halt the flush that rose up from her neck to engulf her face. “It’s true the necklace was insured,” she admitted.
Pronto went on to pinpoint the transaction more closely. “Bidwell, it was, mentioned it last night.”
“How would Bidwell know?” Belami asked.
“His uncle Carswell has the policy. I fancy Bidwell wasn’t half sorry to see the thing nabbed, though he’d have thought better of it by now.”
“Carswell, the Lloyd’s agent?” Belami asked.
“The same,” Pronto told him. Deirdre nodded her head in agreement.
“He’s Bidwell’s uncle, you say? It’s Carswell who will have to pay it out of his own pocket. The Lloyd’s agents are all independent dealers.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Pronto,” Deirdre said. “Bidwell is Carswell’s heir. Carswell has no one else to leave his fortune to. Why should Bidwell be glad his uncle had the policy?”
“Just what I meant. Said he’d have thought better of it by now. He’s the one will be out the thirty thousand in the long haul. Daresay he’s in the sullens this morning. Chirping merry enough last night, but he’d be down to earth by now.”
Belami listened, arranging and rearranging these facts to look for a meaningful pattern. “But Carswell isn’t an old man. Bidwell couldn’t look for anything in the way of an inheritance for a couple of decades.”
“Very true,” Pronto agreed, “but eventually . . .”
“Eventually he may not lose a sou,” Deirdre announced blandly.
Belami looked surprised. “Why, thank you, ma’am. I didn’t realize you had such confidence in my powers of solving the case.”
“That was not my meaning, Belami. The fact is, the insurance policy expired at midnight. It will be for the courts to decide whether Carswell is liable for it.”
“Why did your aunt let it lapse?” he asked.
“It was prohibitively expensive.”
“I see. Pockets to let, eh? Ten or so pounds a year was too steep for her. Well, well, this puts a new light on the matter.” There was some insinuation in his tone that Pronto could not fathom. Whatever it meant, Deirdre had pokered up like a ramrod. Her eyes were shooting sparks at Belami. Soon she arose from her seat and stood rigid, staring at him.
“Are you daring to suggest that my aunt acted in collusion with someone to have her necklace stolen?” she demanded.
“What a shocking thing for you to say, my dear,” Belami replied, rising languidly to his feet. He had some strange admixture of courtesy and bad manners that permitted him to say or imply the most monstrous things, but do it with all outward show of politeness. When a lady stood, he would not retain his seat, even if he was calling her a scoundrel. “Really, that is a most dangerous notion for you to be bruiting about. We did not hear the lady, Pronto.”
“I heard her. Ain’t deaf,” Pronto countered. “Her aunt colluded to pinch the glass herself, for the insurance money, then tried to weasel payment out of you as well. Dashed clever scheme. Old Charney is up to all the rigs, but we still don’t know who was wrapped up in the sheet and stocking. Wasn’t Knag, and that I do know. You never wore gloves when you was scaring the servants.”
“Why don’t we sit down and finish our breakfast?” Belami suggested pleasantly. How obliging of Pronto to say all those things civility prevented him from saying himself.
Deirdre thumped angrily back into her chair, while Belami resumed his in a more graceful fashion, gliding gently into it, as though wafted by a zephyr.
“This is utterly ridiculous. Preposterous!” Deirdre declared, her white hand thumping the table to reinforce her position. “My aunt would not wait till the very last minute to have done it, if it were her intention to claim insurance money. And why would she have arranged it to occur at a ball? To have it burgled from the London house, or while traveling in the carriage, or from her bedroom here would be much easier.”
“I see you
Pronto went on to pinpoint the transaction more closely. “Bidwell, it was, mentioned it last night.”
“How would Bidwell know?” Belami asked.
“His uncle Carswell has the policy. I fancy Bidwell wasn’t half sorry to see the thing nabbed, though he’d have thought better of it by now.”
“Carswell, the Lloyd’s agent?” Belami asked.
“The same,” Pronto told him. Deirdre nodded her head in agreement.
“He’s Bidwell’s uncle, you say? It’s Carswell who will have to pay it out of his own pocket. The Lloyd’s agents are all independent dealers.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Pronto,” Deirdre said. “Bidwell is Carswell’s heir. Carswell has no one else to leave his fortune to. Why should Bidwell be glad his uncle had the policy?”
“Just what I meant. Said he’d have thought better of it by now. He’s the one will be out the thirty thousand in the long haul. Daresay he’s in the sullens this morning. Chirping merry enough last night, but he’d be down to earth by now.”
Belami listened, arranging and rearranging these facts to look for a meaningful pattern. “But Carswell isn’t an old man. Bidwell couldn’t look for anything in the way of an inheritance for a couple of decades.”
“Very true,” Pronto agreed, “but eventually . . .”
“Eventually he may not lose a sou,” Deirdre announced blandly.
Belami looked surprised. “Why, thank you, ma’am. I didn’t realize you had such confidence in my powers of solving the case.”
“That was not my meaning, Belami. The fact is, the insurance policy expired at midnight. It will be for the courts to decide whether Carswell is liable for it.”
“Why did your aunt let it lapse?” he asked.
“It was prohibitively expensive.”
“I see. Pockets to let, eh? Ten or so pounds a year was too steep for her. Well, well, this puts a new light on the matter.” There was some insinuation in his tone that Pronto could not fathom. Whatever it meant, Deirdre had pokered up like a ramrod. Her eyes were shooting sparks at Belami. Soon she arose from her seat and stood rigid, staring at him.
“Are you daring to suggest that my aunt acted in collusion with someone to have her necklace stolen?” she demanded.
“What a shocking thing for you to say, my dear,” Belami replied, rising languidly to his feet. He had some strange admixture of courtesy and bad manners that permitted him to say or imply the most monstrous things, but do it with all outward show of politeness. When a lady stood, he would not retain his seat, even if he was calling her a scoundrel. “Really, that is a most dangerous notion for you to be bruiting about. We did not hear the lady, Pronto.”
“I heard her. Ain’t deaf,” Pronto countered. “Her aunt colluded to pinch the glass herself, for the insurance money, then tried to weasel payment out of you as well. Dashed clever scheme. Old Charney is up to all the rigs, but we still don’t know who was wrapped up in the sheet and stocking. Wasn’t Knag, and that I do know. You never wore gloves when you was scaring the servants.”
“Why don’t we sit down and finish our breakfast?” Belami suggested pleasantly. How obliging of Pronto to say all those things civility prevented him from saying himself.
Deirdre thumped angrily back into her chair, while Belami resumed his in a more graceful fashion, gliding gently into it, as though wafted by a zephyr.
“This is utterly ridiculous. Preposterous!” Deirdre declared, her white hand thumping the table to reinforce her position. “My aunt would not wait till the very last minute to have done it, if it were her intention to claim insurance money. And why would she have arranged it to occur at a ball? To have it burgled from the London house, or while traveling in the carriage, or from her bedroom here would be much easier.”
“I see you
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