“Sorry. But listen. Let us keep an open mind about everything. While I am sure that Nettles was poisoned, I am afraid I am not yet entirely convinced by what Charlotte and Robert are telling us. Are you?”
She winced. “I agree. I am not convinced myself. They are withholding something.”
BUT ROBERT BOUNCED into the breakfast room the next morning absolutely bubbling with information for them.
“We did what you asked us to do. We investigated! William Wiseman is out of hospital and back at home,” he announced first before he had even taken his seat.
“Excellent,” said Adelia. She glanced at Theodore who nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “I think we should pay him a visit today.”
“Today? I thought tomorrow at the earliest, perhaps,” Robert said. “He is only just out of his death bed.”
“I doubt he was anywhere near death and we must act fast. Why, it is Christmas Eve in two days’ time and we cannot lose the momentum now.”
“He doesn’t know you,” Charlotte said. “Mama, papa, you can’t just turn up on his doorstep unannounced.”
“Oh, don’t worry, dear,” Adelia said. “We are discovering that when one is a private investigator, normal rules do not apply.”
“Actually I am finding that normal rules don’t seem to apply in London at all,” Theodore commented.
“Don’t turn into Lord Mareham,” Adelia said, with an apologetic smile at Robert.
“Oh, goodness me, yes,” Robert said in agreement. “I quite agree. Father is becoming rather the bore. We shall have to call on them on Christmas Day, of course; familial duty. But we need to go early because if he’s had a drink or two, we shall come under fire for all manner of transgressions. The general decline of civilisation will be laid at our door.”
“He was talking to you yesterday, wasn’t he, mama?” Charlotte said. “I know very well that I was taken off to one side so that he could list his complaints to you. I watched you both.”
“I did promise I’d speak to you about that,” Adelia admitted. “I ought to warn you that he is threatening to look again at the inheritance, Robert. What are you going to with your life? If you are to follow your father into the law you are leaving it rather late to get started.”
When Adelia had arranged the match, Robert had declared that he would indeed study law and no one had thought otherwise. If she’d known he would still be idly wasting his days until he assumed the Earldom, she might have thought twice about the marriage.
Robert and Charlotte looked at one another. Robert picked up a slice of toast and began to butter it with some force. “Well, he’s threatened me with the loss of the inheritance on many occasions so I don’t take it very seriously. As for getting my life started, it has already done so. I live my way and don’t want to follow him just because that is the expected thing to do. I am not drifting; I have made choices. Every day is a new day of my life and I certainly don’t intend to waste it on being unhappy. I choose happiness.”
“You are a pure Epicurean?”
“No. I rather incline to Stoicism actually. When one looks at it, it is not the bleak philosophy that people say it is.”
Adelia laughed. “I see very little of the Marcus Aurelius in you.”
“No, mama, listen to him,” Charlotte said with a flash of anger as she defended her husband. “Life is short. Painfully short. It might be cut off at any moment. Don’t we know that? I believe that life is a precious gift. Is it not an insult to the Creator Himself if we act with ingratitude? If we dismiss the gift? If we complain of our pains and pursue only misery?”
Adelia frowned. “Yes, but we are also duty-bound to work hard to benefit the happiness of others, not just to selfishly pursue the fulfilment of our own desires. None of us are alone in this world.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Charlotte said dismissively. “Anyway, Robert, tell them about the other news!”
“Ah yes!” he said, seizing the chance to change the topic of conversation. “Now, you must not ask us to tell you who Lord H is, of course, as you know we cannot break that confidence. But he has a last-minute surprise for us all! There is to be an exhibition of his work, and some others, that will be opening on the thirtieth of December at Marshall’s Gallery. It’s been planned for simply ages and kept secret, and it was announced last night with just over a week to go.”
“How rude to give so little notice!” Adelia said, not letting on that she noticed how Robert referred automatically to “he.” So it was not Lady Purfleet; she had hardly believed it could have been.
“Ah, no,” Charlotte said. “It is a little ruse that some people have to make them seem ever so exclusive and important. You are expected to cancel other plans to attend this one, you see.”
“Did he announce it himself, this elusive Lord H?”
“You cannot trick me,” Robert replied to Adelia with a smile. “No, he was not there. Lady Purfleet made the announcement. We shall be attending, of course; it is invitation only on the night itself. And you have both been sent invitations too!”
“This is all very well,” said Theodore, “but it’s really more your sort of thing than ours.”
“I am interested,” said Adelia. “And won’t it give us more chances to examine the world of art and art dealing?”
“It is over a week away. We shall have this case sewn up completely by then. Come on, eat up. Let’s pay a call on William Wiseman this very morning.”
“IS IT NOT STRANGE TO be returning to the same house that you broke into just a few hours’ previously?” Adelia asked as they walked through the busy streets. They kept on the pavement as much as they could but the shoppers were everywhere, not
