t know that,” Royce offered.
“Are you serious?” Mary looked from one man to the other. “You actually think it was stolen?”
Fitz shrugged. “Probably not. It seems unlikely a thief would break in here and steal only that.”
“True.” Mary thought of the many valuable objects that lay around this house—a leather case would not compare to some of the candlesticks and vases, let alone things like silver epergnes and tea services or the gold and enamel box on the mantel of this very room.
“Still … there must be some reason it is gone,” Royce said. “Some very peculiar things have transpired the last few weeks. When did it go missing?”#p#分页标题#e#
“I don’t know.” Mary sighed. “It could have been anytime since we’ve been here. I tucked it in the trunk when we first arrived, and I haven’t paid any attention to it since. It was only by accident that I noticed it today.”
“I will have Bostwick check with the servants. Perhaps one of them picked it up and put it somewhere.”
Mary nodded and started to turn away. At that moment Miss Dalrymple’s voice came trumpeting down the corridor. “Girls? Where are you? It is time for your music lesson.”
Camellia let out a groan, but the girls rose to their feet. Fitz stood up with them, promising gravely to draw their chaperone’s fire.
Mary started to follow the others out of the room, but Royce rose, saying, “Mary—stay a moment.”
Mary did not look at him. “I should join my sisters.”
“I will make your excuses to Miss Dalrymple later.” He came around the table.
Mary’s only hope of escape was to beat him to the door, but she refused to sink to the indignity of racing him. She faced him, squaring her shoulders. “I can think of nothing else to add about the satchel.”
“I had not intended to discuss the missing satchel.” Royce closed the library door and returned to her.
Mary glanced toward the closed door. “That is a trifle indiscreet, is it not?”
“Perhaps. But I do not think that either of us would wish to have our conversation heard by everyone in the house.”
“All right.” Mary crossed her arms over her chest, almost as if she could hold in the emotions roiling within her. Trepidation, anger, resentment, hurt, jealousy all warred for supremacy, and she would hate for Royce to glimpse any of them. She wished she had not impulsively come down here. “What did you wish to discuss?”
“Our marriage.”
“There is no marriage.”
“There has to be.” Frustration stamped Royce’s features. “Blast it, Mary, face the truth. Your reputation, your very future are at stake. You must marry me.”
Mary’s brows rose. “I must ?”
“Damn it, Mary, stop acting this way. What is wrong with you? Surely you realize what it would do to your good name—”
“To hell with my good name!” Mary’s eyes burned as her arms fell to her sides, hands clenching. “I told you that I would not marry a man who doesn’t love me. Even less would I marry one who loves someone else!”
He stared at her. “What?”
“Lady Sabrina told me your story last night.” Mary noted with a painful satisfaction that Royce’s face shut down at the mention of Sabrina’s name.
“No doubt that was entertaining for both of you. What did Sabrina say?”
“She told me that the two of you were in love, but her parents refused to let her marry you, that they pushed her to marry Lord Humphrey. You urged her to run away with you, but she refused.”
Royce rolled his eyes. “I see she is still a liar.”
“You deny it, then?” Mary strode closer, her head high. “You did not love her?”