Page 78 of How to Fall for a Scoundrel
“Eleanor Law to see Edmund Swifte?” Harry called.
The man smiled. “I am he. Welcome, ma’am, and sir.”
When the gates were opened, Ellie shook hands with Swifte, then jumped in fright as the low, unmistakable roar of a lion echoed through the night. It sounded incredibly close.
Swifte chucked. “Fear not, Miss Law, you’re perfectly safe. That’s just Harry, one of the royal tigers who live here in the menagerie. He’s a handsome fellow from Bengal, but he does like to make himself known.”
She slid an amused glance at Harry. “A handsome beast named Harry, hmm? Is he fierce?”
“Oh, no, he’s very tame,” Swifte continued with a grin. “At least according to his keepers. But I shouldn’t wish to be inside the cage with him myself!”
“I visited the menagerie a little while back,” she said. “I particularly remember the bear named Martin. And the ravens, of course.”
“Then you know the superstition about the ravens?”Swifte asked. “If they ever leave the Tower, England will fall to her enemies.”
“The keeper told me that their flight feathers are clipped to prevent that ever happening.”
Harry raised his brows and sent her an amused look. “Nothing like giving luck, or fate, a helping hand.”
Ellie gestured to Harry. “This is my friend, Monsieur Henri Bonheur.”
Swifte produced a set of keys on a huge metal ring and handed it to one of the guards, who unlocked the gate and ushered them inside. Ellie hid a shudder as the metal closed behind them with an ominous clang.
Swifte looked at her again. “I’m told your father is Baron Ellenborough, the Lord Chief Justice?”
“He is.”
“How wonderful! I’m a lawyer myself, and I studied several of his cases and verdicts when I was in training. His trial of Lord Cochrane, for the Stock Exchange Fraud two years ago, was extremely enlightening.”
Ellie smiled. She’d helped her father for hours with that particular case. “It was indeed.”
“And you’re doing some research into your family tree?”
“Yes, a distant relative, the Earl of Arundel? Family legend has it that he was a prisoner here, and scratched his name or initials into the stone walls of his cell. I’d love to see if it’s true.”
“Almost all of the cells have some sort of graffiti in them,” Swifte said. “There are hundreds of names, but I can’t say I’ve ever studied them particularly closely.”
“I think he might have been held in the Beauchamp Tower?”
“You’re welcome to look,” Swifte said, “but first we must wait for one other guest.”
Ellie’s spirits dropped at the news that another person would be joining them. She’d assumed she and Harry would have a private tour, with only Swifte to deal with.
Another carriage clattered to a stop outside the gate and she glanced at Harry in surprise as the jeweler, Mr. Fox, approached the gates and was admitted.
“Evening, Mr. Swifte,” he called jovially, then gave a smile when he recognized Ellie. “Miss Law! Good evening. What a surprise to find you here. And Mr. Bonheur too.” He shook Harry’s hand warmly.
“It seems you’ve already met?” Swifte said. “Mr. Fox is a regular visitor here. He conducts the twice-yearly inspection and cleaning of the jewels.”
Fox nodded. “Miss Law works for the private investigator, Charles King. Mr. Rundell used Mr. King’s services to find the aquamarine that I’ll be replacing on the state crown tonight.”
“It’s a small world, is it not?” Swifte marveled with a smile. “If you don’t mind, Miss Law, we’ll escort Mr. Fox to the Martin Tower, which is where the jewels are kept, so that he can start work. Then I can take you to the Beauchamp Tower.”
Harry flashed Ellie a delighted sideways smile. “Oh, I have absolutely no objection to seeing the crown jewels, Mr. Swifte. In fact, it’s always been a lifetime ambition of mine. I’m quite the collector of precious gems myself.”
Ellie stifled a smile, even as she sent him a stern look to remind him that this wasnota reconnaissance mission for a potential future heist.
They crossed a bridge over the water-filled moat, and she wrinkled her nose as the unpleasant smell of stagnant water and sewage rose to her nostrils. The Thames, just visible in the moonlight to their right through thesluice gate, was never sweet-smelling, even when it was moving swiftly, and the Tower moat was presumably the destination for both human and animal waste.