hard at Victor. “Why do you think I took her on? When she came to my shop to beg that I hire her, she brought a ruby ring left to her by her family. She’d refashioned it, using the most amazing imitation diamonds I’d ever seen. It was exquisite. I hired her as an apprentice on the strength of that ring alone.”
“I gather from what Lady Lochlaw said that she’s from the Continent. How did she end up in Scotland?”
Gordon looked confused. “You misunderstand. I didn’t hire her here. She traveled with me to Edinburgh after I hired her in Paris.”
That flummoxed Victor. She’d stolen a fortune in diamonds, and then gone begging for a position from Gordon? That made no sense.
And if she’d been trying to escape being captured, why not just pay for her passage with the proceeds from the theft?
“Why was she seeking work with you?”
“Why do you think?” Gordon said testily. “She had to live somehow. After her husband died in the army, she was left destitute.” He scowled. “I suppose you’re one of those who think a woman is better off starving than going into trade.”
“Not at all,” Victor said, trying to find his way in this increasingly odd conversation. “I’m just surprised that you would hire a woman you barely knew and pay for her passage to Scotland, merely so she could work for you as an apprentice.”
Gordon sat up straight. “What the devil are you implying? That I had some other motive in hiring her? That I took advantage of the woman? That I’m some lecher who—”
“No, forgive me,” Victor said hastily. The Scot was quick to take insult. “I’m saying this badly. But jewelersdo tend to be circumspect about whom they hire. It was kind of you to take on a widow about whom you knew so little.”
The man’s glare faded a bit. “Well,” he grumbled, “I needed an apprentice. She needed a position. There weren’t many Frenchmen who wished to travel to Scotland.”
“So you were in a bit of a pickle. Perfectly understandable.” He chose his words carefully. “Did your wife mind that you were hiring a woman?”
A shadow crossed Gordon’s face. “She’s dead,” he said softly. “That’s why I came here. After my French wife was gone, there was no reason to stay in Paris. I missed my home.”
And Isa might have offered to share a few of the diamonds with Gordon if he helped her start a new life.
But then why go through the nonsense about being his apprentice? Why not just live off of the money from the jewels? Or steal more? Victor was missing something in all this. He just didn’t know what.
Gordon was staring at him now. “Her ladyship put you up to finding out about Mrs. Franke, didn’t she?”
Victor tensed. “You can’t blame her for worrying about her son. By your own account, you took in a stranger without knowing a thing about her except the tale she spun about her soldier husband. How can you be sure that she didn’t come to you simply because she needed to leave Paris quickly? Because, perhaps, she’d been using her ability for creating imitation diamonds in some criminal pursuit?”
The shock on Gordon’s face had barely registered before the Scotsman burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.
Not the reaction Victor had expected. “What’s so amusing?”
It took the man a minute to compose himself. “Mrs. Franke . . . leaving Paris quickly . . . a criminal pursuit?” He gasped out one last laugh, then drew out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “Och, now, I needed that.”
“I confess that I miss the humor in it,” Victor muttered.
“You . . . you honestly think an eighteen-year-old girl was sneaking about Paris, breaking into . . . some mansion to run off with a fortune in jewels.” He started laughing again.
“You’re the one who called her imitations ‘amazing,’” Victor grumbled.
“Yes, but that’s a far cry from stealing real ones. The woman was timid as a rabbit when I
“I gather from what Lady Lochlaw said that she’s from the Continent. How did she end up in Scotland?”
Gordon looked confused. “You misunderstand. I didn’t hire her here. She traveled with me to Edinburgh after I hired her in Paris.”
That flummoxed Victor. She’d stolen a fortune in diamonds, and then gone begging for a position from Gordon? That made no sense.
And if she’d been trying to escape being captured, why not just pay for her passage with the proceeds from the theft?
“Why was she seeking work with you?”
“Why do you think?” Gordon said testily. “She had to live somehow. After her husband died in the army, she was left destitute.” He scowled. “I suppose you’re one of those who think a woman is better off starving than going into trade.”
“Not at all,” Victor said, trying to find his way in this increasingly odd conversation. “I’m just surprised that you would hire a woman you barely knew and pay for her passage to Scotland, merely so she could work for you as an apprentice.”
Gordon sat up straight. “What the devil are you implying? That I had some other motive in hiring her? That I took advantage of the woman? That I’m some lecher who—”
“No, forgive me,” Victor said hastily. The Scot was quick to take insult. “I’m saying this badly. But jewelersdo tend to be circumspect about whom they hire. It was kind of you to take on a widow about whom you knew so little.”
The man’s glare faded a bit. “Well,” he grumbled, “I needed an apprentice. She needed a position. There weren’t many Frenchmen who wished to travel to Scotland.”
“So you were in a bit of a pickle. Perfectly understandable.” He chose his words carefully. “Did your wife mind that you were hiring a woman?”
A shadow crossed Gordon’s face. “She’s dead,” he said softly. “That’s why I came here. After my French wife was gone, there was no reason to stay in Paris. I missed my home.”
And Isa might have offered to share a few of the diamonds with Gordon if he helped her start a new life.
But then why go through the nonsense about being his apprentice? Why not just live off of the money from the jewels? Or steal more? Victor was missing something in all this. He just didn’t know what.
Gordon was staring at him now. “Her ladyship put you up to finding out about Mrs. Franke, didn’t she?”
Victor tensed. “You can’t blame her for worrying about her son. By your own account, you took in a stranger without knowing a thing about her except the tale she spun about her soldier husband. How can you be sure that she didn’t come to you simply because she needed to leave Paris quickly? Because, perhaps, she’d been using her ability for creating imitation diamonds in some criminal pursuit?”
The shock on Gordon’s face had barely registered before the Scotsman burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.
Not the reaction Victor had expected. “What’s so amusing?”
It took the man a minute to compose himself. “Mrs. Franke . . . leaving Paris quickly . . . a criminal pursuit?” He gasped out one last laugh, then drew out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “Och, now, I needed that.”
“I confess that I miss the humor in it,” Victor muttered.
“You . . . you honestly think an eighteen-year-old girl was sneaking about Paris, breaking into . . . some mansion to run off with a fortune in jewels.” He started laughing again.
“You’re the one who called her imitations ‘amazing,’” Victor grumbled.
“Yes, but that’s a far cry from stealing real ones. The woman was timid as a rabbit when I
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