Blast! Why did he have to be so observant? “A family member may have a need for me, and I will not like telling Lady Leith I have to leave her.”
A frown creased his forehead. “You do not stay in one place very long, do you, Miss Nelson. It’s an odd life for a lady’s maid. Wouldn’t it be better for one to remain with one employer and build up several years of experience?”
“If you recall, my employment with the Burnhams’ was ended due to something that was not my fault.” More or less. If I hadn’t been there, Bridges would not have had a reason to attack me. “And I chose to leave the Dunbar house due to an undesirable work environment. It is not as uncommon as you make it out to be.”
“Why is it that you left the Sinclair household before that?”
“Juliet Sinclair was not left with the kind of inheritance where she could keep her own maid,” I said, wondering why he was asking. “Again, that is something that was out of my control. Are you going to hold it against me?”
Mr. Harper stepped closer. “Who did you work for before you were employed by the Burnhams?”
“Why does that matter?” I narrowed my eyes at him. What was he trying to accomplish with his questions? “Am I suddenly a suspect in something, Mr Harper? Do you think that I , somehow, killed Jonathan Sinclair? Or that I am an agent for the French?”
In an instant, he was across the room. “What did you say? How do you know that?”
Right, I—as Julie Nelson—was not supposed to know that information. “I’m not an idiot, Mr. Harper.” Boldly, I stared at him, refusing to get out of my seat. Let him tower over me as much as he wished. I would not be intimidated. “Mr. Ingram hinted he sold his information to the highest buyer. If that buyer was the French, what was that to him? He got the money he wanted.”
The man blinked as if taken aback by my logic. “Besides, why else would you both be so concerned about secret ciphers?” I added. “There is more to it than simply being a message exchanged between friends.”
“Secret ciphers?”
The door opened. “Oh, excuse me, miss,” Fanny said, her eyes wide. She balanced the tray on one hand, the teacups clanking against the plate. “I didn’t realize someone else was in here.”
Since he seemed to be struggling to think of an answer—or was he simply annoyed at being interrupted?— I said, “Mr. Harper became turned around and was just on his way back to the other guests.”
His lips pressed into a thin line, Mr. Harper gave a bow and retreated. “He is a handsome one, isn’t he, Miss Nelson,” Fanny said with a cheeky grin. “I wouldn’t mind giving him directions and pointing him where he should go.”
Yes, he is, whispered my treacherous heart. “I hadn’t noticed.” Clearing my throat, I straightened up. “Does Mrs. Horner have a basket for young Mr. Leith? I wasn’t sure how often she sends something.”
Fanny’s eyes lit up and she tilted her head. “Is it true, then? You prefer Mr. Leith? Even though he can’t hear a word?”
“I find Mr. Leith to be an intelligent young man, nothing more,” I said reprovingly. “Despite what Miss Hanson has tried to accuse me of, I am not attempting to trap the poor man into marriage. I thought better of you, Fanny, than to believe everything you hear.”
The girl blushed. “Yes, miss. Sorry, miss.” She hurried out with her head low.
Why was it a conversation with a man was all it took for speculation to ensue? Of course, Mr. Harper being in the servants area, where he had no right or valid reason to be, would garner curiosity. Surely he knew that, so why had he done it?
“He is going to ruin my reputation,” I muttered under my breath. Nevermind that Julie Nelson was an assumed identity and once I was finished with my quest, it wouldn’t matter what anyone thought about me. “Stupid, annoying man.”
Chapter Fifteen
In the little time left to me, there had to be some way to narrow down my list of suspects. If I could do that, perhaps I would know which of the “H’s” in the house I could trust with what little information I did have. Three of them—no, four—had been friends with him, after all.
All that mattered was that the matter would be resolved, not who did so.
Though I’d not had my tea, I couldn’t remain in the housekeeper’s room a moment longer. If the guests were out of the house and otherwise occupied, perhaps I could slip into the rooms of the gentlemen in question.
Determination surged through my veins now that I had decided on a task. Surely any action was better than doing nothing, wasn’t it? Up the servants staircase I went, my steps quick and sure.
As soon as I stepped into the main part of the house, I was struck once again by the peaceful silence that reigned. I heard no one, and there was no sound of talking. I made my way down the hallway.
I found myself glancing over my shoulder, half expecting to see Mr. Harper behind me. Pushing open the door of the first bedroom, I slipped inside. Green paper covered the walls, and the bed covering was also a shade of green.
The Green Room.
“Now, who was to have taken this room,” I said softly as I took it all in. For all the planning I’d assisted with, room assignment had remained between Celia and Mrs. Horner.
The only thing for certain I knew was that one of the gentlemen who’d come with Sir Horace had been given the room for use while they stayed. Praying it was not Mr. Harper’s room—or if it was that he was not about to return—I moved to the wardrobe.
Opening it up, I searched the clothes contained within. There was nothing suspicious in the jackets that hung there. I vaguely recognized the cut of the navy greatcoat as one Mr. Harper had worn in Bath.
“I’m not going to find anything in here,” I said with a sigh. Mr. Harper did not seem the type to keep papers, incriminating or otherwise, where they would be easily found by just anyone. Sir Horace, at least, had hid his correspondence in a secret compartment in his desk. There was no such desk to be found in the bedroom.
Breathing out, I closed the wardrobe and made sure I left behind no trace I’d been there. I’d learned my lesson with Sir Horace’s office. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, voices sent a flash of alarm through me. The guests had returned from their out of door activities.
Swiftly, I walked along the hallway and left the guest chambers behind me. I made my way to Lady Leith’s dressing room to wait for her to return. At least, I had ruled out one bedchamber.
“YOU HAVE TO LEAVE?” Celia repeated, her eyes wide. “You cannot mean that! We haven’t solved the mystery yet! We have learned nothing to help us know what my husband has been doing.”
“I’m afraid I have no choice,” I said with regret. “My uncle returns in a fortnight, and he will expect me to be in my great-aunt’s house.”
“Could you not have your great-aunt say you are visiting friends in the country?” Celia caught my hands. “How could you bear to leave without knowing the truth? After you have done so much?”
“It won’t be easy, I confess. But as much as I wish I could remain, I don’t think I can manage to keep all the lies straight. What if my uncle wishes to join me? How would we then explain my presence? I have not been your guest, and the rest of the household will be all too eager to spread the scandal that would result. The dowager would lord it over you for years.”
She heaved a sigh. “You’re right, of course. But we have not ruled out even one name.”
“Well, I think we can be certain Sir Henry has nothing to do with this situation.” At least, as far as I could ascertain.
Pulling a face, Lady Leith released my hands and went to her dressing table. “That is one person out of four. That’s hardly any progress at all.”
“But it is one less person,” I said with a slight smile. “Granted, not one of the names highest on my list, and certainly not one I had considered before coming here, but it is one name we can remove from our list. I also did not find anything of interest in Mr. Harper’s room. You and your guests returned before I could co
ntinue searching.”
Celia hummed a note. “From what you have told me of your dealings with Mr. Harper, and what I’ve observed myself, he does not seem the type to leave anything important where it could be easily found.”
“I thought as much myself. However, I’m not sure where he would hide a paper if he has been traveling. Would he have destroyed it?” The question had been running round my head since I’d left Mr. Harper’s room. Should I have checked the fireplace for evidence of papers having been burnt? “What if it was terribly important?”
“On the one hand, I would suggest he would place it with his host, my husband, for safekeeping until such a time as such a paper would be needed,” Celia said thoughtfully. “Given that you so cleverly discovered where Horace keeps his papers out of sight, I’m not convinced he would be eager to place anything else in hiding there.”
“And so you can see how we are stuck,” I said, moving around the room just to have something to do. “I can see no way past this impasse. My uncle returns to London soon. And while I might be able to concoct a believable story for why I am not there, I think I would prefer to leave it open so that I could leave should a new lead find its way to me.”
“Yes, I suppose that does make sense,” Lady Leith said, though her tone was doubtful. “Do you mean to compile a further list of your brother’s friends who have a name, Christian or family, that begin with the letter H?”
“I don’t know that it would do any good. Who knows how long such a list would be?” There would be no certainty on my part that such a list would be complete.”
“You’re overtired, and that is making everything seem worse than it is.” Celia’s tone was compassionate. “Perhaps you should get some rest. I’ve often found a problem will resolve itself in my mind when I allow myself to not think about it for a time.”
Raising an eyebrow, I asked, “And who will dress you for dinner?”
“I’m sure one of the maids will step in for the evening. They’ve done so before and the world did not end.”
“You don’t think anyone will find it odd that you’re giving your personal maid such leeway?”
Celia shook her head. “It is well within my right to look my best while I have guests in the house, and if I feel my maid is not up to the task, I can request the assistance I require.”
“I do have a reputation to keep up,” I said, frowning at her. “What would Miss Hanson think if she were to learn you requested a housemaid to help you while I was in the house? Not to mention how the dowager would find a way to use it to cause you mischief.”
But, she just shook her head. “Get some sleep, Juliet.”
Throwing up my hands, I gave up. She could be stubborn when she wanted to be. “Fine, since there is no reasoning with you.” I chose to ignore the triumph on her face as I left the room. Firmly, I closed the door behind myself and started down the hallway to the door to the servants staircase.
“Juliet? Is that you?”
Henry Bladen’s voice rang out behind me.
My heart skipped a beat. Blast! Why did it have to be him? Why hadn’t I checked the hallway before exiting the dressing room? Ducking my head, I kept walking. If I didn’t react, perhaps he would think he was mistaken.
“Juliet?” For a moment, I thought he was right behind me. “Juliet, wait!”
“Mr. Bladen, is something wrong?” Celia’s voice sent a thrill of relief through me. “Why are you chasing after my maid? I don’t know what kind of behaviour you are accustomed to getting away with, but I will not have you seducing someone of my employ.”
I reached the door and as I slipped past it, I heard Mr. Bladen objecting. “I assure you, Lady Leith, that was not my intention. I thought I saw someone I knew...”
“A mistake, I’m sure,” Celia said, her tone repressive. “Unless there is a reason you would be acquainted with one of my servants?”
Closing the door, I breathed out a sigh and leaned against the word. Too close. Would he accept that he had been mistaken and allow the matter to pass without further thought? Would he imagine the girl he once had courted had fallen on hard times and been forced into a life of service?
If Mr. Bladen thought I—Juliet Sinclair—was in the house, I had no doubt he would try to seek me out. He’d shown how persistent he could be, even ignoring my request to leave me be.
Again, I had to wonder what circumstance had thrown him in with Sir Horace and Mr. Harper. Why had he come to Sir Horace’s estate? Was he, as Celia suspected, the ‘H’ that my brother had tried to warn my father about?
My stomach twisted inside me as I went up to my small chamber. Though I’d found a cipher in Sir Horace’s possession, I’d seen nothing else to think he was involved with something nefarious. Maybe he had worked with Jonathan in seeking out French spies?
If so, did that mean he was working with one of the two men he’d come with? Making whoever was left, either Mr. Bladen or Mr. Harper, a suspect? Or were all three working together?
Was I overthinking the matter?
Sitting on my bed, I closed my eyes to sort through what I knew as fact: Jonathan had been chasing French spies and been killed for his dedication to his country. A valet had been stealing secrets from Mr. Burnham and had been killed before he could name who he sold those secrets to. Mr. Conrad Ingram had been in the business of collecting secrets and blackmailing. He too had been killed. Sir Horace had a cipher, similar to one my brother had intercepted.
With a groan, I fell back on my bed. Napoleon had been defeated earlier in the year. It made sense that the Englishman who had been selling secrets would want to make sure his actions were never found out, thus the dead bodies that had seemed to collect around me as I searched for the truth.
Mr. Harper had been everywhere I’d found trouble, but so had Mr. Bladen.
Sir Horace and Lady Leith hadn’t come to London for a season because of the dowager’s ‘ill health’. It was possible Sir Horace had left his wife on one of his many “business trips, and been to London when Bridges was killed. His travels could point to him seeking out information or selling to someone.
On the other hand, Mr. Harper had been there the whole time. I’d seen him go in and out of the Burnham house on several occasions. But he’d also warned me about Bridges being killed by an unknown man. Why would he do so if he were that man? Doing so would only put me on my guard; wouldn’t he want it to be easier to get to me?
Lady’s Leith’s disbelief about Mr. Bladen shopping for his sister returned to my mind. What if he’d been in that shop to receive a note? I’d already guessed Bridges had used my poor former governess, Miss Graham, to carry his information out of the house. Had Mr. Bladen been there to take the message or to catch Bridges at the game?
“Either is possible,” I murmured aloud, opening my eyes to stare at the ceiling. “Is he the hero or the villain?”
Somehow, I had to get into his room and search for something—anything—to help me solve this mystery.
AFTER COMING SO CLOSE to Mr. Bladen, it seemed too much of a risk to attempt entering his room that evening. I passed another restless night, unable to quell the jumble of questions in my mind. Though I knew it unlikely I would encounter anyone at the early hour I rose, I was careful when I stepped from the servants staircase to go to Lady Leith’s dressing room.
No one was in sight in the hallway. I couldn’t quell the feeling of unease, though, as I hurried on my way.
“I see nothing was destroyed while I was at my leisure,” I commented when Celia sat down for me to arrange her hair.
“Did you think it would be?” she asked with a smile. “Really, Juliet. I may be a lax mistress, but I wouldn’t stand for the maids leaving the room in disrepair and expect you to handle it.”
Shaking my head, I brushed her hair. “What plans do you have for your guests today?”
“I believe the gentlemen had discussed doing a bit of hunting,” the woman said with a slight frown. “I’m not sure how we ladie
s shall spend the day. Why?”
I waited until I'd finished with her hair. “I’d hoped to have some time to search a specific bedroom. I dared not last night.”
“I see.” Lady Leith tapped her cheek. “Well, in that case, I shall take the ladies out to watch the shooting for a short time. Then, you shall only have to worry about avoiding the maids at their work.”
“If I time it right, I shan’t have any trouble.”
While the guests were at breakfast, I knew the maids would make quick work of making beds and emptying the chamber pots. I would be able to put the dressing room to rights and have my own breakfast. By that time, the guest rooms should be empty of occupants and servants going about their tasks.
“Promise me you will be careful,” Lady Leith said, concern in her voice. “It occurred to me last night that this man we are seeking to identify is doing everything in his power not to be discovered or found out. He believes you are an unimportant maid and may feel it will go unnoticed if you were to meet with an accident.”
Though my own worries matched hers, I forced a smile. “Then, he would be sadly mistaken, would he not? You would make sure that justice was done.”
Lady Leith frowned at me. “I would prefer not to have that happen.”
Abandoning levity, I nodded. “I will be careful. My carelessness in Sir Horace’s office has taught me that much.”
“Then, I will leave you to your task.” Lady Leith rose and faced me. There was a healthy glow in her cheeks and I believed I had never seen her look so well. “I will endeavour to keep my guests well occupied.”
She left the room and I set about my work without really thinking about it. My mind was on how I would get myself into the guest room. Mr. Harper and Mr. Bladen had both arrived without a valet in tow, so I wouldn’t have to worry about a personal servant catching me in the act.
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