Collington smiled. “You do not ask if I approve. You know what my answer would be. They are indeed fortunate that a lady of your position recognizes them in public.”
“Pon rep, sir! Did you not remark the number of highly born gentlemen who appear to have no difficulty recognizing Miss Falcon?”
“Ah, yes. But with entirely different motives, I suspect. And much as I enjoy sparring with you, I must take my leave. Farewell, child. Pray embrace no further disasters.”
Naomi’s taut nerves relaxed. Thank heaven! He meant to go without taxing her about marriage. Walking with him to the door, she said, “Truly, I am sorry about your loss, Papa. ’Twas vastly careless in me.”
He looked at her with upraised brows. “Loss?”
“Your chess piece.”
“Ah, yes. I think that is best forgot. Is provoking to think that some uncouth rank rider, or a yokel with no appreciation of its antiquity, likely found it. But there. What use to cry over spilt milk? Adieu. Do not stay too long from Kent. We miss you.”
He patted her cheek, smiled with rare warmth, and was gone.
***
There was a haze in the air on this Tuesday morning, and the sunlight was diffused so that her beams fell softly upon London’s countless chimney pots, towers, and domes. Gideon stood at the window of the book room, contemplating the scene thoughtfully. A warm little hand crept into his own. He turned, smiling down at Gwendolyn’s bright face.
“Are you thinking how different is the prospect?” she asked. “From that of Rossiter Court, I mean? The hill gives us a fine view, Gideon.”
He bent to press a kiss on her forehead. “Which is one thing to be said for it, eh little one? No, I was thinking of my father’s—er—”
“Obsession?” Newby closed the door behind him and sauntered across the room. “I wonder you waste your time with such balderdash.” He embraced his sister and said smilingly, “Do not encourage him, my poppet.”
Gideon pulled out a chair for her, and Gwendolyn sat down and said with a sigh, “I wish Imightoffer some encouragement. ’Twould be passing wonderful to find we were not really responsible for so much grief and tragedy.”
“Weare not, love.” Newby disposed himself languidly against the edge of the reference table. “Our inept old gentleman is. And my heroic brother would do well to employ his mind to the avoidance of prosecution rather than try to sniff out a non-existent band of dastardly conspirators. No—use your wits do, Gideon! Why in the devil would anyone go to so much trouble and expense? ’Tis not as if there were vast fortunes to be made from this catastrophe.”
“I would call one hundred thousand pounds a vast fortune,” interposed Gwendolyn indignantly.
“Yes, dear,” said Gideon. “But that was stolen by one rascal. Most expertly. Where was the need for all the rest of it? I think that’s what Newby means.”
“Your brilliance, dear twin, is dazzling,” sneered Newby.
“And your filial loyalty non-existent. My father is not a blockhead—”
“Just an exceeding maladroit Chairman of the Board? Oh, never give me your pious looks or pretend a devotion you do not feel. Six years ago you could scarce wait to buy yourself a pair of colours so as to get away from him.”
“From his policies, rather.”
“Time proved you right in that, at least.”
“Even so, I never held him to be a fool, and there is a deal too much of coincidence in all this for us to laugh at his suspicions.”
Newby said contemptuously, “As I do? Is that what you say? Then pray tell, dear twin, what you with yoursuperiorunderstanding have discovered whilst you puttered about asking questions. You must have succeeded in stirring up somebody. Papa tells me his solicitor is already imploring him to keep you from his door!”
“I called on him, certainly, and learned how much a man may say while saying nothing. I also called on many others. Hiat, for instance—”
“Ah, yes. Our worthy ex-bank manager. Who is ill, or so one is told, and can see nobody.”
“He must have improved, for he saw me. He’s a nervous wreck, poor fellow, but said he’d advised against making such large loans when there were rumours the trading company investment was shaky.”
“Upon which our revered sire undoubtedly behaved as though Hiat had spat in a cathedral, since the largest loans were made to his school mates—fine gentlemen of titleet sans reproche.Unhappily, my father judges men by lineage and schooling instead of by their knowledge and ability. Did you ask the worthy Hiat what the vanishing stockholders had to say?”
“Both Lord Norberly and Sir Louis Derrydene concurred in the loans. I also asked him if he had any suspicion that the failure of the bank and the investment company, the embezzlement, the trading company swindle, and the fire at the shipyards were in some way connected.”
Newby laughed softly. “But how fascinating. We await Hiat’s answer with bated breath, do we not, my Gwen?”
