“Yes, miss. Good luck.” The maid bobbed another curtsey.
He raked his fingers through his hair. “Where do you suggest we start?”
She studied the room for several seconds. “It makes sense to me that the older trunks would be in the back of the room. From what I understand, when this house was finished they were all moved over here. I do expect that they are rather a jumble.” She turned in a slow circle. “But, I think the ones that were filled here will be in some sort of order.”
He walked to the closest ones. “Shall we begin with these?”
She stared at the trunks before which he was standing, and strolled past the first row. “Many times fabric is reused for new gowns. However, the clothes the lady in the painting was wearing were not particularly rich. I would not be surprised to discover that she had an affection for geese and visited them.”
He tried to follow her reasoning. “So you are saying that she would have kept clothing that she did not worry about ruining?”
“Something like that.” Georgie stopped in front of a large dark wooden trunk banded with decorative metal, also dark with age. “Let’s try this one first.”
Fortunately, the key was in the lock. That was odd. He looked at the other trunks. “Miss Featherton, I believe you are to be commended.” Gavin turned the lock and opened the lid. On top lay the cap with the red ribbon nestled in a basket. Also in the basket was a feather that looked to be made of gold. “I say.” He lifted the feather. “I wonder if this is our prize.”
She pulled her bottom lip between her small white teeth. “That would be hard to share.”
Not if they were married. “You’re right. But, at least we found what was on our list.” He started looking to see if there was another piece of paper. “I can’t believe it was this easy.”
“Considering we are to go into the town today for the market, she could not have made it too difficult.” Georgie opened her pin-watch then glanced at him. “Aside from that, it was sheer luck that you took one end of the gallery and saw the paper. We might not have known to look for it if you hadn’t found it.”
“And we found the maid.” That had been a stroke of luck.
“Indeed.” She nodded. “Can you imagine how long it might have taken us to discover this room if we had not?”
“At least an hour, I would imagine.” He picked up the basket. “Let us trace our way back down.”
She gave him a chagrined look. “I am glad you remember the way back.”
Gavin tucked her hand in his arm. “Never fear, my lady fair. I shall find the way out of the maze.”
“Lead on then, sir.”
Even though there were several doors and two corridors that could have tripped them up, it was not too difficult to trace their way to the portrait gallery. He was surprised that she trusted him to lead. Generally, she was the one who was so certain. Then again, she admitted she did not know the way. Still, it gave him a sense of accomplishment to know she trusted him. At least this much. But he needed her to trust him much more.
As they approached the hall, Gavin heard the front door open and grabbed Georgie’s hand. “Someone else is coming in.”
They sprinted into the hall and stopped in front of their hostesses just before Lytton and Lady Aurelia arrived. Her ladyship gasped and burst into laughter, causing Georgie to do the same.
“I had no idea we would be so competitive,” she exclaimed. “But it seems that we are.” Taking the basket from Gavin, she handed it to Mrs. Fitzwalter. “That was a great deal of fun.”
“It was indeed.” Lady Aurelia gave Lady Turner a wooden bucket.
Despite the ladies having a good time, Gavin could have sworn Lytton glared at him for a brief second.
“We are so glad you enjoyed it,” Lady Turner said. “We have arranged for a light luncheon before we go to town for the market.”
“It is set up in the dining room,” Mrs. Fitzwalter added.
“But before you go, we must give you your prize.” She glanced at Gavin and Georgie, and his muscles seemed to tighten. “You each receive a prize. One is to go into meals with the person of your choice, and the other is the feather.”
“Ladies first.” Gavin held his breath. He wanted to be able to sit next to Georgie at every meal they had here, but it was up to her to decide.
“How could I not take the feather?” She grinned. “But are you certain you wish to give it up?”
“Oh, yes,” Lady Turner said. “We would not have offered it otherwise.”
“In that case.” He looked down at Georgie. “I wish to escort Miss Featherton to dinner for the rest of the week.” And the rest of her life.
Her cheeks turned a pretty pink, and he was happy she was pleased.
“Very well, my lord.” Mrs. Fitzwalter and Lady Turner exchanged a conspiratorial look.
Now, what was that about? “I do have a question. Where did the name ‘gypsy hunt’ come from?”
Lady Turner grinned. “When we were children the gypsies that camped near us had the most interesting items for sale. At some point, our mothers decided that instead of simply purchasing the items and giving them to us, they would hide them and make us search for our gifts.”
That sounded innocuous enough. Although he still could not like the name. Gavin held his arm out to Georgie. “I’m famished.”
“I am becoming peckish as well.” She looked at their hostesses. “Do you know where Lord and Lady Littleton are?”
“In the dining room,” Lady Turner said. “She has been a bit tired.” The lady touched her stomach. “I suppose I shall experience that in a few months.”
“Oh, Mary!” Georgie hugged the other woman. “I am so pleased for you.” Then she looked at Mrs. Fitzwalter. “It looks as if there will be several births close together.”
He hadn’t known the other lady was with child as well. An image of Georgie round with his child came into his mind. With any luck at all, she would not be far behind the rest of the ladies. “Congratulations. Your husbands and families must be delighted.”
“Thank you, my lord,” the ladies said as one.
As they strolled to the dining room it suddenly occurred to him that whoever had put Georgie and him by themselves in an attic might have been doing some matchmaking. Even though the door had remained open, they had been completely alone. Part of him wished they had been found, but a larger part of him knew that would not have helped his cause to convince her to marry him because she wanted to.
Chapter Seventeen
Over the next hour or so the rest of the group straggled into the dining room having had various degrees of success. What really interested Georgie was the last arrivals. The Earl of St. Albans and Miss Blomefield—who had asked the ladies to call her Delia. Although she was making her first come out, it had been delayed by two years. Therefore, she was older than most of the other single ladies, including Georgie. Both of them appeared a little worse for wear.
“Please excuse me.” Delia brushed at her skirts. “I must change.” She left the room rather abruptly.
St. Albans’s cravat was creased and haphazardly tied, and his usually elegant jacket was covered with straw and grass, making it appear as if he’d been doing something he ought not to have been.