Just Deserts (30 page)

‘
What in the world ails Papa?’ Penelope asked wonderingly as
her father removed himself from the parlour, shutting the door
behind him with unnecessary force.

‘
Oh, it is something to do with this matter of Warren
Hastings,’ her mother answered offhandedly. ‘Do not ask me. They
are expecting Burke to demand in the House tomorrow for some sort
of redress, I gather.’

‘
An impeachment,’ Persephone supplied, for she had heard of
the matter at length from the nabob. ‘I had better go and talk to
him.’

‘
You will do no such thing, Seph,’ Clarissa declared. ‘You
must dress at once. We are due at Lady Buckfastleigh’s
rout.’

‘
Oh, Mama, must I go?’ Persephone protested. ‘I have no
heart for it, with Indigo in this trouble.’

‘
Do come, Seph,’ Penelope said, jumping up and drawing her
towards the door. ‘It will divert your mind.’

‘
What is more to the point,’ their mother put in, ‘you
cannot possibly offer such an affront to Lady Buckfastleigh after
all her trouble at Newmarket.’

Persephone groaned, but she knew that there was no way of
avoiding attendance at the gathering. In the event, she was glad
she went, for Fitz met them with a message from
Chiddingly.

‘
He asked me to tell you he has gone off to
Norfolk.’

‘
Norfolk?’ exclaimed Penelope.

‘
Is that where Lord Goole’s seat is situated?’ Persephone
guessed.

‘
Exactly. Goole is but recently gone out of town, so Chid
has gone haring after him. For my part, I cannot think he will find
his horse there.’

‘
No more can I, I assure you,’ Persephone said at once. ‘It
is not Goole who has kidnapped Indigo.’

Fitz looked her over with interest. ‘Oh? You have reason to
suspect some other?’

‘
Every reason. But of course
he
will not
credit me.’

Penelope and Fitz exchanged glances. There was mute
question in his eyes, but Penelope very slightly shook her head.
There had been no time to discover how her sister had fared on the
mission of peace. Besides, it seemed as if this appalling kidnap
had prevented them from spending as much time together as had been
hoped.

Fitz turned to Persephone again, but found that her
attention had been caught elsewhere. Murmuring an excuse, she moved
away, heading purposefully to where she had seen a fat little man
with merrily smiling baby-blue eyes.

Chapter
Eleven

‘
Good
evening, Mr Bolsover,’ Persephone said, in as pleasant a
tone as she could manage.

‘
Why, Miss Winsford.’ Billy’s jovial laugh rang out. ‘Or
should I learn to call you “Lady Chid”, perhaps?’

‘
That would be a trifle premature,’ Persephone told him
silkily, though rather to her surprise, she found the name
pleasurable to her ears. ‘And speaking of Chid—’

‘
Ah, yes, a bad business indeed,’ broke in Billy. ‘As if
that poor animal had not suffered enough.’

Persephone’s eyes widened. ‘How do you come to know of it,
may I ask?’

‘
Oh, all the world is talking of the stallion’s
disappearance, dear lady.’

‘
Yes? It is strange, then, that yours is the first tongue I
have heard to touch upon the subject.’

‘
Stuff and nonsense, ma’am,’ Billy expostulated, blowing out
his cheeks. ‘Ask anyone. Had it from Bunbury myself.’

Persephone looked about her. ‘Indeed? I do not see Sir
Charles here.’

‘
Met him at Tattersall’s,’ Billy explained in
haste.

‘
Oh, I see.’ Persephone regarded him steadily.
‘Naturally,
you
have not passed on this tidbit
yourself.’

The little man’s chubby cheeks took on a purple hue and his
lips pouted for an instant. Then he laughed again.

‘
Miss Winsford, you have found me out. To be sure,
I am a little guilty. Come, come, ma’am. You must know we horse-mad
fellows are all too eager to gossip about each other’s nags. Can’t
blame us, now can you?
Kidnapping
,
I mean to say. Upon my word, it
affects us all, so it does.’

‘
How did you know it was a kidnapping, Mr Bolsover?’
Persephone asked in a voice of ice.

He stared at her, little round eyes popping. ‘Well—what
else is one to think? Horse vanishes into thin air. No trace to be
found. I ask you, what is one to think?’

‘
Very true,’ she said in a colourless tone.

‘
All I can say is, I hope Chid catches up with the villains.
Damme, I’ve a mind to set a guard over my Magnet, so I
have.’

Persephone’s lips curved into her sneering smile.
‘Don’t trouble, Mr Bolsover. I am quite certain any of
your
horses must be safe from attack.’

She inclined her head and turning, walked away from him,
her jaw tight shut to prevent hot words issuing from her lips. The
audacity of the man! If he was innocent, she was no judge of the
matter. Just as she had suspected, Chid was gone on a wild-goose
chase. But how was she to find convincing proofs to show
him?

One thing she could check on, however. Looking
about, she saw Fitzwarren still engaged with her sister. They were
locked in close, and what looked like intimate conversation.
Persephone halted, staring at them as an abrupt realisation shot
into her mind. In the press of her own affairs, she had entirely
forgotten about
Pen.

Pen, who had been so oddly behaved at Newmarket,
clearly troubled in spirit. Persephone thought now she knew what
that trouble had been.
Had
been indeed, she
decided, for the most casual observer must see for themselves what
was apparent to Penelope’s twin.

A mischievous smile on her lips, Persephone descended upon
the couple, and linked her arm in Pen’s. An arch look at her sister
accompanied her first words.

‘
I am devastated to be obliged to interrupt you,’ she said,
aping Penelope’s musical tone, ‘but I am afraid I must borrow
Fitz—just for an instant.’

Penelope, blushing, cast her sister an unloving glare from
under her fashionable hat with its fringe of lace trimming about
the enormous brim. But Fitz grinned appreciatively, and turned his
eyes upon her.

‘
As long as it is not going to cause Chid to call me
out.’

‘
Don’t be absurd. He is more like to call
me
to account.’

Again Fitz exchanged a glance with Penelope. But one of
veiled triumph. This was better, his look seemed to say.

‘
Tell me, Fitz,’ Persephone went on,
‘is
the town truly buzzing with the story of Indigo’s
disappearance?’

He frowned. ‘Buzzing? No, indeed. Though some of Chid’s
racing cronies have somehow got hold of the tale.’

‘
I knew it!’

‘
Why, what have you found out?’

Persephone shook her head. ‘I cannot tell you. When will
Chid return?’

‘
He cannot reach back here before tomorrow afternoon at the
earliest. But he must be back for your party in the
evening.’

‘
The party! Oh, the devil, I had forgot it.’

‘
Seph,’
uttered Penelope direfully, ‘what are you about? I know
that look. You are planning something dreadful.’

‘
No, no,’ Persephone disclaimed. ‘At least—’ She snapped her
fingers. ‘I have it.’

Fitz looked from her to
Penelope in startled question.

‘
It is no use turning to me,’ Pen said. ‘I have no more
notion than you what she will be at.’

‘
Seph,’ Fitz said with urgency, ‘I do beg of you to consider
well before you embark on one of your crazy ventures. Whatever you
have in your head, wait at least for Chid.’

But Persephone had no notion of waiting for her intended
spouse. For one thing, he would heartily disapprove of what she
meant to do. For another, he would—even if he could be induced to
listen to her—inevitably put a stop to her
participation.

Accordingly, the next morning she slipped out before
breakfast and had herself driven in a hackney to
Bloomsbury.

Laetitia Smith was delighted to see her. ‘For I’ve been in
such high gig over you and Chid. Not but what I thought it typical
of you, Seph, if you’ll pardon the liberty. Didn’t surprise me to
hear you rushed upon your fate, as the saying goes.’

‘
Oh, Letty, don’t,’ Persephone begged. ‘If you knew the
agonies of mortification I have suffered.’

‘
Plague take it, Seph, do you take me for a noddy? Of course
I know. But I’m bound to state I’m glad of it. For, married to
Chid, you’ll always be sure of having the finest horses to
hand.’

It was some time before Persephone could induce her to talk
of anything else, but at last she managed to break in.

‘
Letty, forgive me, but I am here on a very urgent matter.
It is about Indigo.’

Miss Smith had heard all about the drugging, of course, and
was exclamatory over it. But her eyes fairly popped when she heard
about the kidnapping.

‘
You can help me if you will, Letty.’

‘
Anything in my power, Seph. But I don’t see how it’ll do
much good for us to set off if Chid is already gone after
Goole.’

‘
Yes, but it is not Goole. Do you remember at Epsom, Letty,
those three men we saw? There was Goole and Billy Bolsover, and
another.’

‘
Couldn’t see, though, Seph. I must say I didn’t notice him
particular.’

‘
Well, he is very important. But first, can you tell me
this? Sir John’s groom recommended a stable boy to Chid’s household
while we were in Newmarket. I know it is asking a lot of
you—’

‘
No, it ain’t,’ Letty cut in. ‘Easiest thing in the world.
Johnny is mighty particular, you see. He knows all his lads. Every
one, from top to bottom.’

‘
That is admirable,’ Persephone said, curbing her impatience
with difficulty, ‘but this boy was not one of his. He came
apparently from Goole, who is putting down his stable and had no
use for him. Sir John’s man had—’

‘
Said he would find him a post,’ Letty finished. ‘I recall
the case. But you have it wrong, Seph. The boy went from Goole to
Billy and Billy sent him to us.’

Persephone pounced.
‘Bolsover!
Devil take
him!’

Letty gazed at her with popping eyes. ‘Billy?
You’re saying
Billy
did this?’

‘
I have no time to explain it all now, Letty. There is one
more thing I must know. Billy Bolsover’s groom—do you know
him?’

Letty shivered. ‘I should say I do. Nasty, evil-looking
brute. Not his fault, of course, poor man. He had a terrible
accident with an unbroke horse, I believe.’

‘
Go on.’

‘
Well, that’s it. Walks with a limp. And his face is almost
broke in two by a devilish ugly scar.’

Staying only to extract from Letty the information that
Billy Bolsover had a place at Flambards out by Wembley Green,
Persephone thanked her profusely, promising to let her know the
outcome of events.

‘
And though I know we can’t ever be true friends, Seph,’
Letty said in parting, ‘I vow I’ll make it a mite easier when I get
Johnny’s ring on my finger, which I mean to do before the year is
out. As Lady Lade, at least you may acknowledge me with
impunity.’

‘
You
are
my true friend,
Letty,’ Persephone said, warmly clasping her hands. ‘And if Lady
Chid chooses to make a friend of Lady Lade, the world may go
hang.’

‘
Lord,’ Letty said, laughing heartily. ‘You’ll set ’em all
by the ears—and Chid will murder us both.’

This was extremely likely, Persephone could not but
acknowledge to herself as she was driven back to Hanover Square.
But she in fact met with opposition from an unexpected quarter.
Penelope, when she found out what her sister meant to do, was
aghast, and expressed much the same views as Letty
Smith.

‘
But Chiddingly will slay you!’

‘
He will not find me, Pen, you fool,’ Persephone said. ‘He
will only find you.’

‘
Then he will slay
me
instead. I won’t do
it, Seph. You
cannot
expect it of me.’

‘
Pen, dearest, you
must
help me, I pray
you. It is a matter of life and death.’

‘
Yes,
mine,’
retorted her
twin. ‘Oh, dear, you are dreadful, Seph. Why in the world cannot
you wait for Chiddingly’s return?’