baggage on the ship?” I asked casually. “Eden says you were worried about the common sailors, but if anything had gone missing, the captain surely would have made them turn out their pockets.”
“Ah.” Fitzgerald finished his mouthful of beef and washed it down with a long swig of wine—the butler had returned and filled our glasses with a hearty red. “Not for nefarious reasons, Captain, and nothing that had anything to do with Warrilow. I came across a curiosity while traveling among the islands, and I’d purchased it for a goodly sum. I was assured by the seller that it was worth quite a bit more, and I believe it. When we finish our meal, I’ll show it to you. If my boots or silver hairbrushes had gone missing, that would have been annoying but hardly devastating. However, I would have been quite upset if someone had stolen this prize. It is not large, and a sailor could hide it among his things. But even if the captain would have searched their belongings if I’d reported the item stolen, I did not want to risk it being damaged. It is irreplaceable.”
Fitzgerald punctuated his remarks with stabs of his fork. At the end, the fork dove into the last of his beef, and he masticated, mouth closed, explanation at an end.
He had me intrigued by this curiosity, whatever it was, which had been his purpose, I believed.
We finished the beef and turned to the next course, greens that were decidedly limp and a capon in a black pepper sauce that was tough. Perhaps this was why the dandies had preferred Watier’s, a lively club that had sadly come to an end.
“What will you do with yourself, Eden?” Fitzgerald asked as the chicken and greens vanished from his plate. “Unless you plan to do the spoon collecting?”
Eden shrugged, making patterns in the thick sauce with the tip of his knife. “Who knows? As I was explaining to the captain, I am at a bit of a loss. I’ll kick over some stones and see what I find.”
“I’m happy to help if you like.” Fitzgerald wiped his mouth clear of the peppery juices. “I am dining with the Prince Regent tomorrow. Renewing our acquaintanceship, that sort of thing. The old chap has let his self-indulgence get the better of him, but he is still the Prince of Wales, and standing in for our poor enfeebled monarch. I could find out if there’s a place for you in his sphere—as military adviser or counter of royal spoons or whatnot. If nothing else, you might have a stipend while you discover what interests you.”
Eden brightened. “That would be kind of you. Thank you, sir.”
“Not at all. I am in your debt for preventing the conversation on our voyage from being tedious in the extreme. With the Kingstons preaching, Warrilow snarling, and Laybourne moaning, I welcomed our tales of life on Antigua. As though we were heroic adventurers.” He dissolved into laughter once more.
I knew a man who worked in the Regent’s abode of Carlton House—he looked after and cataloged the prince’s vast art collection and advised him on what to purchase. Such a man might need an assistant. I hesitated to mention this, however, because not only did the gentleman in question have a sharp tongue, he also worked for Denis.
Grenville, on the other hand, had many friends and acquaintances throughout the haut ton. Any of them might need a secretary or a steward.
I kept this to myself as well, because I did not wish to appear in competition with Fitzgerald to be Eden’s mentor. I decided that if the Regent had nothing for Eden to do or didn’t want to bother with him, I would ask Grenville for help.
Our supper continued with another serving of meat, and I felt my waistband tightening. I’d have to ride for a long time to work off this meal.
More came in the form of a lemon tart, a trifle, and French chocolate truffles, finished with a sweet dessert wine from the Rhine valley.
At long last, the final plates were removed, and we were treated to brandy. Fitzgerald produced an enameled snuffbox with the portrait of a smiling, beautiful woman on the cover, and offered it. Eden took a pinch but I declined, as I disliked snuff.
Eden and Fitzgerald inhaled the fine tobacco, then sneezed into large handkerchiefs, Eden more delicately than Fitzgerald. I smiled tolerantly and sipped the excellent brandy.
It was late by the time Fitzgerald rose and