The Rightful Lord (The Saga Of Wolfbridge Manor Book 3), Sahara Kelly [english novels for students .TXT] 📗

“I would if it were the Improper Behaviour…” He waggled his eyebrows wickedly, making her laugh.

“Are you two making any progress?” Gabriel peeked around the door, then coughed. “I see you have found plenty of dust, anyway.”

“Just old books, I’m afraid,” Gwyneth brushed her hands down the large apron Evan had insisted she wear. “I’ll take a look in the bureau next, but I am not expecting to find much of importance.”

She opened the bottom drawer and gazed at dust, a piece of old cloth and a lady’s hairbrush with few bristles left.

The second drawer was completely empty, which left the top drawer.

It stuck a little, so she wiggled it carefully, finally sliding it open. Inside was a leather-covered book, which she removed and put on top of the bureau. About to close the drawer, she frowned. One piece of the bottom seemed to be curving upward, as if the wood had warped.

“Hmm.” She touched it and found it loose. Pulling the entire drawer open as fully as possible, she fiddled with the corner and to her surprise the entire bottom panel moved. It took scarcely any effort to slide it out of the drawer.

Jeremy and Evan moved to her side, staring at the contents.

A beautifully painted fan lay inside, along with several pairs of lace gloves, brown with age. Next to them was a bundle of papers, elegantly gathered and tied with a faded ribbon.

“Letters?” Evan touched them.

“Given what’s here, I’m tempted to say more love letters,” answered Gwyneth. “They were well hidden, and there’s nothing of monetary value with them. The only reason for concealing letters is to hide the contents. And the only thing that would need to be hidden…”

She let her words taper away, knowing Jeremy and Evan would immediately grasp the significance.

Jeremy sighed. “You know, I think I’m only going to go into new buildings from now on. I’m getting a bit tired of finding things in walls and old bureaus.”

“Oh, but it’s exciting, don’t you think? Getting to peek into the lives of those who lived long ago?”

Evan sneezed. “They should have dusted more.”

“They probably did,” sighed Gwyneth, carefully gathering her finds in her apron. “But I agree. Time to find some clean air.” She looked around. “And I’m not tapping the wainscoting to see if there are any hidden niches.”

“Thank God,” exclaimed Jeremy dramatically, making both Evan and Gwyneth laugh. “I’ve worked up a thirst.”

Evan rolled his eyes. “You breathe and you work up a thirst,” he teased.

“Ah, the familiarity of a long friendship,” he grinned, throwing his arm around Evan’s shoulders. “You are aware of my needs before I even voice them.”

Gwyneth shook her head. “Come along then. Downstairs. I need to wash my hands quite thoroughly and then add this to our treasure table.”

“We might need a bigger one,” mused Evan on the way out. “The way we’re going, I think the dining room would be a better option.”

Despite Evan’s predictions, the small find fit on the table, and the three of them stared at it for a moment or two.

“Well,” said Evan. “Other than reading the letters, I’m not terribly excited by all this.”

Jeremy sighed. “Just once it would be nice to find a bag bulging with fabulous jewellery, perhaps a horde of golden ducats or loose diamonds stolen from some Rajah in the depths of India.”

Gwyneth rolled her eyes. “You are reading the wrong books, Jeremy. That doesn’t happen in real life.”

“I’d settle for a bag of sixpences?”

She chuckled. “Be patient. We haven’t finished our inventory yet.”

He groaned. “I’m going to the kitchen. I need tea.”

“That was a hint,” sighed Evan.

Gwyneth watched them leave, arms around each other’s shoulders, jesting and laughing as they walked from the room. She hoped it was a good sign that Jeremy was getting over his malaise, although she knew, deep inside, that only one thing would rid him of it completely.

Finding the truth about Susanna’s death.

Unfortunately, the letters they’d discovered weren’t going to be of any help in that regard. Gwyneth took a quick peek, then sighed. They were simply thank-you notes, written to a previous Lady of Wolfbridge. Some from tenants, others from people who must have been friends, or perhaps even local acquaintances.

While it was delightful to glimpse the past lives of Wolfbridge ladies, and she’d enjoy perusing all of the letters at some point, now just wasn’t the right time.

So the gloves were sadly disposed of, being unusable, and the letters and the fan were left with their other treasures. Someday, Gwyneth intended to gather all these mementoes of the past and put a few on display. But that was for another time.

Many things still needed to be done, and she owed them her attention first. Final arrangements for the play were uppermost in her mind, since that was now mere hours away.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Christmas Eve dawned cold and grey, with clouds threatening snow before noon.

But inside Wolfbridge, the fires burned merrily, and the air was filled with the scent of pine, and the tasty aromas from the kitchen where Evan was happily at work on their Christmas fare. Jeremy was with him, helping as best he could, and when Gwyneth peered around the door, she saw them both busily crimping mince pies on the long table.

“Anything I can do?” She asked the question in the hope that the answer was no. She could cook, but nowhere near as well as these two.

“Not at the moment, my Lady,” Evan blew hair out of his eyes. “Are we going to church?”

“As far as I know, yes. The eleven o’clock service.”

“All right then,” Jeremy nodded. “We’ll be done in about an hour or so.” He glanced at the clock. “And the