“My word is the best you will get.”
“I am sure you believe it is all anyone would need. I do not agree. We have nothing more to say to each other. Please leave now. You were not invited in, but I will indeed invite you out.”
Ives came over to her. “You did splendidly,” he whispered.
“I actually grew angry with you. Your tone was very high-handed. I did not care for it at all.”
“Let us hope the woman below heard every word.”
“What if we are wrong? What if she has nothing to do with any of it?”
“Then we will find another way to discover who does.” He gave her a kiss. “I must go. You have just thrown me out, remember?”
He used heavy steps on the stairs, and frowned hard as he left the building. He strode away, then waited for Padua at the carriage.
She took some time to arrive. He grew annoyed, then worried. Finally she walked around the corner.
“What were you doing?” he demanded.
“I finished looking in the schoolbooks. You missed twenty pounds.” She shook her reticule. “That was careless of you.”
“This was not the time.”
“It was an excellent time. Between your leaving and my leaving, someone else left.” She climbed into the carriage. “I think you were correct about her.”
He settled onto the other seat. “Let us hope so. Take your supper in your chamber this evening. I will join you early, in case we have had success.”
***
They held vigil that night.
Padua ate her supper, then they played cards. When that bored them, they read. The hours passedslowly. No one came to her chamber door. No messages arrived.
Padua considered that her chamber was big enough for one, but not two. Unless the two were in bed, that was. They could not occupy themselves that way, however.
She took pleasure just being with Ives. She hoped he felt the same about her. This was, she realized, the longest they had been in each other’s company like this, not even talking, sharing silent companionship. It created a domestic intimacy that she enjoyed. She tucked it away as a memory for later in her life, when she needed some cozy warmth.
After midnight, Ives grew restless. She could tell he doubted matters would develop as quickly as he had assumed. The chamber became even smaller then. Ives at peace took up less space than Ives agitated and impatient. He did not actually do anything different, but his spirit churned and roiled.
They had begun to give up that it would be this night, when a scratch sounded on her door. Both of them snapped alert. Ives moved silently to the wall behind her door, then nodded.
They had rehearsed what she would do and say, assuming the demands were those they anticipated. She opened the door a crack and looked out.
A man stood there. A stranger. The door to the stairs remained ajar. He had entered the way she did, and Mrs. Lavender would be none the wiser.
He had known where to find her. He had learned that from someone in this house.
“You are Belvoir’s daughter.” He spoke lowly, with a thick Cornish accent.
“Who are you?”
“Never you mind. You’ve something that’s ours, or know where it is. I’ll be needing that information now.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” She made to close the door.
His boot, heavy and big, stopped her. He thrust it into the opening on the floor. He bent closer. “You don’t want to be causing trouble. A bit of iron and copper won’t help your father. If you turn it over, you will only ensure he hangs.”
“If I turn it over to you, what will I get instead?”
