Part 7 (1/2)

Simon looked blank. ”Jim . . . ?”

”Huang,” I said. ”He's working on a project for your uncle. He knows this collection like the back of his hand and he's slightly unhinged when it comes to keeping the books in order. He'd notice if anything was damaged, missing, or out of place.”

”Has he noticed any such thing?” Simon asked.

”Nope.” I rested my elbows on my knees. ”Jim also told me that the library's almost always in use, either by him or by your uncle.”

”Which would make un.o.bserved access difficult.” Simon steepled his fingers. ”If Mr. Huang's as protective of the books as you seem to think, I doubt that he'd cut them up, and I refuse to suspect my uncle of threatening me or burning the turtledove. Who else has been in the library and when?”

”I don't think it matters, because there's something else. . . .” It was a detail that had been niggling at me ever since Dimity had mentioned the odd typeface that had helped her catch her poison pen. ”Did you bring the note with you?”

Simon clenched his jaw as he leaned forward to pull the folded sheet from his back pocket. The movement seemed to cause him such discomfort that I scooted over and knelt beside his chair, to save him the trouble of handing the note across to me. I took the folded sheet, spread it flat on the arm of his chair, and felt a small rush of elation.

”Look,” I said, pointing to each individual letter. ”The letters aren't just different sizes, they're different colors as well. And the fonts aren't standard fonts, they're . . . whimsical.”

”A whimsical death threat,” Simon noted dryly. ”There's an original idea.”

”My point is,” I said eagerly, ”whoever pasted together your death threat used children's books. We shouldn't be down here at all. We should be in-”

”The nursery,” Simon whispered, ”where no one ever goes.” His blue eyes glowed with admiration. ”Lori, you are brilliant. I'd never have thought of the nursery on my own. How can I ever repay you?”

”By telling me the truth.” I gazed at him steadily and pointed to the death threat. ”Is this the first poison-pen letter you've received?”

Simon lifted an eyebrow. ”Why do you ask?”

”It's something Oliver said,” I replied. ”He told me that something's been troubling you for some time.”

”Oliver said that?” Simon seemed surprised.

”He's an observant sort of guy,” I said, ”and he's worried about you, so it occurred to me that-”

Giddings chose that moment to make an ill-timed and unwelcome entrance.

”Pardon me, sir, madam.” The manservant bowed to Simon. ”Lord Elstyn requires your presence in the study, sir.”

”Now?” Simon asked.

”Immediately, sir. Lord Elstyn was adamant.” Giddings bowed again and departed.

Simon gave an exasperated sigh, refolded the note, and thrust it into my hands. ”You go ahead to the nursery, Lori. The north wing, third story, above my room and yours. I'll join you as soon as I can.”

He got to his feet so slowly that it was all I could do to keep myself from reaching out to support him.

”Are you sure you're okay?” I asked.

”Never better.” He took a shallow breath, squared his shoulders, and went to face his uncle.

”And people wonder why I don't ride horses,” I muttered, and set off to find the nursery.

Ten.

As I climbed the main staircase, it dawned on me that I might not want all and sundry to see the poison-pen letter Simon had pa.s.sed into my keeping. My tweed skirt had no pockets, so I tucked the folded sheet into the waistband at the back, where my cardigan would conceal it.

I was straightening my sweater when Emma came running up the stairs, calling my name. She'd exchanged her riding gear for a crimson lambswool sweater and slim black trousers. Her face was ruddy from the morning's equestrian adventure and she seemed in high spirits.

”Have you seen Derek?” she asked when she reached me.

I started to reply but fell silent when a stout, red-haired maid walked briskly across the second-story landing, carrying an armload of towels. I waited until the maid had disappeared into the south wing, then drew Emma over to sit beside me on an embroidered bench on the landing.

”I haven't seen Derek.” I lowered my voice to keep other prowling servants from overhearing our conversation. ”I heard him, though, him and his father, a couple of hours ago, downstairs in the entrance hall. He took your advice, Emma. He told Edwin about Kit and Nell.”

Emma kept her own voice low. ”How did Edwin take it?”

I rubbed my chin meditatively. ”He threatened to shoot Kit, but he didn't say one word about sending Nell to a convent, so on the whole it didn't go too badly.”

”Shoot Kit?” Emma repeated, her eyes widening in dismay.

”Only if he comes here,” I told her. ”Which seems unlikely. I know I should've kept track of Derek, but-”

”It's okay,” Emma interrupted, and ducked her head. ”Derek's right, Lori. I've been far too melodramatic about his homecoming. Now that I've had a chance to meet his cousins, I'm not worried about any of them murdering him in his sleep. If there's fighting to be done, it'll be done with lawyers, not daggers.” She touched my arm. ”I'm sorry I worried you.”

”What are friends for?” I said, and heaved a private sigh of relief. Emma had unwittingly spared me the impossible task of rea.s.suring her without betraying Simon's confidence. ”You seem to be settling in.”

”I was nervous at dinner last night,” Emma admitted, ”but Oliver bent over backwards to put me at ease. Edwin's been decent to me, too, though I suspect he's following Nell's instructions rather than his own inclinations.”

”Nell must be tickled pink to have you here,” I said.

”She is,” Emma agreed. ”I wish Derek and his father weren't so p.r.i.c.kly with each other. Nell would love to invite us here more often.”

”Do you think she'd like to live here permanently?” I asked.

”Definitely,” said Emma. ”Hailesham Park is her natural habitat. She was born to reign here.”

”But she doesn't stand a chance of reigning here unless Derek reigns here first,” I observed.

”Aye, there's the rub.” Emma touched a finger to her wire-rimmed gla.s.ses. ”I have to admit that, after my ride this morning, I'm prejudiced in favor of Hailesham.”

”I take it you had a good time,” I said.

Emma's face lit up. ”I had a ball, though I was completely outcla.s.sed. Claudia's not as silly as she seems, Lori. She rides almost as well as Nell.”

”And Simon?” I put in casually.

”Simon's a centaur,” Emma said, laughing. ”He took a spill on his second go over the hurdles, but that's hardly surprising. It was his first time up on Deacon.”

”Is Deacon the dappled gray?” I asked.