Page 37 of The Swan Detective (The Swan Syndicate #2)

S tella stopped a footman and exchanged her empty champagne glass for a new one.

She’d been gripping the previous glass for the last hour as she meandered through the ballroom, keeping an eye on Lady Russell, who flitted from one group to another like a hungry hummingbird, each new group rich with gossip rather than nectar.

If the thief was going to attempt removing her brooch, his distraction would have to be a good one. Perhaps a butterfly net.

Mary had paired with Flora to monitor Lady Seymour.

It was a perfect match. Lady Seymour was the exact opposite of Lady Russell, preferring to work her way through the guests like a garden slug, striking up a conversation every few feet.

Whenever she stopped, Mary instantly started up a conversation with whoever was close by, leaving Flora to keep an eye on Lady Seymour and nudging Mary when it was time to move on.

If the thief wanted to take Lady Seymour’s necklace, he’d face another difficult challenge—he’d need gunpowder and a good match to interrupt the woman’s nonstop chatter.

Stella grinned when Lady Russell circled back toward Agatha’s friend, Lady Taylor, who wore the Deschanel bracelet.

Agatha had considered advising her friend not to wear the bracelet, but after she discussed it with Elizabeth and Flora, she decided it wasn’t worth the risk of gossip.

The last thing they needed was everyone hiding their jewelry in a safe.

The women had planned for two swans to monitor at the party, but Lady Taylor’s last-minute decision to attend the ball spread the team thin and made it impossible for Stella to remain near the hall to the solarium.

Stella didn’t want to use the women as bait, but how else could they attract the thief?

It wasn’t like anyone was going to get hurt in the middle of a ball with dozens of witnesses.

The thief wanted a quick exit without any viable witnesses.

Agatha’s solution was simple. She’d stick to her friend like a bodyguard.

It was the best decision all the way around.

“I think I’ll ask Flora to come give you a break.” Elizabeth appeared by Stella’s side, waving her fan. “I’ve taken enough of one, but I prefer Mary and Lady Seymour’s pace.”

“Are you sure Flora is up to it? I don’t know how Lady Russell does it. She even has me questioning my stamina.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “Lord Russell’s estate is a fair distance north.

He only brings his wife to London for a couple of months.

It seems he keeps a mistress in town. I don’t think Lady Russell particularly cares about that, but she misses her friends and has a limited amount of time to see everyone. ”

“Well, I’m sure the good lord wouldn’t want them to end up at the same garden party together.”

Elizabeth stopped waving her fan long enough to hold it over her mouth as she whispered, “I heard she threatened to expose his mistress if he doesn’t give her an apartment in London so she can spend more time with her friends.”

“Good for her.” Stella sipped her champagne and glanced toward the door to the dining room, where a huge banquet table had been set up.

She’d eaten a decent lunch after returning from Chester’s and shopping, which they’d limited to an hour, and then Eleanor brought the women a tea service an hour before leaving for the party.

It hadn’t been enough, and her stomach growled.

“Haven’t you eaten anything?” Elizabeth asked.

“I’ve managed to grab a couple of items whenever a footman passed by.” She’d been more like a wedding crasher, grabbing two or three items from a tray whenever one was close enough.

“Go get something more substantial. I see Flora making her way over.”

Stella didn’t argue. She’d made it to the door of the dining room, trying to decide whether to sit for a minute to rest her feet or get a plate of food first, when a woman screamed and the music abruptly stopped.

She spun around, scanning the crowd in the direction of the scream, but it was difficult to tell where it had come from.

Not until she noticed faces pointing to the far corner of the room.

She searched for Agatha and Mary. Agatha was within sight and was directing Lady Taylor toward a group of men. Good idea. But she couldn’t see Mary.

When her gaze stopped on Elizabeth, the dowager was staring at her, and that was when her brain snapped into place.

The scream had been the distraction. Without another thought, Stella rushed from the ballroom and pushed her way through the crowd, and once again, like a broken record, she shouted, “Sorry, sorry, excuse me, pardon me,” as she struggled to get to the door and into a clear hallway.

She’d made a point when she’d first arrived to learn where the solarium was and the different paths to get there from the ballroom.

Before she got two steps out of the ballroom, she heard another woman scream.

If the first scream was the distraction, was the second scream the discovery of a missing piece of jewelry?

It didn’t matter. Better safe than sorry.

There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d miss this opportunity.

She slowed and slipped into an alcove to catch her breath and think.

There were only a few people in the corridor who were heading toward the ballroom, drawn by the macabre like motorists slowing for a deadly accident.

No one wanted to miss out on a juicy story.

She didn’t want to get ahead of the thief. If he spotted her, he might change directions. While there was crew at the front entrance, what if he went out a window? The alcove was the perfect spot, but this wasn’t the only hall that led to the solarium, and the thief would already be on the move.

After a last glance toward the ballroom, she hurried her pace toward the solarium. When there were only a handful of people, she pushed decorum aside and began running, her sprint taking her through the solarium and out into the garden.

Damn.

There he was, racing a hundred yards ahead of her, trampling the garden beds in his rush to escape.

She followed, but took a more circuitous route.

There was no way she would catch him if she traipsed through the flowers.

Not in the shoes she was wearing. But she kept an eye on him as he reached the back of the garden. She stopped behind a tree.

The thief slowed and quietly opened the gate, being equally careful as he shut it behind him. He glanced both ways down the alley before striding left.

Stella crept down the path and followed the thief through the gate. He was nowhere in sight, which she’d expected. He’d been too far ahead to do her any good.

“Don’t worry, Lady Stella.”

She jumped and spun around. A young boy, no more than eight, stared up at her with a huge grin. “There you are.” She returned his grin, hoping their trap worked.

He nodded. “Maddy is following him. He’ll never see her.”

“She’s by herself?” She knew the answer before she’d asked the question. That had been the plan. One would follow while the other remained behind to report.

He nodded. “She’ll let Chester know. But now that I’ve told you everything, I’m going to run and try to catch up. Is that alright?”

She considered it for half a second. “Don’t get too close. Be careful, and don’t let anyone see you.”

He gave her an exasperated look, accompanied by a sigh that almost made her laugh. “It’s our job, Lady Stella. We know what we’re doing.”

And then he was off, racing down the alley. She wasn’t sure how he’d catch up with her, then remembered that the nights belonged to the crews. They would have seen the thief and the urchin tailing him.

Then the last few minutes hit home. She stood with her hands on her hips in the middle of the alley, threw back her head, and laughed. By morning, all the crews would know exactly where the thief had gone.