Eleanor’s eyes widened as Phin’s narrowed. “If that is true, I assure you, he had no idea of their intention. Barnaby can often become overly focused upon an interest, to the point of missing vital details or clues of things going on around him, but he is not a cad. If he was helping this man, I’ve no doubt he was fed a lie to do so.”
“Perhaps,” Aadesh retorted, his tone hard and unforgiving, “but the fact remains the necklace wound up in his possession. And then…was sent to you. I insist you return it to me. Now.”
A heavy silence followed his words. Eleanor tensed in a sort of dreadful anticipation, but Phin did not hold out for long.
“No.”
The shock of that single word rippled through her body. Perhaps feeling it, the viscount squeezed her hand more firmly in his, thoughhis stare remained on Aadesh.
“See,” the other man sneered. “The greed already claims you.”
Phin responded with a quick grin, but he didn’t deny the accusation.
“I will hold onto the piece until I know my friend is safe,” he explained. “Whoever wants the necklace so badly might intend to trade his life for it.”
“He was working for them,” the other man argued.
“Listen,” Phin replied firmly. “I know Barnaby. He’s a good man. It’s very likely he discovered the true thief’s intentions and sent the necklace to me in order to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.”
Aadesh scowled. “Then why would he not simply return it to those it was stolen from in the first place?”
“He may not have had the chance. Especially if his actions were discovered and there were people after him. A likely scenario since my home was broken into within days of receiving the package. No doubt, Barnaby took a precious moment to send it to me under a significant threat to his own life. His brief note suggested as much.” He paused to arch a brow. “You may end up owing that man your gratitude.”
Aadesh clenched his teeth and narrowed his stare, but did not say anything.
“So, what do we do now?” Eleanor asked. “Lord Waring has the necklace. For the time being, at least. And whoever it was who’d been seeking it and somehow knew more than he should, has followed the necklace to England.”
“Backto England,” Aadesh noted. “The man was British. One of your nobles, in fact.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Afrisson ofalarm raced down Eleanor’s spine. Her gaze flew to Phin. Their eyes met for a hard moment before he leaned toward the other man, his expression tense.
“You’re certain?” he asked.
“I know the accents of the English upper class well enough,” Aadesh replied, his tone subtly angry. “During their attack on my home, I saw him, face to face, and heard his voice as he commanded the men to search for the necklace. His men destroyed everything in their path as he stood watching. Despite doing all I could to fight them and prevent their success, I was but one man against nearly a dozen. I failed.” He lowered his head. His anger was self-directed now. “We had become complacent through the many generations we’d been tasked with our duty to shield others from the curse we created. There had been too many years of peace. The necklace had been safe for so long. When it came time for us to prove ourselves, our training was not enough.”
Eleanor noticed that he used plurals. So, there were others…
“Do you know anything about this British gentleman that might help us identify him?” Phin pressed. “Was anything said that might clarify his motivations or intentions? You must tell us everything you know.”
Aadesh lifted his chin and focused his stare. “They referred to him asmy lord. He knew exactly what he was searching for.He was there for the necklace. I have no idea how he knew its location, but I blame myself for not properly ensuring its safety.” He lowered his head. “As I said, we’d allowed the importance of our commitment to fade through so many years of having no immediate threat against us. It will not happen again.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Eleanor assured, leaning forward. “Before I saw Lord Waring’s drawing, I didn’t believe the necklace even existed outside of my grandmother’s book.” She glanced between the men. “What’s clear to me now is that we have enough reason to work together. Lord Waring wishes to ensure his friend’s safety. You wish to ensure the protection of the necklace. The link between the two is this British nobleman who wants the piece for himself. If we can identify him and learn his motives, we will likely discover a way for both of you to succeed in your desires.”
Lowering his brows, Aadesh met her gaze with an earnest, questioning stare. “And what is your desire, Kumari?”
Unable to keep her eyes from flickering over to Phin, who stared back with his bright, penetrating gaze, Eleanor replied firmly, “I desire to see the matter resolved without more bloodshed. There has been far too much death already in this story.” She returned her focus to Aadesh. “The necklace must be kept safe from those who’d exploit it.”
His expression remained still and unreadable as he stared back at her. Oddly, she felt no need to flinch or shrink or glance away, but accepted his perusal with unexpected confidence. After a long moment, he lowered his chin and his gaze in a deferential gesture.
“How shall we attempt such an outcome?”
Eleanor’s heart jumped in her chest. She could barely believe what she was about to say. She met Phin’s gaze again and offered a short smile. “I think I have an idea.”
*
It was afew hours later that Phin escorted Eleanor back to the garden gate of Lindley House.
