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Marjorie nodded. “Among other valuables, though nothing of the literary kind.”
At that moment a new face made an appearance. It was a young lad of about ten in a prim suit and a scowl on his otherwise handsome face. The butler followed close behind his sullen young master and directed him into a seat to the left of his mother. The boy directed his ire at his plate. Lady Harper leaned close to him and whispered a few words, but he continued to stare at his plate as he shook his head. She pursed her lips but drew away from the lad.
The lord himself didn’t look too pleased, either, but he caught the eye of his butler and nodded. “Bring in the dishes.” The butler bowed his head and slipped in through the closed door to one side of the lengthy wall.
“What is it this night, My Lord?” the duke wondered with a bemused smile. “Rare fish from the Buried Seas? A vegetable dug by hand by a peasant on Tejai Tor?”
“Or perhaps a nice simple meal served on a musical instrument,” Mary suggested with an eager brightening of her features.
Harper chuckled. “You recall my good father’s display of the meat strings on the harp. I doubt I could ever outstrip such a stunt, nor would I like to try. This meal is merely a simple supper for my lovely friends, and I offer your company as the spice that will make the meal taste all the better.”
The butler reappeared, and he wasn’t alone. He held open the door and a line of servants marched out, each carrying two hefty trays. All sorts of fruits, vegetables, and succulent meats lay in neat rows on the platters and were set before us with all the elegance of expert dancers. The servers were like fairies, flitting in and out as though they’d never been and leaving only the food as proof they had been there.
Lord Harper smiled at all of us and swept an arm over the bounty. “Feast, my friends, and let us be merry.”
We dove into the food with relish, all the more so for me because I wasn’t accustomed to such a late supper hour. There was one among our company, however, who didn’t enjoy the meal, and that was the young master of the house. Lew sat there in silence picking away at a few bits of food his mother had slipped onto his plate.
The conversation invariably wandered back to the thefts, and Marjorie was eager to position herself at the center of the talk. “You know, I heard the Highcrests swear they heard a man’s voice just before the theft was discovered.”
Mary blinked at her sister. “Of course they did, Marj. Lord Highcrest is a man.”
Marjorie rolled her eyes. “Anunfamiliarman’s voice. The words were too low for them to hear, but that’s what alerted them to the theft.”
I noticed that the mention of the family had caught the attention of the otherwise indifferent Master Lew. He had lifted his head and his face had become a little pale.
“Are you well, dear?” his mother asked him as she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead.
He waved her hand away. “I’m fine, but what happened to Billy?”
“They’re all very well,” she assured him.
Lew pursed his lips and dropped his attention back to his plate, but there was still a touch of concern on his face.
The feast ended almost two hours later, and all of us stood with both our stomachs and ears filled to the brim. The bulk of the guests followed Lord Harper back into the drawing room, but his wife held back. Their young lad had tried to slip out of the room and up the stairs, but his mother blocked his path and set her hands on his shoulders. “Where are you going, young man?”
He hung his head. “I just thought I’d go upstairs. . .”
She frowned. “You’re not being very polite to our guests.”
He shrugged. “I just don’t feel like talking, that’s all.”
I drew away from Ben and moved over to the pair. “Hi, there,” I greeted them.
Lady Harper looked up and gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there. Did you need anything?”
I smiled down at her son. “Just a few minutes with your son.”
She pursed her lips. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. He’s been, well, rather distracted lately.”
“That’s okay,” I assured her as I grinned down at the lad. He didn’t look too pleased for me to be talking to him. “I don’t listen to me much, either.” Lew cast a curious look at me.
Lady Harper clasped her hands in front of her and sighed as she stared down at her progeny. “Very well, but I’ll be back in a minute.” And with that, she slipped away.
I leaned down so my face was near even with his and I set my hands on my knees. “My name’s Millie. What’s yours?”
The boy turned his face away from my prying eyes. “Lewin.”
I cocked my head to one side. “That’s a name I’ve never heard before. Does it mean something?”
