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“H ow did it go?” Solomon asked Constance when they met over coffee in the office the following morning.

Janey, who had opened up before he got there, had already greeted him with a beaming smile and a startling kiss on the cheek, so he knew the word was out and his doubts about Constance’s commitment to their marriage began to evaporate. Still, he wanted to hear the news from her point of view.

She did not pretend to misunderstand his question. She never played such games. “They were somewhat surprised, and all wished us well. I think they are reassured. Janey helped.”

He nodded and left the matter alone. “To the case, then. What should be our next step forward? Finding out if the Lloyds are acquainted with any of the collectors on your mother’s list?”

She nodded. “I think so. Also, any other serious collectors who have ever been in the house. Perhaps look into the Devine boy, too, since Jemimah met him in the garden after the rest of the house retired.”

“It strikes me we should also speak again to Jemimah herself. And to the rest of the family. Something is wrong there.”

She nodded. “Perhaps you should go back there. I am not quite dressed for it.”

For the first time, he realized she was in her dull clothes. In fact, he rarely noticed what she wore, for it never changed who she was or dimmed her beauty.

“I have a slightly different errand this morning,” she said ruefully. “Establishment business. But it should not take me long. I can find Benjamin Devine after that and meet you back here for luncheon?”

“Hopefully, we shall have some new clues to follow by then.”

“Um…one more thing.” She smoothed her hand over her skirts.

“I have given Janey leave to pursue another case for a friend who cannot pay. I’ve also said she can employ Lenny Knox should the need arise.

I know it’s not Silver and Grey business, so I am happy to pay for Lenny and the inconvenience of not having Janey here all day. ”

By the time he had disabused her of that notion and heard the story of Bibby Barton, they had finished their coffee.

“It will do the firm no harm, if word of us spreads further,” he said, rising to his feet. “Though I could wish the chances of success were higher.”

“So could I,” she said. “I thought you were a hardheaded man of business, Solomon.”

“So did I.”

She smiled and, to his surprise, reached up to kiss his cheek, a small gesture of affection that touched him far more deeply than it should. But he was smiling as he picked up his hat and left the office.

On arriving at the Lloyds’ residence, he was informed by Garrick, with unnecessary relish, that Mr. Lloyd was not at home.

This rather suited Solomon, who had a notion to see the family without the overwhelming presence of the master of the house.

“Perhaps Mrs. Lloyd?” he suggested.

“Madam has not yet come down, sir.”

Clearly, the butler thought he had stymied the intrusive upstart. Solomon gave him a gentle smile. “It seems I would be best employed below stairs until the family is available.”

In fact—for the moment, at least—Solomon was not much interested in the servants, but he was well aware his questions had flustered and outraged the staff, who were already threatening to give notice and leave Garrick with a considerable problem.

“I’ll see if Mr. Sydney is available,” Garrick said grandly. “If you will please wait in here.”

The butler showed Solomon into the small, cold reception room where the fire had not been lit recently. If ever. When Garrick had gone—without attempting to take his hat and coat—Solomon laid his hat on the small table and sat on the chair by the window.

From the hall came a casual, if musical, humming. A moment later, a girl of about twelve years old wandered in with a not very convincing air of surprise.

“Oh! Good morning. I’m Rachel Lloyd.”

Solomon rose and bowed. “Solomon Grey.”

“Papa is off to his clubs.”

“So I heard.”

“Ah, you are one of Jemimah’s admirers.”

“How could one not be?”

“Now you’re being polite,” Rachel said unexpectedly.

“So are you, greeting me on your family’s behalf.”

She grinned, unabashed. “Actually, I saw you from the schoolroom window and thought you looked interesting—different from our usual callers.”

“How did you escape your governess?” he asked, thinking that it was just like Lloyd to leave such a person off his list of residents.

“Oh, I’m between governesses just now. Mama sets me copying work to do, but it’s very dull.”

“It sounds it,” Solomon said sympathetically. “How did you scare off your last teacher?”

“I’m not very sure.” The child looked genuinely regretful. “Actually, I rather liked her, but I suspect she didn’t like me.”

Or the Lloyds had run out of money to pay the woman. “I’m trying to help your father find his missing treasure.”

“I hope you do, because it would make everyone so much happier again.”

“Including you?”

“Oh yes. I never even saw it, you know!”

“You didn’t?” Solomon sat back down. “I thought you were all in the drawing room together while your father showed you the treasure chest.”

She grimaced. “He did show us the chest. He just didn’t open it. Can you imagine how maddening that was? Is!”

“No,” Solomon said slowly. “I’m not sure I can imagine anything like it. Did none of you ask to see it?”

“We all did! Except Sydney, of course, who’d seen it already, since he was present when they dug it out. He would have shown us, but Papa made him sit back down again.”

This was sounding increasingly bizarre. No one else had mentioned this odd behavior.

In fact, everyone had contributed to the notion that the treasure had been much admired before being taken to the strong room before dinner.

Was the child lying? After all, why on earth would Lloyd not let them see the dazzling fruits of his months-long expedition?

Because he had already hidden it elsewhere to fool would-be thieves? Or was the whole treasure story made up to swindle the insurance? Which would mean, of course, that Lloyd had lied about not having insurance. Looking into that shot up Solomon’s list of priorities.

“How will you set about finding the treasure?” Rachel asked.

“Oh, asking questions, mostly,” he said vaguely.

“That doesn’t sound very exciting.”

“No. It can be interesting, though. Tell me, why would your father have taken the chest into the drawing room if he did not mean to show you the treasures within?”

“Teasing us,” Rachel said. “He’s always doing things like that. I daresay he would have shown us that evening, eventually, only dinner was announced at just the wrong moment. I was allowed to have dinner with them that night,” she added proudly.

Was this teasing? Or evidence of Lloyd’s exertion of petty control over his family? Like not telling them what he and Constance were doing in the drawing room yesterday…

With a hint of anxiety, perhaps aware she had chattered too much, Rachel said, “Papa took me to the strong room first thing the next morning to show me the treasure.”

“Just you?”

“No one else was up but he and I. I don’t sleep much.

That is,” she corrected herself, “Aunt Aud was already up and out upon her good works. She’s my father’s sister, and we call her Aud because she is—odd, I mean.

Sydney thought of it, and I suppose it’s funny, but she isn’t really odd, just disappointed in love.

Are you going to marry the beautiful lady? Mrs. Silver?”

Solomon blinked, suspecting the child had won many a confidence in this apparently artless fashion. “Yes,” he said, and endeavored to bring the conversation back under his own control. “Your father must have been completely stunned to find the treasure gone.”

The faintest giggle escaped her lips and was immediately swallowed. “Amazed,” she agreed, clearing her throat. “And absolutely furious. I’ve never seen him in such a rage.”

“It does not appear to upset you,” Solomon noted, taking in her innocent expression.

“Oh well, I’m sure he is very scary when he’s enraged, only I have no… What is the word? Sensibility?”

She certainly did not look remotely frightened of her father. Who was? Is your mother frightened of him? Is your brother? He could not ask a child such a thing. Apart from anything else, he couldn’t see how it might be relevant to the current mystery.

“Good grief,” Rachel said with exaggerated surprise as a swift step sounded from the hallway. “Sydney is up! Morning, Syd,” she added as her brother did indeed stride into the room.

“Morning, pip-squeak,” he returned cheerfully. “Scarper! Mr. Grey, how pleasant to see you again.” He held out a careless hand to Solomon, who gripped it briefly while Rachel edged very slowly toward the door. “Papa is out, you know.”

“So I have been told,” Solomon replied. “But I thought of another few points you or the rest of the family might be able to help me with while I wait.” Since one of the things preying on his mind was the truth of Rachel’s story of never seeing the treasure, he gazed at her expectantly until Sydney noticed and advanced upon her purposefully.

“Oh, very well, I’m going,” she said with a sigh, though she still dragged her feet, and Solomon was fairly sure she went no further than the other side of the door. Her brother closed it, probably in her face, before sitting in the chair next to Solomon’s.

“Little sisters are a plague upon the world,” Sydney remarked without rancor. “What can I help you with, Mr. Grey? You must know we are all under instruction to co-operate with you in full.”

“I’m sure finding the missing treasure must mean as much to you as your father. After all, you helped to dig it up, did you not?”

“With these not-quite-so-fair hands.” He spread them, inevitably sun and sea bronzed, for Solomon’s appreciation.

“How did that come about?”

“Oh, Papa decided I should go with him, since I wasn’t doing anything else except wasting his money.” He shrugged. “I didn’t mind. I thought it might be amusing.”

“Was it?” Solomon asked.