Page 77 of The Duke and Lady Scandal
Mr. Gibson’s face seemed to lose some of its tension. “Have you told him about our mystery?”
“Not yet.” Allie felt sick at the thought that they’d lost such valuable pieces. She’d have to speak to Lord Holcroft sooner rather than later. And Lady Dalrymple. Though judging by its size, Holcroft’s diamond was likely ten times the value of her ladyship’s sapphires.
“Do you mind if I have a look?” Mr. Fitzroy asked.
Allie debated for a moment, but Mr. Gibson appeared eager to agree. He’d already taken a step toward the back room and cast a glance at Fitzroy as if expecting him to follow.
“Let me go in first, gentlemen. I’m hoping our shop cat may have made an appearance.”
Allie trod carefully as she approached the threshold, and she said a little prayer at almost the same moment that she saw the glint of feline eyes looking back at her.
“Hello, lady,” Allie said softly, then turned a glance at Mr. Gibson and smiled. “It worked.”
“The first good news of the day.”
Grendel apparently wasn’t pleased with chatter outside the door and crept under the settee again, though Allie could still see the glow of her golden eyes as she watched them.
Allie continued in with soft footsteps and bent to scoop up the cat while Mr. Fitzroy followed behind and surveyed the room.
“Have you assembled a list of all that was taken?”
Allie exchanged a glance with Mr. Gibson. “As far as we can tell, only three gems from our safe.”
“They cracked the safe? That’s impressive.”
“The odd thing is that we found the safe closed when we arrived.” Mr. Gibson gestured toward the cast-iron door.
“It’s a heavy door. Could it have swung shut?” Mr. Fitzroy high-stepped over books and papers, careful where to land his feet, and made his way to the safe.
“I think it’s very possible,” Allie told him, “ifthey hadn’t damaged both hinges when they forced it open.”
After a moment, the detective cast a look back at her. “That is odd, isn’t it?”
“Speaking of odd, what do you say the odds are we’ll recover the gems, Mr. Fitzroy?” asked Mr. Gibson.
Mr. Fitzroy whistled through his teeth and shot each of them a look that could only be construed as pitying.
“That’s as I thought,” Mr. Gibson said miserably. “Whatever we repay Holcroft and Lady Dalrymple shall come out of my wages.” He shot Allie a steely look with that pronouncement.
He knew she’d never agree. “We have insurance for just this occasion, Mr. Gibson. In truth, we’ve been lucky. There hasn’t been a theft at Princes for as long as I can remember.”
Her reassurance didn’t seem to make Mr. Gibson feel any better. Nor Allie, in truth. They both knew that the value of Holcroft’s diamond would exceed what their insurance could cover.
He stared forlornly at his rummaged workroom and mumbled, “The constable will be here soon.”
His words proved prophetic. Not five minutes later, a fresh-faced uniformed constable strode through the front door, and Mr. Fitzroy greeted him as if they were old friends.
In short order, Fitzroy had introduced Detective Constable Baker to each of them. Soon after, the young man had his notepad and pencil outand began making notes about the state of the back room.
The constable made the assumption that Mr. Gibson was the proprietor and directed all of his questions to him.
Allie still held Grendel in her arms. The cat had finally begun purring, but she seemed unnerved by the men’s voices, so Allie carried her to the main shop counter and let her sit atop it.
Fitzroy followed her out.
“Thank you for coming to check on us, Mr. Fitzroy.”
“You’re most welcome, Miss Prince. You can find me next door in the mornings if I can ever be of more assistance.” He deftly drew out a card from his waistcoat pocket as he spoke. “And I’ll leave my card if you ever find yourself in need of a private inquiry agent.”
