Page 42 of The Art of Theft
Dear Mrs. Watson,
I hope this letter finds you, Miss Olivia, and Miss Charlotte well.
Her Highness the Maharani of Ajmer called just now. I told her that you were out of the country, as you authorized me to do. She asked if you had gone to France and I said I could not comment on the specifics of your itinerary.
After some hesitation, she declared that she was headed to Paris herself and asked that you please call on her at Hôtel de la Paix in Place Vendôme, at your earliest convenience.
My best wishes for your health and well-being.
Yours truly,
Mears
P.S. Miss Holmes is getting along well enough, in case her sisters worry.
Mrs. Watson clutched the letter and closed her eyes.
This was perfect. She would dress and head out immediately. And when she saw the maharani, she would apologize for biting off more than she could chew and that would be the end of it.
?Miss Charlotte, already dressed for going out, rose from a chair in the foyer. “Good morning, ma’am. May I join you to call on the maharani?”
Mrs. Watson stopped in her tracks. How—
“I understand there has been a letter from home,” said Miss Charlotte. “Had there been a true emergency, Mr. Mears would have cabled. I assume, since he used the post, that the maharani called at our house and told him she would be coming to Paris?”
This was—excellent. On her own, Mrs. Watson’s resolution might waver. But with Miss Charlotte along, Miss Charlotte, whohad been against being involved in the maharani’s problems from the beginning, Mrs. Watson would be sure to hold the line.
“You are correct. And yes, please join me,” she said. “Have you seen the gentlemen this morning? How are they?”
“I have not seen Lord Ingram, who has gone for a walk. But I did see Mr. Marbleton in the library just now, whispering to Monsieur Forêt, arranging for a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to my sister.”
Such a romantic. And how could she ever have faced Miss Olivia again, if anything had happened to him? “It’s good to know that they are up and about.”
“They are doing well. And they are grateful that you knew exactly what to do in a case of incipient hypothermia.”
Mrs. Watson immediately experienced another lashing of her conscience. “But they should never have been put in that situation in the first place.”
“From what I understand, ma’am,younever suggested that they visit the estate at night and climb over the fences. The gentlemen did what they saw fit. They are grown-ups—or, in Mr. Marbleton’s case, almost of age. And they are fully capable of choosing their course of action.”
Mrs. Watson did not say anything, and Miss Charlotte did not persist.
Their walk to the hotel passed largely in silence.
?The maharani opened the door herself.
At Mrs. Watson’s surprised look, she said, “I left my servants behind.”
She looked different. Not soft or open by any means, but not as rigid or closed as she had been in London. In fact, as her gaze landed on Mrs. Watson, her eyes were almost... welcoming.
When she saw that her caller had not come alone, however, her jaw tightened, slightly but noticeably. Mrs. Watson glanced quicklyat Miss Charlotte. The latter, who missed nothing, did not appear at all bothered that their hostess didn’t want her there.
Mrs. Watson debated what she ought to say. In the end, after everyone sat down, she opted for, “I understand you called after I left London, Your Highness. Was there some instruction you wished to relay?”
If she immediately announced she no longer planned to rob Château Vaudrieu, then she wouldn’t hear what the maharani wanted to say. And Mrs. Watson had to admit, to herself at least, that she was terribly curious.
The maharani cast a look at Miss Charlotte, a not-so-subtle reminder that she wished the young woman would absent herself. Miss Charlotte reacted not at all. Mrs. Watson squirmed a little on the inside, even as her pulse accelerated.
“I only sought to thank you,” said the maharani after a while. “My astonishment at finding out your involvement with Sherlock Holmes—alongside the temporary embezzlement of my jewelry—was such that it overrode all my other reactions. It wasn’t until well after you’d left that it occurred to me what a gargantuan task you’d taken on.
