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Chapter Twenty-Five

Having assembled the duke and duchess and the Ashfords in the duke’s study, Deo said, “We believe we may have identified the thief.”

“Who?” asked the duke.

“Bidenden. I didn’t make the connection before—his apparent complete disinterest in the work we were doing threw me off—but his father is a collector of antiquities. Em?”

“He told me so, the day we moved the tree. I think he was trying to imply that he understood my passion for antiquities, but I didn’t believe him. And since his father is very wealthy, why should he be so keen to marry an heiress?”

“Unless he were in some kind of financial trouble,” finished Deo.

“Hmm, I wonder if Kenrick knows anything?” said the duke. Going to the door, he opened it and addressed Creighton. “Do you know where Lord Kenrick is?”

“In the billiard room, I believe, Your Grace.”

“Thank you.” The duke came back in a moment with Kenrick, who ambled through the door after his brother.

“What’s this, a council meeting?” He shut the door casually behind him, looking at the assembled company with a raised eyebrow.

“Rick, you may not be aware, unless the servants have told you, but we discovered that the valuable items uncovered by Deo and Emily were stolen overnight.”

Kenrick raised both his eyebrows. “Have you found the culprit?”

“Not yet. Do you know if Bidenden is in any financial difficulty?”

Kenrick pursed his lips. “I know there was some dust kicked up by his father over a few trifles. But Bryson never asked me for money or indicated he couldn’t pay when we played. I knew he was pursuing a lady, but I wasn’t aware, until this afternoon, that the lady was Emily.” He nodded to her and smiled. “He seemed genuinely cast down when his suit didn’t prosper though, so I had concluded he was attached to the lady. However, the fact that he continued to nurse hopes in your direction, Emily, once he knew you were married, is a mystery to me. That does smack of desperation.”

“How well do you know him?” pressed the duke. “Would you vouch for him?”

“We were friends at Eton. Not close like you fellows,” he indicated with a wave of his hand. “But I’d have counted on him to stand as a friend, yes. I’ve never known any ill of him, by my standards, which may not be yours, Rob.” For once, he didn’t look flippant or amused. “Don’t tell me you suspect he may have had a hand in this theft?”

“Unfortunately, we do. Were you aware his father is a collector of antiquities?”

“No, but then my interest in such things is about as high as my interest in female fripperies. In fact, less,” he added. “The only reason I had any interest at all in this endeavor was because it was on our land and you fellows were doing it.” He frowned. “He was a little off his game this morning, but I thought it was due to lack of sleep. He admitted to me that he hadn’t slept well.”

“Damn!” said Deo. “And we’ve let him get away! If he has the items, he will have absconded as far and as fast as he could by now.”

“He said he was going to spend the night in town,” remarked Kenrick.

“He did,” corroborated the duke.

“Surely that was a pretense. What possible reason could he have for lingering?” Deo took a pace round the room; he was having difficulty containing his emotions.

“It really depends on where he has stashed the items,” said Emrys thoughtfully. “If they are somewhere he couldn’t retrieve them in daylight—”

“He would need to remain until nightfall to collect them,” finished Emily.

“He must have hidden that belt buckle in Smiggens’s home to deflect attention,” said Annis. “I knew Smiggens wasn’t guilty of theft. That was probably Bidenden’s biggest mistake. If he had planted the item on one of the newer servants, it might have been more plausible.”

“I shall send my valet, Bridges, into town to ascertain if Bidenden is still there. Bridges is very discreet and can be trusted,” said the duke. “Once we know if he is still in the vicinity, we can plan a trap for him.”

“Otherwise, we will need to give chase,” said Deo, clenching his fists in agitation. It was infuriating to have to wait, but he could see the sense in the duke’s proposal. “If he is still here, the items must be somewhere on the estate.”

“It might be better if I went,” said Kenrick. “It would be nothing unusual for me to go into town and call into an inn for a heavy wet. If I saw him and convinced him no one suspected him, it would embolden him to come and collect the items, wouldn’t it?”

“Perhaps,” said the duke slowly. “But it might make him suspicious.”

“You insult my acting abilities, Rob.” Kenrick grinned. “I might be able to glean something from him, too.”