Page 28 of Fangs, Frost, and Folios
“Who?
“Whoever pays her the most. She’s good at what she does.”
“And what is that?”
“Cons. Theft. She’s an excellent lockpick and an even better actress.”
Beatrice had heard enough. Vampires in this house, looking for a mountain of treasure, possibly in the service of the vampire whom Mortimer and the British Army had stolen from in the first place.
It was far from a safe little book hunt in the English countryside.
She snapped her fingers, pointed René to the library door, and unsheathed her second dagger.
René hoisted the tall English gentleman over his shoulder and walked to the library door, opening it as the dog trotted behind. “Me traiter comme un enfant…”
That left Beatrice alone in the mudroom of Audley Manor with two knives, no backup, and an unknown number of vampires and humans infiltrating the house.
Gio, you picked a hell of a time to visit your old book friend.
She crept out of the mudroom on silent feet and headed for the stairs.
“The Mortimer Library, eh?” Edward Macintosh leaned forward and took his glass of neat whiskey with a trembling hand. “That’s a great old place. Black hole to most collectors though. Those old families hoard their treasures like they’re gold. Well, until they need money. But the Mortimers are rolling in wealth.”
Giovanni sat next to the fire, gently coaxing it so the old man wouldn’t need to bend down and add wood. “Caspar and I were sad to hear about Penny’s passing.”
“God, what a character she was.” Edward smiled. “Pure delight. Old Morty never deserved her, but he did adore her. I’ll give him that.”
Giovanni kicked his feet toward the fire and settled in for a gossip about old times. “Do you think she married him for the money?”
Edward sighed. “Possibly. The Percy-Reeds were quite in need of a cash influx around that time if I remember correctly, and Penny was the sacrificial lamb. But I think they were happy. We ran in the same circles until the late 1980s or so. Then she moved out to the country permanently to be closer to the family and we lost touch. She still wrote occasionally though. She’d send me things she found in the library when she wanted my opinion or she needed repairs.”
“She didn’t have a bad life from what I could tell. Her great-nephew seems like a very nice young man.” Giovanni swirled the gold whiskey in the glass. He’d have to head back to Hereford soon if he was going to make it before dawn, but it was lovely to catch up with an old friend.
Edward Macintosh was the son of a printer and one of Giovanni’s oldest intermediaries. There wasn’t a collector in London who knew more about Elizabethan folios and the market.
“You know if and when we find it, I’ll bring it to you first.”
Edward’s bushy grey eyebrows went up. “You want to sell?”
Giovanni shrugged. “I’ll have to talk to Beatrice. The money isn’t the issue. We may end up donating it in the end. The important thing is the discovery. A play wants to be performed, doesn’t it?”
“Agreed.” Edward’s eyes twinkled behind the thick lenses of his glasses. “Can you imagine the ruckus? The experts in Oxford will be debating when I’m worm food.”
“I’ll endeavor to present it to the public in time for you to enjoy at least some of the hubbub.” He smiled. “That is if we can find it.”
“I’ve no doubt you will. You seem to find anything you put your mind to.”
Giovanni reached out a hand and swirled the fire to drive away the chill in Edward’s old shop. “Where did the Mortimers get their money?”
“Oh, the typical wealth of the oldest families.” The old man held his wrinkled hands toward the fire. “Land. I believe their house goes back to the Normans. They have farms and tenants. They had coal once upon a time, and mills. Some interests in India if I remember correctly.”
“Hmm. The whole library is interesting, but the play comes from Penny’s collection, not her husband’s family.”
“Ah, so it’s not reallystealing.” Edward winked. “You’re just retrieving it from the Mortimer vault.”
Giovanni smiled. “I wouldn’t call the library a vault, but yes, you get the idea.”
Edward frowned. “I believe they do have a vault though. I remember a colleague, who shall remain anonymous, mentioning it because he’d consulted on the construction.”
