Page 30 of Lady in Ruby
“Your father requested me to carry out a few small presents that had been wrapped up and put on his bureau. Apparently, your family has a bit of a tradition of trying to find gifts before the New Year, when they’re meant to be exchanged?”
“Well, yes, but…” In fact, the Garlands did exactly that, but this year’s holidays had been so hectic and strange that Caroline hadn’t found the time to engage in the usual hunt. “You took my presents?”
“One for you, one for Miss Clement. A couple others I think meant for your aunt Juniper. I was to hide them in my own room, since your father supposed that was the one place you’d never dare to look.”
“Why would he trust you with that? You’d never met him before you arrived!”
“In fact, that’s not quite accurate. I met him once in London. He was keen for me to come here to Hollydell, and we decided that the house party would be a good opportunity.”
“For what?”
“To discover exactly who was after his formula.”
“Wait. You already knew about the formula? He told me never to tell anyone.”
“And he was right to do so. Your father is a very clever man, and not just in the laboratory. He knew that his formula would be sought after by certain…interests. And while he kept it as quiet as he could, such innovations can’t be kept totally secret. He conferred with other colleagues in early stages, and he’s had assistants come and go. Word got out. And though he’s been careful to keep all the information about the latest versions here, certain parties must have guessed that he was making considerable progress. He suspected that someone would try to steal the notes or the formula itself from his lab at Hollydell. I came here to help him.”
“But notes were stolen anyway.”
“Yes,” Snowdon said. “It’s not quite as dire as you might think…I’ll let your father explain why. But the theft changed some circumstances around here, and might allow me to apprehend the culprit.”
“You know who it is?”
“Almost the instant after it happened. But I needed proof. And so I waited for most of the household and guests to be gone…which happened during the excursion to go skating at the pond.”
“What did you do?”
“On your father’s instructions, I searched all the rooms,” he said. “That was what occupied me most of the day and why I couldn’t see you earlier. In fact, I hadn’t really intended to go to that skating party at all. But I wanted to survey everyone there just to be sure I wasn’t missing anything. I rode the horse to save time. And it turned out to be a fortunate choice.”
She sighed. Yes, it was a choice that saved her life. Then she thought about the rest of his explanation. “Did you find the notes?”
“I didn’t find the notes. But a person intent on stealing papers has many places to hide them if they plan carefully. I am no closer to proving who’s behind the theft.”
“But you have your suspicions.”
“I’m absolutely certain of it.”
“Who?”
“Francis Foster.”
Chapter 12
“No.” Caroline said it reflexively. “He’s a friend of the family. I’ve known him my whole life.”
“It’s easy to think you know someone. I’m sure you feel strongly about him. But when my room was being searched and we had to hide under the bed—”
“Don’t remind me.”
“I saw the feet of the man searching, and later that day I confirmed that the boots were those of Mr Foster. Furthermore, when he pulled out the traveling case from under the bed, I saw his hands—you were facing away, you didn’t have the chance. He wore a gold signet ring on his right middle finger. A lion.”
“Yes, Francis always wears it….oh, no.” Caroline winced as she realized she’d just confirmed Snowdon’s theory. Then she thought of something else. “Wait. If Francis was the thief, why was he searching your room?”
“He’s suspicious of me,” Snowdon said simply. “At first, I thought it merely protectiveness, or a male rival angry when another enters his territory. But when he searched my room, I knew it was more than that. Your father was deeply concerned that the formula would be taken. He never told you, but his laboratory in London had been broken into twice. Luckily, he’s a crafty man. He stored false papers in the safe there, old notes that looked quite plausible to anyone interested in the formula, but not anything that would help an enemy create the later versions of the formula that were actually effective. He also made sure that the vials of the formula were dummies. He kept the real stuff in an icebox in the kitchen of the next flat. The tenant was paid to not mention it—he probably thought your father was concealing illicit drink from a wife.”
“Papa is very smart,” Caroline said smugly. “But what about here? If he did the same diversion here, the notes that got stolen wouldn’t be worth anything either.”
“He didn’t do it at the lab in Hollydell. He thought that everything would be safe here—it’s much harder to get out to the countryside and sneak into a private residence filled with people. But after the London break-ins, he grew concerned and sought help.”
