“What do you think she means to do?” Gaby asked.
“I do not know. Yet. Unfortunately, I cannot leave through the portal either. Not until the Contessa Catarina di Farnese is neutralized once and for all.”
“What do you mean by neutralized?” Gaby asked, already feeling dread creeping up her spine.
Em slid her finger across her throat, making it clear that they had to kill the contessa.
“There is no other way,” Iris said. “If you thought the Nazi was evil, you have no idea what this woman is capable of. If she gains possession of the portrait through Jack, I will be forced into a devil’s bargain with her.”
“We will find a way,” Emily stated adamantly.
“I’m worried,” said Gaby. “If Jack’s cousin is on his way here, another problem arises. Jack hates Beauford after what he did to him. If he sets eyes on Beauford, he will challenge him to a duel. I would not put it past the baroness to somehow cause havoc and kill Jack. Then the painting, I assume, will belong to Beauford as the heir to everything Jack possesses.”
“You may be right, Gaby.” Emily turned to Iris. “How do we stop this from getting out of control?”
“We must get to Beauford before he arrives and divine his true intentions and secure his cooperation,” Jen said. “I was able to gain Cynthia’s trust. And from what she told me, he is deeply in love with her, and she is with him.”
“When he learns of her condition, he will be desperate to marry her, and fast, to prevent a scandal,” Iris added.
Emily’s dimples deepened with her smile. “Think of this, Gaby—if Beauford marries Cynthia, he will become wealthy beyond measure. He won’t need Jack’s earldom or his inheritance. What we need to do is persuade him to reinstate Jack’s inheritance and his title. And issue some sort of public apology for the egregious error.”
“I get the money part, but the title is something Beauford wanted very much,” said Gabriella.
“Don’t worry. Between Colin and I, we can give him the push he needs. The fact that he swindled Jack’s father on his deathbed will not sit well with the aristocracy. They are a close-knit group and naturally would feel threatened by what Beauford did. It is very disruptive to the continuity of Society for a title to be wrested away from a member, regardless of what he has done.”
“We must enlist Cynthia’s help in this plan,” Jenee said.
Gabriella moaned. “Yes, but it would mean standing up to her stepmother, who controls everything, including her dowry. How can we get her our side?”
“Because we are going to make it worth her while,” Emily said.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Maremma, Italy
October 20, 1902
Jack stared atthe flames that flickered and danced in the fireplace hearth as if in a trance. He was so lost in his thoughts, he hardly heard the crackling of wood smoldering into red embers. He’d gone to Cynthia’s room to speak to her, but she was sound asleep from the sleeping draught that Jenee had given her. Jenee wasn’t in the room, but she’d enlisted one of the maids to watch over her. Mafalda was Antonio’s cousin and had a heart of gold, but was also as strong as a man, and nothing and no one could get past her when she cleaned one of the rooms. She told him the doctor had ordered no one to disturb the young lady’s sleep, including Signore Jack.
Distracted by his worries, he’d been poor company at dinner. Even though the conversation was lively, Jack had been gloomy and quiet. Aunt Kitty had invited Sir Edward to the villa, and Jack was pleased to see his aunt basking in the glow of Edward’s attentions. She deserved to find happiness again, and Sir Edward was charming, intelligent, and, most of all, honorable.
Jack’s own romantic inclinations had been thwarted at every turn. It seemed like an eternity since he’d held Gaby in his arms and even longer since he’d kissed her. Still, he held hope, if not patience, as he stared at the flames. He couldn’t wait to see her, and he was impatient for her to come to his room after she finished in the kitchen. It felt like he’d been waiting forever for her. And perhaps he had.
His frustrations manifested in his drinking too much and overeating. Shamefully, he’d indulged in two helpings of the thinly pounded veal scallopini served with angel hair pasta.
Aunty Kitty had insisted that Gabriella join them. She did come out to greet everyone but said she was needed back in the kitchen. She blushed prettily at the praise heaped on her. The soul-satisfying meal dressed in a delicate lemon, white wine, butter, parsley, and caper sauce, which Stefano proclaimedsquisito, had garnered applause from everyone.
The kitchen goddess was as tempting a morsel as her creations. But unlike her exquisite food, tasting her would not thicken his waistline.
He should have gone for a ride on Xanthus, but the only ride he craved had a long mane of luscious, dark curls, sultry hazel eyes, and lips the color of pomegranate.
Get a hold of yourself, man. Your mind has turned to pudding.
He expelled a deep breath, knowing he would have to be a little more patient. They needed to talk before he would allow his amorous intentions to take over.
Jack was worried, but he tried to think of something other than Gaby. Unfortunately, true to his obsession, his mind found its way back to her. He was not a man given to daydreams, but staring at the blue, red, and yellow flames dancing above the logs was hypnotic. His thoughts turned to Singly Park, the seat of his family’s earldom—his stolen earldom. He was determined to confront Beauford and force a reckoning. Jack refused to let his cousin get away with ruining his good name. He would fight to the death to reclaim his rightful inheritance.
But how to lure Beauford into the open and force him to relinquish what was not rightfully his? History would not label him as the Langsford who did not take his place as the Earl of Whitton and Marquess of Bainbridge.
