“These are debts,” she muttered. “From the notes, it was unclear if her husband were the one in debt or if others were indebted to him.”
There was a sound in the hallway of doors closing. Diana acted at once, bundling the paper back together and stuffing it into the drawer. When she heard her husband’s voice in the corridor, talking intently to someone and moving this way, she realized what trouble she was in. She hurried to lock the drawer again and placed the key back in its hiding place, but with the handle of the library door turning, she was out of time.
She jumped to her feet, running across the room to hide, barely noticing that the key had not stayed in its hiding place and had dropped down to the floor again.
Diana slid herself between bookshelves, looking for shadows, as the door opened. She barely had time to jump down and hide behind a divan chair before her husband strode into the room, laughing with someone at his side.
Diana kept her head down as more candlelight flooded the room. She, fortunately, was hidden perfectly behind the chair, with her gown scrunched beneath her, but she was not willing to peer around the chair and risk being discovered. She had no doubt that Gilbert would be furious if he had found her looking through his things.
‘All that concerns me is that you are a good wife. Obedient.’
Those were the words spoken to her when he climbed out of her bed the morning after they were married. She could remember being sore from what they had done together and pulled the bed sheets back to cover up her body. It had not been the exciting, thrilling night she had hoped for. Instead, she felt rather empty, like an oyster shell that had been plucked free of its oyster, left on the shingle sand.
‘Is that understood?’he’d asked, clearly dismayed not to have an answer straight away.
‘Yes.’
“This is hardly the room for that fine brandy you promised me!” a man said, chuckling away.
“Have no fear. I will take you to a fine brandy in one moment. First, there is something I wish you to see.”
Diana bent her head down, looking underneath the divan chair to see where her husband’s feet moved. The boots went straight to the pedestal desk she had just left, where she saw, at last, the brass key glinting on the floor. She closed her eyes, cursing under her breath her clumsiness at not taking more care.
“Oh, that’s odd.” Gilbert’s voice urged her to open her eyes again, to see he was pulling the key off the floor.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. My key for this drawer has simply fallen down.”
She sighed with relief at not being discovered yet, then promptly covered her mouth, hiding any chance of them hearing her.
“What was that?” the stranger asked.
“The wind,” Gilbert said as he threaded the key into the drawer. “It rattles through these windows most nights at this time of year. We will not stay in here long without a fire. I wish you to see this first, that is all.”
From the sound of paperwork slapping a tabletop and what Diana could see of their boots, it appeared Gilbert had laid the papers on the desk, and the two men had turned their attention to it.
“Good Lord, Your Grace, these gambles are getting higher!”
“Indeed they are. Look at the total figure.”
“Ha! A wealthy year indeed you will have.”
“Just so, but there is one matter in which I want your help.”
“What is that?” the stranger asked. There was the sound of papers being sifted again before one page was settled on. “Why does that patch of land concern you?”
“I cannot sell it with people on it. I need the people off it.”
“You wish to drive them out?”
“I am sure you can think of some imaginary ways to do just that,” Gilbert said, laughing indulgently. The sound made Diana shiver. It sounded awfully to her like her husband was willing to threaten some people to see them off of his land.
“I am sure we could,” the stranger said with equal glee. “How about that brandy? I can tell you of one or two ideas I have had.”
“Perfect.”
The paperwork was tidied up again. As Diana watched beneath the divan, she saw Gilbert’s hands place the papers back in the drawer. After he had locked it tight, he hesitated before returning it to his hiding place. He seemed to think better of it and placed the key in the inside breast pocket of his jacket instead.
