I want to see you.
“No,” he muttered to himself. He had already written that to her. He crumpled the paper and threw it to the floor.
He tried again but didn’t like the second any better than the first and that sheet of vellum landed on the floor, too. He looked at the blank paper, searched his heart and wrote:
I’m sorry.
Race
* * *
When Susannah and Mrs. Princeton arrived at Captain Spyglass’s home on Saturday night, Susannah told Benson to stay with their carriage and not leave it for any reason. If by some stroke of luck she managed to find the pearls, she wanted to be able to leave quickly. The chatter coming from the crowd on the first floor was loud and boisterous as they left their wraps with the servants on the ground floor. They quietly made their way above stairs and walked into the crush of elegantly dressed people.
Candlelight threw shadows all around the room as Susannah nodded, smiled, and said good evening to first one person and then another as she moved through the shoulder-to-shoulder throng. Her dutiful companion followed tightly in her footsteps, looking as nervous as a cat facing a hound.
She stopped and spoke with the charming Constance Pepperfield about which day would be good to go with Henrietta to the park. She bumped into the dashing Sir Randolph Gibson, whose hands looked completely normal for a change. His spirits about his upcoming victory were still buoyant, and all he wanted to talk about was his highly publicized fight.
As the evening wore on, she spent more time than she wanted to with Lord Snellingly, who once again asked if he could read poetry while she played the pianoforte for him. From a distance, she saw Lord Martin and Race’s cousin Lord Morgandale, but she hadn’t caught sight of Race. She wasn’t surprised he had decided not to attend a party given by one of the men he thought might have stolen the pearls. But she had to admit to herself that she had hoped he would be present.
Race was back to writing her short, concise notes, which thrilled her. She eagerly looked forward to them so much that she carried the last one he sent her in the beaded reticule that swung from her wrist. She liked the fact that he was reminding her he was around but he wasn’t pushing her to see him.
Susannah didn’t let anyone hold her up for long as she continued to walk around the ground and first floors of the house, making a mental note of all the closed doors, until she came face-to-face with her host and prey, Captain Spyglass.
He bowed and kissed her hand. At first glance she didn’t think he was wearing any pearls, but then she noticed multiple strands of pearls had been attached like fringe to the ends of his neckcloth. He was a master at creating new ways to wear pearls.
“Your Grace, I am pleased you have honored me with your presence on this night, when there are so many other wonderful parties to attend.”
Susannah smiled at him and realized she felt no guilt about what she had to do. “Nonsense,” she said. “I’m delighted to be here. You must know everyone in the ton coveted an invitation to your party.”
He beamed. His thin dark mustache and tanned skin made his teeth seem exceptionally white. For all of his exotic appearance, he was a handsome man.
“You are most gracious. Come, let me get you a glass of champagne.”
“Thank you,” she said easily and walked beside him toward the champagne table. “I’ve heard you have a vast pearl collection.”
He laughed. “Yes, rumors abound about my pearls. I treasure every one, and I probably do have the largest collection in the world. People say to me why pearls? And I say why not pearls?”
“Tell me, do you ever allow anyone to see your collection?”
He chuckled lightly and rubbed his hand over his chin. “Not very often, I’m afraid, but I have been persuaded to on a few occasions. Why? Would you like an invitation to see my collection, Duchess?”
She glanced over at him, not wanting to appear too eager. “I can’t imagine any woman would not want to see it.”
“Then perhaps one day I will invite you.”
“I’ll look forward to that,” she said with a satisfied smile.
Susannah continued to talk with the Captain for a few more minutes and then excused herself. She felt her best chance of being unobserved was while there were many people in the house. Once the crowd started thinning to go on to the Great Hall or other parties, it would be more likely that she would be noticed in an area of the house where she shouldn’t be.
She had no fear for her own safety. At this point, finding the pearls was the only thing that mattered.
In a corridor on the first floor, Susannah stopped a young servant who was carrying a tray of glasses. Her hair, eyes, and skin were as dark as Captain Spyglass’s. “Excuse me,” Susannah said. “Can you tell me where the ladies’ retiring room is located?”
The nervous young woman said, “The first door on the right at the top of the stairs on the second floor.”
Susannah smiled pleasantly and said, “Thank you. I wanted to make sure I didn’t go into the wrong room. It would have been dreadful if I had accidentally gone into the master of the house’s bedchamber.”
The young woman smiled again and said, “Oh, you couldn’t do that. His room is on the ground floor and he keeps it locked. The Captain has a bad knee and doesn’t like to climb the stairs any more than necessary.”
