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“I haven’t time for that!” Impara insisted as he tossed a cloak and pants into the bag. He picked up a pair of socks and sniffed them. A sickly green color tinted his face as he threw them aside. “I haven’t even time to have my clothes washed, as I will go forthwith to reinstate my good name!”
“But this may be of the utmost importance,” Ben argued as he drew the two vials from his vest and held them out to him. “We need the contents of these vials analyzed immediately.”
His bag finally, and completely, filled, Impara snapped it shut and spun around to face Ben. “Count Castle, what could be more important than removing a blemish from my good name?”
Ben held up the vials at face height. “You analyzing these contents.”
Impara wrinkled his nose. “What do I look like? A gardener?”
“I suspect there’s something amiss with this cloth and dirt,” Ben told him.
The professor sighed and snatched the two glasses from him. The professor turned to the bag, opened the clasps, and tossed the vials inside before he firmly shut it again. “I will analyze them while I am at the school remedying this crime. That is, if I have time.” He looked up at Ben. “Will that satisfy you?”
Ben sighed but nodded. “It must.”
“Then I must be off,” Impara insisted as he snatched up the bag and used it as a battering ram to herd us to the door.
Ben slipped me in front of him as we hurried up the stairs and out into the afternoon air. Impara abandoned us and slipped down the street. In a few moments he had vanished.
I looked up at Ben who still stared at where the professor had gone. “So was that a success?”
He sighed and shrugged. “I’m not sure, but we must hope for the best.” He shook off his disappointment and smiled down at me. “What do you say to a late lunch?”
Ferox whinnied and pawed a hoof against the ground. I grinned. “I’d say I’m with Ferox and lunch sounds great.”
We climbed aboard and Ferox returned us to the home. The adventure had left me hungry, but that was delayed for a moment as we parked in the courtyard. Ben was just helping me down from the carriage when a woman appeared in the open gate. The woman was about thirty-five with her blond hair pulled up in a stylish bun. She wore a simple but clean white dress and elegant brown boots.
“Good afternoon, Count Castle,” she called to Ben as she hurried over.
Ben smiled at her as she came up to us. “Good afternoon, Lady Harper. How can I help you?”
“My husband and I would like to invite you-I mean- ”Her bright attention fell on me as she clasped her hands in front of herself, “-both of you to supper tonight. That is, if it isn’t too short a notice.”
Ben lifted an eyebrow. “We would be honored, Lady Harper, but what is the occasion?”
An amused smile slipped onto her lips as her eyes flickered between us. “Well, we recently learned that you had become engaged, and so we wanted to show our congratulations with this little dinner.”
My mouth dropped open, but Ben’s fine breeding allowed him to keep a grip on himself. He bowed his head. “We would be delighted to come.”
“Does seven o’clock work for you?”
“Perfectly.”
“How splendid,” she cooed as she returned her attention back to me. “I look forward to making your acquaintance. If you’ll excuse me.” She gave a slight curtsy before she hurried back the way she’d come.
I snapped my mouth shut and looked up at Ben’s bemused expression. “Does everybody know we’re getting married but us?”
He chuckled. “So it would seem, but I hope the idea isn’t too distasteful to you.”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t had a chance to count the silver yet.”
“Tully could show you.”
“I think he could show me out, too.”
“I would never dream of him ejecting my bride-to-be from her future home,” he teased as he offered me a bent arm. “Shall we go sup, my lady?”
I snorted but accepted his arm. “Do you propose to all of your female house guests within a week?”
