associated with the more deplorable members of the servant class. He was sorry now that he'd paid the little weasel to get information, but the rogue had demanded payment before he would take on the task. Despite that, or maybe because of it, the man had produced practically nothing.
"And you are quite positive that you have told me everything?"
"On me word, guv." Pickles raised his hand as though testifying before a magistrate. "Nobody saw nobody in the 'ouse what shouldn't have been there. At first, I thought it might o' been the sister but me fluff tol' me she ain't ever been there."
"Sister? Whose sister?" Stoddard asked irritably. He hated to prolong the interview with the odious man but he couldn't believe that his three day watch of the Portman Square house hadn't turned up a single clue to La Solitaire's whereabouts.
"The little blonde’s sister," Pickles said. By the sudden tension in the figure across the desk, he suspected that he finally had reported something the nobleman didn't know. He smiled triumphantly as he announced, "The sister's name is Blaine Meriweather."
"Where does she live?" Stoddard asked, sitting forward in his chair.
"Dunno," Pickles answered. At the flash of anger in the nobleman's eye, he hurriedly continued. "Ellen said no one knew where this Blaine was. She'd only 'eard the little blond talking about 'er. Do you want me to go back and see if I can pick up anything else?"
"No, thank you, Mr. Pickles," Stoddard said. "You've been of inestimable help."
After Stoddard had waved the man out of the library, he leaned back in his chair and considered the nuggets of information he had. He had seen La Solitaire entering the Portman Square house. Obviously she had slipped out sometime that night or the following morning before Jasper Pickles had arrived to watch the place. The only significant piece of information his informant had come up with was the fact that Fleur Meriweather had a sister.
Was it possible that Fleur's sister was La Solitaire?
On the face of it, the idea was clearly ridiculous. The more he thought of it however, the more the ridiculous theory seemed to fit. For one thing, it would explain the lack of information on Maggie Mason's background. He had never considered the fact that the actress might be from a respectable family. If true, he could understand why no one knew where she had come from or where she lived. It was, at the least, worth pursuing because as it stood he had absolutely no other avenues to follow.
A smile touched Stoddard's face but it did not reach his eyes. Perhaps he ought to have a little chat with Fleur Meriweather. He suspected once he pointed out to her the magnitude of the scandal, if the identity of her sister became known, the girl would cooperate. For the price of La Solitaire's address, she could purchase his silence.
"Give over, Fleur. You know Timour the Tartar was far more fearsome than Bluebeard," Val cried as he burst in the room behind his sister.
"I hated both of them!" she declared. She shuddered for emphasis as she blew Blaine a kiss and untied her bonnet.
"Softly, children, softly." Blaine put down the book she had been reading. "Kindly close the door, Val, and then come tell me all about Astley's. I take it that the outing was a success."
"Rather!," the boy said, drawing out the syllables of the word. He quickly closed the door then raced to the chaise longue so he could fill his sister in on all of the details. Fleur pulled up a chair, sharing a smile with Blaine at Val's enthusiasm.
"It was absolutely wizard! I can't wait until tomorrow when I meet with Jamie. I have ever so much to tell him. He'll be positively green!" His eyes sparkled in anticipation of having such a choice morsel to pass on. "There were hundreds of horses and the tricks they could perform quite put my Fatima in the shade."
"Please remember when you return home, dear, that your pony is moving into her gracious matronly years," Blaine cautioned. "You would not wish to do her an injury."
"Oh, Blaine!" His tone was aggrieved. "I would not be so buffleheaded."
"Besides, Robbie already lectured him," Fleur finished in sisterly smugness.
"It was very generous of Robbie to take you both for such a treat," Blaine added at the thunderous look of the boy. "Did Puff enjoy the show?"
"She certainly did," Fleur answered. "She has gone upstairs for a rest. As she would