Page 9

Leonora swallowed hard, deciding to give him a little more of the burden she carried. “My mother vanished when I was a child. When my father died, our entire world fell apart within days. The creditors seized everything my father owned, stripped our home down to the bare walls. Once everything was gone, my mother was simply... gone too. No note, no warning, nothing. Not even distant relatives know what happened to her. This necklace is the one thing I am certain belonged to her. She loved it, and I need to have it.”

Anthony tilted his head, the playful smile finally leaving his expression. “Alright,” he said quietly. “I believe you. A sentiment that deep explains a great deal.”

“Then name your terms,” Leonora said, lifting her chin again. “What is the deal?”

“We both want something, and we are both in a position to help the other,” Anthony began, pacing slowly toward the window. “I have a proposition.”

“Then stop being so vague and tell me,” she urged, crossing her arms again. “I cannot stay here indefinitely without a chaperone.”

“My grandmother, the dowager duchess of Glenhaven lives here with me,” Anthony said, turning back to face her. “She is elderly, and her mind is failing her. She suffers from a severe memory ailment, which means she frequently forgets where she is or who is around her. She is remarkably eccentric, and because of that, she tends to terrify most companions I hire. They rarely last more than a week before they run out the front door in tears.”

Leonora blinked, thrown off balance by the abrupt shift in topic. “Surely you can hire a professional nurse or someone trained —”

“I need someone long-term, someone trusted, but I simply do not have the time to search right now,” he interrupted, stepping closer. “I have too many estate matters demanding my attention. I need a minimum of three months. Three months of someone staying by her side, reading with her, talking to her, keeping her company on her own level until I can find a permanent solution.”

Leonora stared at him as the realization began to dawn. “You want me to be her companion?”

“Precisely.”

“Why me?” she asked incredulously. “Surely you can find a dozen other women in London who would jump at the chance to sit in a ducal estate for three months.”

“Because most women in London would treat her like a patient or a prisoner,” Anthony said firmly. “You seem to be eccentric too, so you will get along quite nicely. You have enough spirit to match hers.”

Leonora’s eyes widened. “What gave you that notion, Your Grace? I am no eccentric.”

“Says the lady who glued fur to her face,” he answered. “Come on, you’ll be perfect for this. You would not let her walk all over you, yet you possess enough warmth to handle her eccentricities.”

“Why don’t you just hire someone to read to her, or have her join knitting circles?” Leonora argued, throwing her hands up. “Why does it have to be three months of my life?”

“Because knitting circles do not stop her from wandering into my study and letting her cats chew my tax documents,” Anthony replied smoothly. “Also because those are my terms. You want the necklace. I want peace of mind for my grandmother. Three months of your time, acting as her companion, and at the end of it, the necklace is yours. Free of charge. You will not pay a single penny.”

Leonora stepped back, her mind racing. The necklace was worth a fortune at that moment. To trade three months of her life for it sounded simple on the surface, but something about how easily he offered it made her suspicious. “There has to be a catch. You bought that necklace at a steep price during the auction. You are just going to hand it over after three months of conversation?”

“I am a man of my word,” Anthony smiled, tilting his head.

“People who say they are men of their word usually require a great deal of fine print,” she countered narrowing her eyes.

“No fine print. Just three months.”

Leonora walked away from him, pacing toward the far corner of the room so she could think without him staring piercingly at her. She desperately wanted that necklace. It was the only concrete progress she had made in years of searching. She could not afford to lose it now, not when it was finally within arm’s reach. She took a deep, steadying breath, closed her eyes for a brief second, and then turned back to face him.

“Fine,” she said, her voice tight. “I will do it. Three months as your grandmother’s companion in exchange for the necklace.”

“Wonderful,” Anthony said, a triumphant gleam flashing in his eyes. “Let us go meet her right now.”

Leonora froze. “Right now?”

“Yes.”

“This very instant?”

“I believe I am speaking English, Miss Ashcroft,” he teased, turning toward the door.

Leonora had to take two quick steps just to keep pace with him as he strode down the hallway. He led her toward a quiet wing of the house, stopping before a large door. He knocked once and pushed it open.

The moment the door swung wide, Leonora instinctively jumped backward, her hands flying up to grip Anthony’s coat sleeve to steady herself.

“Why are there cats everywhere?” she muttered.