The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart

Author:Elsa Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

CHAPTER 20

The coffeehouse was located in Cornhill, one of the ancient hearts of London. Covo liked to say that the hill from which the ward took its name was molded and pushed into existence at the dawn of time by industrious moles of extraordinary size. Once blanketed in soft sedges and willows, the marshy soil now supported the stone and brick of one of the city’s most enterprising neighborhoods. Cecily and Meacan waited to speak until they had climbed into the dark interior of a hired coach and begun their jolting journey back toward the relative tranquility of the West End’s green squares and stately houses.

“I cannot help but feel slightly disappointed,” said Meacan. “I thought that of any of them, Inwood was the most likely murderer.”

Cecily tried not to bite her tongue as the coach wheels plunged from one depression to another. “I was less suspicious of him once I learned the sum he was to pay for the collection. That weakened his motive. And now that we know he is facing ruin and cannot pay, I do not see that he has any motive at all.”

“At least not to our knowledge,” said Meacan. “I’m impressed, by the way, that you deduced all of that from the name of a ship.”

“It wasn’t only the Nuestra Señora,” said Cecily. “It was also the inventory.”

Meacan put out an arm to brace herself as the coach swung around a corner. “What does the inventory have to do with it?”

Cecily explained. “Lady Mayne has made it abundantly clear that she dislikes the collection, and wants to be rid of it as soon as possible. The first time I spoke with her, she told me she didn’t anticipate it remaining in the house above a week. Why, then, would she commission you to complete an inventory? Even if she didn’t expect it to take two months, she must have known it would take time.”

Meacan considered the question. “She told me it’s what her husband would have wanted.”

“Yes, but I wonder if it was someone else who convinced her of that.”

“Inwood,” said Meacan. “Of course. He doesn’t want to damage his reputation by admitting that he can’t afford the contracted price, so he’s trying to give himself time to raise the money.”

“Precisely.” The carriage turned onto a crowded market street and slowed almost to a crawl, making it easier for Cecily to speak. “My guess is that Inwood suggested the inventory and, to ensure that it would take as long as possible, recommended that Lady Mayne hire you to do it.”

A laugh burst from Meacan. “Thank you very much for implying I owe my employment to an assumption of my incompetence.”

“An erroneous assumption,” Cecily assured her.

“As far as deductions go,” Meacan went on, “I may not have guessed the true inspiration for the inventory or recognized the name of a phantom shipwreck, but I did know there was something wrong about Inwood. From the beginning, he has been too agreeable.”

Cecily cocked her head. “I’ve never considered a personable demeanor to be an indication that something is wrong.

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