the edge of the pools and from enormous tiered fountains set in their centers. The sound was entrancing; the sun pierced sprays of water, causing misty rainbows. Emmie was staring at the arcs of transparent color, or she would have seen the tall figure coming around the edge of one of the pools to meet the carriage. Instead she only glimpsed Valin North when Turnip stopped the vehicle. She turned to Betsy and Pilfer.
“It’s him! Behave yourselves.”
And you control yourself, Emmie thought as her stomach lurched at this unexpected encounter. She could see the gold-brown gleam of his hair through the fountain mist.
Stop that, Emmie Fox! Think about the treasure, not the man
. Glancing at her companions to see if they’d noticed her harried state, she composed her features and watched the marquess near the carriage.
Elegant, easy, and confident, Valin North opened the carriage door and inclined his head. “Ah, it’s Miss de Winter. Welcome to AgincourtHall. Allow me to help you down. If you’re not too fatigued from your journey, I’d be honored to show you some of my house.”
Without waiting for her answer he held out his hand. To refuse would appear rude, something a lady never wished to do, especially in front of servants. She put her hand in his and got out of the carriage, no easy task in her voluminous traveling dress and crinoline. She was relieved to reach the ground without tipping the hoop over her head.
North spoke to Turnip. “Drive around the house. Thistlethwayte is the butler, and Mrs. Parker is the housekeeper. They will show you everything.”
Turning to Emmie, he offered his arm and they walked slowly behind the carriage, until it vanished through a gate in the courtyard wall.
Gesturing to the pools and water sprays, North said, “This is the Fountain Court. Mostly for show, really, but I like to come when the sun is at the right angle to see the rainbows.”
Emmie had been staring. Either the sound of the water or the magic of the rainbows was causing a thrill to run through her body. The cause couldn’t be the feel of his arm beneath the layers of his clothing. She wouldn’t allow it to be.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.
He looked at her oddly, then smiled. “You’rekind, Miss de Winter, but you must have seen many like this in France.”
A mistake already. She had to concentrate or she’d trip herself up.
“Still, this is very fine.”
They continued into the next court with Emmie castigating herself and trying to be as alert and wary as she usually was when engaged in one of her schemes.
North described the Lion Court. “It’s named for the statues of the North lions.” He pointed to the animals perched at either end beside the gateways.
Emmie murmured her approval while she looked for anything that resembled the clues to the Spanish gold. According to the room assignments given by Beaufort, “Monsieur d’Or” was lodged in “
la chambre sur la spirale
.” The chamber under the spiral. She wanted to find a spiral of some kind. Until she could make sense of the other foreign phrases, it was her only guide.
“I haven’t seen Miss Cowper of late.”
Startled out of her search, Emmie said, “What?”
“I said I haven’t seen Miss Cowper lately.” North had stopped beside a lion statue and was looking down at her.
“She’s—she’s gone home.”
“So early in the Season? I thought I was the only one who left London in May.”
“Miss Cowper found that her strength wasn’t equal to remaining in town any longer.”
“I hope she’s not ill.”
“No, only fatigued. She is already better now she’s home.”
Walking through the next gate, North said, “Now you’ll see why I prefer Agincourt Hall to London.”
Another step brought them into a courtyard framed by open-air galleries, each a series of rounded arches supported by columns covered in ivy. The house itself formed the fourth side of the court, a soaring structure in creamy
“It’s him! Behave yourselves.”
And you control yourself, Emmie thought as her stomach lurched at this unexpected encounter. She could see the gold-brown gleam of his hair through the fountain mist.
Stop that, Emmie Fox! Think about the treasure, not the man
. Glancing at her companions to see if they’d noticed her harried state, she composed her features and watched the marquess near the carriage.
Elegant, easy, and confident, Valin North opened the carriage door and inclined his head. “Ah, it’s Miss de Winter. Welcome to AgincourtHall. Allow me to help you down. If you’re not too fatigued from your journey, I’d be honored to show you some of my house.”
Without waiting for her answer he held out his hand. To refuse would appear rude, something a lady never wished to do, especially in front of servants. She put her hand in his and got out of the carriage, no easy task in her voluminous traveling dress and crinoline. She was relieved to reach the ground without tipping the hoop over her head.
North spoke to Turnip. “Drive around the house. Thistlethwayte is the butler, and Mrs. Parker is the housekeeper. They will show you everything.”
Turning to Emmie, he offered his arm and they walked slowly behind the carriage, until it vanished through a gate in the courtyard wall.
Gesturing to the pools and water sprays, North said, “This is the Fountain Court. Mostly for show, really, but I like to come when the sun is at the right angle to see the rainbows.”
Emmie had been staring. Either the sound of the water or the magic of the rainbows was causing a thrill to run through her body. The cause couldn’t be the feel of his arm beneath the layers of his clothing. She wouldn’t allow it to be.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.
He looked at her oddly, then smiled. “You’rekind, Miss de Winter, but you must have seen many like this in France.”
A mistake already. She had to concentrate or she’d trip herself up.
“Still, this is very fine.”
They continued into the next court with Emmie castigating herself and trying to be as alert and wary as she usually was when engaged in one of her schemes.
North described the Lion Court. “It’s named for the statues of the North lions.” He pointed to the animals perched at either end beside the gateways.
Emmie murmured her approval while she looked for anything that resembled the clues to the Spanish gold. According to the room assignments given by Beaufort, “Monsieur d’Or” was lodged in “
la chambre sur la spirale
.” The chamber under the spiral. She wanted to find a spiral of some kind. Until she could make sense of the other foreign phrases, it was her only guide.
“I haven’t seen Miss Cowper of late.”
Startled out of her search, Emmie said, “What?”
“I said I haven’t seen Miss Cowper lately.” North had stopped beside a lion statue and was looking down at her.
“She’s—she’s gone home.”
“So early in the Season? I thought I was the only one who left London in May.”
“Miss Cowper found that her strength wasn’t equal to remaining in town any longer.”
“I hope she’s not ill.”
“No, only fatigued. She is already better now she’s home.”
Walking through the next gate, North said, “Now you’ll see why I prefer Agincourt Hall to London.”
Another step brought them into a courtyard framed by open-air galleries, each a series of rounded arches supported by columns covered in ivy. The house itself formed the fourth side of the court, a soaring structure in creamy
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