Page 19 of The Viscount’s Forgery (Bluestocking Book Club #4)
N icholas could not help but gaze at Miss Sherwood.
It was now the third time she had come to his townhouse to look over his paintings.
In the last few days, they had built up a friendship which Nicholas was now beginning to value a very great deal.
He had watched her the first time she had come to call, taking in the way she narrowed her eyes gently as she swept her gaze over one of the paintings, only for her to bend her head a little as she studied it in more detail.
He had watched her bite her lip, had seen the gentle curve of her lip as she smiled at something she had seen, and had seen the frown that had begun to form whenever she saw something of concern.
Strangely enough, he had found it captivating. Just as he did now.
“This one, Lord Suffolk, is certainly an original,” she said, gesturing to the seascape he had given to her for her to consider.
“The painter is not particularly well known to me, but from what I have seen of his work, it appears to be in his style. There is nothing that I would consider to be a concern.”
Nicholas nodded. “That is a relief.” Letting his eyes travel to the other side of the room, where there were three paintings set together, he let out a slow breath. “That is three that are of concern, however.”
She nodded. “Yes. But I have these three to look at still, and then we will have gone through every painting in your townhouse.”
A sudden thought hit him, and he snatched in a breath, his eyes going wide. “What if… what if there are more at my estate?”
Miss Sherwood looked back at him. “More paintings?”
He nodded. “Yes, what if there are ones at my estate also that are forgeries?”
A slight hesitation told him she was thinking. “You could have someone there look over your paintings?”
“I could take you there,” he said, before he could stop to think, his throat closing up in an instant as he realized what he had said.
Coughing, he waved a hand in her direction.
“That is, I mean to say that I trust your work so implicitly, it would be difficult for me to find someone else so trusted.”
This brought a smile to her lips and a light to her eyes, capturing Nicholas within them. “You are very kind, Lord Suffolk.”
“I do mean every word,” he told her, aware of just how much his thinking had changed the last few days.
“Miss Sherwood, you have been diligent through all of this, explaining to me in great detail what it is you have discovered and why you think in whatever way you do.” The edge of his mouth lifted.
“Indeed, I think that I have learned more from you about painting and artwork these last few days than in all my years at Eton!”
This made her blush, and such was the beauty of her, Nicholas’ breath hitched.
He was forced to look away, his emotions beginning to grow with such strength, it overwhelmed him.
Meandering over to the three forged paintings, he looked down at them, taking his thoughts from Miss Sherwood to the paintings.
He had not yet given much thought as to who would have done such a thing or why, but soon those questions would have to be considered.
“My man of business would not have done this, I am sure.”
Miss Sherwood rose to her feet, her maid still in the corner of the room, and Miss Trentworth and Lord Albury at the other side of the room, talking together. “Your paintings, you mean?”
“Yes, precisely,” Nicholas said, rubbing at his chin.
“He worked for my father for many years, and I know my father trusted him with everything. There is no reason for him to do such a thing, for he is well paid. His family is secure, and his reputation pristine. I would be very surprised indeed if he thought to do anything akin to this.”
“It is good that you are able to trust him so,” Miss Sherwood murmured, looking down at the three paintings. “This is no small matter, however. Whoever took your paintings would have had to have each of them commissioned by another artist.”
“And would have to have known that these were the ones I wanted to purchase,” Nicholas said, slowly. “That must be of interest also, yes?”
Miss Sherwood nodded. “Yes, I should say so. Someone close to you, then?”
A dark cloud settled over Nicholas’ head. “I should dread to think that a friend or a relative would have done such a thing. There must be another explanation.”
“I can well understand your desire to think well of those you know and love.” Miss Sherwood let out a small sigh and then moved closer to Nicholas, his hand itching now to reach out and touch her. “However, I must tell you that I think this is decisively aimed at you.”
Something squeezed in Nicholas’ chest as he turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”
She hesitated, her eyes searching his.
“Please,” he said, quickly. “I should very much like to know your thoughts on this.”
Miss Sherwood sighed. “I do not want to alarm you, Lord Suffolk, nor to fill your mind with questions, but it seems to me that for you to have three, maybe four forgeries in your townhouse would speak of someone specifically taking your purchases for themselves – and for their own reasons.”
Understanding what she was saying, Nicholas nodded slowly. “If it was not directed at me, then I might have only one painting.”
“Yes, but to have so many suggests something else.”
Nicholas closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “I see.”
“I do not mean to upset you.”
He opened his eyes, feeling fire begin to burn in his chest as he looked to see her hand on his arm, her gaze earnest. “You have not upset me,” he assured her, his voice a little thick. “Not in the least.”
Relief sent a smile right across her face, and Nicholas’ heart slammed hard against his ribs at the sight of it.
His free hand settled upon hers for a few seconds, aware of how her eyes flared when his fingers touched hers.
Much to his relief, she did not pull her hand away.
Quite how long they stayed for, looking at each other in such a way, Nicholas could not have said.
All he knew was that when she finally tugged her fingers away from under his, when he finally was forced to drop his hand back to his side, it certainly had not felt like long enough.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Shock sent his happiness crashing to the floor as he turned his head, expecting to see Miss Sherwood’s father, given the demanding voice, only to see Lord Bothwell standing stock still, staring at Nicholas with wide, astonished eyes.
“Bothwell!” Nicholas exclaimed, putting on as warm a voice as he could and praying his friend would not think anything untoward was going on. “I did not expect you.”
“So it would seem.” Lord Bothwell’s gaze went around the room, only for it to linger on Miss Trentworth and Lord Albury, the latter of whom noticed his arrival and came towards him at once. “Whatever has happened here, Suffolk?”
“Lord Bothwell, good afternoon!” Lord Albury bowed low just as Miss Trentworth offered a greeting. “You have come to call upon Lord Suffolk without warning, it seems, just as we did.”
That was not the truth, of course, but given that Miss Trentworth, Miss Sherwood, and Lord Albury all knew that the paintings were not to be spoken of by anyone or to anyone, Lord Albury had clearly decided to tell only some of the truth rather than all of it.
“Indeed I have.” Lord Bothwell frowned, but glancing at Miss Sherwood and then at Miss Trentworth, his frown lessened a little. “I did not know that you were so well acquainted, Lord Albury.”
“With Lord Suffolk, you mean?” Lord Albury chuckled, lifting his shoulders and then letting them fall.
“I am not, but that does not mean that I cannot call upon a gentleman, does it? Besides, Miss Sherwood here, who is a dear friend of my betrothed, Miss Trentworth, knows Lord Suffolk a good deal better than I.”
Lord Bothwell nodded. “I see.” His gaze went around the room again. “Are you doing something with these paintings, Suffolk?”
“Yes.” Nicholas cleared his throat, trying to come up with a quick explanation. “I thought I might sell some and bring in new pieces.”
“Needless to say, we were most intrigued,” Miss Sherwood put in, as Lord Bothwell managed a smile, bringing Nicholas some relief. “Just as you are, it seems!”
“Indeed.” Lord Bothwell’s smile grew as he looked at Miss Sherwood. “I have just come from Hyde Park. Your sister and I enjoyed a short walk together, Miss Sherwood.”
To Nicholas’s mind, the smile on Miss Sherwood’s face became a little fixed. “That is very good,” she said, making Nicholas wonder if it was out of concern for what the outcome might be from such a walk. “I hope you had a very pleasant time together.”
“We did, we did.” Lord Bothwell let out a small sigh, then looked to Nicholas. “I am sorry to have intruded as I did. Might I speak with you for a moment, Suffolk? It will not take long.”
“But of course.” With a nod to Miss Sherwood, Nicholas stepped after his friend, following him to a quieter part of the room.
Miss Trentworth, Miss Sherwood, and Lord Albury continued with their conversation, making it quite plain that they were doing no sort of eavesdropping, which was a very great relief to Nicholas.
“I do apologize,” Lord Bothwell said, as Nicholas gave his friend his full attention, no longer distracted by Miss Sherwood. “I should have written first but… well, Suffolk, I think I may have come to a decision.”
Nicholas’ eyebrows lifted. “About Miss Sherwood?”
“About Polly, yes.” Lord Bothwell took a deep breath. “I think that I have been foolish.”
Blinking in surprise, for that was not at all what Nicholas had expected his friend to say, he waited for Lord Bothwell to say more.