“To find my sister.” Eva pulled her gloves from her pocket. “Penny’s been absent all morning and half the afternoon. Would you please search the ground floor and have Mary do the same on the first? Tell her to also nip into the attic, though I don’t know why Penny would possibly go there. And let Mrs. Pottinger know to keep an eye out for her as well.”
“Absolutely.” Clenching her apron, Dixon took a step closer, worry pinching her face. “Though I do wonder, miss, if we ought to send for a constable? While the girl is given to ambling about the yard, it’s not like Miss Penny to be gone for so long.”
Eva tamped the fear that prompted her to agree. “Not yet. We ought to first conduct our own search. For all we know, she may have fallen asleep in the hayloft or climbed an orchard tree and can’t get down.” She shivered at the thought. Penny may be a fearless little imp, but, oh, how Eva hated heights. “And let’s not forget the new litter of kittens. I’ll alert Tom in the barn and get Sinclair to poke about the apple trees. After that, I’ll walk the road a bit, see if she may have gone for a stroll and met with some sort of mishap. I’m sure she’ll turn up.” She squeezed Dixon’s arm, as much to encourage the older woman as herself.
“Very good, miss. We shall hope for the best.”
Indeed, she would. To do otherwise would be her undoing. She’d promised Papa to care for the girl. She should have kept a better eye on her sister. If something happened to Penny, it would be her fault.
And she truly would be all alone.
Once outside, she tugged on her gloves while rounding the house to the backyard—just as a wagon lumbered to a halt.Professor Pendleton perched on the driver’s seat, setting the brake. If he’d been out and about, perhaps he’d seen Penny.
Please,God,let him say he’s seen her. Smileupon me just this once.
“Professor Pendleton,” she said as she approached. “I wonder if—”
“Ah, Miss Inman. Though my spectacles are in an atrocious state at the moment, you are just the person I was hoping to see.”
“I wish I could say the same. Oh my!” Her fingers flew to her mouth as her words hit her ears. How rude he must think her. “Please don’t take offense at my careless sentiment, sir. Itislovely to see you as well, but the truth is, I was hoping to spy my sister.”
“Yes! The young Miss Inman.” Yanking off his spectacles, he huffed on the glass, then buffed out a smear. “Delightful girl.”
“She is, and I’m wondering if you may have—”
He held up a finger. “Sorry to interrupt, my dear, but if I don’t say what I must now, there’s a good chance I might forget.” He collected a cloth-wrapped bundle and handed it down to her. “As you see, we are earning our keep already. Have a look.”
Hope blended with her worry as she unwrapped the fabric.
Then quickly faded.
The relic he’d seemed so proud to show her was nothing but a small, dirty pot of clay with a handle and spout. “It’s, em, well, it appears to be a lamp.”
“Brilliant!” Holding his spectacles to the sky, he examined the glass, then went back to buffing. “You are spot-on, Miss Inman.”
She rewrapped the tiny bundle, offering it back. “Is it valuable?”
He parked the spectacles on the bridge of his nose and collected the relic. “Indeed it is. Finding this little gem proves we are excavating in the right place.”
“I meant monetarily.”
“Hmm.” Setting the package on the seat, he climbed down, then reclaimed it. “I suppose a museum would purchase this piece of history, wouldn’t they? Though there is a hairline crack on the spout, and I’m not certain the finish will hold up to cleaning. Even so, I’d say perhaps it ought to fetch five pounds due to its age.” He cradled the lamp like a babe in arms. “Is there a museum in Royston? I hadn’t heard of one.”
“No, not yet, but there has been talk of starting a new one.”
“Capital! They might take an interest in our dig.” Behind his glasses, his dark eyes twinkled.
“I suppose I could mention it next time I’m in town, but for now, I really must be off. My sister has gone missing, you see, and I’m hoping to—”
“Oh! I nearly forgot. That was the other thing I wished to talk to you about.”
“Penny? You’ve seen her?”
“Indeed. My nephew told me to relay to you he’s acquired a new assistant for the day—your sister.” He chuckled merrily. “Apparently the girl stowed away in our wagon this morn. At any rate, she’s having the time of her life, and you can rest assured Bram will take excellent care of her until she returns with the team for dinner.”
Oh, that girl! Penny’s antics would be the death of her. Eva glanced past the barn toward the fields, as if by some supernatural act the girl could see the glower on her face. Any number of dangers were a possibility for a foolish girl venturing out alone, especially one with sightless eyes. She could’ve easily been hurt or accidentally left behind.
Or worse.
