“Oh, very well.” Ashley held out her hand to Johnny. “Ready for dinner?” And the two joined the rampage, shutting it out as Ashley, with a last wistful look, closed the door behind them.
Josie glanced at Westman. “Do you want to do the honors?”
“And be accused of not sharing information? I think not.”
“Fine.” With a flourish, Josie flipped the lid open and stared at the red velvet lining. She put her hand inside, ran it along the soft, worn material. “Nothing,” she whispered.
Westman took the box and peered at its empty contents.
“I cannot believe this!” Josie wailed. “All this effort for nothing. It’s empty! Why would our grandfathers store an empty box? Oh, I knew this treasure was bad luck.”
“Perhaps the box wasn’t empty when they stored it. It may have been looted.” He set the box on the table, and Josie heard the faint thunk.
“Or perhaps they hid the contents inside the box.” She reached for it again and shook it lightly. Something rattled, and she felt a burst of sunshine in her heart. “Give me something sharp.”
“I’m not the footman, Miss Hale.”
Josie just managed to keep a frustrated sigh from escaping. Westman must have spent his tolerance measure for the day. “Very well. Your lordship, may I please have something sharp?”
Standing, he reached into his boot and withdrew a slim all-purpose knife. Josie took it and used it to slice the crimson lining. It parted easily, and she saw the glint of something gold. Her heart sped up. A doubloon?
The lining opened and Josie grasped the gold . . . key? It was an old-fashioned skeleton key with intricate curlicues in the bow. The blade was long and thin with a rectangle at the base.
“Is that it?” Westman asked.
Josie handed him the box, so he could search for himself. A key. She licked her lips. It wasn’t as good as a doubloon, but it could prove promising.
Westman set the box down. “It’s empty,” he said. “Just the key. Try it. Let’s make sure it doesn’t fit the box.”
Josie tried to fit the key in the hole, but the blade was too large. She smiled, loving the mystery. “So, we have a key without a lock. I wonder what else we’ll find.” She looked at Westman. “You said you found the information about the box in your grandfather’s things. Did you see anything that needed a key?”
“No. Just a few papers.”
“What other papers? Oh, never mind. I’ll come over tonight, and we can go through everything again.”
“Oh, good,” he drawled.
“I don’t know when I’ll arrive. I must wait until my parents go to sleep, then climb out the window.”
Westman stared at her. “Climb out the window? No, madam. There will be no more going in and out of windows. Come to the servants’ entrance in the back. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Josie reached up and ran a finger along his cheek. “I like the idea of you waiting for me.”
Westman caught her hand, and his blue eyes were icy. “Stop flirting with me. You aren’t prepared for the consequences.”
“Why don’t you let me decide that?”
“I’ve already decided.”
She swung away from him, and he said to her back, “Don’t be too late tonight, Miss Hale. I won’t wait long.”
WESTMAN PACED THE SMALL landing in front of the servants’ entrance, then pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time again. How much longer would he have to wait? It was after one, and he’d seen Josephine Hale home over eight hours ago. Of course, he hadn’t actually seen her to the door. He’d hired a hack and escorted her and her blond cousin home, then he’d had the hack take him to his club. It was unlikely anyone had seen him with the women as no one paid much attention to the myriad of hacks driving about the city, but he’d been careful to keep his hat low and his coat collar high.
After dinner and a game of whist at his club, he’d returned home at ten, as promised, and proceeded to wait for his neighbor for the next three hours. She’d said she had to wait to escape until her parents went out or went to sleep. What were they doing over there?
Stephen poked his head out of the servants’ door again. The Hale town house was dark, and there didn’t appear to be any movement inside. Had Josephine fallen asleep and forgotten her mission?
Tired of waiting inside, he paced the yard in front of the servants’ door. It was a cool night, clear skies—if London skies could ever be considered clear—and Stephen thought he saw a star somewhere in the heavens above.
