by Joan Smith
Mr. Fletcher gave a dashing smile and replied, “If it’s only a kiss you’re after, we don’t require a highwayman for that! On the other hand, I cannot undertake to relieve you of your gold. I draw the line at stealing hearts.”
Esther was surprised to see how swiftly an accomplished flirt could forward an acquaintance. She knew, however, that Mr. Fletcher’s conversation infringed on the borders of fast behavior and gave him a haughty stare. “I suggest you draw your line somewhat closer to the realm of propriety, Mr. Fletcher,” she advised.
“Hmm,” he said, smiling from the corners of his flashing eyes. “Your reprimand is in order, ma’am. I shall withdraw to higher ground.”
Esther hesitated a moment, trying to decide whether to stomp off in a huff or leave the door open to further dalliance. His startling blue eyes were a strong inducement to the latter course. They continued walking, and after a moment she said, “Higher ground sounds more like an army term than a naval one. I should have thought a sailor would retire to safer waters.”
Mr. Fletcher’s reaction was peculiar. He gave a conscious start but soon recovered. “I was mixing my metaphors, ma’am. I am half a layman by now, you see. All we stuffy gentlemen take high ground on propriety between the sexes. I daresay it would be too forward of me to suggest we go for a drive this afternoon. Sticking strictly to high ground, of course. I have a spanking team of bays.” His bold smile proved more tempting than the team of bays.
He saw her waver. “Such a lovely day,” he continued. “It cries out for a turn along the river. Twickenham is not far away. We could visit Strawberry Hill.”
“What a rare treat! I haven’t been there above a dozen times.”
He laughed lightly. “I should have known better. I’ve only been here a day, and already I have visited the Gothic wonder. It’s the first spot folks go, I should think.”
“One is allowed to visit either Windsor or Strawberry Hill first without offending the proprieties. You are a fast worker. You did both the first day.”
“I only dined in Windsor. It is still to be toured, but I dare not suggest such a well-worn pastime to you, Miss Lowden. I shall have to think up something more original. What a charming little house,” he exclaimed as they drew closer to the dower house.
“Thank you. We like it. And now that I am safely home, I shall leave you.” Esther didn’t want Mr. Fletcher to find her too easy to conquer. No more was said about their driving out together. She was willing to wait a day and see what original pastime he came up with.
It was an hour past lunch when Buck Ramsay called to discuss the new stove for the inn, and afterward he remained for a chat. Lady Brown didn’t feel her presence was necessary at these dull business meetings and was out harassing the gardener.
“Lady Gloria was complaining about dust under her bed. The old malkin couldn’t see an elephant with a spyglass, but she can spot a flake of dust at twenty paces,” he complained. “Jennie had just been up there with a dustmop. The girl’s about as much good as a cold in the head.”
“Is there any more word on the Higginses?” Esther asked.
“They’ve left. The constable is pestering our clients. I’m letting him use my office so that newcomers don’t take the notion they will be subjected to a questioning. It gives the place a bad reputation. That Mr. Fletcher, for instance, was in the boughs at being quizzed so thoroughly, and he, you know, is taking the expensive tower suite by the week.”
“Was he singled out in particular by the constable?” Esther asked with quickened interest.
“It happened he arrived back at the inn not long after the Higginses. He looked pretty unkempt when he came in. Lady Higgins took a look at his dusty jacket and boots and squealed, ‘That’s him! That’s the man who attacked us!’ Of course she came to her wits and apologized, but it got the constable’s suspicions up.”
“Why was Fletcher covered in dust?” Esther asked, her own suspicions rising at this story.
“He lost a wheel coming home from Windsor and helped his driver repair the rig. The wheelers are all closed at night, you know, and as he was close to home, he managed to recover the wheel and hold it on the shaft with a green bough, just for the last mile.”
After a frowning pause Esther said, “That’s odd! He invited me to drive out with him this afternoon. He couldn’t get a wheel replaced so quickly, could he?”
“I expect he could if he had sufficient reason,” Buck replied with an arch smile, hinting that Miss Lowden was sufficient reason for anything.
Esther was not above flattery, but she wasn’t a fool, either. She remembered Mr. Fletcher’s condemnation of Captain Johnnie and his insistence that it was the Royal Scamp who had harassed the Higginses. Surely he wouldn’t have done so if he were Captain Johnnie himself, and if he had no alibi. Then there was the odd business of his using an army term when he claimed to be a navy man—and Captain Johnnie was said to be an army man.
“Buck,” she said, jumping to her feet, “send a groom out to the stable to examine Mr. Fletcher’s carriage. See if a wheeler’s been to the stable today to fix that wheel, and let me know the answer immediately.”
“You actually think he might be Captain Johnnie?” Buck asked, his eyes starting from his head.
“It’s possible. And if that wheel wasn’t damaged, I want you to turn Mr. Fletcher out of the inn. Good God, he could be rifling my guests’ rooms this very instant.”
“Egad!” Buck said, and tore from the house.
He was back within a quarter of an hour. “Fletcher did have a breakdown. Old Judge Mortimer was passing on the road and saw him, just about the time the Higginses were attacked. The wheeler was at our stable this morning, repairing the wheel.”
“That’s a relief!”
Buck shook his head. “It is, and it isn’t. We have a new suspect. All a hum, I daresay, but Lady Gloria waylaid me again. She haunts the lobby like a ghost. Says she saw Meecham climbing up a ladder into his room last night—he’s next to her, you know—a while before the Higginses landed in. Her fear—or hope—is that he was after her poor old body. Good God, Methuselah wouldn’t take a second look at her. Mounted on a fast goer, though, Meecham would have had time to stash his loot and still reach the inn before the Higginses arrived.”
“Meecham? But he’s a friend of Josh’s.’
“No, an acquaintance. They only met at the inn this morning. I heard Meecham introduce himself.”
“We must warn Josh! And we must keep a sharp eye on Mr. Meecham," Esther decided. “If I’m found harboring Captain Johnnie, there isn’t a lady or gentleman in England will put up under my roof.”
“I don’t know about that,” Buck said, rubbing his chin. “Plenty of folks would relish the idea. If we could capture him, you could have a Captain Johnnie suite and charge something extra for it.”
Esther stared. “I cater to quality, Buck, not to Cits.”
“But how can I keep an eye on him?”
“Does he travel with a valet?”
“No, his groom tends to his clothes as well. A sort of general factotum.”
“Like a batman, you mean, as the army officers use,” Esther said. Her voice suggested the significance of this.
“Mr. Fletcher and several other gentlemen are doing the same.”
“I wish we had a better quality of guest. Well, if Meecham has only a groom, you can look around his room sometime when he’s out, for his groom will be driving him, and the room will be empty.”
“You don’t think he’d hide the loot in our inn?” Buck asked.
“He has to hide it somewhere.”
“By Jove!”
Buck ran back to the inn, and upon learning that Mr. Meecham was out, he darted straight up to his room, where he found no missing loot, but only a spill of grease on the carpet and a white ring under an empty wine bottle. These signs of slovenliness, while outrageous, didn’t seem worth another trip to the dower house, so he sent Esther a note. She couldn’t decide whether she was relieved or d
isappointed when she read it, but she meant to continue a close surveillance of Mr. Meecham. She must discover, for instance, whether he had a mount in the stable, and what sort and color.
Chapter Four
Esther seldom honored Mr. Joshua Ramsay with a visit unless she was invited, but she felt the matter of Mr. Meecham’s behavior was important enough to have the horses put to. Immediately after lunch she and Lady Brown drove over to Heath Abbey. Even without her aunt’s yearning sigh, Esther realized how lovely the estate was. As they drove through the park, she admired the green of spreading beech and oak trees, varied by soaring conifers. In the distance a long facade of stone was visible between the trees. Dormers, gables, and chimney stacks punctuated the skyline. Long windows gleamed like diamonds in the sunlight.
The butler welcomed them and led them into a small saloon, done up in elegant blue velvet and brocade, with carved chairs and tables. Soon Joshua came in, looking every inch the country gentleman in his buckskins and topboots.
He first welcomed Lady Brown, then turned a curious eye on the younger lady. “Well, Esther, are you cadging money for the orphanage, or has the roof of the Lowden Arms fallen in? I know you never honor me with a visit without a good reason.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. The roof still stands, and I’m not after money. I’ve come to talk about Meecham.”
Ramsay lifted an imperious brow. “What about him?”
“It is possible he’s Captain Johnnie.”
A bark of laughter rang out. “Good God, Esther, your brain has turned soft. If you suspect one of your guests is the Royal Scamp, I suggest you look in a different direction. Buck mentioned a Mr. Fletcher. I didn’t see his phiz last night when the Higginses landed in, but if you recall, Mr. Meecham was there.”
“Fletcher dined at Windsor and had some trouble on the way home. He was seen at the time of the robbery, in fact—by Judge Mortimer. About Meecham, the Scamp possesses a horse, a large, dark stallion according to gossip. One assumes it could have got Meecham to the inn long before the Higginses, as they were forced to walk five miles.”
“It’s impossible. I know the man’s family.”
Esther reined in her temper. No other surety was required if Joshua knew the family. It was the very sort of toplofty speech that annoyed her. “What odd acquaintances you have! Is the entire family in the habit of entering houses by means of a ladder up to their bedrooms? That was Mr. Meecham’s mode of entry last night. Lady Gloria saw him.”
“That foolish old woman,” he scoffed. “She has Buck up looking under her bed two nights out of three, hoping to find a man lurking there. Wishful thinking.”
“She is not senile! I expect she knows a ladder when she sees it.”
“A servant cleaning the windows probably left it there.”
“The windows were not cleaned yesterday. And she saw Meecham climbing in. I think he is the Royal Scamp. You are our deputy lieutenant. What should be done about it?”
“Keep your foolish notions to yourself, or Meecham will have you sued for slander,” he advised.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Not at all. I mean to offer you some refreshments. Wine, or coffee?” He pulled the cord and ordered coffee.
Lady Brown disliked to disagree with Mr. Ramsay, but she was considerably perturbed. When the servant left, she cleared her throat and said, “Perhaps you could just look into it, Joshua. You mentioned entering some sort of business deal with Meecham. You would not want to find yourself mixed up with a thief.” Her brightly curious eyes invited an explanation of this very interesting matter.
“Our business is nothing that lends itself to chicanery. I want to buy Pilchener’s place,”
“That huge estate!”
“Yes, well the house and buildings are grandiose, and of course I have no use for another house. It happens Mr. Meecham wants a weekend pied a terre in the country near London. I want him to buy the house, and I’ll take the land. Mr. Meecham, on the other hand, wants me to buy the whole estate and he’ll rent the house.”
“Has he no money, then?” Lady Brown asked.
“He’s not high in the stirrups. Younger sons seldom are, but he has a good position at Whitehall and enjoys country living.”
“It is a handy location for a highwayman” was Esther’s contribution. “Rented, too, so he could nip off when the law began closing in on him.”
Lady Brown had other thoughts. How did it come that Joshua was suddenly in a position to be buying Pilchener’s place? His father used to say he was land rich, cash poor. “You inherited some money, did you, Joshua?” she asked.
“Not at all. I have merely improved production here at the Abbey since my father’s death. Naturally I’d get a mortgage for Pilchener’s place. I have been wanting to enlarge my holdings for some time.” An accusing look at Esther reminded her what estate he had lost out on.
The coffee arrived, and Esther poured. She admired the heavy silver set and the dainty china. Everything at the Abbey was fine. She had been reared to rule such a place as this and when she came here, she always felt how far she had fallen. Beyond the windows acres of park, dappled by sunlight, spread as far as the eye could see. She fell into a reverie, imagining herself living here as Joshua’s wife.
When she shook herself to attention, she realized Joshua was gazing at her while her aunt rambled on in her chatty way. “Wool gathering, Esther?” he asked.
“Just thinking.”
“From that wistful expression, I’d guess you were dreaming of the Royal Scamp.”
A flush colored her cheeks. Was it possible that thinking of marriage to Joshua made her look wistful? No, it was just the lovely Heath Abbey. “Mr. Meecham does not interest me. I had thought Captain Johnnie would be more dashing.”
“I daresay he is. Meecham is a deputy secretary in the attorney general’s office.”
“You really think he is innocent, then?”
“I’m convinced of it, but I’m happy you suspected him. It’s not often you call on me. Don’t feel you require such an extraordinary excuse next time. I don’t have many social calls these days.”
“That might be because you so seldom entertain, Joshua. Last year you used your father’s death as an excuse not to hold your annual ball. What is your excuse this year? I haven’t heard you mention resuming the custom.”
“It is the lack of a hostess that deters me. A large house such as this needs a mistress.”
Lady Brown smiled benignly on her niece. “That is true. Esther loves to manage such affairs as a ball.”
“What prevents you from having your own ball at the Lowden Arms?” he inquired, not quite innocently.
It was enough to get Esther to her feet and enough to set Lady Brown scolding all the way home. “You should have been more conciliating, Esther.”
“Why should I, when he wouldn’t even listen to what I had to say? He knows Meecham’s relatives—that is enough. If the scoundrel decides to murder half my clients, I shall be the one held to blame.”
“You see what happens when you open your house up to the public. It is the riffraff that come storming in.”
As they neared home, Esther said she would drop in to see Buck, and Lady Brown was let off at the dower house. Lady Gloria was in Buck’s office, with a new complaint. “The milk at lunch was a wee bit off,” she said. “It gave an odd taste to the tea. Likely the servants left it off the ice last night. I know how hard it is to get servants to do things right, none better. We had eighteen servant girls at home.”
She rose, hitched up her shawls, and smiled. “You won’t forget to have my windows washed, Mr. Ramsay? This is the second time I have asked you. I like to sit by the window and take a peek out from time to time while I read. It rests the eyes.”
“Silly old ass,” Buck said, when he had closed the door behind her. “But a good payer, of course. I’ll set a lad to cleaning her windows. It is only the company she wants. The cream was fine.”
Es
ther soon got down to more important business. “I spoke to Joshua. He says Meecham is innocent.”
Buck rubbed his chin pensively. “He may not be Captain Johnnie, but he did have the ladder from the shed last night, or someone did. It was left outside the inn. Demmed odd, eh?”
“Put it in the cellar,” Esther advised. “He’ll not get in that way again. I have half a mind to turn him off. Tell him the rooms are all taken. On the other hand, he works at Whitehall and could be a good advertisement for us.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him.”
“A sharp eye, Buck. Let me know if anything else unusual happens.”
As Esther went into the lobby, she met Mr. Fletcher just coming in. “Miss Lowden! Come to check up on your minions, I see. May I escort you home?”
Mr. Fletcher’s smiling face and pleasant attitude, not disapproving of her business venture, were a welcome change from Joshua. “I would be happy for your escort. You must wonder how it comes that I am running an inn,” she said.
“Not at all. I have sufficient knowledge of the world that I can surmise the cause. Your father left his estate encumbered. You’re an enterprising young lady and rescued yourself. So many would have been satisfied to live on the remains of their capital. How can ladies settle for such monotony, I wonder.”
When they were outside, Mr. Fletcher drew in the fresh air and said, “Ideal weather for a drive. It is not at all late....” He looked for her response.
“Very well, a short ride. You were to come up with a novel idea, Mr. Fletcher,” she reminded him.
He summoned a groom and sent for his carriage. “As you have placed Gothic windows, ramparts, towers, and noble walks on the interdict list, we shall visit a lesser-known historical site instead.”
“We are to tour Mr. Pope’s formal garden at Twickenham,” she said with resignation.
“That’s out, too, is it?”
“I don’t know for a certainty that I have ever seen it on April the twentieth before,” she said thoughtfully. “But time limits us to a short radius.”
“Not all that different from April the nineteenth, I warrant. You would have seen it any number of times on April the nineteenth. We’ll go to Ham House instead. Or is it also as well-known as an old ballad? You limit my ingenuity by curtailing me to a short radius.”