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They all knew this but it never hurt to remind them. She was not sure Thomas. Jones was aware that he sat up straighter in the saddle.

“Relations with the other estates?”

“More a question for your Agent or Steward. From our point of view there are no problems. There are too many of the great and the good in Bath year round, the authorities keep a close eye on matters. There is the odd bit of poaching, there always will be, but nothing more than that.”

“Good. I might have one of you accompany Thompson into Bath. I would like him to determine who is in town. I wish to be made aware of the more desperate of the men that I met during the season.”

“I had not considered that. You think that the lure of your money will have some of them down here?”

“Yes. I was careful to ensure they had no chance at a compromise when at evening events in London. My concern is that they will think me more vulnerable out here in the country.”

As they rode back to Napier Hall she could see Mr. Jones deep in thought.

Chapter 25

“I have spotted trouble.”

Jake mumbled quietly to his mate, Charlie. The grooms loved this unexpected part of their job. Several times a week two of them drank in the taprooms of different inns around the edges of Bath. There was no point for any of the guards to try, any one-armed man would immediately be known as working for Lady Napier. Therefore it was the able-bodied who got the task. The duty was spread around the stable so that everyone got a chance. But good and careful work with the horses, the farm machinery and the carriages got men extra opportunities to visit the inns.

They were sat at a table at the back of the room. The landlord had a few ideas of who they were but did not pursue them further. His inn had a steady stream of quiet men who watched the room, every time they bought plenty of ale and never caused a fuss. He wished all his customers were like them.

“Who?”

“Couple of men have just walked in. Rather than checking out the room for trouble, making sure there was not a bunch of drunk labourers ready for a fight, they were more calculating. Looking for a mark, or someone who can pass on some information about such.”

“All that from a look?”

“It is the best that I can come up with. You know what you are like with the horses. You can tell just from looking at one whether there is a problem?”

Charlie nodded. He had a reputation of being able to spot hidden problems with the horses. He was not even sure how, it was just a natural gift. This was different but he trusted his mate.

“What else?”

“Too soon to tell. But there is something off about them.”

Wickham and Denny did not know they were being discussed. They had dressed down to drink at the inn but did not fit in. There was money in Bath, the second greatest concentration in the Kingdom after London. In size and population it was nothing but a provincial town but the healing waters of the Roman Baths were supposedly good for many ailments, especially gout. And if there was one thing the great and the good suffered from, it was gout. There were hundreds of towns and cities that were larger, but in terms of power and money only London could match Bath.

Which meant it was a magnet for those determined to make an easy fortune. Some of the more wide awake realised this, such as Lady Napier, and took steps to ensure their safety. However, there were many who were blithely ignorant of the dangers. Wickham and Denny were not alone in looking for a quick fortune.

“What do you think we should do?”

“Watch quietly as usual and then tell Mr. Jones upon our return to the Hall.”

“Should we follow them?”

Jake contemplated this.

“Maybe. If they are overly alert then we will back off. But if we can follow them then we should. We might not get to where they are staying but we will get a sense of where it is, which road they take upon leaving the town.”

As it turned out they could not follow the pair, the roads were too straight and open. But they watched the two strangers head west on the Bristol Road, south of the River Avon.

The next morning they provided an update to Mr. Jones.

“Well done. The rest of the lads will thank you as well. Two pairs each night for the next month.”

An evening of free beer every two weeks? Elizabeth did not know it but through Mr. Jones’ comparative open-handedness, she had a very loyal set of grooms. The whole month of increased vigilance cost less than two pounds. The weeks ahead would pay that back many fold.

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