“Very well, my lord, but what, if you will permit me to ask, is the truth of it?”
“I believe this belongs to a lady I met tonight.” Raoul gave him a succinct account of the events of the evening, and the relevant facts. “Make enquiries, if you please. There is the Black Swan and Maskery’s lodging, wherever that may be. He’s badly dipped, I know that much. I hold his IOUs myself and I don’t doubt there are others who have not been paid. I’ve a suspicion he may have taken off for the Continent.”
“Not France, my lord,” objected his secretary. “Not in these times.”
“Holland, then. Or Spain.”
Jerram rubbed his chin, seeming dubious. “I’ll see what I can find out, my lord.”
“Put forth your best endeavours.” Raoul hefted the valise. “Meanwhile, I will take charge of this. I will return it to Miss Temple tomorrow.”
He recalled her upset at the loss of her personal mementoes, and a rush of warmth came in at the thought he could at least relieve her of that particular distress. The notion was swiftly followed by one less welcome, and he cursed with some fluency.
It was too much to hope Miss Temple’s keen intelligence would overlook the implications of the valise coming into Raoul’s possession.
CHAPTER FOUR
Lord Lynchmere’s dictum proved correct. The situation seemed indeed less desperate in the clear light of day. Unless Felicity’s senses were merely dulled. She had slept like one dead, finding it hard to pull herself into wakefulness, as if she had been drugged. She was even moved to tackle Henrietta over the breakfast cups.
“You did not add laudanum to my milk last night, did you?”
The girl set down her tea and waved hands of horror. “Gracious, no! Why would I do such a thing?”
From across the table her twin looked up from buttering a warm roll and regarded Felicity with a knowing eye. “I see what it is. The aftermath of shock. I expect you feel as if you have been hit in the head with a brick.”
Felicity had to laugh. “That is it exactly. How perceptive of you.”
“That is Silve all over.” Henrietta sipped her tea. “If you are not careful, she will start advising you on just what you should do.”
“I can’t help it if I think of these things, can I?”
“No, but there are older and wiser heads than yours.”
“Well, none of them are here just at this moment, are they?”
Apart from a somewhat somnolent footman, the young ladies were breakfasting alone. Mrs Latimer had not yet risen, they had been told upon enquiry, and their father had eaten earlier and retired to his library, as was his custom.
“Papa can never bear our chatter in the morning,” Henrietta had explained. “He insists upon his peace.” She turned now to Felicity with her apologetic air. “You had much better listen to Aunt Angelica. Silve is so impulsive.”
Her sister gave her an unloving look and retired into her baked eggs. Feeling unequal to mediate between the two, Felicity confined her attention to consuming her portion of ham and trying to decide upon a sensible course of action.
Clothes were paramount. She was at this moment attired in a borrowed morning gown belonging to Henrietta. It was a trifle loose and had dragged on the ground until the twins’ maid had pinned up the hem and tacked it. But at least it looked respectable. To have been obliged to go about in the evening gown would have been embarrassing, to say the least. However, it was not perhaps as bad as she had supposed. She had her cloak and might with propriety travel to Bath thus attired.
“Will it suit if I wear this gown to my destination, Henrietta? I will be obliged to post it back to you and that may take some days, I fear.”
Henrietta made a hushing sound and indicated the sleepy footman waiting by the sideboard loaded with covered silver dishes. She leaned close to whisper. “We should not advertise your situation, Felicity, but of course you may. As it chances, I have not worn that gown for an age.”
“No,” chimed in her sister, “for it is last season’s, but remember you will have to make this season’s do for the future.” She made no attempt to keep her voice at a level to be inaudible to the servant. Evidently she’d had no difficulty hearing her twin, who shushed at her in a frantic way.
“Do stop, Silve! You are just trying to drive me into losing my temper.”
“I wish I might!”
Henrietta sighed. “You are as grumpy as Papa in the mornings, horrid creature!”
Her twin made an exasperated sound and then produced a bright smile as she glanced at Felicity. “You must be feeling very much at home by now, I should think.”
Felicity had to laugh. “What, with the two of you scrapping like a couple of schoolgirls? Is it ever thus between you?”
