Page 62 of The Swan Detective (The Swan Syndicate #2)
Stella stared out at the garden, enjoying the soft, warm breeze on her cheeks, unusual for this early in the day. They would be leaving for Waverly in a few hours, and she would miss London, even after all the madness.
The terrible night at the warehouse was two weeks ago, and Fitz survived the worst of it.
She’d spent most of the early days sitting by him, only leaving when his mates came to see him, which was often.
There had been a slight complication with a secondary infection, but Bart caught it quickly, and the dosage of antibiotics was increased.
It set Fitz’s recovery back a few days, but if his spirit were any indication, he’d be walking without a cane soon.
“Are you still out here?” Beckworth strolled out to the balcony with Libby behind him.
“I told you she’d be here. If she isn’t with Fitz or Timothy, she likes to sit out here.”
“Sorry, I should have known better than to question you, but I’ve been busy trying to wrap things up.”
“Has the Daphne left?” Stella asked before taking a sip of her coffee. At dinner the night before, Jamie said he wanted to leave at first tide. She glanced up at the sun. It was still early, but she guessed the tide had come and gone.
“Yes. Jamie and Lando will meet us at Waverly once they reach Bristol.”
Bart insisted Fitz needed more bed rest, preferably on land rather than sea. By the time the Daphne reached Bristol and the men arrived at the manor, and with too many housemaids doting over him, Fitz should be fully recovered.
“That horrible inspector stopped by again.” Libby poured Stella more coffee, and Beckworth took a seat next to her.
“I’ll never speak to that rotten little man.” Stella had been blindsided by Inspector Littlefield the day before when she was leaving to meet Mary, Elizabeth, and Flora for a farewell lunch. Fortunately, Beckworth had been a few steps behind her and intercepted him, sending him on his way.
“I can’t believe he thinks you were the master planner behind the thefts and only returned the jewelry because you felt guilty.
” Libby glanced through the breakfast items Stella had picked her way through and found a tart that had escaped intact.
It took a moment before she smirked. “Not that you couldn’t have organized it, and Littlefield would never have been the wiser. ”
Stella laughed. Libby could always make her smile.
“You won’t be seeing him again.” Beckworth took her hand, kissed it, then rubbed a thumb over it as he spoke. “His office will be receiving a stern notice from the duke that the incident was classified as national security and to consider the case closed.”
“From what Mary’s lady’s maid told me,” Libby added, “Dame Ellingsworth told all the women at the party last night that Lady Stella was a hero for finding the thief.”
Beckworth squeezed Stella’s hand until she winced.
Message received to let him speak first. “Elizabeth is right. The episode with the firearm exchange aside, nothing erases the fact that with your lead, along with Libby, Eleanor, Mary, Elizabeth, and Flora, and let’s not forget some very street-smart urchins, the thief was tracked down without any help from the inspector or the constables. ”
“The only thing the aristocrats are unhappy about is that you’re leaving so soon.
” Libby licked her fingers after finishing off the tart.
“They think you’re leaving because you were being harassed by the inspector.
Doesn’t look very good for him. Rumors about the duke’s message to his office will be all over the city in a couple of days. ”
Stella grinned, surprised by the support, and she picked up the other half of a tart she hadn’t finished. “When you put it that way, I’m sorry I’ll miss the limelight.”
“Elizabeth and Mary have been telling others that you’re caring for a sick friend who will be traveling back to Waverly for recovery.” Libby giggled. “That just makes you more loved.”
“Good god, Libby. Enough. She’ll be insufferable now.”
Stella stifled her giggles. “I’m glad Timothy was able to leave with Jamie.”
“If you ask me, Fitz is enjoying the pampering too much,” Beckworth said.
Stella squeezed his knee. “You’re just jealous.”
“You’ve discovered my weakness.”
When silence descended after the laughter, Stella twisted her fingers together as she stared at them in her lap. She’d become melancholy, and she didn’t want to leave London that way, but she couldn’t help it.
“I wish we had more time to spend with Chester and Katherine.” Stella would miss them, and there was no telling when she’d return to London.
Barrington had brought the couple over the day after the fiasco at the warehouse for a leisurely afternoon in the garden, where they played card games and visited with Fitz.
They’d stayed for dinner and drinks with Jamie and Lando.
Then a few days ago, she and Beckworth had stopped in the East End for lunch during one of Beckworth’s multifaceted tours of the city.
At least she’d had the chance to say goodbye.
The three of them remained on the balcony, reminiscing about their time in the city until Beckworth stood.
“I need to check on Bart and Lincoln while you finish packing the trunks.”
Stella watched him go and sighed. “Might as well get this done.” She stood and leaned over the railing to get a long, last look at the garden, then closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. A moment later, she marched inside, rejuvenated and ready to get back to work.
She was putting her jewelry and hairpins into a box when Libby touched her elbow, making her turn around.
“Don’t think so badly of London.” Libby’s whimsical expression made Stella smile.
With everything the young woman had gone through in her life, the fact she could still see humor and wonder in the world said a lot about her spirit.
Libby turned her gaze to Stella’s. This was the first time she’d noticed the gold ring around Libby’s dark-brown eyes.
It gave her that look of innocence that had been stolen from her long ago.
“It can be difficult,” Libby continued, “when you see it from both sides—the beautiful and the ugly. For most, they live in one or the other. One side trying not to see the other, while the other wishes to one day be on the other side. Though in their hearts, they know that will never be.”
Stella grabbed Libby and gave her a tight hug. Libby had given up fighting Stella’s need for the occasional hug, and she held on tightly. “You’re my rock.”
Libby snorted and pulled back. “That never made any sense to me. I’d rather be mysterious and adventurous.”
“Well, you’re certainly both of those. Let’s finish the packing and tell me the best parts of London. I’ll start with the flower market in Whitechapel.”
They spent the next half hour storing everything away until Libby handed Stella her crossbow.
She ran a loving hand over it, glad to have it back.
She’d lost track of it when she’d jumped into the carriage to help the injured men.
Lando had taken it and given it a good cleaning, freshening the wood with oil.
It was a darker color now, and it looked better.
It also made it more hers. She placed it on top of the other items and closed the lid.
She gave Libby a wicked grin. “Now that that’s done, shall we go see how things are going with Fitz?”
They locked arms as they left the bedroom, Stella giving it one last glance.
“No one would think to fuss with Eleanor, except for Bart,” Libby said.
“I have a feeling he’s giving it a go anyway.”
They giggled as they strode down the hall, already hearing the loud voices coming from Fitz’s room.
F ive minutes after entering Fitz’s room, Stella was ready to leave.
She couldn’t make heads or tails of what Fitz and Bart were yelling about, but when Eleanor gave her the nod to go, she didn’t hesitate.
If this were any indication of how the journey to Waverly would go, there wouldn’t be enough wine in all of England to get her through it.
Fortunately, she and Eleanor had planned ahead. Taking a cue from how AJ and Maire contended traveling with a cantankerous and injured Finn, Bart had been happy to add a strong sedative to Fitz’s pain medication. He should be fast asleep before they reached the outskirts of London.
She’d made a last stop in their bedroom.
That last-minute review everyone preformed before checking out of a hotel room to ensure nothing was left behind.
After stopping to say goodbye to the staff, she finally made it down the stairs to enter the waiting carriage, forgetting there would be two coaches traveling to Waverly.
One had been modified to widen one of the benches to accommodate Fitz.
Stella and Libby would start the journey with him.
Lincoln would drive the second carriage with Bart and Eleanor, while Beckworth rode his horse.
On the second day of their journey, after an overnight stay at an inn, Bart rode with Fitz, while Stella and Libby joined Eleanor in the other carriage.
Eleanor and Bart got along most of the time, but they both needed their space.
Bart was happy because he could read his journals.
The motion would have had Stella puking the entire way home.
Through it all, Fitz slept.
It was a happy homecoming when the carriages stopped in front of Waverly Manor, and Mrs. Walker had dinner waiting after receiving Beckworth’s message of their return.
Fitz was settled into a room but, with help from Beckworth, insisted on coming down for dinner.
Though he fidgeted in his seat through the entire meal, eating only a portion of his usual large servings, his humor was on full display.
When he insisted on staying for drinks afterward, Bart gave him a stern no, and Beckworth took him upstairs.
He remained with Fitz for an hour, sneaking him whiskey and his pipe.
Their plan was to spend two weeks at Waverly before returning to Baywood, and they spent every minute enjoying the manor as it was meant to be spent.
Most days, they worked in the garden, enjoyed leisurely lunches on the back patio, and took long horseback rides.
Stella refused to admit how much she enjoyed time with Smudge, but Beckworth knew, and that was all that mattered.
Fitz spent time outside with them. He sat as they toiled, occasionally puffing on his pipe or sharing various sailing adventures, and sometimes breaking out in song with old sea shanties.
They’d been home ten days, and Beckworth worried they might have to extend their time at Waverly if Jamie didn’t arrive before their scheduled return to Baywood. Stella didn’t care. They hadn’t overstayed their time to the point where it would worry AJ or Finn.
Two days later, Jamie and Lando arrived just before lunch. Between their dust-covered clothing and fatigued expressions, they looked as if they’d ridden for days rather than the few hours it took to ride from Bristol.
Fitz, who’d been in the barn with the colt, must have heard the riders, and he limped out on the cane Lincoln had made for him.
The two bullets that Bart had dug out were on his left side, and the injuries continued to be sensitive.
However, his labored gait would have been more impressive if Stella hadn’t caught him two days earlier walking across the solarium to refresh his glass of whiskey without the cane.
She held her grin as she watched the fleeting sympathy cross Jamie and Lando’s faces. Fitz gave the men a huge smile, obviously having missed his friends. But he’d glanced at her with that wide grin, pleased that she kept his secret.
“Is everything alright?” Beckworth waved the stable boys over to take their horses.
“A story to share, to be sure.” Jamie gave Fitz an enthusiastic handshake. “It’s good to see you up and around. We thought we’d lost you for sure.” He glanced at Beckworth and gave him a wink. “I’d heard from Finn that riding in a fancy coach isn’t that special when you’re injured.”
Fitz stuck out his chest and scratched his chin where he’d let his whiskers grow and didn’t seem eager to shave them. “I managed to sleep the whole way. Barely remember the inn or eating dinner.”
Jamie and Lando glanced at each other, not ready to believe it. When they looked at Stella, she managed to maintain a blank expression, unwilling to give away her and Eleanor’s secret.
“Why don’t we get you settled, then we’ll feed you.” Stella waved them toward the stairs. “Hensley and Mary are due to arrive this afternoon. They’ll stay until we leave for Baywood.” She took Jamie and Lando’s arms and walked them up the steps. “Fitz, let Beckworth know if you need to be carried.”
Jamie and Lando snickered.
Fitz grumbled. “It was a nice and relaxing stay up until a few minutes ago.”
“You might want to work on that limp as well, mate.” Beckworth nodded to the footmen who were picking up the saddlebags taken from the horses. “I think I’ve seen you use a similar one during that mission down in Portsmouth.”
“I remember that one,” Jamie. “You looked like an old English gentleman in that suit and tie.”
Stella glanced over her shoulder in time to see Fitz pull at the collar of his shirt. “That cravat almost strangled me.”
They all laughed as they ventured into the manor—even Fitz.