Rob stared straight back at her, then nodded. “I was tryin’ to clear the spots that needed fixin’. You know, removin’ broken tiles an’ markin’ the places where rain ’ad gotten in since those will likely be pretty damaged. I stepped forward onto an area that looked solid enough an’ me foot went straight through. Lost me balance an’ fell, hittin’ me chin on a bit of chipped tile in the process.” He pointed to the cut he’d received.
“I have sent for a doctor,” Amelia told him. “He will hopefully be able to set your arm if it is indeed broken.”
“Hurts like the devil, that’s fer sure. If ye’ll pardon me language, me lady.”
Patting him gently on the shoulder, Amelia stood and faced Coventry. “I want to take a closer look at the damage.”
“I just did so while you were helping Rob.” His expression was grim. “You are not going to like this.”
Bracing herself for what would no doubt result in another large expense, Amelia followed Coventry to where the ceiling had given way. She stared up at the visible parts of the roof’s structure and frowned as she studied the broken off ends of four beams. “I would have expected a more uneven break.” She pointed to one of the beams. “That almost looks as though it was cut, it’s so perfectly straight.”
“That is probably because it was.”
She lowered her gaze and met Coventry’s. “Are you saying this was sabotage?”
“That is what I believe. Yes.”
“But...” She shook her head, trying to make sense of such a possibility. “Who on earth would want to do such a thing? I have no enemies, as far as I know and...” A thought struck her. “Oh God. Do you suppose the fire might not have been an accident either? That perhaps someone is trying to chase us away?”
He appeared to ponder that for a moment, his face a mask of serious contemplation. “I suppose it is a possibility, though we cannot know for certain.”
“No. But if we suppose that this is the case, a meeting with Mr. Gorrell might be in order. He did say there was another interested party.”
Coventry nodded. “You’re right. At the time I believed it was something he had fabricated in order to make you pay more than the house was worth. But if that was not the case and there really was another buyer, then that individual must have wanted this house very badly to offer such huge sums for it.”
“In which case they might have been very angry when they discovered that Mr. Gorrell had sold it to me.” She cast another glance at the damaged ceiling before addressing Coventry once more. “I think we should head over to Mr. Gorrell’s office as soon as Doctor Florian has finished tending to Rob. The sooner we solve this mystery, the better.”
It was another half hour before Doctor Florian arrived, but it took him only a couple of minutes to confirm that Rob’s arm was indeed broken. Since setting it would require more supplies than he’d brought with him, the doctor suggested taking Rob back to St. Agatha’s Hospital with him. The two departed by hired hackney while Amelia and Thomas took the ducal carriage to Mr. Gorrell’s office only to find it closed.
“That is odd.” Thomas stared at the locked door. “His clerk ought to be here if not the man himself. After all, it has only just gone four on a Friday.”
“Perhaps he has some business out of town?” Amelia suggested.
Thomas frowned. He glanced toward the windows, which were off to one side. “Hold on.” Clasping the corner of the building with one hand, he braced himself and leaned to the right as far as he could manage.
“Oh, do be careful.” It wasn’t too far up, but if he fell he might still get seriously hurt, and in Amelia’s opinion, one wounded man was enough for one day.
Grunting his response, he strained his neck in order to peer through the nearest window. Amelia looked around. If someone happened to see, there was no telling what they might think of the Duke of Coventry invading someone’s privacy like this. So she was relieved when he quickly returned to the ground unnoticed. “It has been vacated,” he said, “and quickly, I might add. There were things tossed about—papers and such. I would say he left in a hurry.”
Amelia felt a shudder go through her. “Do you think he ran from the same person who tampered with the roof?”
“It is becoming increasingly likely. The only problem is that with Mr. Gorrell gone, we might not be able to discover who it is.”
She thought about that for a moment, then had an idea. “There might be a way.” Bracing herself for his disagreement, she said, “It is common knowledge that Carlton Guthrie runs St. Giles, and with the house being right there on the edge of it, he might be able to help.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Amelia blinked. What? No argument? No telling her that Guthrie was not to be trusted? No reminder of the fact that her brother had barely escaped the man’s clutches and that he’d be furious if he found out they’d sought his help?
“I was expecting you to say no. Instead, you seem surprisingly at ease with the suggestion. Why is that?”
He gave a nonchalant shrug and started back toward the carriage. “I am well acquainted with Guthrie and have no issue with requesting his assistance in this matter.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Stopping next to the carriage, he turned and offered her his hand. She didn’t budge, which resulted in a sigh. “Allow me to hand you up and I will explain.”
“Promise?”
