“Oh, not now, Maddie! We found something—a box. Is there anywhere we can go to take a closer look?”
Ashley’s head appeared above Maddie’s. “We? Oh, you’ve returned with Lord Westman.”
Josie wondered when her cousin had started restating the obvious. Westman didn’t seem to mind. He doffed his hat, then settled it under his arm. He was being remarkably tolerant—at least for him. Perhaps he had finally given up fighting her.
“I suppose you can use the parlor,” Maddie offered. “Are you certain you can’t help with the orphans? It would be a wonderful way to prove how reformed you are.”
Westman gave her a tight smile.
Josie sighed. “Stop trying to recruit more members for your benevolent society.”
Maddie looked unrepentant.
“Just one more thing.” Josie knew this request would not go over very well, but she had no choice. “Could we borrow one of the children who used to run in Finnegan’s gang? We don’t have a key for the box.”
Maddie’s mouth tightened. “The benevolent society doesn’t like to encourage the children—”
“I know. But just this once,” Josie pleaded. “I’ll explain how the box belongs to me and that I need help opening it. It’s not wrong if the box is mine, isn’t it?”
Josie thought she heard Westman mutter a comment questioning her ownership of the box, but then Maddie said, “Fine. I’ll call Johnny.”
“Thank you!”
Josie led Westman to the parlor, and Ashley scooted inside before Josie could close the door. When Josie gave Ashley a look, indicating they wanted privacy, Ashley said, “I just want to take a peek.” Then she whispered, “I’m not planning to steal your beau.”
“He’s not my beau,” Josie hissed back. Ashley laughed.
“I’m standing right here, you know,” Westman said, taking a seat in one of the tattered chairs.
“A gentleman wouldn’t listen,” Josie said. She lit a lamp and set the wooden box on a small lamp table.
“So that’s it?” Ashley asked, coming to peer at the box. “What’s so important?”
“It belonged to my grandfather,” Westman told her. He glanced at Josie, apparently uncertain how much to reveal.
“It might have a clue to the treasure,” Josie finished for him. “Ashley knows about the treasure map, but no one else outside of my immediate family.”
Westman nodded. “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
There was a light tap on the door, and Josie moved to shield the box from view. “Come in,” she called, and the door swung open, revealing a short, skinny girl who could not yet have celebrated her eighth birthday.
“Miss Maddie says you need to see me.” The little girl stomped into the room. “But I didn’t do it. I didn’t touch Sarah’s doll. I swear.” She crossed her thin arms over her scrawny chest and stuck out her lower lip.
“Are you Johnny?” Josie asked.
“I’m Johnny,” she said. “But I didn’t do it.”
“Of course, you didn’t,” Ashley said. “We never thought you did. We asked for you because we—well, they need your help.”
The little girl brightened. “My help? Really?” Josie added, “Do you think you could help us?” The girl nodded. “What do you need?”
Josie could remember being that age and having her mood change from one instant to the next. She glanced at Westman, but he was eyeing the child as though she were a tiger. He was curious but wary.
“Do you see this box?” Josie asked the little girl.
She bobbed her head, blond curls bouncing.
“We own the box.” She motioned to Lord Westman, including him. “But we seem to have misplaced the key, and now we can’t get it open. Miss Maddie said she thought you might be able to help.”
