He nodded with a slight smile. “I’ll be in the library should you have need of me.”
Olivia tidied away the tea things and attended to the stove. She didn’t like his directive, but she supposed he was right. If it happened again, she had little desire to subject herself to further danger. And she would only get in Redcliffe’s way. She rinsed the cups and wiped the table down, then went up to bed. Did he really suspect someone in the house had colluded with the intruder? She considered each servant for culpability. They all seemed such unlikely suspects. She couldn’t believe it was one of them. But how the thief got into the house remained a mystery.
Chapter Ten
Close to dawn,Dominic left the library, deeply troubled by the evening’s events. Did one of his staff seek to undermine him?
Not Miss Jenner, who came to him for help when he failed to answer her call. He deeply regretted not being there for her. She’d come up against a violent man, and it could have ended badly. He rubbed the back of his neck, weary to his bones. Right now he needed a few hours’ sleep, then he would work out how to best deal with this.
Some hours later, he rose from his bed, the sun high in the sky. He rang for Michael to bring his coffee and shaving water.
Once dressed in his riding clothes and his boots, which were a tiresome struggle without his valet, he was forced to admit, he left his chamber, intending to ride through the woods before breakfast.
He paused outside his door as a thought struck him. Miss Jenner said she saw the intruder emerge from this corridor. It was doubtful anyone had come into his bedchamber before her. He usually slept with one eye open, but admittedly, the demanding physical work at the farm and several brandies he’d imbibed while he mulled over a few demanding matters, caused him to sleep more deeply than usual. And then waking up to Miss Jenner’s softly candlelit face hovering over him. At first, he thought he was in the middle of a very pleasant dream. He grinned. She obviously had some difficulty rousing him. Before he’d even come fully awake, he acted instinctively, taking her up on what he thought was an invitation.
He’d been mistaken. Pity. Her slender body would fit perfectly with his. Her eyes wide, she’d lain against him like an indignant fawn. A thick dark rope of braided hair rested on her shoulder. He wanted to unravel it, pull apart the strands, and lift her locks to his face. It would smell of her perfume, of her. And then discover the delights hidden beneath her modest dressing gown.
Annoyed with how easily he lost his train of thought, Dominic swiveled and went to his aunt’s suite, which he’d only glanced at when he first arrived.
He stepped through the door and uttered a loud curse, eyeing the damage: the bed curtains ripped down; the countess’s gold coronet lying on the floor; the cover pulled off the bed; and the mattress slashed, scattering feathers. In the dressing room, the desk drawers hung open. The thief had hauled his aunt’s gowns from the wardrobes and upturned the hat and shoeboxes, the contents strewn about. Even the wallpaper suffered, shredded in some places.
Anger twisted his gut. For what did this devil search? His aunt’s jewels were with Antonia, their widowed daughter-in-law, and the Redcliffe parure of diamonds still in a London bank because he saw no reason to take possession of them. What did the thief expect to find? Foolhardy to risk discovery by searching the house when occupied. In fact, it smacked of desperation.
Dominic feared for the safety of the women in his household, especially Miss Jenner, who was far too curious and bold.
He rang the bell. When Michael answered it, Dominic studied the under footman. While awaiting his instructions, Michael’s mouth hung open as he gazed wordlessly around at the disorder.
Unlikely to be the accomplice, Dominic decided.
Clamping down his teeth, he tapped the riding crop against his thigh. “Fetch Miss Jenner.”
He did not have to wait long before she hurried through the door, neat and fresh-faced, her smooth hair in place, with no sign of the ravages of a poor night’s sleep.
“Heavens!” She stared around, aghast.
“Thorough, weren’t they?” he said dryly.
“They thought they might find valuables here?”
“It appears so.”
“I went through the countess’s things yesterday,” she admitted. “I intended to discuss with you what should be done with them. There are many good uses for such wonderful fabrics.” With a deep sigh, she examined the slashed, jeweled bodice of a midnight blue silk gown, the paste jewels prized off and lying scattered over the rose-pink carpet.
“Williams must be informed,” he said. “He’ll need to speak to the staff.”
“I’ll gather them in the servants’ hall after luncheon. The housemaids can tidy these things away. But it will take some time to repair the damage.”
“Clear the room. Put everything in trunks in the attics.”
She glanced at him.
Had he sounded heartless? “I never knew my aunt.” Why he needed to explain left him momentarily baffled as they left the room.
She walked beside him. “I’ve never seen her. Does her portrait hang in the portrait gallery?”
“I believe so.” He struggled to remember the family history told to him as a disinterested young lad. “My aunt left my uncle for a time and was very ill when she returned. She died soon afterward.”
Miss Jenner’s eyes asked a question she was too polite to voice.
