Page 23 of The Marriage Deal
The place was a beautiful townhouse that had not forgotten its Victorian roots but wasstill modern enough that it could feature in Architectural Digest. Light blue Victorian style wallpaper lined the walls with bottom white wood panels. The beige with blue furniture was modern but with a touch of the past.
The butler who received us was as well-mannered as I expected a butler to be, and his back was straight even though his eyes were heavy with sleep. This guy did not look like the driver. His tall, wiry frame towered over us all, including a very tall Levi.
"Thank you, Mosely," Levi said as the butler directed a footman to take our luggage. How many servants did this man have in his life? They seem to pop out of the woodwork. "Is Raine around?"
"He's at Monza, sir," Mosely said as he elegantly glided through the apartment. "The team got pole position."
"Nice."
"Will you be needing supper, sir?"
Levi glanced at me inquisitively. I shook my head. "It's late," Levi said.
Levi showed me my bedroom, a fairly large room with a white four-poster bed and blue floral linen. The view of the city it offered was gorgeous.
"I didn't know you had a place here. I thought we would be staying at a hotel."
"It's not mine," he said as a footman came through with my luggage. "It's my brother's."
"Which one? You have plenty."
"I have five. You make it sound like we are a stable full."
"I mean, as someone who only had one sister, it is hard to imagine someone in a family that big."
He blanched. "We're not that big."
"Who do you know besides you who has six siblings?"
He shook his head. "Whatever."
I strode to the bed and sank into the soft mattress. "So, whose is it?"
Levi crossed his arms. "Raine. The youngest in our family."
"He owns this?" I darted my gaze around the grand room. Wasn't he like in his twenties? His family was hard to keep straight, but I was sure his youngest brother was younger than I.
"Yes, and no. It's a family apartment. I used to stay here at one point. This was my room."He frowned and closed off again, turning serious. "Rest. We have an early day tomorrow."
"Today," I said.
"Huh."
"Today. It's one am."
He shook his head and headed out. But just like at his house, it was also difficult to find sleep here, knowing he had slept in the same bed at one point in time. Possibly the same sheets.
???
"SO? WHAT DO YOU think?" I glanced up from my magnifying glass to gaze at Levi. He had his hands thrust in his pockets. The anxiety in his voice was a contradiction to his stern face. He was looking for assurance from me. It was nice to feel… important. He really wanted to know what I thought.
I carefully put the parchment back in the glass case. The curator's vigilant gaze on me as I did so. I removed the museum's white gloves and handed them to her. Then, I turned to Levi. "At first glance, I would say yes. It looks legit." I glanced at the curator, who was now closing the glass box and putting back the letter where we found it when we came in. At the center of the collection. "It's all legit," I said, waving at the books. I leaned into his ear and whispered, "I don't think Christie's is trying to rip you off. But I can't give a thorough appraisal, though."
He rolled his eyes. "I know. What I mean is, do you think Johnson wrote the letter?"
"It looks like his handwriting." His face lit up with hope. "It's consistent with the handwriting in the diary. But I am no handwriting expert. And since the letter is coded, the handwriting might be different. Handwriting analysis can be more of an art than a science… If someone wants to fake handwriting, they can if they have a sample."
He folded his arms. "So what do you think? Should I get it?"
