‘Once we are in the study,’ she was saying softly, ‘the quicker we find out where the diamond is hidden, the longer we have to unlock its resting place. It’s my belief it’s concealed somewhere in the vicinity of the bookcase.’
Max nodded. ‘What do you want me to do?’ he managed to ask evenly.
‘Follow my lead,’ Patience answered. ‘We must endeavour to get in and out as quickly as possible.’
Her words were swallowed by the sudden rumble of wheels and clip-clop of horses. Seconds later, the Earl’s carriage appeared through the gate and turned in the direction of Bath town centre. After a couple of moments, a second carriage trundled past.
‘It’s time.’ Patience looked up at the Marquess, her eyes sparkling and her whole body exuding excitement. ‘Stay behind me,’ she added, slipping towards the entrance, taking care to keep in the shadows.
∞∞∞
‘This isn’t the way to the Assembly Rooms,’ protested Percy as the carriage in front turned down an unfamiliar lane.
‘Mayhap he’s going somewhere else first,’ the Reverend responded with a frown.
‘Or perhaps he’s not going at all,’ the curate ventured uneasily.
They followed the Earl down a series of increasingly unsavoury streets until at length the carriage turned into a narrow lane that looked suspiciously familiar.
Ordering their coachman to wait around the corner, Reverend Shackleford climbed down and took a peek into the narrow street just in time to see Bamford disappear into a door at the end, as his carriage vanished around the corner.
‘Isn’t that the tea house you took us to?’ the Reverend muttered to Percy as the curate tiptoed up behind him.
Percy frowned. ‘I … I’m not sure. It looked entirely different in the daylight.’
‘That’s because it’s a deuced nanny house,’ Reverend Shackleford growled as they watched the door open to emit a scrawny fellow who was undoubtedly mauled.
‘It doesn’t look the sort of place an Earl would go to attend to his … his … needs,’ faltered Percy.
‘It didn’t look the kind of place anyone would go for a bowl of deuced tea either,’ muttered the Reverend, ‘yet there we were.’ He pursed his lips, frowning. ‘Come along Percy, let’s go and have a look. We can’t risk the scoundrel disappearing out the back.’
∞∞∞
They reached the study without mishap though the light was fading fast. The curtains were pulled across the French style doors, but they could see the flickering of a candle through a chink in the middle.
Max watched as Patience rummaged around in her breeches, then pulled out what looked to be a set of pins. ‘Keep watch,’ she murmured as she approached the lock and set about getting them in. Turning his back, Max stared uneasily into the shadows. The garden was well established and filled with shrubs, most of which were large enough for a person to hide behind. Although the Marquess knew it was ridiculous to fear someone lurking behind every bush, nevertheless he continued to jump at every rustle. The minutes ticked by, and the light faded completely until Max was unable to see anything. He wondered how the devil they were going to get out without breaking a damn leg.
Just when he began to think Patience was not able to pick this particular lock, there was a small click. He turned to find her grinning at him triumphantly. After a second, she merged with the shadows as she boldly turned the handle of the door, pushed aside the curtains and stepped inside. The flickering light from the candles gave him enough light to follow, and seconds later, Patience was carefully shutting the drapes behind him.
‘When I was here before,’ she whispered, ‘Bamford seemed to spend most of the time near to the bookcase, or at least in that portion of the room.’ She pointed towards the shelves. Max furrowed his brow, staring at the books in front of him. ‘There must be fifty or more books in here,’ he frowned.
‘We’ll have to check them all,’ she concluded. ‘There may be a false panel at the back, or indeed a hollowed out area inside a book itself.’ Max nodded and picked up one of the candles in its holder, placing it closer to the bookcase to provide more light.
‘The Earl didn’t use any steps to reach the top shelves,’ she pondered. ‘At least I don’t think he did. I believe I would have heard him move them.’
‘So, we go as high as would be easily reached by a short arse,’ Max suggested drily, reaching out his hand to the shelf he deemed reachable by someone of Bamford’s height, which was nearer to the Marquess’s chest.
‘Indeed,’ Patience chuckled. ‘I’ll start on the bottom shelf.’ Squatting down, she quickly pulled out the first five books and peered behind them, using her hand to poke and prod the wood behind. Once sure there was no false back, she turned to the books themselves, opening each one and flicking through the pages.
They continued for over half an hour with no luck, and both were beginning to get anxious. At length, Patience sat back on her heels, biting her lip thoughtfully.
‘The servants will be in to put out the candles soon,’ the Marquess warned. ‘We dare not stay for much longer.’
Patience didn’t answer, instead putting her head on one side, she looked at the underside of the shelves. Then, standing up, she took a step back.
‘Does that wood look slightly thicker to you?’ she murmured, pointing to the second shelf from the floor. Max crouched down and glanced between the shelf she’d pointed out, and the one above. Looking back up at her, he nodded in sudden excitement. ‘Not by much, and certainly not enough to draw attention,’ he clarified, ‘but wide enough to hide a gemstone.’
Getting down on her knees, Patience ran her fingers along the underside of the shelf, moving crablike along the bookcase towards the Marquess who watched her silently. About halfway across, she paused. ‘There’s a crack in the wood,’ she whispered after a moment. Sliding in a second hand she reached right to the back of the shelf and pushed her fingers upwards. After a second, a small portion of the shelf slid out.
