“Shall we begin?” he asked.
They turned back toward the house.
Ten minutes later, Darcy found himself in the grand foyer of Hollydale surrounded by a small group of servants as Miss Bennet addressed them.
“Mrs. Riggs will give each of you a part of the house to search,” she said. “We are looking for all the silver candlesticks that Mr. Ellis may have hidden. Be careful, but be thorough.”
As Mrs. Riggs sent each servant to a different part of the house, Darcy found himself alone with Miss Bennet. He was acutely aware of her presence. A subtle scent drifted up to him—jasmine. It suited her.
“Shall we begin in the library, Miss Bennet?” he suggested.
She nodded and led the way. Elizabeth loved the library. Towering bookshelves lined the walls, their shelves crowded with leather-bound volumes in muted tones of brown,burgundy, and green. It held nearly five times as many books as Mr. Ellis's study had.
As they entered, they were greeted with the familiar, welcoming smell of leather and old paper. They began their search in silence, methodically examining every shelf and drawer—he searched the higher shelves and Miss Bennet the lower. After this revealed nothing, Miss Bennet even began pulling the books forward to see whether anything had been hidden behind them, and Darcy did the same for the higher shelves. Their thorough examination of the room required nearly two hours.
“Nothing?” he asked.
“I am afraid not.” She nodded at a door on the far side of the room. “Let us go into the study.”
It felt strange being in the room without Mr. Bennet there, but desperate measures . . . Miss Bennet pulled open each of the drawers in the large oak desk until the bottom left drawer, which did not yield at a tug. She removed a key from a pocket on her gown and opened it.
Darcy almost protested, but then he recalled such a drawer might be the perfect place to . . .
“Success,” Miss Bennet said, withdrawing a small set of silver candlesticks. “Odd place to keep them. I had not noticed them before.”
Of course not, for this was her father’s desk. But then, Darcy had noticed that Mr. Bennet allowed his daughter a great many liberties regarding the estate.
They moved through the rest of the study to be certain there was only one pair of candlesticks, but eventually, their time was up.
They arrived in the dining room a little behind the others, Miss Bennet standing with him at one end of the long dining tablewhile Mrs. Riggs directed the servants. Her voice rang out, clear and authoritative.
“Everyone, please bring forward what you have found and place them on the table.”
There was a momentary shuffle as the servants approached from various directions. Then, the rhythmic sound of metal meeting wood filled the room.
Thump. A footman set down an ornate pair of silver candlesticks.
Thump.Another set joined the first in quick succession.
Thump. Thump. A footman on one side of the table and a maid on the other placed a single candlestick each on the table.
Darcy nodded at Miss Bennet.
She set the fourth pair on the table with a dull finality.Thump.
An expectant hush fell over the room as they all looked at one another. Miss Bennet glanced up at him, both registering the same realization as Mrs. Riggs counted, identifying the mark on the bottom of each pair, and referencing it with the inventory.
“Well,” the housekeeper murmured. “These are all the correct items as listed on the inventory, but we are one pair short.”
Beside him, Miss Bennet took a deep breath as though preparing herself for what was to come. He could only hope the candlesticks had not been removed from the manor house, or he should have to insist they all remove to Pemberley. He simply did not see how anyone could have broken in, for the men had taken shifts all day and all night, watching the house.
“Have we explored every room?” Darcy asked.
Mrs. Riggs hesitated. “There is another place. Mr. Ellis was known to keep some valuables in the steward’s house, from time to time. But it was always temporary.”
The tension in Darcy’s shoulders eased a bit. “Then that is where we must go.” He held out his arm. “Miss Bennet, if you would accompany me?”
“I thank you all for your hard work and your discretion,” Miss Bennet said to the others before she placed her hand on his arm. “Mrs. Riggs, I will speak with you when we return.”
