The Mystery Woman (Ladies of Lantern Str - By Amanda Quick Page 0,56
have been dif—”
“Possible under most circumstances,” she said, interrupting him before he could finish the word difficult. Alverstoke would not appreciate hearing that his security arrangements were inadequate. “Precisely. It’s obvious that Lord Alverstoke has taken great care to secure his spectacular collection.”
“Spent a bloody fortune on security,” Alverstoke muttered.
“Yet tonight, two intruders managed to gain access,” Beatrice pointed out gently. “And that is why you might want to consider Mr. Gage’s offer of a very discreet investigation.”
Joshua’s expression darkened further. He had not so much offered his services as he had tried to bludgeon Alverstoke into letting him conduct an inquiry.
Beatrice looked at Hannah, who caught on immediately.
“Miss Lockwood makes an excellent point, sir,” she said to Alverstoke. “How can you protect your valuables in the future if you don’t discover what went wrong this time?”
Alverstoke scowled. “Huh.”
He pondered the question for what seemed a very long time.
“As it happens,” Beatrice said coolly, “Mr. Gage does have some expertise in matters of this sort of thing.”
Joshua slanted her a grim look. She ignored him.
Alverstoke, bushy brows bunched together, peered at Joshua with obvious suspicion.
“Here now, what do you know about conducting a criminal investigation, sir?”
“Done a bit of consulting work for Scotland Yard,” Joshua said in a deliberately vague, confidential tone that implied the consulting work was of a very delicate nature. “Let’s just say that I was able to assist in certain matters where discretion was required. Sorry, can’t divulge the details. I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes, yes, of course, discretion.” Alverstoke was visibly relieved by that news. “Perhaps Miss Lockwood is right. It would be a good idea to discover how the damned thieves got into the great hall in the first place so that I can prevent that sort of thing from happening again.”
“What a good idea,” Hannah agreed.
“Indeed,” Joshua said. He fixed his attention on Beatrice. “Excellent plan, Miss Lockwood,” he said, his tone very dry.
She gave him a demure smile. “Thank you, sir.”
“Very well then,” Alverstoke said. “In that case, sir, I would appreciate it if you would look into the matter of the stolen key for me.”
“I’ll be happy to conduct the investigation for you,” Joshua said. He took his arm off the mantel and gripped his cane with both hands. “There is one more thing I would suggest.”
Alverstoke looked wary. “Yes?”
“I assume you have a catalog of the antiquities on display in the great hall?”
“Certainly.” Alverstoke was clearly offended by the suggestion that he did not have a complete list of the items in his collection. “I keep excellent records of all my acquisitions.”
“I think it would be wise to conduct a thorough inventory as soon as I have finished my examination of the crime scene,” Joshua said.
Panic flashed across Alverstoke’s face. “Good Lord, man, do you think that the killer might have succeeded in making off with one of my artifacts?”
“We won’t know for certain unless you conduct the inventory,” Joshua said.
He was letting his impatience show again, Beatrice thought. She gave him a quelling look. He was irritated but he did not add anything else.
“That will take a considerable amount of time,” Alverstoke said.
“I understand,” Joshua said. “But it would be extremely helpful to know exactly what, if anything, is missing.”
“Yes, of course.” Alverstoke was starting to become agitated again. “Hadn’t considered the possibility that the thief actually got away with one of my relics.” He rose to his feet and went to the door. “If you will excuse me, I will ask my butler to make arrangements to start the inventory as soon as you have concluded your investigation, Gage.”
Joshua waited until the door closed behind Alverstoke. Then he looked at Beatrice. She gave him a cool smile.
“You’re welcome,” she said.
“I could have convinced him to allow me to investigate,” Joshua said.
“Hah. At the rate you were going it was only a matter of time before he chucked all of us out of the house,” Beatrice said. “Admit it.”
Amused, Hannah raised her brows. “Beatrice is right, Josh, and you know it. You are in her debt.”
“In the old days I did not have to request permission to conduct an investigation,” Joshua grumbled.
“No, you used other methods,” Hannah said briskly. “Namely the calling card of that dreadful Victor Hazelton. But your days of unraveling conspiracies for the Crown are over, thank heavens.”
“Perhaps not quite yet,” Joshua said. He spoke very, very quietly.
Hannah stared at him.
A cold sensation stole over Beatrice. “What do you mean?”
“This situation has become somewhat complicated,” he said.