Page 25 of A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets (The Lord Julian Mysteries #10)

“Hannah was reading The Wanderer in the shade of the wall below the foot of the garden when she was accosted by two men,” Hyperia reported.

“The librarian hinted again that she’d like the book returned.

It’s fairly recent and much in demand. The local goodwives would rather read Mrs. Burney than the library’s collection of political pamphlets and sermons. ”

As would most rational adults. “What did the men look like?” I dove for a cherry tart and found only one remaining. “Ladies, does either of you care for the last tart?”

They sent me matching pitying looks.

“Hearing no objection…” I popped the tart into my mouth, glad in some ungentlemanly corner of my soul that Atticus was not on hand to see my lapse in manners.

“Lady Dewar said the two men wore riding attire,” Hyperia went on. “They were nicely turned out. Hannah did not appear flustered by their appearance. Hats precluded specific identification.”

As would the retaining wall that kept the garden above the level of the park beyond it. If Hannah had sought the shade provided by that wall, she would have been out of sight of all but the uppermost floors of the house.

“I’ve had enough to eat,” Hyperia said. “Julian you must finish the meat pasties. In this heat, they will just go to waste if you don’t.”

“No more for me,” Lady Ophelia said. “The weather saps my appetite.”

“Does Lady Dewar know of the ransom note?” I asked, leaving the last two pasties in the hamper for the present.

“She does.” Lady Ophelia yawned delicately behind a slender hand.

“Her companion and lady’s maid are heavy sleepers.

They tipple, of course, as does Claypole, the lady’s maid assigned to Hannah.

Lady Dewar simply waited until they were asleep, went to the study, opened the safe, and read the note.

Her eyesight is quite good. She considered writing her note to the captain by dark of night, but wasn’t sure it would be delivered.

Then the butler came along and escorted her back to her cell. ”

“Does Lady Dewar happen to know where the gold has got off to?”

“The gold is gone?” Hyperia asked. “That’s bad news. Are you sure?”

Well, no, I wasn’t. “Lady Standish and Strother suggested the gold was stolen at some point in the past. They claim not to know when or by whom. I have several theories. First, the gold has long since been liquidated by the viscount or his progenitors, but of course, one doesn’t let that get out.

Second, Strother has been selling it off to cover his debts.

Third, the viscountess has frittered it away on keeping up appearances.

In the alternative, the two of them in combination borrowed pieces intending to pawn and then redeem them.

They cannot now admit their perfidy, so why not blame Hannah? ”

“We will have to consult the goldsmiths,” Lady Ophelia said. “I know them all. The ones with the pretty shops on Ludgate Hill and the ones in less prestigious establishments.”

“Do you have any more theories, Jules?” Hyperia reached into the hamper and passed me one of the remaining pasties.

“I’ll save that for now,” I said. “My final theory is that Hannah, knowing her family to be in want of funds, and knowing herself to be, in her father’s words, the brains of the operation, hid the gold.

She alone knows where it is, and she cannot communicate that information to her family without revealing the location of the whole hoard to her kidnappers.

If she fails to get word to her family, her life might be forfeit. ”

Hyperia put the food away. “From bad to worse. What we know of the lady says she won’t betray her family’s means of social survival even to save her own life.”

“The tabbies will love this,” Lady Ophelia muttered. “Lady Standish’s bluestocking daughter ruined, the family fortune gone, and Strother taken up for debt. The viscount will likely drink himself to death. This is Lady Standish’s worst nightmare. One almost pities her.”

I might pity her more if I understood her better. “We haven’t time to pity her. If we cannot locate Hannah, we must locate the gold, and we have but a handful of days to do that.”

The coach made a right-hand turn, sending sunshine into the window nearest me.

Hyperia leaned across and pulled down the shade. “The captain might have some insights. He and Hannah hid letters in figurative hollow logs, didn’t they?”

“We will start with the captain. I doubt the gold has gone far. It’s heavy, and the pieces are conspicuous. Moving it up to Town would be a major undertaking, and according to MacNamara, Hannah made only rare trips to London to purchase books.”

We fell silent as the coach rocked along, my thoughts bringing me little comfort.

The kidnappers had been shrewd enough to have Hannah write her own ransom note on plain paper.

They had known of the treasure and mentioned it specifically, allowing the family enough time to liquidate the gold if necessary.

Our quarry had also studied the terrain around Pleasant View and acquainted themselves with the victim’s movements.

We faced intelligent, well-organized, and determined foes, and we had only a few days left to best them.

I thought of the remaining meat pasties, but my appetite had deserted me.