If Neddy was discomfited by the form of address he didn’t show it. Climbing out of bed, he slipped on his shoes and started toward the door. “Bring your coat,” Rafferty said. “It’s cold out there.”
“Where are we going?”
“Up on the roof. Your sister has made a discovery.”
“Where is she?” Neddy demanded, suddenly suspicious. “If you’ve done anything to harm her...”
He’d already done a great deal to harm her, but he wasn’t about to tell him. “She’s gone to bed. The rest is up to you.”
“What’s that you’ve got in your hand?”
“A fire poker. You’ll see why.”
Without another protest, Neddy followed him from the room, Martina taking up the rear. Neither of them balked at climbing out on the roof, and Rafferty found the chimney almost immediately. “Here,” he said to Neddy, handing him the fire poker.
“I’m not about to destroy the chimney...” Neddy protested.
“It’s a false chimney. Just break the chimney pot.”
It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, in the end. Coins and jewelry scattered on the rooftop, and Rafferty watched as a ruby necklace skittered over the side of the roof and down four stories to the grounds below.
“What the hell is this?” Neddy exclaimed.
“Part of the household. I believe you were told that everything in the house went with the sale. Therefore, this is, I believe, your family’s.”
“There’s a bloody fortune here. How will I explain how we got it?”
“No need to explain. No one’s going to question you too closely. It should be enough to get your family out of the River Tick.”
Neddy sat back on his knees, staring at the pile of gold in wonder. “I should say so. Martina, look!”
But Martina was looking at Rafferty with wonder in her fine brown eyes. “You sure you know what you’re doing, Rafferty?” she asked.
He moved out of Neddy’s hearing. “I don’t need it,” he said. “And this will ensure that Georgie will be all right. She can wait and marry someone she loves.”
“You’re a thief—you always need money.”
He shook his head. “This means I can leave with a clear conscience.”
Martina shook her head. “I don’t know that your conscience is that clear when it comes to Georgie.”
“She’ll get over me, the moment I’m gone. You can make sure she does.”
“I don’t know where I’ll be,” she said slowly.
“Does he know?”
She shook her head. “Don’t look at me like that—I’ll tell him. But that will be the end of it and I’m not quite ready for that. We’re a fine pair, aren’t we, mooning over the two of them?”
“I’m not mooning over anyone,” he said stiffly. “And she’s already well on her way to getting over me. I just don’t want her marrying the wrong man.”
“I think that’s a given,” Martina said. “But I’ll do what I can.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“Martina, come and look at this,” Neddy called over, and Martina moved back to the chimney, leaving Rafferty to watch. It would be well, he thought. Not that there was a future for Neddy and Martina, but Georgie would be free to find the perfect young man to adore her and give her babies. And he’d be free. It was everything he wanted, wasn’t it? Of course it was.
The next morning, Rafferty was gone.
