Anna dipped a stiff curtsey, put her hand on his arm to allow him to escort her from the dance floor, her gaze on the floor ahead of them.
When they reached the seating, Grif removed her hand from his arm. “Donna look so forlorn, then,” he said impatiently. “Ye donna need me—ye never needed me. It was never more than a matter of simply believing.”
Anna made a sound of disagreement that Grif ignored.
“Ye return to London tomorrow night, do ye?” he asked, and she nodded reluctantly. “Monday, Anna, do ye hear me, then? Ye must bring it Monday.”
She sniffed disdainfully.
Grif leaned down so that she could not mistake him. “If ye donna bring it, I will come for it and I will tell yer father the bargain we made for yer bloody trinket. Donna believe for a moment I willna do as I say, leannan. I’ll remind ye one last time that the beastie is what will keep me family from certain poverty. I must have it!”
“Fine,” she said, turning away. “Monday, then.” She walked away from him.
Grif watched her go, the tail of her gown sweeping behind her, her head held high. And then he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
Twenty-six
T he news that Lord Ardencaple had left in the night was indeed discussed at breakfast the next morning. There were a handful of guests in the room, Anna among them.
It was Lord Killingham who remarked he had left, and that he was sorry for it, for he wanted to congratulate him for having taught Lady Killingham to enjoy a sport. Any sport. He seemed quite amazed by it, actually.
“Oh, he was a splendid competitor,” Lady Battenkirk said as she helped herself to a plateful of eggs and black pudding. “Scots are, you know, quite good athletes.”
“Scots?” Drake scoffed. “Quite good with the whiskey, you mean,” he said, and gained a laugh for it.
“I rather like the Scots,” Lady Battenkirk said. “They are quite a creative people, just like the Welsh. You should see the gold creature I bought from a young woman in Cambridge. She was English, but she said it was made by a Scot centuries ago. It’s a very fine piece—exquisite in detail and rather monstrous in appearance.”
Nigel, who was seated across from Anna, blinked and looked strangely at Lady Battenkirk. “Eh, what? What was that you said about a monster?”
“Oh, it was absolutely stunning!” Lady Battenkirk said, clearly pleased with the attention. “About so high, and really rather heavy, and covered with quite a lot of red glass baubles. And it had a gaping mouth, as if it was screaming. Excellent craftsmanship.”
Nigel looked at Drake; the two of them looked at Lady Battenkirk. “And how did the lady come to sell it to you, if I may ask?” Nigel asked.
“Oh, that was merely a coincidence,” she said. “It was a quaint little shop in Cambridge, and the merchant there refused to even consider it, can you imagine? So I offered, for it was just the sort of thing Amelia loved, God rest her soul, and the young miss seemed quite relieved to be rid of it.”
“A Cambridge woman?” Drake pressed.
“Oh no, I shouldn’t think so,” Lady Battenkirk said thoughtfully. “Too finely dressed for Cambridge! I assumed she was from London.”
“And what of the brooch you wore last evening, Lady Battenkirk?” Anna interjected. “Where did you say you found that lovely treasure?”
“Oh, now, that,” she said, putting down her fork. “That was truly a find!” she exclaimed, and launched into a tale of finding the black pearl brooch. Anna found it quite difficult to follow the story, for she could see the change in Drake’s expression at the mention of the gargoyle.
Grif was right; suspicions had been raised to dangerous heights.
It was clear to her now. She had to give it back. As much as it pained her, as much as she did not want any of it to ever end—or to begin, she thought, stealing another glimpse of Drake now, she could tell by his expression that he knew something. And she rather thought he was the sort of man who would not stop until he knew it all.
With that on her mind, the day passed interminably, what with the giant chess party on the east lawn, where guests and servants were coerced into actually playing the various chess parts while teams of guests moved them about in a rather fantastically sensational match. Anna played with Drake, but he was very distracted, hardly caring of their moves. They lost badly.
When it finally came time to return to London’s Mayfair, Anna was fortunate enough to find a seat in her mother’s carriage, in spite of all the baggage and her mother’s widowed friend who had journeyed with them. Father was returning a bit later with Lucy, he eagerly explained, for Drake Lockhart had asked for a moment alone with him. “I can only imagine what this might mean,” he said excitedly.
Lucy smiled brilliantly at Anna. “I had so hoped there’d be news for you, too, Anna,” she said. “At least from some gentleman.”