“I agreed to nothing. You issued a ducal decree. If we posted them, they were still stolen. If they are found on the premises, they were not stolen.”
“Small difference.”
“It is a big difference, darling. The authorities do not care about items that never left the premises, even if a theft was attempted.”
In his annoyance, Gabriel had not noticed their path. He dug in his heels now. “Where is the carriage?”
“I sent it ahead to wait for us.” She gestured vaguely to the northeast.
Comprehension dawned. “No. Do you hear me, Amanda? I forbid it.”
“It is the perfect solution. Better to be embarrassed for raising a false alarm than to be known as incompetent and careless. Receiving it back in the post will not absolve those being blamed for its theft in the first place.” She hooked her arm in his and urged him forward. “This way, no one will be looking for any thief at all when it comes to that brooch.”
“There is too much risk for you. Unnecessary risk.”
She puckered her lips in a phantom kiss. “I love you for worrying, but please do not. Have some faith, my love.”
Either he accompanied her or she would do it on her own, he knew. If not today, then tomorrow. He could not keep her under watch. She lived on Bedford Square now, so he could not even lock her in for her own good anymore.
Montagu House loomed ahead. He paid the entrance fee and they walked into the museum. Amanda gawked and pointed while they passed the Elgin marbles and the Egyptian artifacts. Without being obvious, she and he made their way to a chamber with early British metalwork.
“It is not empty. There are others here. We will return another time,” he whispered.
“It will never be empty. Nor do we want that,” she whispered back.
“I like thatwepart. The me of the we thinks you should be tied to my bed until we can send this through the post.”
“Tempting though that sounds, I must disagree.”
She strolled around the chamber, bending to examine some of the small objects in cases. “Oh, look at this. Roman coins, but they do not appear Roman at all. See what has happened to the emperors’ faces.”
He peered down. Unlike typical Roman coins, with their fairly realistic profiles, these faces had been reduced to nothing more than a few lines and a dot for the eye.
As was typical in such places, their fascination with the case brought others over. Soon, several heads peered over his shoulder. He glanced back at them, then over to make sure Amanda was not being so crowded as to be importuned.
She was not there.
He turned his head and saw her standing near another case. Hell, she was going to do it now. Worse, she did not realize she had caught the eye of a young man who trailed her, probably for no good from the look in his eye.Stay away, boy. She is mine.
He broke free of the little crowd and strode to her side. “This is not a good time,” he whispered.
“For what?” she asked innocently. She looked down in the case. “Goodness, there is something missing here. I wonder what happened to it.”
Did he imagine she raised her voice? She certainly attracted attention, including that of the young swain who came up to see what she spoke of.
“Wait, look there. It is not missing. It has fallen behind the velvet for some reason,” the young man said. He pointed to the back of the box where an edge of gold could be seen peeking above the velvet.
“The hell you say,” Gabriel said. “I wonder if the curators know about this.”
“I expect not, or they would have rectified it,” Amanda said. “Someone must have jostled the box, and it came loose of its pins and slipped back there.”
“It would not do for them to think it gone when it is not,” the young man said.
“There was a museum employee two rooms back,” Gabriel said. “I will alert him and suggest he inform someone.”
“That might be wise,” Amanda said.
He gave the young man a threatening glare, then went in search of the employee.
