Larcenous Lady

by Joan Smith

  “So did I. He must have dyed it. If I’m wrong, I’ll look a flaming fool, so I shan’t reveal my suspicions. But I think—yes, I really fear Pronto has just committed a gross indiscretion.”

  “We both know it. Why should that set you to grinning?”

  “It’s you who should be grinning. You were right—it is Lucy Claude’s married to.”

  “Then that means Elvira was single all along.”

  “Not necessarily,” he replied, but his laughing eye told her there was some joke in the air. “I only said she wasn’t married to Claude.”

  “Then who was she married to? I wish you would not be so provoking, Dick. I know you’ve deduced something important.”

  “Not deduced. I wish it were that certain. My conclusion is based on ratiocination. But if I’m right, I know how to rescue Pronto. Mind you, he may already have rescued himself before the masquerade ball, but somehow I think not. Elvira will keep him in line. She’ll get him drunk or she’ll have a maidenly fit of the megrims.”

  “Why are we walking so fast?” she complained, as she ran along to keep up with him.

  “Time flies, and so must we.” He looked down at Deirdre, his eyes glistening with excitement. “Did you call me Dick?”

  “Certainly not.”

  He laughed and drew her arm through his. “I wasn’t that preoccupied. It slipped out unawares. Forward wench!”

  “I could call you plenty worse!”

  “And shall, no doubt, after we’re shackled. But, pray, don’t become an Elvira on me.”

  Why this should set Dick chuckling was a mystery. Deirdre only smiled. She knew she and Dick were engaged again without quite knowing how she knew. She even hoped that at some future date they might actually get married.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Yes, I know it’s inconvenient and inconsiderate and intolerable of me to ask,” Belami admitted, “but will you do it, Deirdre?”

  Deirdre liked her shepherdess gown very much. With the aid of starch, iron, and new ribbons, Haskins had worked wonders in reviving it. The stiff, full skirt, nipped in at the waist, looked very well on her.

  “But I don’t want to wear a domino,” she objected. “I’ve gone to a deal of trouble to arrange this outfit. And the guests will be arriving any moment.” It was just after dinner that they met in a quiet corner of the contessa’s saloon to make plans for the masquerade party.

  “You can wear your gown till everyone has seen you. In fact you must wear it till you’ve been identified. I only want you to change when I give the signal. I’ve put the domino under the sofa Charney is sitting on.”

  They both looked across the room where her grace sat in state, her head rigged out in a hideous construction of egret feathers and her gaunt body draped in what looked like a black shroud. In her hand she held a half mask on a long handle.

  “You’ll have to tell me why, Dick.”

  “I’ll need some help keeping track of all our suspects. I fancy the whole Jalbert gang will be here. I sent Réal over to the hotel with Nick, but he’ll give me a hand when he returns.”

  “What’s Réal doing at the hotel?”

  “He’ll search the Suttons’ rooms after they leave. We’ll welcome them all when they arrive, and let them see what we’re wearing. I fancy they’ll dance and party in a normal way for an hour or so to allay my fears. Then one of them will slip out to exchange money for the dies Carlotta has. Before that time, we must be wearing new disguises so we can keep close watch on them without arousing their curiosity. My disguise will be the gondolier’s outfit from Carlotta’s collection.”

  “You hope to catch them in the act of exchanging?”

  “Precisely. I want to catch them before they buy the diamond necklace. Pronto said next week—on Monday, late in the afternoon, I should think, just before Cerboni closes up shop. They’ll leave the city immediately, before he discovers he’s been paid in counterfeit money.”

  “Elvira mentioned some other shop.”

  “Only to make Cerboni eager for their business. They’ll deal with Cerboni. He’s convinced they’re wealthy customers.”

  “Then how will you get the phony money? Wouldn’t it be wiser to wait till they try to buy the diamonds?”

  “Elvira might leave on the honeymoon before the purchase is made. We can’t let her escape. She’s the ringleader.”

  “Surely Claude and Styger...”

  He didn’t contradict her, but his tight little smile was a tacit denial. Deirdre was usually more eager to assist Belami than this interview would suggest. What had put her in a pelter was that Dick had spent a good part of the afternoon with Carlotta. “You didn’t have any luck trying to buy the dies from Carlotta?” she asked, as this was his alleged reason for seeking the siren’s company.

  “No luck. I upped the ante to twenty-five hundred English pounds, and still she didn’t budge an inch. She wasn’t even tempted. They can’t possibly pay her more than that, not in real money. She wouldn’t be fool enough to accept counterfeit.”

  Carlotta suddenly rose from the sofa and motioned for a footman to push her husband into the entrance hall. It was time for the dancing to begin. Carlotta was a vision of loveliness in a perfectly modern black silk gown, cut very low to show an expanse of white bosom. Her hair was a tousle of black curls, in which a red silk rose nestled. At her throat she wore a lavish necklace of Strass glass, which closely resembled the Ginnasi diamonds. Even the duchess wasn’t sure they were fakes.

  “Carlotta will wear a domino and mask later, when she goes to make the trade,” Belami said.

  “Is there anyone in particular I should watch?”

  “I plan to watch Elvira. Why don’t you take Carlotta?”

  Deirdre was happy to learn Dick hadn’t chosen Carlotta as his quarry. She felt he was safer following his best friend’s new bride. Carlotta would open the dancing. The dinner guests surged into the ballroom where the musicians were scraping their bows and glancing at their music.

  The dilapidated ballroom looked elegant at night with the chandeliers burning. The guests’ gay costumes added a festive note. There were ladies wearing high white wigs and panniered gowns from the court of Louis Quatorze. There were Italian noblemen of yore, harlequins and columbines, dairy maids and half-a-dozen various Borgias, and of course an inordinate number of unimaginative gentlemen in dominoes of all hues.

  Deirdre hoped to have the opening waltz with Dick, but as in England, the first piece was a minuet. To further rob her of pleasure, the contessa claimed Belami as her partner. Deirdre was presented to an Italian nobleman who didn’t know a word of English, though he spoke fluent Italian, with both hands.

  The guests were arriving, each being announced in whatever guise he had chosen to wear, to conceal his or her identity. Part of the enjoyment of a masquerade was trying to guess the guests’ true identity. Deirdre watched closely, listening for the words “The Queen of Sheba” and whatever consort Pronto provided her. The announcement came just as the minuet finished. Deirdre glanced to the raised entrance and recognized the newlyweds at once.

  Elvira’s costume was in no way authentic, but it was lavish and beautiful. She was wrapped in bands of various-colored silk to suggest the opulence of King Solomon’s court. But what caught Deirdre’s eye at once was the necklace she wore. It was the diamonds from Cerboni’s shop. She hardly glanced at Pronto except to notice his eyes were as red as a ferret’s. He tagged behind in a sheet, a white wig and beard, and carrying a shepherd’s crooked staff. Just who this conglomeration of pieces represented she couldn’t imagine, unless it was Father Time with his scythe changed to a staff.

  She caught Belami’s eye and together they went to greet the new arrivals. “Did you see Elvira’s diamonds?” she asked.

  “See them? You could hear them a mile away. They don’t add authenticity to her outfit. I wonder why she wore them?”

  Deirdre stared at his obtuseness. “Any lady would wear a new set of diamonds, Dick.”
>
  They hastened forward to greet the Pilgrims and the Suttons, who were following close behind. Deirdre wanted to be aware of how all their quarries looked and noted that Mrs. Sutton wore an antique embroidered gown from early Italy, predominantly gold, with a green feathered mask. Lucy was more simply attired in a pretty peasant girl’s dress, with a white blouse and flowered skirt. The kerchief covering her hair should make her easy to follow. Deirdre hadn’t noticed anything similar at the ball.

  “Who are you supposed to be, Pronto?” Belami asked.

  “King Solomon. Supposed to be wise—why I wore the white hair and beard.” Why a king noted for his displays of wealth was wearing a bed sheet wasn’t mentioned.

  “He refused to come as my slave.” Elvira pouted.

  “But it is supposed to be a masquerade party, Mrs. Pilgrim,” Belami replied archly.

  Elvira slanted a knowing smile at him. “Touché.”

  “That’s the new set of diamonds you’re wearing, is it?”

  Elvira fingered them covetously. “Mama gave them to me today—a surprise wedding present.”

  “I doubt a queen from the tenth century B.C. wore anything so modern, but they are lovely. They suit you.”

  “I didn’t like to leave them at the hotel.”

  Belami became aware that Pronto was signaling him behind Elvira’s back and attempted to gain some privacy. “Will you promise me the next dance, Mrs. Pilgrim?” he asked. “I know this jealous husband of yours will claim the first.”

  “It will be a pleasure,” Elvira agreed. Then she put her white fingers on Pronto’s arm and led him away, before any privacy was gained.

  It was arranged that Belami would stand up with Lucy, but first the newcomers wanted to stroll around the hall and see the costumes. It left Dick a moment with Deirdre. “She’s outwitted us again,” he said, not without admiration. “By God, she’s up to anything. She must have had her mother slip down to Cerboni’s late this afternoon.”

  “I wonder how she paid for them.”

  “They must have met up with Styger somewhere. He didn’t go to their hotel or I’d know. They can’t plan to stick around Venice for long. Cerboni knows by now that the money is fake. He’ll be at the hotel waiting for them—which means they’ve checked out already. They plan to leave tonight.” His eyes sparkled with excitement. Deirdre felt a frisson scuttle up her own spine.

  “But she just got married!”

  “What a devilishly cunning trick to lull our suspicions. I wish Réal would get here. He won’t be far behind them,” Belami continued. “Unless he’s following their woman. She must be in charge of harboring their luggage and having some means of escape ready. With so many gondolas at the landing, no one would notice another.”

  “You think they’re all gathering here?”

  “Birds usually flock before they migrate. They’re somewhere nearby. Styger might be posing as their gondolier. He could be at the dock right now. I’m going to scout around.”

  “What about watching Elvira? And you’re supposed to have the next dance with Lucy,” Deirdre reminded him.

  “You watch Elvira for me. Nothing should happen yet. I’ll get the musicians to delay the music a few moments. I’ll be back in time to keep my date with Lucy.”

  Deirdre was nervous with so many suspects to keep an eye on. Her job was made easier when Carlotta joined the new arrivals. Deirdre hastened forward to hear if Carlotta said anything that would indicate a place of rendezvous. The conversation could hardly have been more innocent. Carlotta complimented the ladies on their costumes, and especially Elvira on her new diamonds. The ladies complimented the contessa on her ball, then Carlotta passed along to speak to some other guests.

  “Where do they keep the vino and aperitivos!” Pronto asked Deirdre.

  She told him, and he went off with the ladies. Deirdre stationed herself at the door to keep an eye on the refreshment parlor and the front entrance for Dick’s return. He was back in five minutes. “Styger’s not there,” he told her. “I quizzed the gondoliers. The party came in a hired boat, which left.”

  “At least we know the ladies came alone.”

  “We don’t know that Styger isn’t here already, in one of those black dominoes that litter the room. If you see a domino approach any of the ladies, try to get close enough to hear if the man speaks English. There aren’t many Inglese here, which will be a clue it’s Styger. I’ve left word at the dock to be called if he comes. Where are all our quarries?”

  “Pronto took them for a glass of wine.”

  When the music started, Belami sought out Lucy. Pronto was dancing with his bride, which left only Carlotta for Deirdre to worry about. She was happy to see Mrs. Sutton take a seat beside the Duchess of Charney along the wall. The old conte was with them, clapping more or less in time to the music and ogling all the ladies.

  The evening proceeded calmly for an hour. After a few dances, Elvira professed herself tired and went to sit with her mother. The conte soon got her onto a chair beside him to flirt with her. Lucy was standing up with a harlequin who spoke Italian, and Carlotta was dancing with one of her dinner-guests, a certain Marchese Laderchi, whose only crime was that he was her lover.

  Belami took advantage of the lull to have a private word with Pronto. He knew by the disgruntled frown on his friend that the marriage thus far wasn’t to his liking.

  “How did the afternoon go, Pronto?” he asked, with a smile that told Pronto he was referring to conjugal intimacies.

  “Molto malo.” Pronto scowled. “And don’t bother telling me to stroke her hair and tell her her ears are like snails, for it don’t work.”

  “No contact at all?” Belami asked.

  “My own fault, I daresay,” Pronto admitted. “It’s the wine that did me in. Thought I might oil the wheels by getting her disguised. Not actually foxed, you know, but a trifle disguised to get down her guard. That woman can hold her wine, Dick. A regular Dane. She drank me under the table. I woke up at seven o’clock with a splitting headache and an empty bed.”

  “Elvira meanwhile received the diamonds from her mother?”

  “Must have. She was already changed into her Queen of Sheba outfit when I woke up. Didn’t cut up stiff about me not being a slave though. Got to give her credit for that. I told her how it would be messy for after the ball. Mean to say, shoe blacking and white sheets, to say nothing of Elvira herself.”

  “I’m surprised at you, Pronto. I’ve seen you start on a third bottle without keeling over.”

  “Only had one bottle. One to myself, I mean. Elvira had one, too. The Italian wines are potent—or maybe it was your silver bumpers. Very nice, by the by. Appreciate it.”

  “Glad you like them,” Dick said, but his mind was elsewhere. Elvira must have laced Pronto’s wine with laudanum.

  There was no longer any doubt that the Jalbert gang were gathering, poised for flight. They were here for the sole purpose of getting their dies back from Carlotta. If it hadn’t been for that, Belami didn’t think they would have actually gone through with the wedding. Elvira’s not having a new gown tended to confirm it. She had actually said she was ordering one. It was all smoke and mirrors, to conceal the truth.

  And Carlotta—what was she up to, that she’d refused an offer of twenty-five hundred in genuine money for the dies? What did she hope to weasel out of the Jalberts? He looked to Elvira and was struck by the light of her diamond necklace.

  That was it. Carlotta thought she could hold them to ransom for the diamonds. And if the necklace hadn’t been purchased yet, no doubt she would have held on to the dies till it was. She was a leap ahead of him all the way. But Carlotta was outmatched if she thought she could bring Elvira to heel. Surely the contessa wouldn’t leave herself outnumbered in the final confrontation. What allies had she brought in?

  “What ails you, Dick?” Pronto asked, bringing Belami back to attention.

  “I’m just wondering what I can do to help you.”

  “Do
n’t worry. I’ll help myself. I’m her legal husband now. I’ll have my pound of flesh.”

  From Hamlet to Shylock—another fine misplaced quotation. An odd coincidence he should choose The Merchant of Venice, considering Portia’s disguise. He wondered if Pronto had begun to suspect his bride was not the shy maiden she seemed to be. The body has its own wisdom, folks said.

  “There’s Réal beckoning you from the doorway,” Pronto pointed out. “Got on a domino. Was he invited to the party?”

  “Anyone can crash a masquerade. That’s what makes them so interesting.”

  “That’s true. I’d swear I saw a polizia here a minute ago. Recognized his ugly phiz—the one I had a word with when I was trying to find the guide for the Suttons while me and Elvira go to Rome. Going to show her the catacombs, Dick. Maybe we’ll even tootle on to Paris, if she shows a taste for bones.’’

  “A policeman?” Dick asked.

  “Yes—fellow had the gall to strut right up to the contessa and talk to her, too. Bold as brass.”

  “I see.” Trust Carlotta—she had her allies on hand for the job. She would enjoy the irony of using lawmen to help her break the law. He could almost see the expression on her face when she confronted Elvira. “If you think you can get away with it, think again. I have half a dozen of Venice’s stoutest constables standing on guard in the hallway. You won’t leave the palazzo unless you do as I say.” She’d be lucky if Elvira didn’t put a knife through her ribs. She couldn’t know the whole truth about Elvira.

  Pronto straggled off, and Belami went to speak to his groom, who was puffed with importance. “What’s afoot at the hotel?” he asked.

  “The Sutton party, they are still registered as guests,” Réal told him, then watched with infinite satisfaction as his master’s brow creased in eagerness—an eagerness that only he could abate. “When I am knocking at their doors many times, however, there is no answers. I take the precaution to open the doors with my passepartout. No ones is there. The female servant, she is gone, leaving much of confusion behind. Also leaving behind a rope tied at the window, how she is leaving without paying l’addition.”