“Now see what you’ve done,” said Lily. “And I’d just got her calmeddown after all that business yesterday! We all get along a deal betterwhen your sort keeps to yourselves in your fancy houses.”
Beth sat in one of the chairs. “Are you an admirer of MaryWollstonecraft, too?” she asked in a friendly manner.
“Who? Not if she’s one of the nobs.”
“Well,” said Beth thoughtfully, “I suppose in a way she was.” She wasquite prepared for an enjoyable philosophical discussion when Agnesreturned with a surprised Blanche.
“Beth, I have the feeling you shouldn’t be here,” said the WhiteDove.
“More than likely,” replied Beth.
“More than likely,” echoed the cook. “You watch yourself, Maggie. Hersort’s no good for you.”
“Hush, Lily,” said Blanche in a comfortable way. “I know what I’mabout. Agnes, we’ll have tea, please.”
With that she escorted her guest to the parlor. Beth noticed thebloodstains had been removed from the stairs and there was no sign of theprevious day’s events except for the absence of the chandelier.
“You have interesting servants,” she said as she took a seat.
“They serve me well,” said Blanche. “As you may have guessed, I chooseunfortunates. I admit it’s partly because it would be hard for one such asmyself to find good staff who wouldn’t be insolent, but it’s also becauseI’ve known poverty and despair. Agnes I picked from the workhouse. Herwhole family was sent there when her father died. I trained her, thinkingshe’d move on, but she chooses to stay. Lily, now Lily helped me when Iwas young, when I first ran away from home. She’s been more a mother to methan my own mother, but she won’t play the lady. Doesn’t hold with it. Ihope she wasn’t rude. She has no reason to love the higher orders.”
“I like her. Perhaps in time she’ll come to accept me.”
“You really plan to make a friendship of this, then?” said Blanche.“Lucien won’t like it you know. Men don’t like their lives muddied.”
“We all have to make adjustments,” said Beth. “And when you’re marriedto his best friend ?”
“Which will be never,” said Blanche firmly, though Beth was interestedto see that she blushed. “The man’s wits have gone begging. I’ve told himI’ll consider an ... an arrangement.”
Beth let the matter pass though if she’d been a gambling woman shewould lay odds the White Dove’s days of freedom were numbered. “Haseverything been sorted out?” she asked, not able to bring herself to referdirectly to the body.
“Yes,” said Blanche. “That Nicholas Delaney is a remarkably efficientgentleman. With some interesting accomplices. I didn’t ask too manyquestions, but I gather the hired bullies have been press-ganged and thebody, with identification removed, has been left in the warrens of St.Giles. He’ll be found in a day or two, I suppose. In that quarter, noone’s going to ask too many questions. Even Bow Street only goes there innumbers. Deveril had been known to haunt those parts looking for somethingto slake his tastes, so I don’t suppose there’ll be great surprise.”
Beth shuddered. “He was more horrible than I imagined. It is incrediblethat men such as he be tolerated merely because they have inherited atitle. Inherited privilege is very wrong.”
“Perhaps,” said Blanche with a smile. “But take my advice and fight theskirmishes, Beth, don’t take on the war. There’s plenty for good-heartedpeople to do without destroying themselves and those they love.”
Beth considered her newfound friend seriously. “You mean Lucien?”
Blanche nodded. “He’s making great progress, but you’ll never turn himinto a William Godwin or a Wilberforce. He’s a damn-your-eyes de Vaux andalways will be.”
“I know it. And,” said Beth with a rueful smile, “apologies to MaryWollstonecraft, I wouldn’t want him any other way. Which reminds me, I hadbetter get on with my reason for coming here and return to MarlboroughSquare before he realizes I’m gone.”
She paused a moment while Agnes brought the tea tray and Blanchepoured. She sipped the tea, finding it a little hard to broach thesubject. “Blanche, how do you feel about forgery? And, I suppose,burglary.”
Blanche put down her cup. “They’re hanging matters, Beth.”
Beth licked her lips. “I know. But I doubt it would come to thatanyway, with the power of the de Vaux family involved. Isn’t thatterrible?” she remarked. “I’m just as bad as they are.”
“Beth,” said Blanche. “Say what you have in mind.”
Beth took a deep breath. “If what he told me is true, Deveril has noheir. The title and fortune will revert to the Crown. What if Clarissa washis heir?”
Blanche sat up straighter. “A will?”
Beth nodded. “It would have to be found in his house,” she said. “Ithink that’s the most dangerous part.”
“We’d need a sample of his writing anyway...”
