It was on the tip of Sophia’s tongue to say, ‘Well, at least, the Miss Harvell are honest,’ but at the last moment kept quiet. At least Delilah was talking now. It wouldn’t do to antagonise her too much or else her aunt wouldn’t be inclined to tell her what she really wanted to know. Like why she was stealing in the first place.
“You cannot continue to help yourself to items that aren’t yours. As much as you might like to think that you are owed something from someone, you are committing a crime. At some point, someone is going to catch you in the act. What do you intend to do then? You will face a heck of a long time in jail given how much has gone missing.”
Delilah didn’t argue. Sophia suspected it was because she knew she was right. It was evident to her then that there was no love lost between her and her aunt. In fact, Delilah didn’t seem to like her at all and that, as far as Sophia was concerned, was a testament to just how selfish Delilah could really be. Sophia had never done anything to her aunt to offend her or cause her any upset in any way. There was no reason for her aunt to look on her as scornfully as she was looking at her now. It went some way toward hardening Sophia’s heart against the pretence of solemnity, and continue to probe until she got the answers she needed to make a decision on how best to deal with the matter.
“So?” Delilah asked after several moments of silence.
“So, what?” Sophia was bursting with questions, and trying to decide which one to ask first.
“What do you plan to do now that you know you are sharing the house with a thief? Are you going to scurry off to the magistrate like a dutiful little citizen should? Or are you going to report me to your controlling father?” Although no trace of it showed on Delilah’s face, mockery was evident in her tone.
“No, I am not going to do anything,” Sophia replied carefully. She mentally shook her head in disgust when Delilah began to smile in triumph. Before her aunt got too confident, Sophia threw her a stern look. “You, however, are.”
Before Delilah could say anything else, Sophia slid the two trinket boxes across the table.
“You are going to return them to their rightful owner as soon as possible. I don’t care where you leave them, but they go back. That son of the Lord’s, Jebediah, is far too watchful for his own good. Taking those boxes was a stupid and reckless thing to do right under their noses. It would have served you right if they caught you red-handed. Whatever the risks, you can, and will, take them back to where they belong.” She held her hand up when her aunt took a breath. Sophia knew from the look in her eye that she was going to argue, but wasn’t prepared to listen. “Then you are going to return all of the other stolen items that are left in the house, and then you will stop stealing. Take two or three at a time when you go to these social functions, and leave them somewhere they can be found.”
“I can’t,” Delilah protested. She looked horrified at the prospect.
“Yes. You can. You took them quickly enough so you can replace them. If you don’t, I shall take the items straight to the magistrate along with a list of all of the people who have had items stolen. Your arrest shall see to it that you are scorned by everyone in this village. Even if you get a lenient sentence, when you are released you will soon learn that nobody wants a thief in their midst, Delilah. You will find it next to impossible to live somewhere like here then.”
Sophia watched colour flood her aunt’s face, and knew Delilah was furious. Before she could threaten to throw her out again Sophia stood. The look she levelled on her aunt was far older than her years but stern enough to make Delilah look at her worriedly.
“Until the items are all returned to their rightful owners -” Sophia declared coldly “- I am going nowhere. Just to make sure you don’t steal anything else, I shall accompany you everywhere you go. From this moment forth, you shall not take any bags, cloaks, or reticules with you whenever you attend your social engagements. You shall only wear dresses, but no pockets, and if I see one item, just one, Delilah, appear in this house that isn’t yours, I am going straight to the magistrate.”
“You don’t understand,” Delilah protested. “I don’t remember where they all came from. I cannot return anything.”
Sophia hesitated in the doorway and shook her head because she knew her aunt was lying. She knew who the owner of the trinket boxes was because Delilah had only stolen the boxes last night. Determined that her aunt wouldn’t cower behind any excuse, Sophia scowled at her.
“Then return them to one of the guests who have had items stolen. The fact they are in their house and they don’t own them will be enough to raise discussions amongst the group the next time they meet. The rightful owner will come forward once they recognise their belongings. Return different items to various guests and then nobody will have the unfair finger of blame pointed at them. You found it easy enough to take them. I am sure you will find it easy enough to return them.”
“Unless the guests keep the returned items for themselves,” Delilah protested with a sneer. “The Harvells are impoverished, you know.”
“You are the dishonest one around here, Delilah. Don’t judge everybody by your own base standards.”
“I can’t do this by myself, Sophia. You must help me.”
Sophia shook her head. “I didn’t take them. Besides, why should I help you?”
“You should help me because we are family, Sophia.” Delilah slumped into a chair beside the table and stared blankly at the trinket boxes. “I don’t know where half of the things came from. I just decided to take them on a spur of the moment. You know, once saw them I studied their size, determined whether they would fit in my bag or not, then swiped them once nobody was looking. It can be done very quickly with nobody any the wiser they have gone until I am out of the house and on my way home.”
“What if someone ever stopped you?” Sophia challenged. “Have you ever considered that? What if someone noticed and questioned you as you were leaving the house?”
“They won’t. Leaving these places is usually chaos. I time my departure usually to coincide with the Harvells’. They are generally twittering on about stuff and nonsense and divert everybody’s attention nicely. I haven’t been caught yet. Why, the country bumpkins around here have no clue it is me. They just sit at their dinner tables, o
r in their sitting rooms, tattle-tailing about it and wondering. Nobody actually does anything.”
It disturbed Sophia to see just how proud her aunt appeared to be of her crimes, and wondered if Delilah would ever stop. It all seemed like a strange game of chance to her, only the stakes were considerably higher than she appeared to realise if she ever got caught.
“Help me,” Delilah pleaded when Sophia didn’t say anything.
“I am not putting them back for you,” Sophia snorted disparagingly. “You took them so you can return them. It is as simple as that.”
“But how? Which ones do I take back? I can’t go back to Briggleberry, because other than when I am invited to one of those dinner things, I don’t move in their circles.”
Sophia wondered if Delilah was being deliberately obstructive. It didn’t take a genius to work it out, but her arguments warned Sophia that her aunt was reluctant to part with the goods now that she had them.
“We have been invited to take tea next Friday with the Harvells.”