Chapter Ten #3
It really was vital to establish that point.
She wished for this to go further, much further, but whatever happened, Poppy would never be banned from any house she occupied.
She was quite set on that. They had briefly imagined meeting in a wood to see one another but it was not a solution that would ever be viable for long.
It would be inconvenient if Poppy’s husband would be barred from her house or vice versa.
She was beginning to think it very likely that Mr. Lelander would pursue Poppy. He barely ever looked at anybody else.
What fun the four of them could have together. If only the two gentlemen could tolerate one another.
“As to the future,” Lord Burkhart said, “can one ever really know?”
Pansy swallowed a sigh. At least it was not an outright no. She supposed that was some sort of progress.
Burkhart had spent a most pleasant evening with Miss Pansy. Though, amidst the pleasant aspects of the evening, there had been darker thoughts in his mind. Thoughts about the baron.
Ever since Lelander had turned up at his room, which had been quite the surprise, he’d been reviewing what he’d seen of the baron. Could it be that he was not who he said he was?
It was unlikely to benefit anybody if he came down on the side of presumed innocence.
The risk was too high if he was wrong. The risk was too high that Miss Pansy might be somehow insulted, or worse, if he was wrong.
Therefore, he must assume guilt until the baron was proved innocent.
That was the safer route. It seemed beyond incredible that some sort of rogue would pose as a lord.
And yet, there had been plenty of reports over the years of highwayman taking on a persona of dashing gentleman while robbing a carriage.
It was unlikely that he’d encountered such a fellow. But it was not impossible.
He had kept an eye on the baron over dinner and he’d not seen anything to allay his suspicions.
The man drank wine like a sailor on leave in a dock tavern.
His voice had sounded strange and he’d had little to say for himself.
He’d spent a deal of time leaning back in his chair in a position that looked unnatural.
Was that an attempt to hide himself from Miss Millthorpe in case it suddenly dawned on her that he looked familiar?
Then, over his copious amount of port, he’d seemed very concerned that the magistrate was likely to be fetched on the morrow.
After dinner, Burkhart had turned pages at the pianoforte for Miss Pansy, knowing full well she did not need to see the music to play it.
It was quite encouraging that she pretended she required his assistance.
He’d accidentally brushed her shoulder several times and wondered what she would say about it.
She had not been the least offended. She might have even purposefully put her shoulder in his way.
All the while, he’d been waiting for a private word with Lelander to discuss what they had observed of the baron.
Finally, the Patinir painting was used as an excuse to step away.
They had discussed their observations, which were very similar.
Lelander had said, “If he is to make a move to steal from the house, I believe he will do so tonight.”
Burkhart nodded. “He will not wait until the magistrate turns up.”
“As far as we know, he only has his horse and panniers. However, his companion likely has a horse too. They could hitch up any sort of wagon from the viscount’s outbuildings and be on their way to some hidey hole they’ve arranged.
“We need to be on hand to stop him.”
Lelander nodded. “After the house goes quiet, we will hide down here. You can be in here and I will guard the butler’s pantry.”
“The butler’s pantry? Do you even know how to get below stairs?”
“It is not below stairs, though. There is no direct access to the dining room and no dumbwaiter in a house this old. I had a quiet look round this afternoon to establish where everything was.”
“Where is the butler’s closet?” Burkhart asked. “I saw no such room.”
“Because it is concealed. The dining room doors open inward and cover the pantry closet door. It is exceedingly clever. When the butler lays the table, all he need do is step inside the dining room and close the left-hand door. There is the closet and everything he needs is on hand.”
“I will presume it is at least locked.”
“I believe so, but that will not stop a housebreaker with tools, if that is who we deal with. As well, he will not leave without the Patinir, I saw him examining it last night along with everything else in the room. He will certainly enter the drawing room.”
“It would be best if we do not go up the stairs at all, but just stay down here. We will not like Montachet to hear us on the stairs when he is making his own move.”
Lelander nodded. “After the ladies and the viscount go up, the brandy bottle will come out. We will outsit Smythesdon, Hemmings, and Granger. Montachet will go up early, I will guess. He will have preparations to make and a bag to pack.”
“We will slowly sip our brandy. When the gentlemen tire, we will insist they go up and leave us to our own devices.”
“We will say we have a wish to talk over our differences. They will scatter like mice at the very idea.”
Burkhart had nodded and they had parted ways, though he was not certain how either of them were to claim they wished to talk over their differences without giving it away with some kind of sneer or snort.