Held At Bay Read Online Free Page B

through,” Lorna said. “Mother’s tired of Scotland and wants to look at Menton. We’re staying in London for one night.”
    â€œThanks be for small mercies,” said Mannering.
    Beneath the shaded electric light it was easy to see what there was about him to fascinate women, for his tanned skin threw his white teeth into relief as he smiled, his dark hair was waving a little, his laughing eyes seemed to possess all the humour in the world. “I’d forgotten you had a key. Been waiting long?”
    â€œSomething over an hour,” said Lorna. “So I sent for something to eat. Sit down and let me look at you properly.”
    â€œWhy?” said Mannering, taking out his cigarettes. He eyed her reflectively, very content. Yet it passed through his mind that Lorna Fauntley was probably as responsible as anyone for the continued existence of the Baron.
    If they could have married, the Baron might well have died a natural death. But she was already married and could not get a divorce.
    They looked on the situation dispassionately now, and deliberately saw each other as seldom as they could, for they wanted marriage, not a substitute. No one knew of that barrier, and so it was rumoured that they were engaged. Mannering and Lorna Fauntley were satisfied to leave it at that, while the Baron’s activities did a great deal to relieve Mannering’s frustration.
    They talked of trifles for a while, and then Lorna’s eyes narrowed.
    â€œWell, John. Busy?”
    â€œVery.”
    â€œAs the Baron?”
    â€œAs the Baron,” Mannering agreed cheerfully. “And this time it’s for a cause.” He was flippant and smiling, but she sensed the underlying seriousness in his words.
    â€œWhat cause?”
    â€œFor a beautiful girl and a noble aristocrat,” declared the Baron with a smile. “You know the de Castillas?”
    Lorna’s eyes widened. “The de Castillas! But how—”
    â€œBe quiet and I’ll tell you,” said the Baron. “You know they came out of Spain with precious little more than they stood up in? They’ve been luckier since. Don Manuel had money over here, and they’ve nothing to worry about over money. But worry,” said John Mannering with a scowl, “isn’t all about money. It seems that while they were over in Castile, thieves raided their home, and got away with most of the family jewels. Among them was the Castilla Crown.”
    Lorna’s interest quickened. Through her father and Mannering, both jewel collectors, she knew a great deal about precious stones. She needed no telling that the five Jewels of Castilla, set in the old de Castilla Crown, was one of the most famous pieces in Europe.
    â€œThe long and short of it is that the de Castillas have offered a hundred thousand for the return of the five jewels,” he said. “And so—”
    â€œYou said this was chivalry,” said Lorna.
    â€œMostly it is,” said the Baron. “You’ve only heard a little yet. The crown was broken up, and the five jewels sold separately. One is in Paris, three are somewhere in England, and one is in New York, de Castilla learned that much, but there’s confusion. None of the owners of the stones know what they are. The individual weights and measurements were never made public, and the result is that the five jewels can only be traced by an individual who does know them. Beginning to see?”
    â€œYes. But if the weights aren’t known, how can you get them?”
    Mannering chuckled.
    â€œYoung Juan de Castilla gave me all the necessary information, and the situation is simply this: Don Manuel will pay twenty thousand pounds for each stone, providing he can get all five. But no one who has the stones wants to sell. All of them have been bought through dubious channels. The only stone that has been on the market is the Isabella Diamond, which was bought by a gentleman named