A Man of Many Talents by Deborah Simmons

Author:Deborah Simmons
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2003-06-06T17:15:00+00:00

11

Christian found his quarry lurking not far from the great hall, but instead of watching the suspects as instructed, Alf Kendal seemed to have his eye on one of the maids—at least until he saw his employer.

“Milord! Now, don’t have at me!” the fellow said, holding up a hand to stave off Christian’s wrath.

“Well?” Christian prompted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, you see, it’s this way, milord. I tried to keep an eye on all of ’em. I truly did! But they were too slippery for me! That colonel, he took off right away, kind of following you, like. Hanging back, but close enough to hear what was said, for a while at least. I figured he would stay put, so I checked on the others. That puny young fellow was gone, and that old lady, she thought I was the solicitor. Me!” he said, shaking his head at that. “Then she demanded to know exactly who I was and what my business was at the Hall! Right fierce she was, too!”

Cousin Mercia fierce? Christian began to think he had misjudged his man. How could Alf be counted upon in a fight if he was intimidated by an eccentric elderly female?

“By then, I’d lost both the gentlemen. Looked down by the hall here, but saw no sign of either one of them,” Alf said. He shook his head again. “I’m sorry, milord, but if you want all three of them watched at once, then we’re going to have to have some help.”

Christian sighed. The young man had a point. But even the oafish Emery presumably would notice the sudden appearance of a legion of spies. And they would need a veritable army to watch all the doors, inside, outside, and below in the cellars, let alone any hiding places he had yet to discover. Christian scowled. This ghost-routing business was turning out to be far more difficult than he had expected.

Conceding the problem, he nodded to Alf. No man could be three places at once. But now he knew no more about the movements of the three cousins than before the specter’s appearance. Had one of them managed to sneak ahead to reach the great hall before he and Mr. Smythe and Miss Parkinson arrived? But how could anyone manage to dangle… whatever it was… from the vaulted ceiling?

“I take it old Boundefort showed himself?” Alf asked, canny lad that he was.

“He did indeed,” Christian said. “Or rather, something did. It was hard to see up there in the shadows.”

“Up there?” Alf asked.

Christian nodded absently. “Yes, he was sort of floating around the rafters.”

“He was floating?” Alf asked, even his hardened voice rising a bit.

“Something was floating,” Christian amended.

“Well, how the devil did it get up there?” Alf asked.

“That’s what I intend to find out,” Christian declared. Alf gave him a sidelong look as if to say that he didn’t envy that task. Christian was none too keen on it himself. Either the specter had disappeared into thin air

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