Page 44 of Every Duke Has His Thorn
“Good day, Your Grace.” Marina couldn’t keep relief from her voice as she greeted the duke upon his arrival in the library. His Grace looked no worse for wear after his evening at the folly.
“Good day, Sir Joseph. Miss Davies.”
It must be her imagination that the duke looked as happy to see her as she was him.
When they were seated, the duke said plainly, “I found the treasure.”
He took a coin from a pocket inside his jacket and pushed it across the desk toward Marina and her father.
“May I?” she asked breathlessly.
The duke nodded. “Please.”
She picked up the coin, turning it over between her fingers.
Her father leaned in to take a look. “Why, that is a Royalist coin!”
“It is,” the duke replied wryly. “A gold triple unite that was supposedly minted in Oxford. The coins were worth three pounds in 1643. The horde I found appears to be all Royalist coins of several denominations, the majority are diamond shaped shillings, made from requisitioned plate.”
“You found an urnful,” she said, looking up, a question in her tone.
The duke replied, “The rest of the coins are in the plate safe in the butler’s pantry. Winston has the only key. I can take you and your father to see the treasure later today. As most of the coins are schillings, the cache isn’t worth a large amount.”
“But the treasure was there.” She replaced the coin on the desk. “And it was quite an adventure to find it.”
She caught the duke’s gaze, and they stared at each other for several seconds.
Her father cleared his throat. “Cook told us this morning that Anne had to return to Blackpool in the night due to a family emergency.”
There was a long pause, so she rushed to say, “I spoke with Anne last night. She told me that her mother was put in an insane asylum as Anne and her uncle could no longer afford to pay for private treatment. Evidently her mother had a breakdown after her husband abandoned the family a few years ago and has never fully recovered.”
“Since she confided in you, Miss Davies, I have no reservations about sharing with you and your father my plans for the family.” He sat forward and placed his elbows on the desk. “Mr. Sparks has admitted to skimming money from the estate accounts in the hope of providing better care for his sister. I will not prosecute him but instead hope to find positions for him and Anne in the household of the Duke of Blackpool. The treasure horde will be melted down and all monies used to assist Mr. Sparks in providing private care for his sister. Nobody deserves to be left in an asylum.”
“I think that is a worthy use of the treasure,” her father said with a nod. “You are very kind, Your Grace.”
The duke frowned. “It pains me to think that I was so caught up in my trivial difficulties so much so that Mr. Sparks didn’t feel like he could ask for my help.”
Marina felt the urge to comfort the duke, but anything she could think to say was too personal or too forward. “Does anyone else on the estate know the truth of the matter?”
“Other than yourselves, only my aunt, Mr. Bailey, and Winston know that Mr. Sparks returned to the estate. I believe I can trust you to keep all that you know about Mr. Sparks and his family to yourselves.”
Her father replied, “Of course, Your Grace. Shall we discuss the status of the renovations to the hall?”
Over the next few minutes her father updated the duke on the progress in the bedchambers on the second floor. “Work should be complete in a fortnight.”
Marina hadn’t realized the project was so close to completion. She’d been too preoccupied with treasure hunting. Biting her lip, she hoped her melancholy at the thought of leaving Barton Hall didn’t show on her face.
“So soon?” The duke added, “I didn’t appreciate how swiftly the work was being completed. Was there anything else, Sir Joseph?”
“No, Your Grace.”
She and her father rose to their feet. Marina felt a strange numbness. The clues were solved, the treasure found. His Grace appeared to have the issue of Mr. Sparks well in hand. There were no reasons left for her to attend the duke’s morning meeting with her father. No reason for her to communicate with him at all.
Marina wished she could tell the duke she didn’t want to leave Barton Hall. She wanted to stay on the estate. Stay with him.
“Miss Davies?”
“Yes, Your Grace?” she asked with a tremulous smile.
