Page 33 of The Wise Daughter
“Ruthers,” she said, “would you check the floors in the corridors that lead from here to the kitchens for any sign of soot?”
Ruthers bowed and left, leaving Aaron and Nora alone with the chimney sweep. Aaron didn’t know what to do or say, but his thoughts were swiftly turning against the idea that they had caught a thief. The chimney sweep fidgeted with his cap in his hands, opening and closing his mouth as if trying to speak. Nora, however, turned to him as if he were her new confidant.
“Mr. Rowe, who invited you here today?”
“Same man who always hires me for a job. Mr. Carver.”
Aaron could have told her that, but he didn’t want to interrupt. Nora was at work, clearly enjoying herself.
“Other than Chuff, when he showed you in, did you see or interact with anyone else in the time that you were here?”
Mr. Rowe shook his head. “I nodded a greeting to a passing maid. Beyond that, no, Your Grace.”
Ruthers rushed back in. “No soot on the floors except on the way he came in, Miss Lacy. Sorry, Derricott. It’s possible I missed something in a dusty place like this.”
Mrs. Manning scrambled in after him. “I would have known the second that man had been about these corridors. Every time he comes, I send my maids sweeping up traces of his footsteps. As soon as he leaves, they’ll be cleaning his trail again.”
Mr. Rowe’s eyes glistened. He straightened his back, but one glance at Aaron had him slouching again, spinning his cap, and stuttering. “I-I can’t help it. Dirty occupation.”
“No one is blaming you for the soot, Mr. Rowe,” Nora reassured him, despite Mrs. Manning’s looks of disagreement. “Today, it is your friend.”
Mrs. Manning curtsied. “Forgive my interruption, Your Grace, but I thought you should know the key to the silverware’s cabinet is missing.”
“What? How can that be?” Chuff exclaimed, looking truly upset. It was the most Aaron had ever seen him react.
Aaron resisted the urge to massage his temple where a headache was coming on. “Thank you, Mrs. Manning. You have given us another interesting piece of this puzzle.”
Mrs. Manning curtsied again and left with Chuff following closely behind.
“Your Grace?” Nora placed her hand on his arm. “I see no reason why we need to take any further action against our friend, Mr. Rowe. You haven’t lost your mother’s silver after all, and I believe the circumstances strongly suggest that someone else is at work here.”
Aaron closed his eyes, took a breath before opening them, and nodded. “I agree.”
Ruthers lifted the satchel full of silverware that he still held. “I’ll take care of this, Derricott.” He took off his coat and emptied the silverware into it, using it like the satchel, and handed the old satchel back to the chimney sweep. “Sorry for the mistake, Rowe.” With the corners of his coat bunched in his hand and the silverware lightly clinking, he left the music room.
Aaron turned to the chimney sweep who awkwardly shifted from foot to foot. “I apologize for the trouble we’ve put you through today, Mr. Rowe. I was obviously too hasty. I hope this mishap will not discourage you from returning next time we need your assistance.”
“Not at all!” The quivering shadow lifted off the chimney sweep’s brow. He bowed deeply, and took hold of Nora’s hand, leaving streaks of soot on her. “Thank you. Thank you, Your Grace. Oh, forgive my soot! You’ve made a friend forever in me.”
“I have no doubt. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” He next shook Aaron’s hand, and though the shaking was not as energetic, his relieved smile looked genuine.
After the man left, leaving Aaron and Nora alone, he ran his fingers through his hair despite the grains of soot he still felt on his skin. To think, he had come terribly close to sending an innocent man to a criminal’s fate. If it weren’t for Nora, he might have bungled the whole thing entirely.
“Nora, you should have been a barrister or a captain or…” He laughed but stopped when he saw her serious countenance. “Nora?”
Her features suggested she was deep in concentration. “Why do you think our poor chimney sweep was targeted like this? Someone must have wanted you to believe you caught the one responsible for the thieving while the real culprit goes undetected.”
“I know. I almost made a terrible mistake today.” Aaron strolled around the room, his legs suddenly restless. “Again, you have saved me.”
She ignored the praise. “Wouldn’t Chuff be the one responsible for the silver?”
“I believe so.”
“And he was the one who showed Mr. Rowe in.” She tapped her chin.
“So you now think Chuff might have been involved?” He could sense her mind rushing down its own course, and he wasn’t keeping up.
