Deception by Amanda Quick

asking how you go about finding a buyer for your goods, Miss Wingfield?”
    She gave him a sunny smile. “It is really quite simple. One of my neighbors, Squire Pettigrew, has been kind enough to assist me in that regard. He says it is the least he can do out of respect for my dear aunts who were his neighbors for so many years.”
    “Just how does Pettigrew handle the goods?”
    Olympia waved her hand in a vague gesture. “I believe his man of affairs in London sees to all the details.”
    “You are satisfied that Squire Pettigrew’s man of affairs strikes a good bargain?” Jared persisted.
    Olympia chuckled. She leaned forward with an air of imparting a deep confidence. “We realized a sum of nearly two hundred pounds off the last shipment.”
    “Is that right?”
    “Of course, that was an exceptional shipment. Uncle Artemis sent several lengths of silk and a large variety of spices on that occasion. I doubt that we’ll do as well this time.”
    Jared thought of the approximately three thousand pounds worth of goods that he had accompanied from France. He had been obliged to hire two burly men to act as guards after the ship had docked in Weymouth.
    Jared withdrew a piece of folded foolscap from his journal. “This is a copy of the list of goods your uncle sent to you this time.” He handed the paper to Olympia. “How does it compare with the last shipment?”
    Olympia took the sheet of paper from him and perused it with a distracted frown. “I cannot recall all of the items on the previous list but there does not seem to be quite as much lace this time. And I do not see any of those Italian fans Uncle Artemis sent with the last lot.”
    “There are several bolts of silk and some velvet in this shipment,” Jared pointed out softly.
    Olympia lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug. “Squire Pettigrew tells me that unfortunately the market for silk and velvet is not strong at the moment. All in all, I expect we shall probably not do quite as well as we did on the last shipment. Nevertheless, we’ll see a nice bit of the ready out of it, as my nephews would say.”
    Jared wondered how long Squire Pettigrew had been systematically fleecing Olympia. “I have had some experience with the business of importing goods, Miss Wingfield.”
    “Have you, indeed?” She looked at him with polite surprise.
    “Yes.” Jared reflected briefly on the hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of goods that filled theholds of Flamecrest ships every year. “If you like, I can deal with this shipment for you.”
    “That’s very generous of you.” Olympia was clearly overwhelmed by his helpfulness. “But are you quite certain you wish to undertake such a task? Squire Pettigrew tells me it is a very time-consuming business. He says one must be constantly on the alert for swindlers.”
    “I expect he knows what he’s talking about.” Jared privately considered that Pettigrew certainly ought to recognize another swindler when he saw one. “But I believe that I can do at least as well for you as Squire Pettigrew has done in the past. Perhaps better.”
    “You must take a suitable commission out of the proceeds, of course.”
    “That will not be necessary.” Jared’s calculating brain skimmed over the problem, weighing and assessing the task. He would entrust the goods to his man of affairs, Felix Hartwell. When he sent instructions to Hartwell, he would utilize the opportunity to inquire about any progress that might have been made in the embezzlement situation. “I shall consider the task part of my normal duties as a tutor in this household.”
    “You will?” Olympia stared at him in amazement. “How very odd. None of the other tutors offered to extend their services outside the classroom.”
    “I trust you will find me useful about the place,” Jared said softly.
    The door of the library opened abruptly to admit a stout, sturdy female in an apron and cap. She held a tea tray in her work-reddened hands.
    “Here, now,