The Baffling Burglaries of Bath

by Leighann Dobbs

  Katherine hiked up her skirts and dashed after her pet, hoping to lunge and grab the rope. Despite her legs, Emma was quick. She evaded the driver and the whinnying horses’ hooves and dove into the boot of the carriage. Katherine slowed to fetch the dangling leash, wrapping it around her fist. As she straightened, her knuckles brushed against the scrollwork. Sharp. A little piece of the metal embellishment had broken off! She stared at her marred skin, lamenting the fact, but her gaze caught on the ornate decoration. The shape…

  Emma wiggled her rump as she chewed on something in the boot. “No, Emma!” She clasped her dog around the middle and pulled her out of the carriage boot, only to draw out the pug’s newest toy as well. A string of gray pearls dangled from Emma’s chops. Katherine was so startled, she nearly dropped the dog. After a moment that seemed to stretch into forever, she gathered enough of her faculties to wrestle the necklace free.

  When she turned, Grandma Bath had crossed half the square and now stood within hearing distance. Katherine held up the string of pearls, flabbergasted. “You’re the Burglar of Bath?”

  Grandma Bath stumbled to a halt, mouth agape. The color drained from her face, and in the light of the street lamp, she looked as though she might fade away.

  “How in the world did you happen to have Mrs. Oliver’s necklace in the boot of your carriage?” Katherine could see no other explanation than to believe that Grandma Bath was the thief. But she’d been with the Juliens at the time of this particular robbery, hadn’t she?

  No, Pru had only mentioned seeing the carriage, not that Grandma Bath had been inside it.

  “No, you have it all wrong!”

  While Grandma stood speechless, Lord Bath dashed from one of the nearby shops and planted himself squarely between Katherine and his grandmother.

  “Grandmama isn’t the thief. I am.”

  “You are?” The old woman found her tongue long enough to force out those two words, but they seemed to sap the energy from her. “Ernest, tell me it isn’t so!”

  As she swayed on her feet, Lord Bath hurried to steady her. With a grimace, he glanced at Katherine. “Can we move this someplace where she might sit down?”

  Ten minutes later, Katherine and Lyle stood in the antechamber of the King’s Bath. The lonely room was lit with a single branch of candles, throwing the shadows into the far corners and making it seem even lonelier. Grandma Bath sat on the red divan, clutching her grandson’s hand as he prepared to confess the true tale. Emma squirmed in the old woman’s lap as she begged for attention.

  “Please, Ernest, tell me this was a bad joke. I know you’re a good man, not a… not a thief.”

  He bowed his head, color blooming in his cheeks. “I’m afraid I cannot answer that. I am the Burglar of Bath.”

  “You robbed the people who came to your town for the healing waters?”

  “Yes. No.” He grimaced.

  Katherine crossed her arms. “Which is it? Yes or no?”

  The marquess’s stubbornness seemed to flag along with his strength. When he squeezed onto the divan next to his grandmother, Emma happily climbed into his lap. He patted her absently with his free hand.

  Grandma Bath squeezed his hand so hard, her knuckles turned as white as her face. “We were so afraid of driving off our patrons. How could you do this, Ernest? I raised you better than this.”

  “The first two robberies were not committed by me. Nor was Lady Dalhousie’s.” He glanced from his grandmother to Lyle and Katherine, as if trying to stress with his gaze that he spoke the truth. “The first two were actual robberies. I don’t know who committed them. But when tourists started flocking, I thought it might be wise to continue. However, I would never harm anyone. If I’m honest, I was never able to discover the true culprits in the first two cases, but I certainly will do everything in my power to find the culprit who harmed Lady Dalhousie.”

  Katherine raised her hand, stalling him. “There is no thief. Lady Dalhousie took offense to being overlooked and arranged for her maid to strike her.” She turned to Lyle. “The results of your invention were genuine, after all.”

  A small smile fluttered across Lyle’s lips. “I must admit to some relief there. I was doubting my abilities. But what’s this about a true thief?”

  Lord Bath sighed. “Yes, Grandmama and I were frightened upon the initial thefts. So much cold rain this summer affected the harvest, and our tenants are barely surviving. I’ve kept the price of bread to a manageable number by the skin of my teeth, but I cannot do more for them. The only thing keeping the town flush enough in pockets to provide for everyone is the healing waters. Especially with this brutally cool summer, the baths seem to be the only thing that is able to provide relief for many people. But with the thefts…”

  He exchanged a long look with his grandmother then paused to shake Emma out of his sleeve.

  “None of that, you sneaky telltale.” He patted her rump and raised his gaze to Katherine once more. “With the initial thefts, we thought they would do harm to the number of patrons who visited. Instead, by the second, it had done the very opposite. More people flocked to Bath than ever, but when the thefts didn’t continue, it looked as though that interest would wane again. So I… took the initiative that they might continue.”

  “You stole from the visitors.”

  “I borrowed, more than anything.” He grimaced. “I know you probably don’t see much distinction, but I arranged for the stolen gems to find their way back into their owners’ possession shortly before they left Bath. The ladies liked the attention too well to admit that they hadn’t been robbed and… until now, it worked brilliantly. The reason you found Mrs. Oliver’s necklace in the boot of my carriage is because I had planned to return her jewels to her room tonight while she was at the dress ball.”

  That explained why the society rags had described some of the previous victims as wearing the same jewels that had been previously stolen. It wasn’t senility. The gems really had been secretly returned. The victims most likely thought they had merely misplaced them and were too embarrassed to admit they found them amongst their belongings.

  Suddenly, his faith in Mr. Salmon made sense. “You knew of Mr. Salmon’s reputation as a shoddy detective from the very beginning. You didn’t want him to discover you had committed the thefts.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Lord Bath shook his head. “No, that isn’t it at all. Mr. Salmon has proven invaluable to me. Granted, I never hired him to uncover the thief. You see…” He pressed his lips together as if wondering how much to divulge.

  Everything. Katherine raised her eyebrows.

  His shoulders falling forward with defeat, the marquess admitted, “If anyone was going to take the danger of robbing someone, I couldn’t fathom it be anyone but me. I have access to anywhere in Bath, you see, and I circulate enough that my presence will go unremarked. However, just in case certain people ventured to town to attempt to solve the crimes on their own” — he nodded to Lyle — “I needed to have an alibi. That was Mr. Salmon’s job. He was to keep a lookout in some cases, but mainly ensure that if anyone asked where I was at the time of the thefts, he would say that I was with him.”

  That accounted for the inconsistencies in Mr. Salmon’s tale to Katherine. It even followed the reports she’d gotten from Mrs. Burwick and Wayland that they had seen Lord Bath near the robberies he had committed. Here, she had been certain the inconsistencies had been because Mr. Salmon had committed the crimes. She hadn’t even thought of considering the man who had been such a stalwart friend of her father’s. Her judgement and her focus on Mr. and Mrs. Julien even when she hadn’t wanted them to be the culprits had clouded her investigative instincts. This entire time, Katherine had been battling herself and trying to lead the investigation to a desirable answer rather than letting it take its course.

  Sard it, even Emma is a better investigator than I am! She bit the inside of her cheek rather than admitting as much aloud.

  Lyle asked, “What of the piece of sil
ver you found at the King’s Bath?”

  “Oh.” Katherine fetched the vial out of her reticule and showed it to Lord Bath. “Is this yours?”

  He frowned. “How am I to know? It’s a small piece of silver. Although…” He paused, a crinkle forming in his forehead as he thought. “Oh, it matches the scrollwork on the carriage. I do remember my cuff catching on the scrollwork. A piece must have come loose and dropped in my cuff. It happens more often than you might think. My cuffs are forever getting caught or collecting crumbs, as Emma has discovered.” He patted the dog as he shrugged. “It is the price I must pay. If my cuffs are too tight, I feel as though I cannot breathe. I’ve always been that way.”

  In the silence that followed, Lord Bath turned to his grandmother and patted her hand. “I’m terribly sorry to have caused you so much grief, Grandmama. I only did it for you. As the crops failed, you too seemed to wither away. You care so much for the tenants here, as do I, and I only wanted to see everyone remain happy and prosperous through these difficult times. Can you bring yourself to forgive me?”

  After a long, drawn-out silence, Grandma Bath harrumphed. “I can forgive you, you rascal.”

  He brightened.

  She held up her index finger. “On one condition. The jewels must be returned. And there will be no more thefts.”

  “Of course, Grandmama. I’ll return everything tomorrow, while everyone is gathered in the square.”

  “And I want a reward to be given to Mr. and Mrs. Julien. They’ve been doing some work to gather clues as to the Burglar of Bath. We’ll tell them their clues led to the man’s capture and we have remanded him into our custody to be dealt with according to the law. This will account for the end of the thefts, as well.”

  Lord Bath sighed. “Very well, Grandmama. I’ll scrounge together the money for a reward.”

  Satisfied, the old woman pointed her finger at Lyle. “You have no jurisdiction outside London. Bath has its own watch, and I won’t see you arresting my grandson.”

  Lyle rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s a marquess. Even if I tried, I imagine you’d be able to bribe him free within the hour.”

  “So don’t try,” Grandma Bath said, her voice waspish.

  Lyle sighed. “I suppose if the jewels were all returned—”

  “They were,” Lord Bath exclaimed. “Or they will be.”

  “Then so long as the thefts cease, I’ll consider the matter closed.”

  “Of course.” Lord Bath frowned then turned to his grandmother, looking sheepish. “But without the entertainment of the thefts, what if no one elects to visit Bath?”

  The old woman smiled. “Oh, I doubt that will be the case. We have Sir David’s new invention, after all! He’s calling it a kaleidoscope, and I must admit, it sounds thrilling. Well worth coming to Bath to see.” She patted her grandson’s hand. “We’ll do just fine, Ernest. We always have.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The sun winked from between fat gray clouds, cheerily looking down at the line of people assembled to see Sir David’s kaleidoscope. He stood to the left of the telescope-like contraption, explaining how to turn the crank on the side as they peered through the lens. Katherine had yet to step up and peer through it herself, but judging by the exclamations of those who had attempted it, she knew the kaleidoscope produced a sight to behold.

  While Sir David preened beneath the attention of the gathering, freely acknowledging Lyle’s help in constructing the apparatus and working out some of the math, Lyle seemed oblivious that he was once again the source of someone’s praise. He stood off to the side, where he examined one of Agatha’s hands. As he did so, Lady Dalhousie’s maid turned pink.

  The color deepened when Lyle murmured something too soft for Katherine to catch. If she knew her friend, he was likely only holding the maid’s hand in order to verify that his invention had worked properly. As she said something in response, Lyle turned a shade of red to rival hers and dropped her hand, seeming to stutter over his answer.

  “And one for Lady Katherine!”

  “Oh.” Katherine turned just in time to juggle a steaming mug between her palms.

  Grandma Bath stood like a general, directing two trailing servants in the Bath livery to hand out more such mugs. As they did so to the people near Katherine, the old woman gave her an exaggerated wink.

  Loudly, she said, “My grandson is out fetching more. Never fear! Everyone will get a mug. And a Sally Lunn.”

  Mutely, Katherine accepted the bun. She offered a wan smile to the old woman, who wasn’t as subtle as she likely thought. With luck, the group was far too distracted to wonder what the marquess was truly doing at that moment. Katherine spotted Mrs. Oliver and Mrs. Quicke in the crowd; he shouldn’t have any trouble finding a place to return their stolen jewels.

  But wait, where was Mr. Salmon? Perhaps he was aiding Lord Bath with this one last task.

  A man cleared his throat on the opposite end of the gallery. Katherine turned to find Lord Annandale raising his mug to capture everyone’s attention. Sir Hugh, Pru, and her mother were by his side. Katherine could only imagine how the poor man felt about Mrs. Burwick’s sudden insistence on remaining close.

  “I’d a moment, if ’twill not bother ye. I’ve an announcement.”

  The gathering quieted, the attention shifting from the kaleidoscope to Lord Annandale. He puffed out his chest and took Pru’s hand in his. “It gives me no end o’ pleasure to announce that Miss Burwick has agreed to make me the happiest of men. We’re to be married!”

  Cheers sprang up around the square, along with some awkward applause as everyone attempted to juggle their mugs. As the noise abated, another man cleared his throat.

  “I have an announcement as well,” said Prince Karl. He turned to Miss Newcomb, at his side, and took her hand. “Miss Newcomb, I have met no other woman like you, and I doubt I’ll find anyone who might compare.” He sank to one knee, his attention on her face. “Will you consent to make me the happiest of men and become my wife?”

  “Yes! Oh, yes!”

  Gasps and cheers rang around the square. Cringing, Katherine glanced at Pru to find her scowling. Lord Annandale leaned down, but his Scottish burr was rather distinctive as he placated her.

  “I’ll be happier, lass. That, I vow.”

  Pru turned a delighted shade of pink.

  When Katherine turned back, she found Mrs. Fairchild standing near the prince and Miss Newcomb, both of whom were receiving the congratulations of those alongside. The matchmaker drew herself up, smug.

  Katherine raised her mug. Those nearby quieted. It spread like a ripple until there was a lull in the chatter. “To the match of the Season!”

  “Hear, hear!”

  Although Mrs. Fairchild’s expression remained stern, she acknowledged the praise with a slight nod. Katherine swore she noticed a slight curve to the woman’s lips. Could the woman actually smile? Katherine had not thought it possible.

  As Mrs. Fairchild tended to Miss Newcomb, Katherine lifted her glass toward Pru and Lord Annandale, catching their gazes before she took a sip in order to let them know that she thought their love the true crowning moment.

  As she did, Lord Bath slipped into the gathering from the back. He caught Katherine’s gaze and nodded, hopefully an acknowledgement that he had accomplished the mission he’d set out to do. When he paused to ask Mrs. Burwick about the commotion, she must have informed him of the new developments at once, for he offered his hearty congratulations to both Pru and Annandale.

  Katherine suspected that Mrs. Burwick neglected to mention the second pending marriage on purpose.

  Although Lord Bath had returned, Mr. Salmon did not accompany him. Had he returned home in disgrace?

  As a pair of women strolled behind Katherine, snatches of their conversation met her ears.

  “I thought Mr. and Mrs. Julien had solved the thefts. I’m certain that’s what Lady Bath told me…”

  “Then the old lady has gone senile! There w
as an article in the Bath Chronicle this morning directly stating that Mr. Salmon had caught the thief. I suppose he also transported him to London, for I’ve heard not a whisper of the thief’s identity. A shame. I would have liked to know who it was…”

  Mr. Salmon must have ridden through the night to reach London so quickly! And for what, to claim the solved thefts for his own benefit? That blackguard! The next time Katherine crossed paths with him at the Royal Society for Investigative Techniques, he would rue the day he ever stole the credit from another investigator.

  “Now, does that bun deserve such treatment?”

  Katherine glanced down at her fist, which had crumpled the Sally Lunn in her hand. She met Wayland’s dancing gaze as he stepped alongside her.

  “Did you hear Mr. Salmon took credit for the capture of the Burglar of Bath?”

  Not that the man in question had been captured, certainly not by Mr. and Mrs. Julien, but Katherine abhorred seeing them so ignored when it should have been they who received the credit and the thanks as opposed to that inept weasel.

  “I had not. Lyle shared what happened, however. Allow me to offer my congratulations for tying up all loose ends. It appears as though everyone is happy with the outcome.”

  When he glanced toward Pru and Lord Annandale, Katherine wasn’t certain whether he referred to the end of the thefts or the forthcoming marriage. Katherine could take credit for neither.

  “I never doubted your investigative abilities,” he murmured as he turned his gaze upon her once more. “Your skills are impressive.”

  Katherine drew herself up. Just as she opened her mouth to accept the compliment with grace, Wayland gave her a wicked grin.

  “Emma’s skills are equally impressive,” he added, his smile widening.

  The man was clever enough to know when he should walk away. As he turned his back on Katherine, she gritted her teeth. Had he come to Bath simply to poke fun at her?

  Now that her time in this town was over, she might never know.

  *********