Page 33 of Miss Morton and the Missing Heir (A Miss Morton Mystery #4)

“I wonder if Mr. Castle has the inventory that was taken a year before my father died,” Caroline mused. “It was a comprehensive list of all that had been sold, lost, and what still remained.”

“That would be most helpful,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “Perhaps Mrs. Scutton could ask him.”

“I certainly will.”

For the first time in quite a while, Mrs. Scutton was in an agreeable mood with her hosts, and Caroline intended to take advantage of it.

The carriage journey to the Strand proved uneventful, and they arrived in good time. Mrs. Frogerton hadn’t visited the bank before and seemed duly impressed by both its grandeur and the haughty looks the staff gave her as she ascended the steps.

Mrs. Scutton addressed the clerk at the reception desk with all the assurance of a duchess. “We have an appointment with Mr. Andrew Castle at three. Please let him know that we are here.”

“And who might you be, ma’am?” the clerk inquired as Mrs. Frogerton tried not to smile.

“I am Mrs. Scutton, mother of the new Earl of Morton.”

“And these ladies?”

“Lady Caroline Morton and Mrs. Frogerton.” Caroline spoke up just in case Mrs. Scutton pretended not to know them.

“Lady Caroline.” The clerk bowed to her. “Perhaps you would care to wait in the morning room while I fetch Mr. Castle.”

“Thank you.” Caroline smiled and sailed past Mrs. Scutton into the morning room.

“Well, you think the man might have remembered me after my visits with Thomas.” Mrs. Scutton was not pleased.

“At least he recognized Caroline,” Mrs. Frogerton said.

Mrs. Scutton walked over to the window to look at the view and ignored them until Mr. Castle entered the room.

He was his usual, affable, smiling self. “Lady Caroline.” He came straight over and took her hand. “Always a pleasure.”

“Good afternoon, sir. May I remember you to Mrs. Frogerton? I know you are already well acquainted with Mrs. Scutton.”

“Yes, indeed.” He bowed to the other ladies. “I have the items you wish to see ready in one of our more secure rooms, if you care to follow me?”

He took them down into the basement and along a narrow corridor lined with numbered doors. Outside number six, he produced a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

They entered the room, and to Caroline’s surprise, there were quite a few of the family jewels laid out on the table.

She turned to Mr. Castle. “I thought my father sold most of these.”

Mr. Castle cleared his throat. “From what I understand from my predecessor, when the earl was unable to sell an item due to the entail, he sometimes borrowed money against it and left the item in our possession as security for the debt.”

“Like a pawnbroker,” Mrs. Frogerton commented.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Mr. Castle looked horrified at the comparison. “I was not aware of this arrangement until I took complete control of the estate after your father’s death.”

“Do you have an inventory of which pieces belong to which family?” Caroline asked. “My father sometimes forgot that some of the jewelry was not his to pawn.”

“That’s hardly relevant, Caroline,” Mrs. Scutton said. “We are here for a different purpose.”

“I am aware of that, ma’am. I just wish to make sure that Mr. Castle knows that some of these pieces might not belong to the Morton estate.”

“I’ll look for that inventory for you.” Mr. Castle bowed and left the room.

Mrs. Scutton looked at Caroline. “I do hope you aren’t going to be difficult, dear. There is a time and a place for your concerns, but the needs of the earldom are far more important.”

“Yes, of course, ma’am,” Caroline said meekly.

Mrs. Frogerton was leaning over the table examining the jewelry. “This is far nicer than Dotty’s wedding tiara.” As Mrs. Frogerton picked up the delicate diamond tiara, the light caught the facets, and bounced off the walls.

“I believe it was made for my great-grandmother,” Caroline said. “That is definitely a Morton piece. Mr. Scutton can offer it to his bride to wear on ceremonial occasions.”

“Would you have worn it on your wedding day?” Mrs. Frogerton asked.

“That would depend on whether my fiancé’s family had a better one.” Caroline smiled at her employer. “Sometimes the politics get quite heated. I do know of one bride who ended up wearing two tiaras to appease both sides of the family.”

“Well, thank goodness the Lingards only had the one,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “Or Dotty would’ve worn them all.”

Mrs. Scutton was opening jewelry boxes and checking the contents. “Did Mr. Spindler say the earrings in question were emerald?” she asked.

“I believe he did.” Caroline studied a cameo brooch her mother had often worn on her collar. She was fairly certain that it had come down the maternal line of the family and belonged to her. She resisted the temptation to slip it in her pocket.

Mrs. Scutton held up an earring made with a swathe of small emeralds and a dangling diamond. “I wonder if it’s this one?”

“Check the back,” Mrs. Frogerton suggested.

Mrs. Scutton removed the front of the velvet box and looked behind it. “The backs are both here.”

“I wonder whether your mother had a replacement made?” Mrs. Frogerton suggested.

“It’s possible, ma’am,” Caroline said.

Privately, Caroline wasn’t surprised that they hadn’t found the right piece of jewelry because she suspected Mr. Brigham had already disposed of it.

She was far more interested in seeing the extent of the collection and working out how to determine whether any of it should have come to her or Susan.

They checked every box and did not find a single earring without its back.

Mrs. Scutton sighed. “I suppose it was unlikely that we would succeed.”

“At least we tried, ma’am,” Caroline said.

“And it was nice to see that not all the Morton treasures have been lost,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “I wonder how the bank will handle the transfer back to the earl?”

“I’m sure they’ll accept a substantial repayment,” Caroline said. “Or the estate could take them to court for engaging in such covert activities in the first place.”

“I’ll make sure to mention that to Thomas,” Mrs. Scutton said before heading for the door. “Shall we depart?”

The door locked behind Caroline as she closed it. She followed the other ladies along the quiet corridor and up the stairs to the entrance hall.

Mr. Castle met them at the front desk. “Did you find what you were looking for, ladies?”

“No,” Mrs. Scutton said. “But it was pleasant to see the family jewels.”

“Indeed.” Mr. Castle bowed and handed Caroline a large leather-bound book. “The records you requested, my lady. You can take them with you, if you wish.”

“Thank you, sir.” Caroline smiled at him.

She had high hopes that the records would prove that she owned some of the jewelry. And once she had that information, she would set Mr. Lewis to securing her claims.