recall, asked how you found this place and what you intend
to do here, and you haven't told me that, either "
"We might ask you the same thing," Jasper retorted
"You might, but I don't recommend it," Mairelon said
"You'll get a reputation as a poor conversationalist if all you
can do is repeat what other people say to you "
"This is absurd," Lady Granleigh said 'Tell us who you are
and what you're doing here, or be off about your business I
haven't time to waste on this nonsense "
Mairelon rose to his feet and bowed "It is impossible to
refuse such a charming request My name is de Mare, and I'm
here by way of guarding the Sacred Hill "
Jasper and Lady Granleigh looked at each other Behind
them, Stuggs stiffened, and Kim saw his right hand rise to-
ward his chest, as if to touch something underneath his coat
for reassurance Kim frowned Mairelon had done a perfect
imitation of Jonathan Aberford's tone, and both Jasper and his
sister seemed to recognize the phrasing Stuggs's reaction was
more difficult to interpret, and more ominous
"Well, you can go along now," Jasper told Mairelon
grandly "Jonathan Aberford said—"
"If I may speak with you a moment, Jasper," Lady
Granleigh interrupted
Jasper turned his head and glared at her
"Now, Jasper," Lady Cranleigh said with unruffled calm
Without waiting for him to respond, she turned and walked
straight toward the bushes where Kim was hiding Kim froze
164
She was certain she hadn't been seen yet, but if she tried to
move now. Lady Granleigh would spot her for sure
Lady Granleigh stopped a few steps short of the bush and
tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her brother to
join her
"What are you playing at, Amelia?" Jasper said irritably
"And what are we going to do now? Burn it, Miss Thornley
never said anything about a guard'"
"Marianne is far too innocent to think of such a thing, and
Frederick Meredith was clearly too shatter-brained to mention
it," Lady Granleigh replied "You should have talked to him
yourself, Jasper, instead of leaving it to Marianne "
"That was your idea' You were the one who said Meredith
would tell more to a pretty face I never liked the idea of
letting my fiancee empty the butter pot over that nodcock,
and so 1 told you "
"Miss Thornley isn't your fiancee yet, Jasper, and you'd do
well to remember that before you take that tone with me,"
Lady Cranleigh said "If you want my help in winning her—
and her fortune—you wilt have to earn it. I must point out
that so far you have been precious little help "
"How do you expect me to help when you ruin everything
I try to do?" Jasper waved his arms indignantly "I was about
to get rid of that fellow so we could go ahead with your
precious scheme, only you stopped me "
"You were about to make yet another muddle, you mean "
Lady Cranleigh shook her head "Really, Jasper, sometimes I
despair of your intelligence Don't you see that Mr de Mare's
presence changes everything?"
"No, I do not," Jasper said "If we could Just persuade him
to go away—"
"He would remember us, and when the platter was found,
165
he would connect us with its reappearance That could be
very awkward for us "
"Well, what do you think we should do?" Jasper asked in a
sullen tone
"We shall give Mr de Mare the platter," Lady Granleigh
answered serenely
"What?'" Jasper all but shrieked the word, and both Mair-
elon and Stuggs turned interested eyes in his direction. Jasper
scowled back at them and lowered his voice "Amelia, have
you gone mad?"
"Do you want to have Jonathan Aberford lurking about Bra-
mingham Place for the remainder of our stay?"
"No, but—"
"Can you suggest some other way we might be rid of him?"
"We've already been over this, and you know I haven't But
you just told me a minute ago why we can't give this de Mare
fellow the platter'"
"I explained why we cannot simply leave the platter here
for Mr Aberford and his fnends to find, as we had originally
planned," Lady Cranleigh corrected him "If you had been
listening, or thinking, you would have understood Present-
ing the package to Mr de Mare is another matter entirely "
"I don't see how He's bound to remember us, and you
already said that that would be awkward."
Lady Granleigh sighed "The platter is well wrapped, tied
up, and addressed to Mr Jonathan Aberford If we tell Mr
de Mare that a young man, whom we took to be one of
Henry Bramingham's friends, gave us the parcel in town and
asked us to deliver it here, it will not matter whether he re-
members us Once they discover that the platter is a forgery,
Mr Aberford and his friends will look for the mysterious
young man, if they look for anyone at all You and I will be
mere innocent go-betweens "
166
"And how are you going to explain it if anyone asks why
Miss Thornley was prying into Meredith's business?"
"I shall say that she finds him interesting," Lady Granleigh
replied She frowned slightly "I shall have to see that she
continues to spend time in his company for the next day or
two After that, it will not be thought wonderful if she tires
of him "
"Interested in Meredith^" Jasper snorted "That won't fadge,
Amelia Nobody could be interested in that simpleton "
Lady Granleigh gave him a cold look "Are you hinting
that I will not be believed? 1 assure you, no one will think
twice about it Mr Meredith is no more foolish than most
young men, and Marianne is no less so than most girls, so it
is quite plausible "
"Yes, but look here, Amelia, how am 1 supposed to pay
court to Miss Thornley if you're forever telling her to talk
with Meredith?" Jasper said hastily "I don't like it "
"I did not ask you to like it," Lady Granleigh said "I simply
wish you to refrain from interfering Keep quiet, and let me
talk to Mr de Mare "
"Amelia—" Jasper was too late, Lady Cranleigh had turned
and started back toward the hill as she finished her sentence
"Friday-faced harpy!" Jasper muttered, so low that Kirn almost
missed the words He raked his fingers through his hair, pat-
ted his cravat, and smoothed the front of his coat, then
started after his sister
Lady Granleigh reached the foot of the hill and raised her
chin to study Mairelon "Mr de Mare," she said as Jasper,
still glowering in disapproval, joined her, "you have an honest
face, and your reasons for being here interest me Are you by
some chance acquainted with Mr Jonathan Aberford?"
"He is the leader of the Company that meets here," Mair-
elon said cautiously
167
"Very good," Lady Cranleigh said "My brother and I are
on our way to Swafflton A young
man in the village re-
quested that we deliver a package to this place, and we
agreed The package is addressed to Mr Aberford, presum-
ably he will know what to do with it I trust you can see that
he receives it?"
"I am quite capable of doing so, madam," Mairelon replied
"Then we will entrust the package to you We have spent
far too much time on this errand already Stuggsi"
"Ma'am " The large man lowered his eyes as Lady
Cranleigh turned to face him, transforming his expression
from one of intent interest into one of bored resentment
"Fetch the parcel from the carriage at once, and give it to
Mr de Mare, with my compliments," Lady Granleigh com-
manded
Kim frowned as she watched Stuggs nod and walk off Un-
less she'd forgotten the difference between a sharper and a
Hat, there was something about that cove that didn't fit He
smelled of the back streets and rookeries of London, and gen-
try didn't hire servants there if they wanted to keep their
silver If only she could pike off to the Hungerford Market
for a few hours and ask Red Sal or Tom Correy what they
knew about Stuggs! One of them was bound to have heard
something Kim put the thought firmly aside, there was
nothing to be gained by wishing for the impossible
Stuggs returned, carrying a large brown package He
paused at the foot of the hill, but one glance at Lady
Granteigh set him climbing Mairelon waited where he was
and accepted the package with a solemn half-bow Kim, still
watching Stuggs closely, saw a crease form between his eye-
brows as he turned and came down the hill, and realized that
Mairelon's bow had prevented Stuggs from getting a good
look at his face
Kim brooded over the possible implications while Lady
168
Granleigh and Mairelon exchanged polite farewells Jasper's
concession to good manners took the form of a curt nod,
which drew a glare from his sister and another half-bow from
Maireton Lady Cranteigh hesitated, looking as if she would
have given her brother a rare trimming then and there, except
that she would then have been guilty of even worse conduct
than his In the end, she turned and swept away without say-
ing anything, but her lips were pressed together in a manner
that boded ill for Jaspers peace during the coming carriage
ride Jasper followed, still scowling, and a moment later Kim
heard the sounds of the coach departing
169
SEVENTEEN
Kim let out a long breath as the noise of the
carriage died away among the trees She
could hardly believe she had gone unnoticed.
"Well, well," Mairelon's voice said meditatively from the
hillside "How very interesting "
Kim jerked at the unexpected sound, and her arm grazed
the bush in front of her Mairelon's head snapped in the di-
rection of the mstte "Renee^" he called
"No, it's me," Kim said, rising She walked forward, brush-
ing dead leaves from her coat
"You were supposed to stay at the wagon," Mairelon said
without heat
"That's what you said," Kim agreed "I never told you I
would."
'True " Mairelon pursed his lips and gazed at Kim thought-
fully "1 can see I'll have to listen to you more carefully in the
future How long have you been here?"
"Since right after the bracket-faced gentry mort and her
brother came," Kim answered "I saw them on the road, but I
couldn't hop it fast enough to get here first "
170
"You didn't by any chance see Mademoiselle D'Auber as
well, did you^"
"No," Kim said with some satisfaction. "I didn't."
Mairelon eyed her sharply, then frowned "It's not like Re-
nee to be late " He tucked Lady Granleigh's parcel under his
arm and pulled a watch from his pocket As he glanced at it,
his frown deepened "Certainly not this late "
"Maybe she saw them two on their way here," Kim sug-
gested, jerking a thumb in the direction Lady Granleigh's car-
riage had gone There was no reason for Mairelon to get in a
taking over Renee D'Auber She was a wizard, after all; she
could take care of herself
Mairelon looked up, still frowning "Yes, that would ex-
plain it," he said "And it's 'those two,' not 'them two '"
"Those two, then," Kim said, obscurely comforted by this
offhanded correction "What are you goin' to do with the
platter?"
"Planer?" Mairelon's expression went blank; then his eyes
followed Kim's pointing finger "Oh, is that what's in this
package^ How convenient"
"It's the cheat they nicked from the library at Bramingham
Place," Kim added "I heard them talkin' "
"Indeed " Mairelon took the parcel out from under his arm
and studied it "Why would Lady Granleigh want to give the
fake platter to Jonathan Aberford? And why deliver it here?
He lives in the vicinity, his direction can't be particularly
difficult to discover"
Kim shrugged "They didn't say "
"Mmmm " Mairelon continued his examination of the par-
cel for a moment Suddenly he flipped the package end for
end, tucked it back under his arm, and started briskly down
the hill. 'Time to be going It wouldn't do for someone to get
into the wagon while we're away "
"Or catch us hangin' about here with that thing," Kim mut-
171
tered, eyeing the package Mairelon was carrying As he
reached the base of the hill, she fell into step beside him and
added in a louder voice, 'There's somethin' smoky about that
Stuggs cove, that drove the carnage "
"Do you think so? He's not the usual gentleman's gen-
tleman, I'll admit, but then, Jasper Marston doesn't seem very
good at being a usual sort of gentleman "
"I don't know what his lay is, but he's no flat, that's sure,"
Kim said positively "He pokered up when you said your
name was de Mare, and he was watchin' everything too close
And he wasn't keen to give you that package, no matter what
the bracket-faced mort said "
"Wasn't he, now," Mairelon said "How interesting You
know, Kim, this whole business is beginning to look ex-
tremely odd "
"Begmwn to look odd?"
"Marston, who has no reason I can think of to even be
aware of the existence of the Sattash Set, hires the unlikely
Mr Stuggs to run errands and you to find out whether I have
the bowl Not, mind you, to steal it, but only to discover
whether the thing is hidden in one of my cupboards He and
Lady Cranleigh go to a great deal of trouble to steal a copy of
the Saltash Platter from Bramingham Place, in spite of inter-
ruptions from several people who ought not to know any-
thing about it, either Then when they get it, they
immediately set out to give it to Mr Aberford, whom Mar-
ston, at least, must have recognized as one of the inept
housebreakers "
"Maybe he didn't," Kim said "And they've had the platter
since night before last That ain't givin' it back very imme-
diately "
"Isn't," Mairelon corrected "The real question is, why
would Lady Granleigh want to turn the fake platter over to
172
Aberford instead of giving it back to Henry Bramingham?
Bramingham is, after all, the person from whom she stole it "
Kim shook her head "There's no accountin' for gentry
folk "
"Nonsense," Mairelon said firmly "She must have had some
reason Your Mr Slower is another puzzlement I doubt that
he is in league with Lady Granleigh, but given Marston's ob-
vious penchant for unusual servants, I don't think we can rule
out a connection there "
"He ain't my Mr Slower," Kim said "if he's anybody's, he's
Dan Laverham's "
"So you've said In which case, the question that leaps im-
mediately to mind is, is Slower on his own in this or not?
And either way, why is he, or Laverham, interested in the
Saltash Set? And how did they find out about it"?"
"The last part's easy," Kim said "Laverham's got an eye for
anything that'll bring in money, and London's full of coves as
would put him in the way of nicking the platter just to get on
his good side "
Mairelon gave her an indecipherable look "Possibly Hunch
will have more to say about it when he returns from London
Mairelon the Magician Page 19
