“She had the note from her aunt to her father, and a locket, which her father had said belonged to her mother,” Warwick Sinclair continued. “I had my sister draw the locket in detail, I then visited the two jewelry designers I knew in London. One said he was sure he’d seen the design before but would need to investigate further.”
He’d seen the locket. The intricate detail and numerals. Gabe’s thoughts went back to when, and his body tightened at the memory of Dimity naked in his arms. She would be there again soon. And this time he would not let her go.
“Are any of you familiar with the story of the Saint-Bonnard family?”
The Deville brothers shook their heads, but the duchess nodded.
“I spent time in France with my husband,” she said. “It was five years after the revolution. I remember the name. Several of the children had gone missing, and the parents were murdered.”
Warwick nodded. “There were four Saint-Bonnard children. It is said that their estate was stormed during the revolution and the parents gave the children to the servants to hide until the danger had passed. The eldest daughter died, two brothers survived, and the youngest girl, who was just a babe at the time, was never found.”
Gabe was suddenly tense.
“An uncle raised the brothers, and the family have never stopped looking for the girl. They have offered a reward for many years, and some have come forward, but none were her.”
“But surely if she was a babe there would be no way to recognize her?” Nathan asked, shooting Gabe a look.
“Each of the Saint-Bonnard children was given a locket on their birth. It had the Saint-Bonnard crest on the front and a heart with a number on the back depending on your place in the family.”
“Surely not?” Gabe whispered.
“The locket that Miss Brown wears has that crest, and the numeral four in a heart. I was contacted by Jacques, one of the jewelers I approached. It was he who told me this,” Warwick finished solemnly.
“Can it be?” the duchess whispered, looking pale. “Can Dimity be the lost Saint-Bonnard child? Comte Saint-Bonnard’s sister?”
“I asked Jacques if he had met the family, and he said no. But his friend has, and they have Miss Brown’s coloring. But he said something else.”
“What?” Gabe rasped.
“Apparently the youngest has an unusual birth mark on her that only the family are aware of. No one knows where or in what form. And this is why they believe they will be able to identify her.”
An image of Dimity’s thigh slipped into Gabe’s head. The perfect dots that formed a circle. He’d traced them that day he’d made love to her.Could it be true?
“And you believe that Dimity could be this missing child?” Michael spoke, as Gabe could not.
“I do.”
“And now she is in Diard’s hands, and we have no idea what that means. Has he recognized her or the locket? Is he involved with Ombrage, who is likely Allard, or unaware of his nature or intentions?” Michael asked.
Warwick Sinclair’s shoulders jerked back at the name. Gabe shot him a look, but his face showed nothing.
“There are not many who live in France who do not know about the Saint-Bonnard family and reward, from what I understand. I asked the French members of my family about it, and they knew,” Warwick added.
“But what proof does he have?” Zach said.
“The locket,” Gabe rasped. “He has to have seen it, and if, as you say, she looks like the others, he’s decided he will use her to get the reward.”
“If he is not in collusion with your nemesis,” Nathan added.
“We must get her back,” the duchess said. Her voice had lost its strength, and she looked old suddenly.
“We will, and Walter is coming with us, as he can track Dimity,” Gabe said.
“The painting,” Michael said. “Where is the painting, Duchess?”
“Hung in the main dining room. Why?”
“Chibbers, show us the way,” Gabe said, realizing that his brother could be onto something. If Ombrage was involved with Diard and wanted to lure him somewhere, he may have left a clue.
