"She ought to marry the Duke," I whispered, "if only for the sake of
wearing the wonderful pink pearls."
My companion smiled.
"She would look better in them than any woman in the world," she agreed.
"The pity of it is that she would only be able to wear them up here, and
for a woman of her cosmopolitan tastes, Westmoreland would seem a little
confining."
"But if she were Duchess of Lorringham?"
My companion shook her head.
"The jewels are a very solemn family trust," she told me. "I believe I
am right in saying that they cannot be taken out of the United Kingdom.
One of the famous tiaras was stolen about a hundred years ago in London,
and the deed of trust was amended then. I suppose it is quite all
right," she went on meditatively, "but in a way it seems a cruel thing
to keep jewels of such value practically hidden."
We gave our little entertainment that evening, after which a great
pianist who had travelled down from London gave a recital, Faraday made
more magic, and a girl, who was one of the house party, danced. All the
time our host never left the Princess's side. There was no doubt at all
but that he was deeply in love with her. She, for her part, won all
hearts. She was gracious and charming to every one. She seemed, indeed,
to the Duke's delight, to almost assume at times the position of
gracious chatelaine. A thought came to me during the evening and I
sought out young Formby, with whom Leonard and I had become quite
intimate. I found him with some of the younger spirits in the billiard
room. I drew him on one side whilst he was waiting to play his shot at
pool.
"Formby," I said, "I don't want to seem impertinent but I should like to
ask you a question."
"Go ahead," the young man invited.
"Is the Duke a rich man?" I asked.
Formby looked at me in astonishment.
"What on earth makes you ask a question like that?" he demanded
curiously.
"Well, I really haven't any reason," I hastened to assure him. "I just
wondered, that's all."
"The Duke," he told me impressively, "is one of the richest men in
England. He spends money in a princely fashion but he has never yet
succeeded in spending half his income. What about a game of snooker--you
and Cotton, too, if he likes? We are breaking up after this. Sir Charles
wants to dance."
I left Cotton there and went in search of Rose. I found her on the
balcony in our own sitting room, looking down at the guests--strange,
picturesque figures as they strolled about the moon-dappled lawn,
listening to the music.
"Maurice," she asked me, as I sank into a chair by her side, "have you
found out yet what we are here for?"
"I haven't the faintest idea," I replied. "The chief has been even less
communicative than usual. It seems to have something to do with the
jewels and that is all I know."
"You don't think," she went on nervously, "that by any chance we are
sent here to aid in any attempt to steal them?"
"No, I don't think that," I assured her. "Where the chief stands
sometimes I can't quite make up my mind, but I don't think a jewel
robbery, even on such a scale as this, is quite in his line. If our
presence here has anything to do with jewels at all, and I think it
has," I added, dropping my voice, "I should say that we were here
indirectly to aid their guardians."
"Then why doesn't the Duke mention it to us?" she asked curiously.
"It's beyond me," I confessed.
She laid her hand upon my arm and drew me very near indeed.
"Maurice," she whispered, "there's something wrong about Faraday."
"Go on," I begged her.
"Well, for one thing, then, what does he want with a ninety horse-power
car, concerning which he hasn't said a word to any of us? I saw him
driving it in the lower stretches of the park this morning."
"Well, that might be any man's hobby," I replied. "What else?"
"I found him poring over a map this afternoon," she continued. "I looked
over his shoulder. It was a road map of Westmoreland, and I am perfectly
certain that he was tracing out the road from here to the sea. It is
only twenty miles."