Chase chuckled. “Maybe next time.”
They arrived at the Claystone estate only a couple minutes later through a back alley, past Claystone’s hired men, in a cart driven by Sam’s own driver dressed in plain clothes. He’d wait down the lane to be ready for when they made their hasty retreat.
“This had better work,” Sam said.
“In case we get separated, remember, second floor, two doors down from the main hall.”
Sam nodded. He set aside his own pride and anger for one night. Chase had done a lot of work to help Sam make it into the house, subvert Lord Claystone’s private security, and get to the diary. For a task that was supposed to be his burden, he was playing second violin.
He could do this. Chase said they had approximately ten minutes during the changing of the guard to get to Lord Claystone’s secure rooms, information courtesy of Sir Henry Tidworth. How they were going to manage that by climbing up the wall on a wet night, Sam wasn’t going to bother wondering. Chase seemed utterly confident they could do it, and Sam, for once, wasn’t going to question the man’s varied skills. At this point, Sam didn’t care to know who or what Chase might be, but he could admit the man had talents. And after tonight they’d never see each other again. He hoped. Not for a long while, at least.
Chase carefully and silently opened the gate. Sam followed him through the opening, closing it softly. Chase stood so silent and still he could have been a statue, then he looked at Sam, but the light was too weak to read his expression.
Chase nodded toward the dense hedges behind a gazebo, and they ducked into the deeper shadows. “There’s a guard at the double doors. He’s been sitting there smoking for at least thelast fifteen minutes. He was there while I did my preliminary scouting ahead of your arrival.”
“So, what do we do? Wait?” Sam whispered.
Chase grumbled. “He wasn’t there the last time I was here. I don’t know that he isn’t stationed there for the night. We can’t climb up without him seeing us.”
“I still don’t understand the specifics of this plan. Claystone houses his collections in a locked wing of his house. Why would his wife’s diary be there?”
Chase remained silent.
“You don’t know if it’s in there.” Sam stated. He scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“Tadworth claimed that’s where all their secrets and treasures were kept.”
“But a woman’s diary is not a treasure, not to her husband. If anything, there are secrets in there she doesn’t want him to know.”
“Then what are you suggesting?”
“The obvious location is somewhere in her room.”
“Wait, he’s getting up.” Sam and Chase leaned around the bush. The door opened and another of Lord Claystone’s security stepped out.
“I need to get closer to hear them. I—” The door opened again and out came... two hounds.
Sam swallowed. He wouldn’t speak, not when the dogs, with their uncanny hearing, would certainly pick up on their voices.
Chase waded back between the shrubs, grabbing Sam by the collar and pulling him close to whisper directly in his ear.
“New plan. You scale the wall. I lead those guards and dogs on a merry chase.”
“Are you bloody mad?” Sam whispered, his voice no louder than the soft breeze around them.
“You’re not up for running.”
“But you think I can climb?”
“This is our one chance, Alston.”
“No, it’s not. We can come up with another plan.”
Chase bared his teeth. “For reasons that are not your business, one of us must get into that house tonight.”
Sam stilled. “This isn’t about me at all.”
“Call it a happy coincidence.”
