the edge of the clearing that surrounded the white marble edifice, which had been crafted to resemble a smaller version of the Parthenon, Kate noticed that the door beyond the columns was ajar and she saw a flash of light in the darkness.
Caro clasped both Kate and Val by the arms and said in a stage whisper, “There’s someone in there.”
“Not to worry, Miss Hardcastle,” said their host. “It’s Eversham, remember?”
The trio made their way up the marble stairs and walked between the enormous columns of the folly. Despite the likelihood that it was Eversham inside, Val insisted on entering first. There was still a murderer on the loose, after all.
But the sound of Eversham greeting Val was enough to let the ladies know it was safe, and careful to ensure the way was clear, Kate and Caro stepped inside.
If she’d been expecting an interior that matched the grandeur of the folly’s exterior, Kate would have been sorely disappointed. Though unlike some follies, which were nothing more than a facade with no interior, this one did boast a rather large inner chamber. It was, however, as plain as the outside was fancy, which made sense if it had been built with the idea of turning it into a hermitage.
There were no windows, and without the lantern hung on a hook on the wall behind him, Eversham would have been impossible to make out.
“I see you were able to find the place,” Val said as he hung his own lantern on a hook a couple of feet down from Eversham’s.
“Yes,” the detective replied. “Though I hadn’t expected you to give a guided tour while I worked.”
His tone was sardonic, but Kate could hear a bite of annoyance in his words as well.
Which was really just too bad.
He might have forgotten his promise to work together, but she hadn’t. Before she could speak, however, Caro sneezed. The sound of it echoed through the mostly empty chamber.
Then, before anyone could speak, she sneezed again. And again and again.
“Goodness, Caro, are you well?”
Her friend wiped her streaming eyes with a handkerchief she’d pulled from some inner pocket in her coat. “I’m afraid I forgot just how much my nose doesn’t care for dust,” her friend said, her voice muffled. “I’m sorry, Kate. I had meant to help you search Mr. Philbrick’s things.”
Kate glanced at Eversham, who had gone back to shuffling through a sheaf of pages in the lantern light. “Of course you mustn’t apologize. You can’t help how dust affects you.”
She turned to Valentine, who was in the process of prying open a trunk alongside the wall. “Val, would you mind terribly walking Caro back to the house? She’s feeling unwell.”
Her friend stood and moved closer to where the ladies stood. As if to punctuate her plight, Caro sneezed again loudly.
“It’s the dust,” Caro said, though it sounded more like “duth” instead of “dust.”
Though he might have reacted with annoyance, Valentine was a gentleman and merely gave Kate a look that seemed to say she owed him, before offering Caro his arm. “Let’s get you back to the house, Miss Hardcastle.” Over his shoulder, he said to Kate, “I’ll send a servant up in a short while to carry back anything you wish to look over in the house.”
Once they were gone, Kate turned to Eversham, who hadn’t looked up from the documents he was examining.
“Don’t just stand there,” she said in an exasperated tone. “What have you found?”
Chapter Eleven
Eversham had known as soon as Lord Valentine had arrived with the ladies in tow that his concentration over the job at hand would be broken. “I only arrived here a quarter of an hour before you did. I haven’t found anything yet.”
“Oh.”
Her tone was so flat, he almost wished he’d invented a discovery to blunt her disappointment.
Realizing what he’d just considered, Eversham nearly groaned aloud. That would never do. He needed to make sure he kept her at a distance from now on or he’d find himself doing all sorts of things simply to improve her moods.
“Here.” He gestured to the trunk Valentine had just pried open. “These need going through.” To her credit, Kate lowered herself to her haunches—possible thanks to the old-fashioned gown, sans hoops, she’d donned before coming out here—and in the dimness of the lantern light began sorting through the papers inside the walnut trunk. The wider skirts and higher waist suited her, he thought before purposefully turning back to his own search.
They worked silently together for some time