“Well—well, I have every intention of turning on you if I must, so you may save your die-away airs.” She wavered. “That is—I don’twishto turn you in—but I beg you will leave me be. Cannot we leave this at a détente and finish the journey as amicable strangers?”
He sighed. “You’re never at a loss for words; it’s really quite charming. But yes, I suppose that is fair. And if Ididhave anything to do with such a dangerous scheme, I would prefer it didn’t come to light, I suppose.”
“Aren’t youafraid?” Sophia asked, curious despite herself.
He grinned. “That’s the cost of a good gamble, is it not?”
Sophia shook her head, although she knew what he meant. Shedidenjoy a good wager, but she’d never played with herlifein the balance. Or well—perhaps that was not quite true either. Her current deal with Lady Marston was rather an outrageous gamble.
But she did not want to get drawn into conversation again, and she needed to keep this short to avoid suspicion if anyone noticed her brief absence. She crouched to fetch the opera glasses behind the dinghy, where she’d safely tucked them away. Her fingers scraped on wood and waxed rope—but the crevice was empty. She swiped it again, a little more urgently.
“Looking for these?” Mr. Belvedere dangled the opera glasses from one finger.
“Oh—I despise you.” The rocking of the ship, which she barely noticed anymore, caused her to stumble as she rose to her feet.
He steadied her with a hand at her waist. “Do take care.”
Sophia took the glasses from him and fled below. She felt unhappily that she hadnotgained the upper hand as she hoped.
16
Caroline and Richard were quiet when Donny came to pull off his boots that night. The boy was still somewhat small for his age, and although he made no more noise about his lost parrot, it was easy to see that he was less friendly and more downcast than he had been. Apparently an older sailor had given it to Donny a year ago, after acquiring it in Rio de Janeiro.
And perhaps the birdhaddied only of old age, which the first mate said was possible, but with the continued upset, the sailors were convinced it had been foul play.
When Donny had gone, Caroline asked Richard, “Do you think that perhapsweoughtto find the incriminating letter that Mr. Belvedere searched for amongst the mail—if it exists? I feel it would be better to know the worst at once or exonerate him if there is nothing. If he truly was responsible for killing Donny’s parrot, it was so—cold-hearted.”
Richard untied his cravat. “You’d have us look in the bags? Tampering with the mail is a serious offence that is still prosecuted up to and including the death penalty?—”
“Really?”
“Yes, the 1765 Post Office Act makes tampering with the mail a hanging offense. I hardly thinkwewould be punished to the extremity of the law, but it is worth consideration. But even if we found a letter from the East India Company, what would we do with it? I’d be honor bound to turn it over to either Captain Smythe or the intended recipient in Lisbon.”
“Ugh, I suppose you would.”
“Sorry to trouble you with my morality. Iamemployed by the government.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she snapped. She caught herself. Anne would be kind; Anne wouldn’t vent her ill-humor on her husband. “I mean, I hope I know better than to question you, my dear.”
“Caroline…”
“What?”
“Nothing. You were saying?”
Caroline had not noticed the coolness in Richard’s manner, but she did now. “Have I offended you?”
“No, just—no.” He could hardly himself have put into words that her continued effort to be—what was it? Perfect?—was both unnecessary and frustrating. He had tried to articulate it before, but it only seemed to annoy her. He was frustrated with himself for being so easily provoked by—well, nothing really. Nothing that he could explain.
“Well. I just think we must dosomething,” she said. “Won’t he try to get to the mail again, if he has not yet found the incriminating documents?”
“He may, or perhaps he has already found it.”
“Does the captain still keep a sailor on guard outside the cargo hold?”
“I think he has relaxed it since the storm and the theft of Lady Marston’s necklace, which indicates the thief is after valuables, not the post itself—” He frowned. “I had almost forgotten aboutthat blasted necklace. Do we lay that at Mr. Belvedere’s door also?”
“Perhaps you’ve hit it,” Caroline offered. “He did it to draw suspicion away from the mail?”
