Lady in Sapphire by Elizabeth Cole

Author:Elizabeth Cole [Cole, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SkySpark Books
Published: 2015-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

Fortunately, Ian had a few ideas for dealing with Mira’s unpalatable cousin; he wrote several letters to contacts in London, and visited a few chosen people in town while he decided exactly what to do.

First he contacted the local magistrate, Mr Cramer. He informed him that a foreigner was attempting to purchase a human life from a law abiding citizen. The magistrate was shocked enough by the notion (and the amount) to go to the tavern where Worth was staying.

But Cramer reported back to Ian that Worth and his friends were gone.

“Without paying the balance of the bill!” he added. “Whoever this rascal is, he’s no true gentleman. Probably a criminal who masquerades as a wealthy man to scam merchants. I bet he’s long gone, my lord.”

Ian had his doubts, especially after hearing Mira’s story of the treasure. He’d seen Alvin Worth once, and it was clear how much the man liked money and the trappings of a rich life. If he truly thought Mira was the key to a treasure, he wouldn’t just give up.

Ian spoke with Mira about her cousin, determined to come up with a plan to drive him off well before he became a real threat.

“I’m not sure what more I can tell you,” Mira said. “You’re right that Alvin won’t give up. He’s tenacious when he gets an idea in his head. One time, not long after he moved into Whitrose Hall, he told me all about how Napoleon was destined to conquer all of Europe, and it was only a matter of time before the British Isles fell to him as well. The forward-thinking Englishman, he said, would throw in with Napoleon to be well-placed in the new regime.”

“Isn’t that called treason?” Ian asked.

“That’s what I told him,” Mira said. “And I told him that I wouldn’t tolerate such talk at Whitrose. The Worth family may have had scandals in its past, but let it be said that we’ve always supported the rightful ruler. Well, Alvin got quite upset with me for that, and it was the beginning of his ever worsening behavior. He seemed determined to abuse his position of guardian, exploiting Whitrose Hall and the whole property to support his indulgences. I became little more than a tenant in my own home.”

“Until he heard about the treasure.”

“Yes. He always asked about it. Always went poking around in the library and the grounds. He had digging parties with his friends—ruined all the lawns and the gardens by the house. He said he had plans for the treasure. And over the few years he was at Whitrose, his obsession only grew. Every time he returned from London, he tried another way to find the treasure. Of course he failed—there’s no treasure to find.”

“Odd that he said he had plans for the treasure,” Ian mused. “I wonder what he was planning to do.”

Mira shrugged, not interested in Alvin’s excesses. “He owed so much to various lenders that his plan should have been simply to pay them off.

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