by Joan Smith
Soon Lady Margaret’s attention was diverted to her own companion, a Mr. Meecham, who was really quite handsome, and a veteran of the Peninsular War. He seemed rather taken with her. She did some gentle quizzing to discover that he was one of the Meechams from Devonshire—a younger son, but with good prospects at Whitehall. Before the dessert was served, she had mentioned that her father had friends in his department, and Mr. Meecham had requested the first dance of her.
Esther paid less attention to Lady Margaret. Her eyes were busy making an inventory of the jewels at the table. If Captain Johnnie should take into his head to rob Josh’s safe that night, he would collect something in the neighborhood of a million pounds. She must warn Joshua to increase the guard on the safe.
Near the head of the table Lady Sumner’s diamonds resembled a chandelier fallen from the ceiling to take up occupancy of a seat at the table. The Countess of Altrane’s emeralds were less luminous. They twinkled from the wattles of the lady’s throat, but did not glow. The aging wearers of all this splendor were hardly noticed. They were a pair of fading old dames, mere vehicles for displaying the fabulous jewelry.
After dinner the gentlemen remained behind for port, but the ladies made only a brief visit to the saloon. For this grand occasion they wanted a long toilette. With so many guests in the house, Esther was sharing a room with her aunt. Joshua sent a servant up to assist their dressing. Lady Brown’s only change was to put a blue domino and mask on over her evening gown. Esther changed into her Queen of the May outfit, and the servant brushed out her hair and arranged the new silk flowers in it. Excitement flushed her cheeks to rose and lent a glitter to her eyes.
When she was finished, Esther said to the servant, “I’d like to speak to Mr. Ramsay when he leaves the dining room. Ask him to come up, will you please?”
A little later Joshua tapped at her door. She slipped into the hallway. Joshua smiled in approval of her outfit. “You are the Queen of the May,” he said. “Enchanting, Esther. White becomes you.”
“Oh, thank you,” she replied, flustered at the compliment and the way his eyes lingered on her hair, then roved over her face. She spoke on hastily to cover her embarrassment. “But where is your costume?”
“I’ll throw a domino over my jacket.”
“Original. I had the most appalling thought at dinner, Josh. What if Johnnie tries to break into your safe tonight?”
“I only put about the story the jewelry would be kept there. Actually the safe is empty.”
“But then, where will you keep the jewelry?”
He gave a teasing smile. “Are you sure I can trust you?”
She pouted. “Don’t tell me if you don’t want to, but I hope some precautions have been taken.”
“He’d never dare attack a private house. That isn’t his lay. Everyone is responsible for the safety of his own valuables. I did whisper a word of caution to Lady Altrane and Lady Sumner. They’ve each brought a spare footman to help guard the valuables. I wish they hadn’t worn such costly ornaments, but they tell me they’re fully insured. Their rooms are side by side, just down there,” he said, tossing his head to the end of the corridor. “In that way they’ll be doubly protected. Any commotion in one room will be heard in the other.”
“Still, you wouldn’t want anything to happen to them while they are under your protection.”
“You worry yourself for nothing, Esther. This is your ball. Try, if you can, to enjoy yourself.”
“My ball? Don’t try to con me into believing that.” She turned back to her door, then tossed over her shoulder before entering, “By the way, I like your Lady Margaret. Very nice.”
“Paul thinks so, too. And incidentally, Lady Margaret paid you exactly the same compliment. ‘Very nice’. I’m happy you two get along.”
“Why?” The word came popping out before Esther got a guard on her tongue. Was he suggesting Lady Margaret would soon inhabit the Abbey?
Joshua gave a maddeningly bland look. “She might become your neighbor one of these days.”
“You’d best look lively. Your friend Meecham was rolling his eyes at her over dinner.”
“You noticed that, too, did you?” he said, and left, laughing.
Esther felt a churning inside. Between worries that Lady Margaret had attached Joshua, that Captain Johnnie would rob the guests, and that the strawberry ices wouldn’t set in time for the midnight dinner, for they were proving obstinate in that respect, Esther was in danger of flying into a temper.
“Shall we go down now?” Lady Brown asked, as soon as she entered the room. “If I am to play hostess, I’d best be at the door early.”
Joshua was already at the doorway when they descended. His tall form and broad shoulders were an impressive sight. At some time during his busy day he had been to the barber. His black hair shone in the lamplight. With a smile to remove the harshness from his features, he looked more handsome than usual. He seemed more like the old Joshua, the Joshua who had favored Esther before she opened her inn.
This was the London Joshua, wearing his party manners. This was a man she could love and happily marry—if he asked her. He turned and spotted her, nodded, and smiled, and she felt proud at the special mark of recognition. There was something in that smile, a little special warmth.
Esther’s services were not required at the door, but she went to entertain the guests, who were gathering to await the opening of the ball. In the Gold Saloon, Henry VIII rubbed shoulders with a pirate in eye patch and kerchief. There were ladies in panniered gowns and elaborate wigs, in the guise of milkmaids and Pierrettes, and one daring lady in a torn gown with a red ribbon around her neck, to show she was a victim of Robespierre’s guillotine. But more than anything else there were gentlemen in black dominos and masks, many of them with a wide-brimmed hat to show that they were the Royal Scamp.
The provincial guests arrived promptly, swelling the number of Royal Scamps and milkmaids. Esther recognized Cathy’s straw bonnet, the one that came with her outfit. Beau, more original than most of the men, wore his naval officer’s uniform and looked extremely gallant. A patch over one eye indicated that for the night he was promoted to admiral and was the celebrated Admiral Nelson, but with both arms intact.
Esther had the pleasure of opening the ball with Joshua. All eyes were on them for the first moments. “What will your Lady Margaret think of this?” she asked.
“You were right to tease me,” he said. “Paul beat me to the gun. He secured Lady Margaret for the opening minuet.”
“You did ask her, then?” she inquired, in her most offhand manner.
“No, Paul told me.”
Esther looked around the room and discovered Lady Margaret in a Grecian toga that did nothing for her long, slender figure. Paul wore a domino and mask, presumably the one she had discovered in his room when she searched it the week before.
“Does Paul know where the jewels are being kept?” she asked on an impulse.
“I don’t recall discussing it with him. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.” The idea that Joshua was the Royal Scamp had dissipated, but Paul was by no means considered innocent.
“I didn’t tell my cousin Buck, either, in case it is the Scamp you’re worried about. Really, Esther. Buck! How could you be such a gudgeon?”
“Is he here yet? I haven’t seen him.”
“He just came in. He’s borrowed a cassock from my attic and come as a monk. Who’s minding the inn tonight?”
“Scott, the head footman, takes over when Buck’s away. Oh, there’s Officer Clifford. How droll he looks in that wide-striped waistcoat and funny white tie spotted with black. He looks like a clown.”
“And with rosettes at the knees of his plush breeches. Thank you for the words of praise, Esther. That’s my get-up for the F.H.C. he’s wearing. I loaned it to him.”
A ripple of laughter escaped. “You mean you actually appear in public in that get-up?”
He peered down at her, smiling at h
er amusement. “Top of the trees.”
“Do all the bucks wear that?”
“No, only those of us who have the privilege of being permitted to the club’s exclusive membership.”
“I see he can’t get anyone to dance with him.”
“Clifford isn’t here to dance. He’s keeping a sharp lookout for trouble.”
Esther felt a shiver tremble up her spine. “Do you think there might be trouble?”
“I trust there will, or I’ve gone to a deal of bother for nothing.”
“Any dubious pleasure I may take from my ball counts for nought, does it?”
Joshua shrugged but looked conscious of his slip. “It’s known as killing two birds with one stone.”
“Also as putting your foot in your mouth. Never mind, I’ve known all along this ball wasn’t for my benefit. I merely had the honor of working my fingers to the bone for you.”
“You’d be happy to have Captain Johnnie behind bars though, wouldn’t you?”
“Very happy, but I don’t see how you hope to accomplish it, when you’ve gone to such pains to make a holdup impossible.”
“Not impossible, just interesting. Johnnie’s no tyro. He’d suspect a trap if we made it easy.”
The dance was over, and Joshua strode away. Esther felt as if she were sitting on a patch of nettles. What did he mean by “trap”? There was something going on here that she was unaware of. While the party progressed, she tried to keep her eye on the key players. She could see Buck’s round monkish hat through the crowd, the only thing to distinguish him at a quick glance from the dozens of black dominoes. Beau was a little easier to keep an eye on in his naval uniform. Clifford’s garish outfit wasn’t difficult to spot, lurking round the edge of the room. Paul Meecham was invisible among the other dominoes.
Beau claimed Esther for the first set of waltzes, while his sister, she noticed, danced with Buck.
“This is the first time we’ve danced together, Esther,” he said. “I knew you would be light-footed.”
“Cathy waltzes well for a deb. Where did she learn?”
“I expect the waltz has reached Northumberland. It was kind of Buck to stand up with her, as she has so few acquaintances here, I’m indebted to your manager on more than one score. He was kind enough to give us a lift here. I cracked a shaft on my carriage last night during that mad dash home from the heath.”
“I’m sorry. I hadn’t heard it, as I’ve been away from the inn so much today. Did anything else of interest happen?”
“Not much. We all took considerable amusement from watching the carriages rumble along to the Abbey here for the party. What a magnificent affair it is. I’m blinded by diamonds.” His eyes turned to the blaze of glory that was Lady Sumner leaving for the card room. “What a pity the jewels are all worn by ancients. They should adorn some beautiful young lady, like you.”
Beau was a good dancer. Esther enjoyed the waltzes and the compliments. When they were over, he led her to his sister; they changed partners, and Beau took Cathy for a stroll about the room.
Esther and Buck waited for the music to resume. Buck seemed nervous, looking around the sides of the room for something. “My Papa’s landed in,” he explained. “He’ll have something to say about my standing up with Miss Fletcher. At least he’ll be happy I’ve nabbed you for the next dance.”
“This might be your chance to make it up with him,” she suggested.
“I’m willing, but I won’t grovel to him. He must take me as I am.”
“Did anything exciting happen at the inn today while I was away?” she asked.
He reported on any clients of interest who had taken rooms, then mentioned Beau’s damaged carriage. “It’s been a hard day on carriages and nags. I noticed Meecham’s mount was missing when I went to get my own rig to come here. His groom tells me the nag threw a splint yesterday, and was left in Josh’s stable.”
Esther immediately felt a prickle of suspicion. “Was it here when you arrived?”
“I didn’t go to the stable. We got out at the front door. Why do you ask?” Her speaking glance told him why. “Don’t go looking for trouble, Esther. It will find you soon enough.”
“But if it isn’t in Josh’s stable, Buck—where is it? Is it hidden nearby for Meecham’s getaway after he robs the guests?”
“Rubbish!”
“Still, I would very much like to know,” she insisted.
Buck ignored her hint. He asked her for the next set, but Esther made an excuse and left. Perhaps it would be better to look for Meecham’s mount herself. Buck was not completely free of suspicion. For that matter he could have taken Meecham’s mount himself, planning to make his escape on it, hide the loot, and return. She walked down a hallway, into the library, and out the French door into a hedged garden.
Light streamed from all the Abbey windows. Soon she heard the muted strains of music, adding a touch of magic to the soft night breeze. The possible places of concealment were so numerous that she tried to put herself in the Scamp’s boots and see how she would plan a fast getaway. Not by the back of the house, where the stable was alive with grooms tonight. No, he would cut through the park, where riding was easy and concealment plentiful, and close by was the public road.
She lifted her white skirts and walked briskly toward the park. He wouldn’t have left his mount close enough that its whinnying would be heard by guests arriving. It would be a few hundred yards into the park. As she advanced through the trees, shadows deepened.
Was Meecham working alone, or would he have his groom waiting as well? Her heart hammered in her throat, nearly deafening her. The night breeze felt cold against her fevered cheek. When an owl hooted, she jumped a foot into the air. But before long a different sound invaded her ears. It was the soft, satisfied snorting of a horse champing the grass. She darted behind a tree and peered out from behind it. The horse was there, apparently alone. She edged closer, slipping from tree to tree. From a few yards away, she recognized Meecham’s mount with the white blaze on its forehead. Captain Johnnie’s mount last night had had such a blaze.
Chapter Fourteen
Esther lifted her skirts and tore back to the Hall, uncertain whom she should tell. When she reached the ballroom, she saw Joshua dancing with Lady Margaret. Officer Clifford lounged toward her. “All’s quiet so far,” he said, from behind his mask.
She drew him aside and told him about Meecham’s mount. “Don’t worry your head, Miss Lowden. I’ll take care of it.”
“But if you leave, there will be no one here to watch him.”
“Nay, I’m not alone, miss. I have two of my lads rigged out as footmen, and two in dominoes. You just enjoy your ball and leave the dirty work to us. It’s what we’re paid for.”
Esther found the ball about as enjoyable as having a tooth drawn. She felt every moment that something dreadful was going to happen, and to make it worse, she didn’t have one perfectly reliable ally. Her eyes roamed from Admiral Nelson to F.H.C. member, from monk to black domino, while the excitement churned. She danced, too, conversing erratically with her partners. Eventually it was time for the midnight supper, and nothing unusual had occurred.
She decided she had destroyed a perfectly good ball for no reason and determined to enjoy the remainder of it. She took what enjoyment she could from sitting at Joshua’s table, along with Lady Margaret, Meecham, Lady Brown, and a few of the more exalted guests. Lady Altrane in her emeralds and Lady Sumner in her diamonds were part of the table, along with Lady Gloria in her pearls. With the single exception of the strawberry ices, which Lady Gloria found just a teensy bit liquid, the dinner was excellent. Lobster and champagne added a festive note to the viands.
Yet, Esther felt an undercurrent of something more exciting than just a ball. It was like a magnetic force, and it emanated from Joshua and Meecham. More than once she noticed them exchanging mute but meaningful looks. Their eyes scanned the other tables. Esther tried to follow their line of sight. Was it Buck they were l
ooking at? He sat with his parents, in apparent amity. Officer Clifford? The Fletchers? Some of Clifford’s minions? Impossible to say, but they were wary, like jungle cats watching their prey.
Dinner was a prolonged affair, with many courses and several toasts afterward, but finally it was over. The guests complimented Joshua profusely on a perfect ball. Some of the older ones decided they were for bed. “Not so young as I used to be” was heard, along with “I must be up early in the morning. Paper work to look after for parliament.” The diamonds and emeralds left the table with the older crowd.
It was effectively over then, Esther assumed, and breathed a sigh of relief. All her anxieties had been for nothing. She had stupidly let her imagination ruin her evening thus far, but she would enjoy the last two hours of dancing. As the musicians tuned their instruments for a country dance, Esther scanned the floor for a partner. She had only had one dance with Joshua. Another one would not be out of place. There were literally dozens of black dominoes, but as her eyes darted from one to the other, she could not find Joshua. He should be easy to spot, as he was taller than most and his hair was so dark.
Perhaps he was speaking to the housekeeper about the retiring guests. She hadn’t danced with Meecham. She had noticed he was a good dancer. After a quick run around the room, she realized Meecham was missing as well, and a tingle of apprehension disturbed her newfound peace. Soon she discerned there was no Admiral Nelson, either. This was too many missing bodies for mere coincidence. Perhaps Buck knew what was going on. She discovered his round monk’s hat and made her way toward him.
“Where is everyone?” she demanded.
