Bath Belles Part 4

"He's being well paid." A shapely finger was waggled in front of me. "A clergyman's daughter should entertain more charitable thoughts than enc.u.mber your head, Miss Haley. I am endeavoring to reform Mr. Grant and a few of his confreres. And here you thought I was in league with the scapegallows fraternity. Jay used to be on the ken lay-he robbed houses after he had carefully inspected them in his regular line of business. I caught him with his daddies in my safe one night. While I was delivering him to Bow Street he told me such a tale of woe that I decided to give him a chance to go straight. That was three years ago; he hasn't stolen anything since, to my knowledge."

"You're quite a philanthropist," I said doubtfully.

"I believe in practical benevolence-Jay provides good services for his keep. And along the way we've learned a little of each other's language."

Grant soon joined us and said, "There's rum quids in the hole, lad."

"Much good it will do us. The wine don't come with the house. I'll meet you in the carriage, Jay."

Grant ducked his head in what was meant to be a bow and left.

"Are you ready to make me a firm offer, sir?" I asked.

"I shall have to go over the report with Grant first. When may I return?"

"As soon as you make up your mind. I should caution you that someone else is coming to look at the house today."

A blaze of interest flashed in his dark eyes. "Who is that?"

"I don't know the gentleman's name-he's a friend of a friend."

"I see."

Before he got out, Mrs. Mailer and her friend were in. I first a.s.sumed the hostile looks they exchanged were due to their compet.i.tion for my house. It was no such thing! They were acquainted, and to judge by their scowls, the acquaintance was not a happy one.

"Mrs. Mailer, Mr. Thomson," Mr. Desmond said, with a curt bow.

They nodded, more curtly still, but didn't speak.

As Mr. Desmond left, Yootha and her friend charged into the saloon, their eyes wide with indignation.

"What is he doing here?" Mrs. Mailer demanded.

"He's the man who is thinking of buying our house," I explained.

"Mr. Maitland? No such a thing!"

"His name is Mr. Desmond," I said, but already I knew I had been taken in.

"Desmond Maitland, that's who he is," Yootha said.

Mama, looking all bewildered, asked, "Do you know him well?"

"He is the agent who insured my necklace and was so unpleasant about giving me my money when it was stolen," Yootha announced.

"Do you mean to tell me the man is an insurance agent?" I gasped, and fell into a fit of giggles. He with his office at the Royal Exchange and his philanthropy, his fine carriage and jackets, and he was only an insurance agent. He couldn't buy a dog kennel, let alone a house. He probably owed every merchant in town to maintain his carriage and jackets.

"Not just any agent," she continued. "Mr. Maitland is the man who put up the ten thousand pounds the night Graham was killed."

We went into the saloon, and before we were seated Mrs. Mailer presented her friend to us. It was Mr. Two Legs Thomson, her latest flirt. Besides his two legs, he had two arms, two sharp gray eyes, one head, and so on, none of them exceptional. He was white-haired and wore the sort of red nose commonly a.s.sociated with a liking for wine. He had a tendency to stoutness and was in every way a gentleman in his appearance and manner.

"Is it some sort of stunt Mr. Desmond was playing off on us in coming here?" Mama demanded.

"Of course it was. Maitland no more plans to buy your house than I do," Yootha exclaimed angrily. "That is..."

"We know you aren't interested in buying it," I said, as she appeared to have become embarra.s.sed at her speech. I looked with suspicious interest to decide by Two Leg's jacket if he could afford the house.

"He only came to see if he could find the money," Mrs. Mailer continued. She shook her head firmly at Two Legs as she spoke. "It's here, I tell you. Right in this house, and Mr. Maitland knows it. He is probably your burglar. He a.s.sociates with the worst riffraff in town."

"It will be a fine bonus for whoever buys the house. Perhaps Lloyd's will give the agent a reward when it is returned," I said, to remind Yootha what was to be done with the money. "Very likely that's why Mr. Maitland was looking so hard."

"He seemed such a nice young fellow, and he was full of deceit all the time," Mama said, surprised into plain speaking. "He told us he worked at the Royal Exchange."

Two Legs drew his brows together and frowned at us. "Eh? You have got it mixed up, ladies. Lloyd's offices are at the Royal Exchange. You sound as though Maitland were some demmed clerk. It is nothing of the sort. Each Lloyd's agent is an independent businessman-they buy a license for some enormous sum of money. They all finance their own losses. The ten thousand came out of Mr. Maitland's pocket. They all belong to Lloyd's, but they work on their own, take their own risks, keep their own policy money, and pay their losses out of their own pockets."

"He must be very rich!" Esther said bluntly.

"A regular nabob," Two Legs a.s.sured her.

"Which is not to say he has the right to be searching Miss Haley's house for the money," Yootha said firmly. "That was an ordinary business loss, to be expected. That's why we pay them so much to buy our insurance."

I began to perceive all the same that with such people as Yootha Mailer involved, Mr. Maitland was wise to try to recover his money. My only resentment was that he hadn't been more straightforward about it. It was a slight against my character for him to feel the necessity of so much lying and conniving. I would gladly have given him permission to search to his heart's content and would tell him so next time we met-if we met again. I had a strong feeling it would take more than disclosure as a liar to keep Mr. Maitland away.

"Did he find it?" Mr. Thomson asked eagerly.

"No, he didn't, and he ransacked the house from top to bottom," I a.s.sured them.

a.s.surance wasn't enough. Mr. Thomson had to repeat the procedure for himself, using the pretext that he was just examining the house closely with an eye to buying it. I went with him and Yootha every step of the way. If anyone was going to find that money, it was going to be me. Graham's honor was not really at stake, but I wanted to perform this last office for him. I noticed scratch marks on the locks of the trunks in the attic. Clearly the redoubtable Grant had pried them open and seen the blankets. The search convinced us all that there wasn't so much as a comb hidden in the house.

After the tour we returned to the saloon for sherry. Mr. Thomson displayed not the slightest interest in offering for the house. All he wanted to talk about was the money. He and Yootha reiterated that the money must be here, or why did people keep coming to look for it? But in the end we all realized that the only one who knew was the man who had killed Graham; and as no one knew who that was, the rest was mere conjecture.

"The servants might be able to tell us something," Mama thought.

"There were none here that night," Yootha said. "Meadows, his man of all work, had gone home, and his female servant didn't sleep in. Graham was alone. The police looked into all that."

"It seems odd that Graham would let anyone in, when he must have suspected he might be followed. But then I daresay the fellow broke in," Mama said, and shook her head sadly.

"There was no sign of forced entry, nor any windows broken. Nothing like that," Yootha said.

"It could have been someone Graham knew, for that matter. Someone he had no reason to suspect," Mr. Thomson mentioned.

"Good gracious, Two Legs," Yootha interjected, "Graham hadn't told anyone. Pelty enjoined us to be very quiet about the whole matter. I told no one but you. And you were with me at a rout that night, so I know you had nothing to do with it,"she added, with a sharp look that petered out to a laugh.

"Mr. Pelty?" I asked.

"The other fellow from Lloyd's who was Maitland's partner," Mrs. Mailer explained. "It seems that when the value of an insured object is high, the agents will sometimes go snacks, and it was a Mr. Pelty who shared the risk on my necklace with Maitland. Mr. Pelty was quite agreeable to paying me the money; it was Maitland who arranged with some of his unsavory criminal friends to exchange part of the money for the jewel. Mr. Maitland was called home suddenly to Devon that day, and so Pelty was left alone to arrange the matter. If it hadn't been for Pelty, we would never have known the details. Maitland was a regular oyster, and no polite one, either."

Without thinking what I was saying, I heard myself reply, "That's too bad." Yootha gave me a quick frown, and I changed the subject. But what flitted through my mind was that if Mr. Maitland had been in charge, perhaps Graham would still be alive. There was an alert intelligence about Maitland and a ruthless thoroughness that gave me respect for his competence. But then, his concern would not have been for Graham-just for the necklace.

Eventually our guests rose to leave. "Come to dinner tonight," Mrs. Mailer offered. "Your servants aren't here, and it will save you some bother. I'll send my carriage for you, and I'll invite a couple of gentlemen, too. That will please you, eh, ladies?" She smiled.

"You need look no further for one volunteer," Two Legs announced, with a long scrutiny of me. Was it possible the old fool had me in his eye? I didn't know whether to laugh or turn him out the door.

Esther looked ready to burst into tears. "We don't have any gowns!" she protested.

"Come as you are; we'll make it very informal," Mrs. Mailer insisted.

Mama clucked, but in the end she wasn't proof against Esther's enthusiasm and her own desire for a good home-cooked meal.

On the way out Mr. Thomson remembered his alleged reason for having come on the call and said, "I'll think about the house, Miss Haley, and let you know. I look forward to seeing you again."

I nodded very coolly, to discourage him. I would have to be in touch with the newspapers about extending my advertis.e.m.e.nt. I hadn't had a bona fide client yet. Only nosy neighbors and self-serving insurance agents and Two Legs Thomson. But first I really had to do something about that parcel awaiting me on Graham's bed.

I went upstairs and cut the string. On top of his jacket there was a little packet containing his diamond stud, his watch, and his keys. I took up the packet and looked at his black jacket. The sight of it proved too much for me. Not yet-I couldn't face it yet. I took the packet to my room and left the bundle on the bed. Perhaps I'd have Hotchkiss take care of it for me.

I put the diamond stud and the watch on my dresser and took the keys downstairs. It would be handy to have a spare key for the house. There seemed more keys than were necessary. Did the back door have a separate key? No, the bra.s.s key opened both the front and back doors, but there were two other keys. One for his office, likely, but what was the third? I'd take it to Yootha and see if Graham had had a key to her house. That was probably it.

After another picnic lunch, Esther cajoled Mama and me out for a walk. There was a raw, nasty wind in the air, nipping our noses and dashing us all to pieces. Mama was regretting that I had told Hotchkiss and Ettie to come on the coach, as it would have been convenient to have our carriage in the city. "But then I daresay Hotchkiss couldn't handle so much traffic in any case. I never saw so much of it. Where are they all going, do you think?"

"To plays and parties and b.a.l.l.s," Esther sighed.

"Not in the afternoon, goose!" I teased.

"Perhaps one of Aunt Yootha's friends will ask you out," Mama said, to cheer her.

I didn't like that sort of cheering. Any friend of Yootha Mailer's would be a poor escort for innocent Esther. "Graham left me his carriage. I'll look into hiring job horses for the short time we're in the city," I announced.

"You'd have to hire a groom, too," Mama pointed out, but in a perfectly hopeful manner.

"I suppose I can afford it now." How odd to be suddenly on the verge of being-well, not rich, precisely, but rich enough to hire a team and a groom, at least.

The wind caught my bonnet and pulled it right off my head. Esther and I went tearing down the street after it, skirts flapping, and had the pleasure of no fewer than three gentlemen of the first stare coming to our a.s.sistance.

"Wasn't that nice of them?" Esther said as they walked away, looking back at the pretty child. And she, artful girl, had pitched her voice loud enough for them to hear.

I didn't chide her but only gave her a knowing look. "You're setting up to be a fine flirt, Esther!"

"It's only in fun," she said. "We'll never see them again, so there's no harm in it, and it was nice of them to help. Imagine, Belle, there must be hundreds of fine gentlemen like that in London, and you and I don't even have proper gowns."

"Hotchkiss will soon be here."

"Yes, but we still won't have the sort of gowns ladies in London wear."

"Oh, yes, we shall!" I said forcefully. The decision came from nowhere. From the wind, perhaps, that had taken my bonnet and blown in three helpful gentlemen. If the wind was to be that generous, the least I could do was to provide us with suitable gowns. Even if we did not stay on, our London style would cause a great stir back home.

I was a.s.sailed by the memory of Mr. Maitland and his bold, laughing black eyes. Could I handle such a gentleman? London fauna were more dangerous than the tame fellows at Bath. But I was now able to take Bow Street Runners and Yootha's crew in my stride, and if Esther, at seventeen, was eager to tackle a beau, why shouldn't I? After all, Graham had loved me, so I couldn't be a total antidote.

"I don't suppose Mr. Maitland will be there tonight," Esther said suddenly.

"Mr. Maitland! No, I should think not. Aunt Yootha has no opinion of him."

"The one who gave you back your hat reminded me of him. Did you notice what a handsome smile he had? He winked at me, Belle. What should I do when a gentleman winks at me?"

"A lady is oblivious to uncivil behavior, Esther. And she does not encourage a flirt-at least not till she's been formally introduced," I added more leniently.

We burst into laughter at the same moment. Mama was invaded by the same silly spirit and laughed along with us. "Oh, my, speak of the blind leading the blind. You giving Esther lessons in how to manage a gentleman, Belle. It is hard to know which of the pair of you is the greater green-head! And I no better myself," she added truthfully. "What is to become of us here in London alone?"

She meant without Papa, and though she tried to feign desperation, I suspected there was a bit of pleasurable excitement mingled with it. Mama was not much over forty.

And for more than half of her life she'd been a clergyman's wife in dull, provincial Bath. I think she was enjoying this little trip as much as Esther. Maybe even as much as I was.

Chapter Five.

We did the best we could with our appearances, but going to dine in an afternoon gown took the edge off the visit for me. Esther supplied all the enthusiasm Mama and I lacked. She chattered like a magpie as she darted from room to room, borrowing blue ribbons from me, a small pearl necklace from Mama, and by the time Yootha's carriage arrived we were as nervous as a coop of setting hens.

Good as her word, Mrs. Mailer supplied us all with escorts, even Mama. The Mr. Stone in question was a friend and coeval of Two Legs Thomson. Like Thomson, he was red of nose and stout of stomach. Unlike him, he had no white hair, nor any other color either, except for a bit of soft gray fringe around the edge of his skull that gave his head the look of a billiard ball sitting in a roll of dust.

Her introductions led me to fear that the unfortunate-looking stump of a man named Duke was destined for me. He was Ralph Duke, not the Duke of anything. His height was even less than my own, and I am not overly tall for a lady. After he had sized me up, his face took on the expression of a peevish mullet. What he lacked in height he made up in weight. It was really astonishing that a man of twenty-five or so years should have acquired such an unsightly bulk around his middle section. His face, other than the expression, was not bad, though more childish than I like: blue eyes, a turned-up nose, cheeks suspiciously smooth.

He opened his lips to speak, but no words came out. His eyes had discovered Esther. There was a churning sound in his throat, as if a pepper mill had been put into action, and finally he found his voice. "Good evening. Er, good day-er, good evening, Miss Haley," he said, switching the time of day as he considered the hour and my toilette.

I curtsied and said, "Good evening, Mr. Duke."

"Too bad about your house. Being ransacked and all, I mean to say." His eyes wavered away to Esther.

"Yes, a pity."

"Sorry about Graham, too, while I am about it. I knew him."

This was his first interesting utterance. I attempted to follow it up, but the acquaintance appeared to be slight, and through Yootha's friend Mr. Stone, who was Duke's uncle. "We said good day a few times," he informed me. "Once on Bond Street, and once somewhere else. Here, I think it was."

I concluded Yootha had sc.r.a.ped the barrel to find two young gentlemen for Esther and me. But all this was really at the back of my mind. Through an archway I had spotted a more interesting gentleman altogether, and I was waiting for him to join us. I could see by his profile he was too suave and too mature for one of Esther's tender years, which was bound to have her flirting her head off.

Then he turned toward us, and my heart nearly stopped beating. For a moment I had the mind-boggling idea I was looking at Graham, suddenly returned to earth. He stood at some distance from me, framed in a doorway, like a painting. Light shone all around him, from the chandeliers overhead and from side lamps. The man was the general size and shape of Graham, but it was at his head that I stared. He had the same high, n.o.ble brow as my fiance, with the hair growing in a p.r.o.nounced peak in front. Our eyes met, and we stood gazing mutely at each other, not smiling, not even moving. Around me the slightly nervous talk of introductions whirled, but I was lifted above it all. My feet took command of the situation and wafted me toward the apparition in the next room.

I was aware of a bobbing motion at my shoulder and heard Mr. Duke say, "Eliot's the one who can tell you all about Graham. Daresay that's what you would like."

Of course the man was Graham's cousin, Eliot Sutton, but the resemblance was uncanny enough to have startled me. As I drew closer to him I could see the differences clearly. I had to admit Eliot was more handsome. His features were more clearly defined, his nose stronger, his jaw more square; the hair on his head grew even more beautifully, but it was the same rich chestnut color. Mr. Sutton didn't smile; he wore the solemn expression the occasion called for.

Mr. Duke attempted to perform the introduction. "Eliot, this is Miss Haley-Graham's ... the lady who was engaged ... that is to say ... Miss Haley, this is Eliot Sutton."