[Berkeley Brigade 10] - Shadow of Murder by Joan Smith Page B

opportunity you’re giving him. Is it possible he might have misplaced it, put it down somewhere out of the way?”
    Prance was not heartbroken to hear that Vance was jealous of him. It was true that Vance, of the three, did seem to have an eye for the finer things of life. He had praised Reg’s watch and often strolled about the gold salon gazing at the pictures on the wall when he was not required for a scene. His interview was the last.
    “That lovely T’ang horse!” he said, shaking his head in sorrow when Prance questioned him. “I wondered if it could be genuine when I saw they kept it right in the front hall, where it might easily have been broken or even stolen. It must be worth a fortune. I hope it was insured.”
    He admitted he had carefully lifted it up just curious to see if there was any marking on the bottom. He had returned it to the exact spot where it had been standing. “I was wondering why her ladyship practically hides it beneath that awful heap of flowers. It deserves to be featured in a special niche by itself.”
    Prance had often thought the same thing. Surely Vance wouldn’t have admitted handling it and knowing it was so valuable if he had stolen it. Prance duly reported to Corinne, even mentioning that Vance had particularly admired the horse and handled it.
    “I don’t care for that fellow,” she said. Her opinion was based largely on comments from Prance himself, and from Mrs. Ballard, who didn’t care for him either.
    “Neither do I, nor do the others, come to that,” Prance admitted. “He’s rather disagreeable.”
    “Couldn’t you replace him?”
    “But he’s a superb villain.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
    She spoke to Evans and had him remove from the entrance hall any valuable items that would fit into a pocket or reticule. The horse showed up the next day, not in its usual place, but on a table that had been pushed into a corner in the gold salon, which certainly suggested that it had been taken by one of the cast. Prance was quick to point out to Corinne that it might as easily have been done by a servant who lost his nerve and returned it. He didn’t mention, however, that he had told the cast that it could not safely be sold or pawned, so perhaps ...
    He was glad Corinne had removed any other tempting pieces from the room. And he would keep a sharp eye on the lot of them, with special attention to Vance, just in case.
    Corinne took the horse up to her bedroom for safekeeping.
    Black kept himself informed on any unusual doings in the house. It was Lady Luten herself who told him that Miss Lipman had entertained Corbett in the library, when the guarding footman mentioned it. “She knows no one is allowed in there,” she scolded.
    Black had also heard about it from the guards. “He seemed mighty interested in all the doors and what not,” he added. “He might want watching. Miss Lipman was out with him last night. I don’t know if she mentioned it to you.”
    “I knew she was going to the theatre. She didn’t mention who she was going with.”
    “Evans told me ‘twas him. He called for her here, so it’s not like they were trying to hide it.”
    She told him about the T’ang horse. “Prance tells me Corbett was interested in the statue,” she said. “It was returned after he questioned them.”
    “That lad will want watching. You leave him to me.”
    “I’ll speak to Miss Lipman. Let her know no one is to go into the library.”
    Miss Lipman adopted an air of injury when she was spoken to and said, “He just carried that big silver epergne in for me. I couldn’t lift it. It’s very heavy. Even Evans was afraid to try to carry it. What was I supposed to do?”
    “If anything like that happens again, let me know. I’ll arrange for it to be moved. I understand Corbett took an interest in the safety precautions we’re taking. The doors and guards and so on.”
    “Just an intelligent interest, no more,” she said with a toss of her curls.