“Yes, sir.”
“Where and when was this?”
“The Saturday after your visit to Ferndale Grange.”
“Good Lord.” A flush of red crept over the man’s face. “He came to the house?”
“No, sir. I was out on one of my walks when he approached me.”
Frowning, Taggart put his hands on his hips. “Why have I not been informed of this? I assume you contacted the police.”
Annie shook her head. “I did not, sir.”
Taggart gaped at her. “Why the hell not?”
“Easy, Taggart,” Julian said, stepping partially between them. “Miss Fairfax has been through a lot lately.”
“Yes, of course. I beg your pardon, Miss Fairfax.” The man scrubbed a hand over his face. “But we should have been informed, nevertheless. How did he know where to find you? Did he threaten you?”
“I don’t know for certain how he knew where I was,” Annie replied. “I did wonder if he’d been the one who broke into Mr. Mason’s office, but you said my file was untouched. He didn’t actually hurt me, Inspector, but he frightened me with his presence. Then he told me he had no intention of being jailed or transported and was leaving England the next day. That being so, I did not see the point of telling the police about the incident. Leopold De Witte is long gone by now.”
“Is he, indeed.” Taggart narrowed his eyes. “Can you be certain of that, Miss Fairfax?”
Archibald Mason cleared his throat. “If it is necessary to continue with this discussion, might I ask that you do so after dinner?”
*
“The young ladyshould have informed us, Northcott.” Taggart tucked his pipe between his teeth and struck a match, cupping his hands around the pipe bowl, cheeks hollowing as he drew on the flame. “We might have caught the bastard before he left the country,” he continued, speaking through his teeth. “If he has, in fact, left the country, which I seriously doubt.”
At Julian’s request, following the somewhat tense dinner party, he and Taggart had removed to the small terrace in the Mason’s rear garden. It was obvious the inspector still harbored frustrations following Annie’s admission. However, Julian wasn’t there to placate the fellow. “Miss Fairfax had her reasons, Inspector.”
“The devil you say.” Taggart gave a sardonic laugh. “May I know what they were?”
Julian shook his head. “I would be breaking a confidence, sir. I do, however, share your misgivings about the fellow leaving the country, which gives me concerns about Miss Fairfax’s future safety. De Witte seems to be adept at keeping track of her whereabouts.”
“Which might not be the case had the young lady kept us informed.”
Julian clenched his jaw against a twinge of impatience. “I don’t disagree, which brings me to the reason I wished to speak to you in private. I’d like to be prepared should the fellow decide to show up at Highfield Hall. More specifically, invite himself to our wedding, which is to be held there.”
The man huffed. “I get the impression he’s arrogant enough to do so. Is it police protection you’re after?”
“An unofficial police presence, perhaps,” Julian replied. “How would you feel about being invited as a guest? Better yet, bring a colleague.”
“Have you set a date for this wedding?”
“Not precisely. I estimate four or five weeks from now, all being well. It’s to be a private affair in the family chapel. I secured a license for it just this morning.”
“Not wasting any time, are you?”
“I don’t see the point of doing so.”
“Hmm.” The man appeared to mull as he drew on his pipe, releasing several puffs of smoke before he gave Julian a sideways glance. “We’d be housed and fed, I assume?”
“In comfort and in copious amounts, Inspector.”
A definite gleam came to Taggart’s eyes. “Very well, Northcott, get the details to me as soon as you can, and I’ll see if I can arrange it. If this scoundrel happens to show up, we’ll nab him.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
