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And she shut it again…

* * *

Unfortunately, the general consensus was that Beatrix and Robert would simply have to do their best to become acquainted on the train journey between Paignton and Exeter the next morning. That said, it was decided that Billy would accompany them to ensure that they didn’t get carried away with the acquainted bit.

Of course, the boy was filled with his usual enthusiasm over the prospect of yet another trip on the train. Especially one that was actually paid for.

Confronting her aunt as they were about to change for dinner, Beatrix argued that she would be better accompanied by either Daisy or Florence since they were, well… female.

‘They are also completely totty-headed,’ Charlotte retorted, ‘and I wouldn’t trust them to hit the water if they fell out of a boat, let alone find their way around Exeter. Billy at least has something between his ears, even if it’s only wax.’

‘They’re only a year younger than Bernie and me,’ Beatrix objected.

‘Yes, but they haven’t yet been exposed to the finer points of investigating,’ the matron countered.

‘I hardly think it necessary to bring in an aspiring Sherlock Holmes to chaperone me from Paignton to Exeter,’ scoffed Beatrix, before pausing and narrowing her eyes.

‘What are you not saying, Aunt Charlotte? Why is it you don’t want Daisy or Florence involved in this case?’ She frowned before adding, ‘And why have we barely seen sight nor sound of either of them except during dinner since Castel-a-Mare?’

For a moment Beatrix thought her aunt would simply flounce off up the stairs, her customary sniff the only answer. But after a few seconds, Charlotte gave an uncomfortable cough followed by a muttered, ‘Perhaps we could speak of this later, Beatrix… And don’t call me Aunt.’

Then, she flounced up the stairs.

Beatrix remained where she was, wondering whether she’d just inadvertently opened up a bit of a Pandora’s box. Slowly making her own way up the stairs, she thought back to how many times she’d actually seen either Daisy or Flo in the last few weeks. Reaching the top, she realised it was barely a handful, and then only at dinner. Usually because they’d been at some lesson or another. What the devil did Charlotte have up her sleeve…?

* * *

As she hurriedly changed for dinner, Beatrix determinedly avoided thinking about the following day, or more accurately, with whom she would be spending the entire day with. Instead, she continued to ponder her aunt’s reasoning for keeping Daisy and Florence away from Shackleford and Daughters. They had been attending an inordinate number of dance lessons since well before the agency began investigating the jewellery thefts. But not only dance, they’d been taking piano lessons… And singing. The only possible reason Aunt Charlotte could have for taking such pains – especially with Daisy, since her efforts with the violin had ended up with the instrument being thrown over the cliff – was that she had plans for them.

Was it possible that Charlotte wished to bring Daisy and Florence officially out in society?

She stilled, her brush halfway through her hair. No one could deny that the youngest Shacklefords were the two prettiest, but then it was equally true that they were more likely to tie their garters in public than the rest of them put together.

Pinning up her hair, Beatrix found herself chuckling. If their aunt really did have ambitions for Daisy and Flo, she was certainly going to have her work cut out. Bea couldn’t imagine either of them submitting with good grace to a season of any kind. Even if it was only in Torquay…

Making a mental note to speak with her twin about it when they finally had some time alone together, Beatrix picked up her shawl and surveyed herself in the dressing-table mirror, finally allowing herself to actually think about the next day and the prospect of pretending to be Rob Noon’s wife. Just the thought alone provoked goosebumps that started in her breasts and travelled right down to her toes.

She found herself imagining what it would feel like to be on his arm. To feel his large hands on her, and finally, how would it feel to have his lips covering hers. The shiver abruptly turned into an almost feverish longing that almost made her gasp out loud. Instead, she dropped heavily down onto the dressing table stool, wondering if she’d gone slightly mad. Before Rob Noon’s arrival, the only thing guaranteed to produce this kind of longing was Mrs Williams’ plum duff. Indeed, she had no idea that one could feel such a tingling at the thought of simply touching another person.

A sudden knocking on the door made her jump, putting an abrupt, almost disorientating end to the feeling, and she climbed to her feet hastily. Likely the person on the other side of the door was Bernie, come to tell her she was late. Pushing Rob Noon to the back of her mind where he belonged, Beatrix quickly donned her shawl and went to the door. To her relief, Bernie was already hurrying back down the stairs. If her twin had caught sight of her pink face, Bea had no doubt she would have been facing another interrogation…

* * *

Fortunately, the next morning dawned bright and sunny. Armed with Grainger and Holt’s address along with directions of how to get there from Exeter station, Beatrix, Rob and Billy climbed into the carriage. Albert was taking them to catch the five past nine train from Paignton.

There had been a flurry of last-minute instructions and advice right up to the moment Albert eased the reins, instructing Max and Ned to ‘walk on’. As the two horses plodded down Cliff Road towards the harbour, the atmosphere inside the carriage was a little awkward, especially for Bea as she fiddled with the unfamiliar ring on her wedding finger. Fortunately, they weren’t alone, and by the time they passed the first fisherman’s cottage, Billy was shaking his head in disgust and announcing, ‘I reckon them pair must be the slowest nags ever to walk this earth. I could get there on me own two trotters quicker.’

Neither adult could argue with the boy’s matter-of-fact comment, and the resulting shared chuckle went a long way to breaking the ice.

In actual fact, their timing proved perfect, with the distant whistle of the approaching train sounding just as they walked onto the platform.

Ten minutes later, they were comfortably installed on the train, and by the time they were pulling out of the station, Billy was already asking if Mrs Williams had packed them any vittles…

Bea’s initial anxiety that the journey would prove stilted and uncomfortable had faded by the time they left the familiar confines of Torquay. Indeed, Rob proved to be an interesting and articulate travelling companion as well as a very patient one since Billy fired off question after question without seemingly drawing breath.

For the most part, Beatrix was content to listen to the chatter, imagining the scenes of Australia that Rob painted so vividly. Life in the colonies seemed so very different to that of England. It wasn’t simply the weather, but the strangeness of many of the animals, the customs and beliefs of the indigenous people who were already inhabiting the continent when the Europeans arrived.

It seemed as though hardly any time had passed at all before the train was slowing down on the approach into Exeter.