Page 69 of Beauty and the Rake
He set his glass down and scrubbed his face with his hand. “That’s an excellent suggestion. Your brother and I are supposed to meet with someone who can keep tabs on Mr. Crenshaw.”
“That is money well spent. Did you find out to whom he sold the ships?”
“Another mystery we have to solve.”
“And you will. So far, the pair of you have easily found out things I would have thought were unattainable.”
“True. Sometimes I feel like we’re being conned.”
Standing, Roxanne sat back down next to her husband. “How’s that?”
“It’s like we’re always two steps behind Crenshaw.”
“It almost sounds like he has someone on the inside.”
He arched a brow. “You mean like a member of the staff might be his eyes and ears here?”
“Yes. Possibly someone in Arthur’s staff as well.”
“Bloody hell. I hadn’t even thought about that connection,” he exclaimed. “It’s perfect. Too perfect.”
“How can you flush them out?”
Graham picked up her hand and kissed the back. “Speak with the butler and housekeeper first. They may know or suspect someone, especially if they’re asking on a more personal note. Also, ask if anyone new has been hired. They would be more likely.”
“Maybe this will work.”
“All we can do is hope,” he replied, shifting his weight so he was even closer than before. With his hand, he ran the back along her cheek before leaning over and kissing her.
Before he could take things further, Roxanne pulled back. “Now’s a perfect time to speak with them.”
He looked at her blankly before he realized what she was talking about. “You’re right. Why don’t you find them and ask them to meet us in my study?”
“Me? Why me?”
“You are the lady of the house. This is a perfect way to assert yourself in your new position.”
“Very well.” She sighed. “I’m not sure how much they need to know.”
“I’ll figure that out as we go along.”
“This is the best chance we have had,” she said.
Deciding to meet in Graham’s study in fifteen minutes, Roxanne left her husband and headed to the kitchens. It shouldbe busy at this time of day, and hopefully no one would pay much attention to both the butler and housekeeper slipping away.
The pair were in the butler’s office. This made things easier. She could just make the request once.
“The earl needs to see you both in his study. It should only take a few minutes,” she said. The request seemed to startle them at first. Probably because she was new in her position as countess.
“Do you know what it’s in reference to?” the butler asked.
She nodded. “I do, but you should really let the earl explain it. If I tell you, it’ll take too long.”
“Very well,” he said, glancing at the housekeeper. “Shall we?”
Graham was standing in front of the fire when Roxanne entered with their two guests. He motioned for them to sit while Roxanne went for a dark-blue upholstered chair.
He explained what he thought might be going on. That he was fairly certain information from within the house was being passed on to someone outside the household. It shocked both, so Graham pressed on and inquired if there was anyone new on staff, or someone who’d been on longer and might be dissatisfied with their position and might not think twice about selling information.
