It also meant that Phineas would be receiving another message in the near future demanding a specific ransom.
In the meantime, he’d have to speak with Mishra. Perhaps the man had managed to discover some additional insight to the necklace’s history.
The more Phineas knew about the artifact, the better chance he had of seeing his friend safely returned.
Chapter Eleven
Mishra replied toPhineas’s quick note within an hour, indicating he would come to Waring House via the back gate that evening at midnight exactly.
Taking extra precautions, Phin advised Iago of the night’s anticipated visitor and asked him to instruct the men covertly guarding the house to behave accordingly.
At a few minutes before midnight, he went into the rear garden himself and strode quietly to the back gate. Standing in the shadows along the wall, he listened for any movement or sound coming from the mews beyond. All was silent but for the expected night sounds and the occasional crunch of carriage wheels some distance away.
Then, a faint whisper. Mishra’s voice murmuring in a bare breath, “My lord, I am here.”
Phin immediately unlocked the gate and Mishra slipped through, dressed in nondescript, dark clothing. He met Phin’s gaze for a second before gesturing for him to resecure the gate. He did so in silence before leading the way back into the house.
Neither of them spoke as Phin brought the other man up to his study where the necklace was still kept in the secret compartment of the cigar case. Closing the door, he released a breath.
“Good to see you made it safely. No problems along the way?”
“None that I could discern,” Mishra replied. Usually jovial and relaxed, the man possessed an obvious tension in his form that wasutterly out of character.
“Please, come sit.” Phin gestured to the chairs before the fire. A small liquor table was placed between them. “Brandy?”
Mishra shook his head but took the offered seat. “I must not stay long, my lord. I cannot guarantee I was not followed.”
“Of course,” Phin replied. The other man’s obvious wariness put his senses on alert. “Has your research revealed anything pertinent?”
Mishra’s dark gaze flickered as he gave a humorless laugh. “Indeed.” He gave Phin a sharp-angled look. “It is quite the artifact that has landed in your hands.Ifit is not a replica. Though, in truth, it’s obvious that there are those who fully believe it to be genuine.”
Something in the man’s tone had Phin asking, “What do you mean?”
“The night after you left my shop, there was a break-in. Three armed men entered while I slept and attempted to ruffle through my entire store. I barely managed to chase them off.”
“You chased off three armed men?” Phin asked, slightly incredulous.
Mishra’s mouth curved with a humorless smile. “I am not without skills, my lord. I would not be where I am if I could not defend what is mine.” He shrugged. “Even so, I have decided to temporarily close my shop and leave town for a while. I’ve heard the Scottish Highlands are a lovely place to get lost.”
Phin scowled. “I’m sorry you are forced to do this. I did not intend to bring any danger upon you.”
“Youdid not,” Mishra replied firmly. “It is the necklace. It is cursed.”
An odd fiery tingle raced down Phin’s spine as he stared at the smaller man. Such words were not unfamiliar to him. In his many travels through countless lands and cultures, he’d heard hundreds of tales that claimed the existence of curses. Over the years, he’d come into contact with countless artifacts steeped in history and legend,some believed to hold mystical properties. Things of that nature did not frighten or impress him overly much anymore, but he never discounted them. Even the most fantastical tale was often based in some amount of truth.
And there was something in Mishra’s voice that gave him pause. It raised the hair on his arms and sent a chill across his skin.
“To be certain,” the Indian man whispered reverently, “I must see it. Is it still in your possession?”
Slightly unsettled by the other man’s atypical manner, Phin paused. But only for a moment. He trusted this man implicitly.
“It is. In this room, in fact.” As he rose to his feet, he noticed that Mishra tightly closed his eyes and lowered his head, clearly not wanting to know where the item might be hidden.
Already prepared with the carved oak leaf key in his pocket, Phin quietly strode to his desk and released the bottom of the cigar box to remove the jewelry box. He returned everything to its place before going back to his chair. After he was seated, Mishra opened his eyes, his focus falling directly on the box in Phin’s hands.
“Set it on the table, please.”
Phin did so, turning it to open toward Mishra who slowly extended his hand to lift the lid.
