met her—hardly the type who pick locks and break into houses. And why would she have come to me if she’d owned a fortune in real jewels?”
Ignoring the logic of that, Victor pressed the man harder. “Because finding a buyer for stolen diamonds isn’t that easy.”
Gordon’s humor vanished. He rose from his chair to round the desk. “Are you implying that I was her buyer? That I started my business concern here with ill-gotten jewels?”
Victor crossed his arms over his chest. “Well? Did you?”Sometimes anger made people blurt out things they wouldn’t say otherwise.
“I damned well did not!” He drew himself up with a dignified sniff. “And you have insulted me and Mrs. Franke long enough. This conversation is over. Time for you to leave.”
He’d pressed too hard. Victor rose, too. “I beg your pardon, sir. I didn’t mean to imply—”
His accent thickening by the moment, Gordon said, “If you think I’ll stand here letting you disparage my character and that of my partner in our own shop, ye’re as mad as that woman who sent you over here to dig up imaginary secrets on Mrs. Franke.” He held the door to his office open. “Good day, sir.”
Victor tamped down his irritation and headed through the door.
The testy codger followed him into the workshop. “And I’ll have you know I was one of the wealthiest jewelers in Paris because of my trade in imitation jewels. That is why Mrs. Franke came to me—because she knew I’d appreciate her skills.”
“I see,” Victor said, surprised. But then, his only experience in the jewel trade had been his few short weeks as a guard.
They passed out into the shop, and Gordon followed him to the front entrance and out into the street.
The Scot glanced around, then growled, “And you can tell that cat, Lady Lochlaw, that I willna stand for her spreading lies about thieving and such just to separate Mrs. Franke from his lordship. She oughtto be ashamed of herself, trying to part two lovers.”
Victor froze. “Lovers? Are they lovers?”
Gordon blinked. “I only meant that they’re in love. Not that they behave scandalously. They’re respectable in their dealings, to be sure.”
His heart thundered in his ears. “But you’re certain that Mrs. Franke is in love with the baron.”
Looking uneasy, the Scot glanced away. “All I’m saying is she’s no fortune-hunting female like her ladyship would paint her. And she’s certainly no thief.” His voice hardened. “That witch of a baroness knows better than anyone that my partner is a good woman, reliable and trustworthy. Did she tell you how her son met Mrs. Franke?”
“Yes. He brought in some jewelry to be cleaned for his mother.”
“Not just any jewelry.” Gordon crossed his arms over his chest. “The Lochlaw diamonds, a necklace renowned throughout Scotland for its value and beauty. It’s easily worth seventeen thousand pounds. Lady Lochlaw sent it to our shop without a qualm. Would she have entrusted them to us if she’d feared thievery? That lying she-devil had no trouble with Mrs. Franke at all until her son became smitten.”
But Victor had honed in on the words Lochlaw diamonds . He’d been wondering what Isa might be after—and now he had his answer.
Except that it made no sense. Why wait ten years to steal again?
Perhaps she’d run out of money from the first theft.Cleaning the diamonds would have given her the opportunity to study them and make an imitation. Then all she had to do was wait for a chance to switch them with her copy. And getting close to the baron might provide that.
No, that made no sense, either. She would be the first to be suspected once the copy was discovered.
Unless it never was. Lady Lochlaw had already proved she couldn’t tell imitation diamonds from real. That might explain why Isa had been letting young Lochlaw court her. The upcoming house party would provide the perfect chance to switch out the necklace.
He was still thinking it through
Ignoring the logic of that, Victor pressed the man harder. “Because finding a buyer for stolen diamonds isn’t that easy.”
Gordon’s humor vanished. He rose from his chair to round the desk. “Are you implying that I was her buyer? That I started my business concern here with ill-gotten jewels?”
Victor crossed his arms over his chest. “Well? Did you?”Sometimes anger made people blurt out things they wouldn’t say otherwise.
“I damned well did not!” He drew himself up with a dignified sniff. “And you have insulted me and Mrs. Franke long enough. This conversation is over. Time for you to leave.”
He’d pressed too hard. Victor rose, too. “I beg your pardon, sir. I didn’t mean to imply—”
His accent thickening by the moment, Gordon said, “If you think I’ll stand here letting you disparage my character and that of my partner in our own shop, ye’re as mad as that woman who sent you over here to dig up imaginary secrets on Mrs. Franke.” He held the door to his office open. “Good day, sir.”
Victor tamped down his irritation and headed through the door.
The testy codger followed him into the workshop. “And I’ll have you know I was one of the wealthiest jewelers in Paris because of my trade in imitation jewels. That is why Mrs. Franke came to me—because she knew I’d appreciate her skills.”
“I see,” Victor said, surprised. But then, his only experience in the jewel trade had been his few short weeks as a guard.
They passed out into the shop, and Gordon followed him to the front entrance and out into the street.
The Scot glanced around, then growled, “And you can tell that cat, Lady Lochlaw, that I willna stand for her spreading lies about thieving and such just to separate Mrs. Franke from his lordship. She oughtto be ashamed of herself, trying to part two lovers.”
Victor froze. “Lovers? Are they lovers?”
Gordon blinked. “I only meant that they’re in love. Not that they behave scandalously. They’re respectable in their dealings, to be sure.”
His heart thundered in his ears. “But you’re certain that Mrs. Franke is in love with the baron.”
Looking uneasy, the Scot glanced away. “All I’m saying is she’s no fortune-hunting female like her ladyship would paint her. And she’s certainly no thief.” His voice hardened. “That witch of a baroness knows better than anyone that my partner is a good woman, reliable and trustworthy. Did she tell you how her son met Mrs. Franke?”
“Yes. He brought in some jewelry to be cleaned for his mother.”
“Not just any jewelry.” Gordon crossed his arms over his chest. “The Lochlaw diamonds, a necklace renowned throughout Scotland for its value and beauty. It’s easily worth seventeen thousand pounds. Lady Lochlaw sent it to our shop without a qualm. Would she have entrusted them to us if she’d feared thievery? That lying she-devil had no trouble with Mrs. Franke at all until her son became smitten.”
But Victor had honed in on the words Lochlaw diamonds . He’d been wondering what Isa might be after—and now he had his answer.
Except that it made no sense. Why wait ten years to steal again?
Perhaps she’d run out of money from the first theft.Cleaning the diamonds would have given her the opportunity to study them and make an imitation. Then all she had to do was wait for a chance to switch them with her copy. And getting close to the baron might provide that.
No, that made no sense, either. She would be the first to be suspected once the copy was discovered.
Unless it never was. Lady Lochlaw had already proved she couldn’t tell imitation diamonds from real. That might explain why Isa had been letting young Lochlaw court her. The upcoming house party would provide the perfect chance to switch out the necklace.
He was still thinking it through
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