Mr. Liddle smiled. “The goods were in a storeroom at The Bristled Hound coaching inn, ready to be transported to auction. Thanks to the good offices of the magistrate, they were induced to provide me with this information.”
“Induced, you say?” said Ellinbourne.
“Oh, Mr. Liddle, this is my brother, the Duke of Ellinbourne,” Cassie said.
“Your Grace,” Mr. Liddle acknowledged, making his bow.
“Let me introduce you to the others—You will stay the night, won’t you?”
“I should be delighted, my lady,” he said. “But most people would prefer to see a thief-taker leave as soon as possible after they are paid,” he told her seriously.
She squeezed the pouch that lay in her lap. “Mr. Liddle, I am not most people. But, to keep things in accordance with expectations, you may leave as soon as possible after you have been paid.—Tomorrow.—After breakfast,” Cassie said, drawing it out.
“Or later,” Lakehurst added. “We still need to discuss the death of the Marquess of Darkford.”
“Oh! Yes! The Gallaghers were only part of our requirements,” Cassie said.
Mr. Liddle laughed, and held up his hands before him. “All right!”
“Excellent. You have met my brother, now let me introduce you to the others. This is Miss Hallowell, my brother’s fiancée, and her stepmother, Mrs. Hallowell.”
“Charmed,” he said in a deep, rumbling voice as he bowed over their hands.
“Also staying with us is Mr. Stillworth, and Mr. and Mrs. Tidemark, and of course, Gwinnie, who you met the other night. Most of the servants are from the Duke of Malmsby’s household.”
“In his letter to me, Lewis mentioned that would be the situation.”
“How long have you known Mr. Martin?” Ellinbourne asked. “We had the pleasure of working with him at the Duchess of Malmsby’s estate.”
“We met at school,” Mr. Liddle said, “And have kept in contact over the years.”
Lakehurst nodded, and would have liked to ask him more questions about his association with Mr. Martin, but not in a group. Perhaps over a pint of ale, or a brandy, later.
“I’m going to put this money in the study,” Cassie said, standing up. “It will be an hour and a half before dinner. You all may want to rest or take a walk. Please don’t roam the castle without one of us or the servants, it would be easy to get lost and I fear not all of it is in the best of repair. Mr. Liddle, Mrs. Prichett will show you to a room.”
He inclined his head. “Thank you, my lady.”
Lakehurst followed Cassie as the rest of the party dispersed. “I’ll help you count the money, if you like,” he told her. “We will need to determine how much to pay Mr. Liddle.”
“Thank you for offering. I believe it is quite a sum. The bag is heavy,” she said, passing it to him.
He chuckled as he hefted it. “So it appears to be. This should go a long way to pay for repairs.”
She unlocked the door to the study.
Lakehurst crossed to the desk to set the bag down while Cassie found the tinderbox and lit candles in the room, as the afternoon had turned gray and the sun no longer penetrated into the room.
They sat across from each other, neither speaking as they sorted the coins and counted them into stacks. Cassie liked working with Lakehurst across the desk. They worked methodically, the only sounds disturbing the afternoon quiet were the clinking of coins and the distant strains of Gwinnie on her violin. When Cassie put her last coin on a pile, she sat back in her chair.
“I put the total value to 478 guineas,” Lakehurst said.
Cassie nodded. “That is what I count as well. That is a large amount to have robbed from the estate. If that is just what they had in the castle when we arrived, how much else have they taken away or spent over the past eighteen months?”
“At least double that, I would guess,” Lakehurst said, “judging by the discrepancies in the receipts and ledger books.”
Cassie shook her head. “I wonder why they even kept the receipts?”
“Most likely to ensure the merchants they purchased from were not cheating them and asking for more money on an invoice,” Lakehurst drawled. “Thieves fear being robbed more than we do.”
