A Curse of the Heart

Did he think her a buffoon?

Did he think her someone who knocked on a stranger’s door for the fun of it?

She was not deaf and had heard his warning the first time. Surely, the fact she was still standing there was proof that her cause was urgent, dire.

“I just need five minutes of his time, nothing more. Five minutes and then I’ll be gone.”

A look of pity flashed in the servant’s eyes, and with a quick blink it was gone. “You are wasting both time and energy. He will not see you, Miss Linwood. Good day.”

“Please, wait.”

Rebecca stared at the closed door, all hope lost to her, her faith in humanity shattered. She was going to have to find some other way to speak to Mr. Stone.

Dragging her feet as she ambled down the street, her thoughts were drawn to the accident at her Egyptian museum, to Mr. Dempsey, the unfortunate gentleman who had dived out of the way of the flying bust of Nefertiti.

By way of an apology, she had confided in him and told him all about the ancient curse. He probably thought she was a candidate for Bedlam. But he had been polite and offered to introduce her to Mr. Stone, whom he assured her would be attending Lord Banbury’s ball. All she needed to do was don h

er best gown, and he would secure an invitation.

The idea left her in fits of laughter.

Thankfully, Mr. Dempsey was not offended when she explained she’d never been to a ball before and had no intention of ever doing so. She didn’t even own a gown.

Now, it looked as though she had no other choice. She would have to rummage through her mother’s things in the hope of finding something appropriate. She would have to wait for the bear to leave his cave and then she would pounce.

Chapter 2

There was only one thing on Gabriel Stone’s mind when he entered Lord Banbury’s house. Only one thing could rouse his passion and cause the blood to pump rapidly through his veins — his studies.

“I think we all know why you’re here,” Banbury chuckled as Gabriel came to greet him. “I think we know what’s dragged you out from the shadows.”

Gabriel could not recall the last time he’d been out formally and felt like a stuffed partridge all trussed up in his evening attire. Even so, he managed to force a weak smile. “Well, it’s not for the wine, whist or women.”

It was for something far more exciting.

“Good,” Banbury said, his gaze surveying the breadth of Gabriel’s shoulders, as though the vast vision before him was most certainly a mirage. “Because the gentlemen outnumber the ladies tonight, and you are just too much of a distraction.”

“Have no fear. The only thing I shall be surveying this evening is Bacanus’ parchment,” Gabriel replied in an attempt to show some interest in the conversation. He did not have time for idle chatter but refrained from being rude to his host. “Perhaps you should point me in the right direction, in case I get distracted along the way. As you say, that is the only reason I’m here.”

Banbury laughed. “Oh, I don’t want to spoil the thrill of the hunt, Stone,” he said patting Gabriel on the back. “It wouldn’t do to have you miss out on all the fun. You’ll have to go off and search for it yourself.”

Gabriel suppressed a sigh. “If I’d known that, I would have brought the hounds.”

If Banbury had lured him to the ball under a false pretext, he would drag him by his coattails all the way to London Bridge and dangle him headfirst from one of the arches.

Pushing his way through the crowded rooms, Gabriel recalled why he despised going about in Society. The feigned shrieks of laughter, the ostentatious dress, and the exaggerated mannerisms were all merely masks of deception, an illusion to lure and entice the weak and feeble-minded.

Thankfully, he was not one of them.

He understood the game but chose not to play.

Deciding the study was the most obvious place to look and discovering the door unlocked, he peered inside. He knew Banbury kept the parchment stored in a display case. If it belonged to Gabriel, he would have it locked in a vault a hundred feet below ground, surrounded by a moat of lava. But after scanning the room for the third time, he could not locate it.

Continuing down the hallway, he noticed another open door; the walls lined from floor to ceiling with leather-bound books and so he thought to try there.

There were numerous groups of people milling about, none of them interested in the wooden lectern with the glass lid. He ignored them all, his eyes fixed on his target, his heart beating louder with every step, as he had waited years for this opportunity.

Like a fine wine, he drank in those first few lines slowly and let Becanus’ words flow through him. He tried to banish every other thought from his mind, but the sound of laughter and raised voices cut through his concentration, so he could do nothing other than gaze upon its magnificence.