Page 49 of Choosing Her Earl at Last
“It is uncertain,” Michael answered. “I have placed a reward for any information on the missing paintings and have reached out to all of the antiquarians, auction houses, and collectors in the area to alert me if they should come across any of these paintings.”
Louisa nodded in understanding. “Let us pray that they are foolish enough to attempt to sell the paintings here in England and not abroad.”
Emmeline and Michael exchanged a concerned glance. “Let us hope,” they said in unison.
At that moment, Michael’s mother entered the library and took in their frustrated expressions.
“Perhaps a walk among the roses is in order,” she offered as she bustled across the room to her son’s side. “It is a beautiful day, and you have all gone over this room more times than is productive. I request that you all join me for a stroll to take in the air.”
Michael gave Emmeline a questioning look, and she nodded in acceptance. “Perhaps it will give us a fresh perspective on the matter.”
“Do we know how the thieves gained entry?” Michael asked his estate manager.
The man shook his head. “It is unclear, my lord. Nothing was broken.”
“Then we shall search the grounds and see what we might discover out there.” Michael knew the chances were small, but he was not ready to give up on this one tenuous clue that might lead to finding Rebecca.
“I will inform the staff, my lord. I know that many of them would be happy to join the hunt,” the estate manager informed him, then bowing, left the room.
“Do you think that it is possible that the thief could have been allowed entry by one of the staff?” Emmeline asked, her eyes showing her hesitancy to make such an inquiry.
Michael shook his head. “Most of the staff have been here their entire lives, but I will make inquiries. It is possible that someone was hired in my absence that I am unaware of.”
“Thank you for understanding and not rejecting my question outright,” Emmeline murmured for his ears alone as they moved to leave the library.
“I would never reject you,” Michael replied, then moved away before he could see her response to his declaration.
Chapter 21
While Michael’s estate manager organized the staff into search parties to find any evidence of how the thieves gained access to the library, Michael’s parents led Emmeline and Louisa on a guided tour of the Ravenshollow gardens.
Michael’s mother had an intimate knowledge of the plants, having planted many of them herself over the years with help from the estate’s groundskeeper.
Emmeline was impressed by the older woman’s knowledge and passion. Michael walked with him, but his eyes were on the ground, not the plants. Emmeline held herself back and fell into step beside him.
“I am sorry about your paintings,” she stated, believing his forlorn look to be that of loss over his prized possessions.
“They are only paintings, not people. Your loss is far greater than mine. I am only disappointed that we did not find more usable information to guide our inquiries in the right direction,” he explained.
They walked along together behind Louisa and his parents, listening to them chatter with one another. Michael’s father was a most attentive husband to his wife, and it caused a pang of sadness in Emmeline’s heart.
“Your mother is a fortunate woman,” she murmured, not intending to speak her thoughts aloud.
Michael gave her a questioning look. “How so?”
“Your father treats her with kindness, dignity, and love. He is a most attentive husband and father. Not all women are given such a privilege in marriage,” Emmeline explained.
Michael gave her a sympathetic look. “And you did not have that in your marriage?”
Emmeline looked at him in surprise. It was the first time that he had made an actual, genuine inquiry into her marriage to Norman. “No,” she replied. “I did not.”
His eyes darkened, and Emmeline could not tell what he was thinking. It made her nervous.
“I am sorry for that,” he said at long last.
“You are?” Emmeline was truly confounded. The last that she had known of his feelings, Michael resented her for marrying another man. She had assumed that he would not care one jot about her marital happiness or lack thereof.
“I am.” He nodded in confirmation. “I would never wish unhappiness upon you, Emmeline.”
