Page 24 of Fatal By Design
Cartwright changed his hat from one hand to the other, then placed it on his head, his hair now damp. “Yes. A ring.Myring, though my grandfather would disagree with that.”
“How so?”
“My father gave my mother a rare purple diamond when they married in Kochi, India. When they died of fever and I was sent to England, their possessions came with me. The diamond was among them. Grandfather placed the ring in his safe, and when I planned to propose to Millie, I asked for it. It was my mother’s. I know she would have wanted me to give it to the woman I wished to marry. But he refused, saying that the ring belonged to him.”
Hugh crossed his arms. “Let me guess—you took it anyway.”
The sly crook of Cartwright’s head was his answer. “And my loving grandfather had me arrested for thievery.”
Now this was getting interesting.
“The charges were dropped, of course, when my solicitor convinced the magistrates that I was the rightful owner of the diamond, but Grandfather was not satisfied.”
The pattering of rain on the leaves of the trees surrounding the family plot increased. The three of them would become soaked if they stayed out here much longer.
“Where is the ring now?” Audrey asked, seemingly oblivious to the weather.
“Millie tried to give it back to me, but I wanted her to keep it.”
“Even after she rejected your proposal?”
“I could never have offered my mother’s diamond to anyone else. I told her that the ring was hers, just as my heart was hers. One day, she would be my wife. No matter how long it took.”
The man’s devotion bordered on delusion. But then, how many times had Hugh himself considered that no woman he met could ever hold a candle to Audrey? Perhaps it wasn’t so delusional at all.
And with a cold clap of certainty, he knew that he would never want another. So, what was he to do? Walk away from Audrey out of fear that Philip would return? Looking at Cartwright now, a man past his prime, his hair graying, Hugh felt pity. The man had spent the last fifteen years lamenting the loss of the woman he loved. He didn’t want that for himself.
“So, Millie still has the ring,” Audrey surmised, pulling Hugh from his dismal thoughts. “Who else is aware of this?”
“Just me. I suppose my valet back then probably knew. Valets know everything, of course. My grandfather likely believed I’ve had possession of it all these years.” Cartwright paced a tight circle, his agitation and impatience boiling over. “I cannot stay. I will ride for Kent and Greenbriar.”
“We are leaving at dawn,” Hugh said. “It will be nightfall long before you reach Kent. Traveling the roads wouldn’t be wise. Meet us tomorrow at sunrise at the Hare and Crown in Low Heath.”
He could see what Cartwright thought of that by the glare he spared him.
“Where is your old valet now?” Hugh asked.
“I couldn’t begin to say. I haven’t heard from him since I quit my grandfather’s home.” Then, he turned on his heel and broke for the woods again. “I am staying at the Hare and Crown as well. Tomorrow, not one minute past dawn. Otherwise, I ride for Kent alone.”
Then, with a belated tip of his hat toward Audrey, he hurried back into the trees.
“Someone else knows he gave Millie that diamond,” she said as he went, “if the abductors were looking for it.”
“It could have been Montague’s men.” Hugh thought it the most likely answer. Then again, the most likely answer wasn’t always the correct one. It was simply the easiest.
“Or the valet recently said something to the wrong person,” Audrey suggested as they turned back toward the gates. Greer still stood there, waiting for her mistress. “Or else why would someone wait until right now to track down Millie for it? She’s had it for fifteen years already.”
“Ifshe still has it,” Hugh said. “It would be worth a fortune. And if she never thought she’d see Cartwright again, she could have sold it. What if she panicked when he asked her to bring it?”
It was a true muddle, and by the bleak and bewildered way Audrey rubbed at her temple, she had as few answers as Hugh did. Just endless questions and a troubling fear that Lady Redding may already be beyond help.
ChapterTen
Greer had left Audrey’s bedchamber for her usual room in the servant’s wing at Fournier House hours ago. Though she tried to fall asleep, Audrey’s mind was too alert, her limbs restless. She felt much like how Lord Cartwright must—impatient to move. The longer they took to track Millie down, the worse the chances that she would come to no harm.
But Hugh had been right to insist they stay put for the night. Traveling pitch black country roads would not only be potentially dangerous for them, but also for the horses. Still, no amount of logic could diminish her worry.
Hers was likely the only lamp in the house still lit when the clock’s hands started past the two o’clock hour. Reading usually made her eyes tired enough to tempt her into sleep, but it wasn’t working this time. She couldn’t concentrate on the words, and in fact, several times she even forgot the title of the book. Finally, she snapped it shut and tossed it across the bed, toward her feet.
