Frowning, he glanced at her as Barbara carefully replaced the last of the jars. “What did ye see at Standish’s?”
She hesitated before blowing out a breath. “I am likely wrong.”
To her surprise Kenneth turned to her, expression serious, and reached for her hand. “Ikenye arenae wrong. Ye’re intelligent and insightful. Tell me.”
He seemed so intense, and his belief in her ability was tempting…
Biting her lip, Barbara dropped her gaze to his chin. “The canopic jars in Cousin Errol’s collection. They belonged to a noblewoman of the Fourteenth Dynasty. The patina color was wrong on them, too. I thought I was mistaken, but now…”
As she glanced at the canopic jars, worrying her lower lip, a servant stepped into the room and intoned in a booming voice, “Gentlemen, Mr. Nutt will soon begin his scintillating lecture in the drawing room. Please join him for refreshments.”
The antiquarians in the room began to drift toward the door but Barbara and Kenneth remained frozen, her hand cupped in his. The murmur of conversation slowly faded, and when she turned back to look at him, he was still watching her intently.
Barbara swallowed. “I might be misremembering…”
His grin was sudden, comforting. Kenneth lifted his hand to her temple, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and his touch sent a shiver through her. His gaze met hers as he rested his fingertips on her cheek.
“Barbara, dinnae doubt yerself.Idinnae doubt ye. If ye noticed something wrong about Standish’s jars, then there is something wrong.” His head cocked toward the display beside them, but he didn’t look away. “Ye noticed these were wrong right away, so much so ye nearly dropped one. What I think isinteresting is that ye dinnae remember these being problematic the last time ye were here.”
She shook her head but not too strongly, being unwilling to risk losing his touch. “I…I cannot be certain I would have noticed then, but I do not recall there being anything out of the ordinary.”
“What about the Standish jars?”
She didn’t understand, and perhaps he could guess that based on her expression, for he explained.
“Had ye examined the canopic jars in the Standish collection before? Do ye remember the patina looking strange on them?”
Barbara began to shake her head, then stopped. Actually… “Ididsketch them, a few years ago when I was beginning my collection. They were the reason I then acquired a set belonging to a woman—I loved the idea of connecting with someone who lived so long ago.”
A brief frown flitted across Kenneth’s forehead, and he finally glanced down at the display beside them. “They’re both women.”
“What?”
“Both sets of jars—Nutt’s and Standish’s—belong to women. Yers too.”
Her breath caught and she shifted to peer down at the jars. “Well, yes. They are rarer.”
“More valuable.”
“Yes.” When Barbara inhaled, her shoulders brushed his. “Something unsettling…problematic is happening.”
“Counterfeits?” He glanced at her. “Ye think these jars are forgeries?”
Her voice lowered. “I think…I think these jars have beenreplacedwith forgeries.”
Kenneth didn’t speak for a long moment, then he exhaled with a whispered, “Fook,” and she found herself blushing at his curse.
As he dragged his hand through his hair, seeming genuinely concerned about the possibility, she hurried to reassure him. “It is possible Mr. Nutt and Cousin Errol are both aware of the replacement. Perhaps they commissioned them for a reason?”
Perhaps the originals were being refurbished or hidden away at the bank, and these forgeries were just on display to—to—to bedisplayed?
“It’s also possible they have nae idea.” Kenneth reached for her again but this time it was her shoulder, as if she were a friend. A confidante. An equal. The intensity of his gaze made her catch her breath. “Can ye think of any other likely victims?”
“Victims?” Her lips formed the word but no sound emerged—she was too overwhelmed by his touch, his nearness.
Kenneth ducked his chin, bringing himself closer. “Aye—if there’s another collection with the same mismatched patina, that pattern is what we’d consider suspicious enough to warrant a wee investigation.”
We?
