Confusion flashed, and a grim frown quickly followed. “No, no. Get Russell to fetch them for you.”
The satisfaction of knowing that he hadn’t a clue what she was referring to sizzled through her. She’d always admired the Italian necklaces. They were constructed of naught but pinchbeck and glass, not of gold and gemstones as they appeared, but they glittered with all the beauty of the finest jewelry.
Night’s darkness had completely fallen by the time Olivia finished her packing, and as the clock marked the hours, her anticipation intensified. By this time tomorrow, she’d likely be stopped at a travel inn for the night. She’d never stayed at a travel inn before. The idea excited her.
Across their bedchamber, Laura was curled in a chair in her wool dressing gown with a book, her wavy hair woven into a single thick plait, her body angled toward an oil lamp for light.
“I’m going to the storeroom to gather some supplies.”
Laura nodded her acknowledgment, and Olivia lifted a chamberstick and made her way from her upstairs bedchamber, down the narrow back stairs, to the storeroom.
After her father’s death, their comfortable family home had been sold, and she and Laura moved to live with their uncle in the modest living quarters above the warehouse. This residence was much smaller and far less fine than what they’d been accustomed to. Even after four years, the low-ceilinged rooms and dark, narrow halls still did not feel like home. The entire space had a transient feel, as if any day they’d abandon it and return to something more suitable.
Once she entered the storeroom, Russell, who was seated in his usual spot behind his desk, glanced up and removed his wire-rimmed spectacles. “I don’t usually see you down here at this late hour.”
“I don’t mean to disturb you.” She stepped around a small table and headed toward the armoire. “I just need to gather a few supplies.”
He closed his ledger. “Need help?”
She placed her candle on the table next to the cabinet. “Yes, if you don’t mind. Will you fetch the Vinci pieces for me?”
“The Vinci?” He frowned. “I haven’t heard those mentioned in a while. Why?”
“I’m taking them with me. I thought I might use them instead of their just sitting in a box gathering dust.”
Russell did as bid, and Olivia opened the armoire door and gathered a blank ledger, a box of pencils, quills and ink, soft cloths, a magnifying glass, and brushes. Russell returned with the jewelry case, and Olivia packed all the items in a small crate. Once finished, she propped the crate on her hip and turned to leave, but then paused. “When did Uncle decide to go to Devon?”
“Hmm?”
“He told me he was departing for Devon first thing in the morning.”
“Oh, that. As far as I know he just decided today.”
She frowned. “That’s odd. Delft is hardly his area of expertise.”
Russell grinned lopsidedly. “You know your uncle. What he doesn’t really know he makes up.”
“I don’t know why you’re smiling about it,” she scolded. “It’s really quite serious.”
“I’m only teasing, Olivia.”
She glared at him for several moments. Her uncle’s incompetence had always been a source of amusement between them when her father was alive, but when her father’s death put Thomas at the helm, it suddenly wasn’t as comical—not when all their livelihoods depended on him.
“Besides,” she continued, “if Delft is the item in question, why aren’t you going to Cottetham Park? Aren’t you always telling me you know more about Delft pottery than anyone else in London?”
“I would, but the shipment for Mr.Beckam is due to arrive at the end of the week. Someone needs to be here to receive it, and your uncle is above such menial tasks.”
“Oh.” She adjusted the crate in her arms, refusing to feel any sort of remorse for her impending travel. She quickly changed the subject. “I’ll see you when I’m back in London, then.”
She headed toward the door, but his words stopped her. “It will be odd without you here.”
“Gracious.” She pivoted to face him, smiling to keep the conversation light. “Everyone acts as if I’ll be gone for a year. I’ll be home by Michaelmas.”
“Will you?” His unusually somber tone caught her off guard.
She blinked. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He shrugged his narrow shoulders and folded his arms over his chest. “There’ll be a great many distractions at Cloverton Hall. New people and the lot. You might decide you prefer their company to ours. To mine.”
