Page 28 of The Trick of the Treasure
“No,” Devine said. “I saw nothing unusual at all. Though, of course my attention was all on Jemim—Miss Lloyd.”
“Could you see the back door from where the two of you met?”
He frowned. “Yes, I could, most of the time.”
“Did anyone go in or out of the house while you were there?”
He shook his head. “The servants had all gone to bed. Jemimah had to unbolt and unlock the back door to get out. Most of the place was in darkness, though there was a light in Sydney’s room and in one of the others—Jemimah’s, possibly.”
“What time was this?” Constance asked.
“Midnight,” Devine said sheepishly. “It was her idea.”
“And how long did you stay?”
“Maybe twenty minutes? Half an hour at the most. It was cold.”
“Were you aware that Mr. Lloyd had brought back a treasure chest from his travels?”
“Not until Jemimah told me.”
“Did she describe the treasure?”
“No.” Devine frowned. “Actually, that’s odd, now I think about it. I thought it would be the sort of thing girls loved to chatter about. But I expect her father’s return seemed more important than his loot.”
“Loot,” Constance repeated thoughtfully. “That is an odd word to use. It implies theft.”
“Well, we British are not above plundering the foreigners,” Devine said defiantly. “Look at the Elgin Marbles! However, I never meant to accuse Mr. Lloyd of any such thing. I am aware this treasure was taken from somewhere else within living memory and only buried on that island. Even if it was stolen in the first place, Mr. Lloyd only took it from another thief.”
Interesting. A conscience and a backbone. Maybe. Perhaps Jemimah could do worse—in a few years when she was grown up and so was he.
“How serious are you about Jemimah, Mr. Devine?” Constance asked.
“Serious? What do you mean?”
“You appear to be courting her. Is it your plan to approach her father for her hand in marriage?”
“Not until I have some means of support,” he said, flushing slightly.
She couldn’t tell if it was shame or anger. Though it struck her that the treasure, properly disposed of, could supply a considerable means of support. “What do you know about Mr. Lloyd’s strong room? Have you ever seen it?”
“Lord, no. I’d never even heard of it until the treasure went missing.”
He looked and sounded sincere, but she had already established that he could act when he chose.
“You’ve run tame around their house since you were a boy, have you not?”
“Yes, I stayed with Sydney often over school holidays, both in Town and at their country house.”
“Did you ever play in their parents’ bedrooms? Dressing up? Tag?”
“Oh, no. The Lloyds were never as relaxed as that! Even when he was away, parents’ rooms were out of bounds. Sydney never broke that rule, or at least not when I was around.”
Constance frowned as though deep in thought, then asked suddenly, “Where did Mr. Lloyd keep his strong room key?”
“On a chain around his neck or under his pillow for all I know.”
She couldn’t work out if his flippancy was studied. In fact, there was quite a lot about him she could not quite work out. He might well require further study.
