There was a short silence as Isabella broke the seal.
She shuffled through the many pages to read the signature even though she was fairly certain who had sent the missive. “It is from Lord Poole.”
“What does he write?” Damien inquired.
“He apologizes for any hurt he may have caused me and humbly begs my forgiveness. Thomas left the inn at daybreak this morning and plans to sail for the Americas by the end of the month. He has enclosed the mortgage vouchers to Whatley Grange.”
Isabella gave Damien an anxious look, but his expression remained stoic.
“Oh, goodness—Thomas has signed the mortgage vouchers over to Ian, not you, Damien.” Isabella scanned the rest of the letter quickly. “Is that legal?”
Damien shook his head. “How like Poole to be so difficult. I suppose he just couldn’t bear handing them directly over to me. As Ian’s father, I have control of his fortune until he reaches his maturity. And yes, in answer to your question, sweetheart, it is perfectly legal.”
“You are not angry?”
“No.” Damien stretched his arm above his head. “I didn’t expect Poole to capitulate with so little resistance. I confess, Isabella, I feel he has escaped his reprehensible behavior with small punishment.”
“I disagree, Damien.” She crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Her brows came together in a serious line across her forehead. “Thomas has suffered greatly by Emmeline’s death, and in time I believe he will feel guilty for the part he played in it. He will now be separated completely from the life he has known and enjoyed. It will not be easy for him to start fresh, in a strange country.”
Damien quirked a brow. “That hardly seems fitting revenge.”
“You and I will be married soon, won’t we, Damien?” Just speaking the words aloud gave Isabella a deep, warm feeling.
“I plan on obtaining a special license today, sweetheart. We shall marry tomorrow.”
“And we will have a long, happy life together, won’t we, Damien?”
“God willing.” Damien’s hands closed around Isabella’s waist. He lifted her up and settled her in his lap, then kissed the sensitive place behind her ear. “We shall be joyously happy, my love.”
“Then the best revenge is to be happy, dearest,” Isabella said, smiling at Damien. “And we are!”
Epilogue
“I have been reading Lady Anne’s diary again, Mama.”
Isabella glanced up from her embroidery, slightly startled at hearing herself calledMama.Although Ian had been addressing her by that name for nearly a year, Catherine had only recently begun using it. Isabella was touched and honored to have finally earned such an important place in Catherine’s life. It made her feel even more joy at the coming birth of her own child, knowing this newborn babe would be a welcome addition to an already loving family.
“Have you made a new discovery while reading the diary, Catherine? I hope you will share your latest theory about the treasure with me.”
Catherine sat up tall in her chair, the pink ribbons on her new gown shaking with enthusiasm. She had changed in the two years since Isabella and Damien’s marriage. She was no longer an intensely self-contained child existing in a narrow world. There were visits to neighboring estates and interaction with other children. Catherine had formed a special friendship with Lord Simmons’s daughter, Elizabeth, and the two girls spent a great deal of time in each other’s company.
Isabella was delighted that Catherine had become more frivolous and inclined toward mischief, although the family’s governess, Miss Ballinger, found Catherine’s high spirits trying at times.
“After much thought, I agree with Father’s theory that the poem, which is the final journal entry, contains the secret of the treasure,” Catherine informed Isabella.“Oh Gloriana of titan hair, thy savior I shall be; for through the rose of the noon day sun, thy enemies shall flee.The poem tells us we must search for the treasure at noon. But I believe the time of year we search is also important. Miss Ballinger has recently taught us about the sun, and she says it is higher or lower in the sky according to the season of the year.”
“That is correct.” Isabella pursed her lips and considered Catherine’s theory. The treasure story had once again become a focal point of interest for the children, and both Damien and Isabella agreed it was a harmless diversion. “The time of year could be the essential factor that has been missing in prior searches. Have you figured out what time of year we need to search?”
“Oh, yes.” Catherine jumped up from her chair with girlish enthusiasm. “According to the journal, Lady Anne fell ill on the second of July and the family bible says she died on July fifteenth. She must have hidden the treasure soon after she became ill.”
“That is very sound reasoning,” Isabella said, impressed with Catherine’s logic.
“I found another passage in the journal where Lady Anne writes that her favorite room in the house ’glowed with rosy warmth.’ Elizabeth and I have talked about this, and we agreed that if we were going to hide something very important, we would put it in our favorite room. I think that is what Lady Anne did.”
Isabella experienced a moment of concern. The room Catherine was referring to was well known, for in that very chamber they had become trapped inside the hidden passageway. And later discovered Emmeline’s remains.
“It has been a long time since we entered the bedchamber with the ’rosy glow,’ ” Isabella said gently. “Would it not trouble you to explore it again?”
“No. I will not feel troubled. I want very much to find the treasure,” Catherine insisted.
