[Berkeley Brigade 10] - Shadow of Murder (6 page)

“It’s very heavy,” he informed her. “You couldn’t carry it. I’m afraid I couldn’t do it myself. I’d hate to drop it.”

Miss Lipman turned her sweetest smile on Reg. “Do you think you could spare one of your actors for a moment, Sir Reginald?” she said, with one of her coy smiles. “We require the services of a big, strong man.”

Caught between pique that she didn’t consider himself up to the job and relief that she hadn’t asked him, he said shortly, “I can spare one of them for a few moments.”

“Sean will be happy to do it,” Chloe said at once.

“I want to rehearse the love scene between you and Sean,” Prance said to her.

Vance stepped manfully forward and left with Miss Lipman. He struggled with the weight as she led him to the library and unlocked the door for him. The footman stood aside to watch. He knew Black didn’t like anyone but Miss Lipman and himself and of course Lady Luten going in there, but he didn’t like to call Miss Lipman to account. Obviously she couldn’t haul that huge, ugly thing by herself. He closed the door behind them, remaining on guard outside it. Black had been firm about always keeping the doors closed.

Vance set the epergne on the floor and heaved a sigh of relief. As he looked around the room at the collection of valuables his eyes widened. “It’s like a fancy shop!” he exclaimed, and began strolling around, lifting various objects to admire or denigrate. Miss Lipman accompanied him, giving a few details as to who had donated the items and what they were expected to bring at the auction.

“We’re hoping to raise twenty thousand pounds,” she said.

“All this kept in one place, I hope it’s well guarded,” he said with an air of concern.

“Oh it’s guarded day and night,” she assured him, and mentioned the precautions Black had taken. The footman on duty in the garden came and peered in the window. Seeing Miss Lipman, he felt all was well and went to peek behind the bushes for lurkers.

Vance went to the outer door, looked around the yard, then tried the door. “Locked up right and tight, I see. Not that that would do much good when the door has all these glass panes. Easy enough to break a pane, reach in and unlock the door.”

“Clever of you to think of that, but the door is always guarded. And of course there’s the jewelry to worry about as well. Some lovely pieces we’ve been given. Lady Clare is donating a diamond necklace worth five thousand pounds. Her son was supposed to be having the auction ball, but he was killed in some horrid accident, so she’s donating it in his honour.”

“I don’t see the jewelry,” he said, looking around. “Where is it kept?”

“In the safe with Lady Luten’s own jewelry.”

“I wager her ladyship has some pieces worth a good deal.”

“Oh certainly. Perhaps we should be getting back, Vance.”

“We really should, or the Prancer will be after us.”

“You shouldn’t call him that,” she said, but she said it with an approving smile.

“You haven’t had to watch him prance and caper about as I have. Reminds me of a monkey.”

“Naughty,” she said, slapping his wrist.

He put an arm around her and drew her away from the window, where the footman was keeping an eye on them. “No hurry to get back, is there? Prance said something about rehearsing a love scene.”

“Mr. Corbett!” she chided coyly. “Not here! She might come in at any moment.”

“How about tonight? I can get us a box at the theatre. One of the pages there lets me know when there’s an empty box. Very private. They’re playing
School for Scandal.
”

“It sounds lovely,” she said.

“Should I call for you here?”

“Of course. I’m not a prisoner,” she said, and led him to the door. “I have to write this epergne up in the book or she’ll scold.”

“She don’t look like an ogre,” he said. “A dashed handsome lady.”

“A dashed lucky one, to have nabbed Luten,” she snipped.

Vance stole a kiss and left. She was busily checking the donations book when Lady Luten arrived a few moments later. “That’s nearly the whole lot,” Miss Lipman said. “Just a painting and two statues to come. And of course Lady Clare’s necklace.”

“We’ll begin writing the thank you notes to the donors this afternoon,” Lady Luten said.

“When are you expecting the necklace?”

“Soon. I’ll write that thank you note myself. It’s the most valuable item, and of course Lady Clare will expect some special mark of appreciation. I should send her a grand bouquet. I’ll take care of that.”

After the rehearsal was over that day, Corinne went into the gold salon to see that no damage had been done. She was annoyed to see Reg had helped himself to various small but nonetheless valuable items from other rooms in the house — and without even asking!

Her good Wedgewood tea set was on a side table, one cup and saucer dangerously near the edge. And what was the bergere chair from her own little sitting room doing in here? Miffed, she went into the hall to inform Evans he was to let her know if Sir Reginald wanted any other items from the house.

“Why, Mrs. Ballard has taken in a few things, a tea set for one. When she asked me to get a chair, I thought you had approved it.”

“Don’t say anything to her. It would hurt her feelings. I’ll speak to Sir Reginald.” Mrs. Ballard would be apologizing for a month if she said anything to her.

As she looked around, she noticed a valuable statue of a horse from the T’ang dynasty was missing from the table in the entrance hall, where it usually stood guard over a large bouquet. Luten had told her it came from an ancient Chinese tomb. She asked Evans if Sir Reginald had taken it.

“Not to my knowledge, Madam. He didn’t say anything to me.”

“If he requires some knick-knack for the play, he can use something less valuable — or bring one of his own trinkets,” she scolded. “He has enough of them. Let us have a look around. No, it’s not here.”

She went back to the gold salon, determined to rescue the statue before it got broken. But after a thorough look around, she could see no sign of it. Really this was too much! She would call on Reg immediately and give him a good scolding. While she was still in a temper, Reg came to call and was shown into the salon.

He took one look at her scowl and said, “You’re working too hard, my pet. I just came to talk to you. I want to give a little party for my temporary cast and wondered if you and Luten would like to attend. And Mrs. Ballard, of course. She’s been a great help to me.”

“Reg, I’m glad you came. I want a word with you.” She pointed to the Wedgwood tea set. “What is that doing here? You know that’s a valuable set. It belonged to Luten’s mama. If anything should happen to it! If it’s just a prop for the play you want, get something from the kitchen, or bring it from your own house.”

“Sorry.
Mea culpa.
I asked Mrs. Ballard to get a tea set for us and she brought this. We haven’t harmed it. There’s nothing in it, not even water.”

“You easily might have broken it! One cup and saucer were just on the edge of that table. With people milling about it might have got knocked off. But more importantly, where is Luten’s T’ang horse?”

“What — you mean the horse from the table in the hall? I haven’t used it.”

“Well, it’s missing.”

“Perhaps Evans —”

“No, he hasn’t seen it. It’s missing I tell you. If Luten finds out he’ll be furious.”

“Don’t tell him!” he exclaimed. “It’s bound to turn up. I’ll ask the cast tomorrow if they’ve seen it. Or perhaps Miss Lipman knows.”

After a little more wrangling, Reg left, the invitation to his party forgotten, and Corinne went to speak to Miss Lipman, who could tell her nothing. She didn’t even know what horse Lady Luten was talking about. Corinne also consulted Mrs. Ballard, who was similarly unhelpful. In fact, she annoyed Corinne considerably by suggesting she speak to Black. He and Mrs. Ballard had never got along. She thought him encroaching, as he was, and he mistrusted her holier-than-thou ways.

Corinne was so loathe to tell Luten about the horse that she decided to wait one day in hope that it would turn up. But she felt guilty at concealing it from him.

Reg took his crew to task the next morning before the rehearsal started. “Attention, people. I have an unpleasant announcement,” he began, and was greeted with a communal groan as his announcements usually involved changes in the script they had memorised. He ignored the groans and continued.

“I am not making any accusation, but a valuable item has gone missing from the house. Very likely some maid has moved it, or broken it, and is afraid to admit it. I want only to ascertain if any of you have any knowledge of it. I shall have a word with each of you in private after the rehearsal. I don’t see why anyone would take it when it couldn’t possibly be sold. The item in question is a Chinese statue of a horse from the T’ang dynasty. It is wearing a red saddle, the paint somewhat faded. You must have seen it on the hall table, beside the vase of flowers. It’s a famous statue. It would be recognized immediately if one tried to sell or pawn it.”

“How horrid!” Chloe said at once. “Why don’t we all have a search for it?”

“Another excuse to be running through the house, Chloe?” Vance sneered.

“Not necessary, Chloe,” Prance informed her. “The staff are looking. Lady Luten has generously allowed us to have our little rehearsals here, and we must not abuse her hospitality. Now, enough about that. Vance, we shall do the scene between you and Lorraine this morning, the scene where you first propose to her.”

“At what point in the story are we here?” Vance asked. “So difficult, acting from these bits of the script you’ve given us without a copy of the whole opus to judge the trajectory of the plot.”

“Ah, you
still
haven’t read the book.”

“I’m reading it. I haven’t come to this part yet.”

“It’s in chapter three, page 70, when you can find a few moments from your busy schedule. I want a certain oiliness from you, and muted horror from you, Chloe, but don’t, please, sink into melodrama. Ready?”

When he interviewed them individually after the rehearsal, all three of the actors earnestly claimed their innocence. Chloe seemed a little hesitant. Before leaving she said, “I don’t like to say anything, and I’m sure he’s innocent, but I did see Vance examining that little horse the other day when we were putting on our bonnets and hats in the hall.”

“Indeed!”

“But then, you know, he takes more interest in things like that than the rest of us,” she said, with a troubled frown. “Very likely he was just lifting it to see if it was genuine. I’m sure that’s all it was. You know how he was praising the tea set when Mrs. Ballard brought it in. He has a good eye for things like that. I’m certainly not
accusing
him, because I don’t believe for one moment he would ever
steal
anything, even if he doesn’t like you. I mean he’s just jealous of you and doesn’t appreciate this wonderful opportunity you’re giving him. Is it possible he might have misplaced it, put it down somewhere out of the way?”

Prance was not heartbroken to hear that Vance was jealous of him. It was true that Vance, of the three, did seem to have an eye for the finer things of life. He had praised Reg’s watch and often strolled about the gold salon gazing at the pictures on the wall when he was not required for a scene. His interview was the last.

“That lovely T’ang horse!” he said, shaking his head in sorrow when Prance questioned him. “I wondered if it could be genuine when I saw they kept it right in the front hall, where it might easily have been broken or even stolen. It must be worth a fortune. I hope it was insured.”

He admitted he had carefully lifted it up just curious to see if there was any marking on the bottom. He had returned it to the exact spot where it had been standing. “I was wondering why her ladyship practically hides it beneath that awful heap of flowers. It deserves to be featured in a special niche by itself.”

Prance had often thought the same thing. Surely Vance wouldn’t have admitted handling it and knowing it was so valuable if he had stolen it. Prance duly reported to Corinne, even mentioning that Vance had particularly admired the horse and handled it.

“I don’t care for that fellow,” she said. Her opinion was based largely on comments from Prance himself, and from Mrs. Ballard, who didn’t care for him either.

“Neither do I, nor do the others, come to that,” Prance admitted. “He’s rather disagreeable.”

“Couldn’t you replace him?”

“But he’s a superb villain.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

She spoke to Evans and had him remove from the entrance hall any valuable items that would fit into a pocket or reticule. The horse showed up the next day, not in its usual place, but on a table that had been pushed into a corner in the gold salon, which certainly suggested that it had been taken by one of the cast. Prance was quick to point out to Corinne that it might as easily have been done by a servant who lost his nerve and returned it. He didn’t mention, however, that he had told the cast that it could not safely be sold or pawned, so perhaps ...

He was glad Corinne had removed any other tempting pieces from the room. And he would keep a sharp eye on the lot of them, with special attention to Vance, just in case.

Corinne took the horse up to her bedroom for safekeeping.

Black kept himself informed on any unusual doings in the house. It was Lady Luten herself who told him that Miss Lipman had entertained Corbett in the library, when the guarding footman mentioned it. “She knows no one is allowed in there,” she scolded.

Black had also heard about it from the guards. “He seemed mighty interested in all the doors and what not,” he added. “He might want watching. Miss Lipman was out with him last night. I don’t know if she mentioned it to you.”

“I knew she was going to the theatre. She didn’t mention who she was going with.”

“Evans told me ‘twas him. He called for her here, so it’s not like they were trying to hide it.”

She told him about the T’ang horse. “Prance tells me Corbett was interested in the statue,” she said. “It was returned after he questioned them.”