Page 32 of Lord of Fortune
Chapter 6
Ahot waveof embarrassment shot up Amelia’s neck and threatened to set her face aflame. She prayed the dimness of the small room would make it hard to see the depth of her discomfiture. A moment later and she might have been kissing him…
Her gaze strayed to Penn, but he was staring straight at the man who’d entered. The man whohadto be Lord Septon.
“Septon, good evening,” Penn said, sounding far more at ease than Amelia felt. How was that possible? Or fair? “May I present Mrs. Amelia Forrest? She is the granddaughter of Mr. Jonathan Gardiner, a recently deceased antiquary you may have known.”
“Of course I knew Gardiner.” The baron bowed to Amelia. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Forrest.”
Amelia dipped a curtsey and murmured, “Good evening.”
Septon turned his attention back to Penn. “Peverell told me you were here and that you’d disappeared from dinner. When I couldn’t find you, I wondered if you might be here.” His gaze dipped to the open book on the trunk. “Looking for something?”
Penn closed the book gently. “We’ve found what we’re looking for.” Now he dashed a glance toward Amelia, and she couldn’t help but note his use of the word “we.” Penn turned and replaced the book where he’d found it.
“I look forward to hearing all about it. Artemisia is downstairs in the drawing room. Join us for a nightcap.” He offered a welcoming smile before turning and exiting the small chamber.
Amelia finally let out a deep exhalation. She looked over at Penn. His brow was creased, and his lips were pressed into a flat line. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“He doesn’t like that I brought you here, I think.” He turned toward her, and his expression softened. “Don’t let that trouble you. Everything’s fine. Hopefully, he’ll be able to tell us where we can find the White Book of Hergest. Come, let’s go downstairs.” He gestured for her to precede him from the tiny library.
Amelia did so slowly, moving back through the doorway into the office. Penn followed her, drawing the portrait closed behind them. As he turned to insert the key into the dog’s eye, she wondered what she was doing. She’d become wrapped up in the prospect of an exciting adventure and lost sight of her original quest—finding her grandfather’s dagger and keeping it safe.
“How will the book help me regain the dagger?”
Penn turned from the portrait. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. It was a moment before he spoke. “It won’t,” he said with measured care. “But I promise we will find it.”
“You’ve said that. Am I to understand that trying to prove the heart my grandfather put in the Ashmolean is fake takes priority?”
“No, we’re doing both at the same time. And Septon can likely help us with both matters.” Penn went to the desk and returned the key to its hiding place. He looked up at her as he finished, straightening his coat. “I apologize if I…caused you concern in the library.”
Concern? He’d caused her heart palpitations and a considerable rise in temperature, but, surprisingly, not a bit of concern. She’d been ready—nay,eager—to kiss him. And thatshouldconcern her.
“Not at all. Let us go downstairs, shall we?” She turned and exited the office without waiting for his reply.
He caught up to her as they made their way back to the gallery.
“Is Artemisia Lady Septon?” Amelia asked.
For the first time in their acquaintance, Penn looked slightly uncomfortable. “Er, no. She’s his mistress. They’ve been together for several years now.”
How odd. “Why aren’t they married?”
“Because her husband is still alive.”
How outrageous. “And their relationship is simply accepted?”
“Lady Stratton—her husband is the Earl of Stratton—was desperately unhappy in her marriage and began to fear for her safety. She’d fallen in love with Septon and decided to leave her husband.”
Amelia could scarcely believe such a scandal—to do with an earl, no less. “Stratton allows this?”
“Stratton is an inveterate blackguard. Think of the worst man you’ve ever known and multiply his sins by a factor of ten. It’s probably still not bad enough to equal Stratton, but it’s close.”
Amelia blinked as they started down the stairs. “I see why she left.” Her mind strayed to the worst man she’d ever met, and she nearly stumbled. She’d gotten rather good at not thinking of her husband, but when he did enter her mind, she invariably suffered a shock of anger and deep regret. Still, she wouldn’t have left, not like he did.
They entered the drawing room to find Septon standing near the fireplace and Lady Stratton seated on a settee, her dark blue traveling skirt pooling around her feet. It seemed they hadn’t changed from their journey, but then Amelia supposed her and Penn’s presence had been a surprise. But was it an unwelcome one?
Lady Stratton was a striking woman with an elegant bearing—a long, aquiline nose defined her face along with a pair of pale gray eyes that shone with welcome. Her dark hair was liberally streaked with gray, and Amelia would estimate her age to be somewhere in her late forties. “Good evening, Mrs. Forrest. We’re so pleased to welcome you to Septon House. And you are always welcome, of course, Penn.” She greeted them as if shewereLady Septon.
