Page 64 of The Art of Theft
“So what do we do now?” asked Mrs. Watson, pushing away her plate with its largely untouched food. “The situation has become more complicated at every turn.”
“We prepare, as best as we can, for the night of the ball—and beyond,” said Charlotte calmly.
Despite foregoing puddings and rich French desserts, she still remained plumper than usual, her face ever more cherubic. All the same, no one questioned her authority, least of all Livia.
Charlotte looked around the table, stopped when her gaze reached Mr. Marbleton, then glanced at Livia. “By the way, did anyone pay attention to the Van Dyck?”
Fifteen
To prepare for the night of the ball, Mr. Marbleton and Leighton Atwood remained in France; everyone else returned to England. Their journey was uneventful. When they reached London, Lord Ingram bid the ladies good-bye and continued on to his brother’s country estate.
He arrived under a darkening sky and was shown to the duchess’s solarium. His sister-in-law rose with her arms extended. “Ash, my dear!”
The Duchess of Wycliffe was a handsome woman of forty, with a wide smile that showed a great many teeth. She enjoyed poking fun at her own slightly sharklike expression and loved boasting that she had the finest enamel among the entire Upper Ten Thousand.
“We thought you’d be away for another week at least,” she said, taking both of his hands in her own.
“I missed my children. And everyone at Eastleigh Park, of course.”
The duchess shook her head. “Come, let’s have a cup of tea. Then you can go up to the nursery.”
She didn’t ask him what he’d been up to, but told him a bit about herself and his brother, and a great deal about his children and hers, who’d had a grand time pretending to be Romans and druids—and sometimes Yorks and Lancasters.
“What children their age playact the War of the Roses?” asked the duchess, a note of indulgent accusation in her tone.
“Such are the bedtime stories Lucinda prefers,” answered Lord Ingram with a smile. “I’ve left out the bloodiest and the most salacious bits.”
“History, the ultimate gossip,” said the duchess authoritatively, and shooed him off to see his children.
Outside the nursery, however, he came across Miss Yarmouth, the children’s governess, hovering in the corridor, obviously waiting for him.
“Miss Yarmouth.” He stopped.
“My lord, there is something I need to tell you before you see the children,” said Miss Yarmouth, her expression anxious.
She was presumably embarrassed to be standing before the man to whom she’d proposed a marriage of convenience, but her demeanor made it obvious that her anxiety was, for the moment at least, not related to the success of her suit.
He waited.
She bit her lower lip. “Miss Lucinda—Miss Lucinda insists that Lady Ingram visited her three nights ago.”
He stared at her, his ears ringing.
“Children can be fanciful, but Miss Lucinda has never made up stories,” said Miss Yarmouth in a low whisper, even though there was no one else in the corridor. “So I asked her to tell me all the details of Lady Ingram’s visit.
“She said that it must have been late at night. She woke up, opened her eyes, and Lady Ingram was sitting by her bedside. She was thrilled to see her mother, of course. Lady Ingram said that she couldn’t stay for long, so Miss Lucinda made her lie down on the bed with her and then proceeded to tell Lady Ingram everything that had happened since they last saw each other.
“And then Lady Ingram told her that she should go back tosleep. Miss Lucinda asked if she could tell me about the visit. Lady Ingram said that she could and that she might as well tell you, too, but that she should probably not tell her brother, because he didn’t wake up and would be sad to know that he’d missed her visit.”
Miss Yarmouth stopped and peered at him, looking apprehensive. He realized that he was scowling. How had Lady Ingram managed to waltz into and out of the nursery without alerting a soul at Eastleigh Park? What had she wanted with the children?
He forced his features to relax even as his hands balled into fists behind his back. “I see,” he said. “You are sure about the timing of Lady Ingram’s visit, Miss Yarmouth?”
Three nights ago. Why had Lady Ingram come at that specific moment?
“I’m sure,” said Miss Yarmouth, nodding. “Miss Lucinda told me the next morning, while Master Carlyle was playing with His Grace’s heir—I can’t ever forget how stunned I was.
“Yesterday when I was alone with her I asked her again to tell me about Lady Ingram’s visit. She added some details and didn’t mention some other details from the first telling, but overall it was the same account. You weren’t expected back for a while and I thought of letting Their Graces know. But I kept hesitating. I thought you should learn first, before Their Graces.”
