‘But there is no-one foreign that we know of around here,’ Perry objected.
‘What if we were to hold a dinner party?’ Theo said. ‘We know so much now that we can start to drop hints, make suggestions. Surely we can provoke some reaction, someone might betray themselves. We could invite all the guests from the original one that the Swinburns held, plus Jared.’
‘And Gerard Redfern. We can vouch for his absolute discretion,’ Perry said to Hogget. ‘It would be useful to have a lawyer present. But would the Swinburns accept after that scene here the other day?’
‘Write that you would be sorry to be at odds with your neighbours and would like to extend a hand of reconciliation,’ Laura suggested. ‘Say that on consideration you can understand how they might have been suspicious of the situation here and how anxious they must be about me. They are not going to be able to resist feeling superior because you are apparently apologising – and the thought of a dinner party with two viscounts and a fashionable lawyer will appeal to the Rector and Mrs Finch. If you invite the Jenners and their daughters, their mama will be in ecstasies.’
‘I think I had best remain out of sight,’ Will said.
‘Along with me and Charlotte, Pitkin and Flynn,’ Laura said. ‘We can watch and take notes and might be useful witnesses.’
‘How about adding Lieutenant Morefleet to the observers?’ Theo said. ‘With his three Dragoons secreted in the kitchen. If we do unmask this traitor they are hardly likely to surrender quietly and it all adds to the official weight of what we are doing. Hogget, do you have government identification that you can show Morefleet? I can’t imagine he’ll be willing to commit his troops to arresting one of the local gentry without more than our say-so.’
‘Yes, and I will write to Whitehall today. Besides keeping them informed it will be useful to have a correlation between the dates in those notes and the disappearance of agents. We had best say a week today for your dinner party. That will give us time to hear what Whitehall has to say, to brief Morefleet and your lawyer friend and to plan our attack.’
‘I had best compose my dignified, but conciliatory, letters of invitation in that case,’ Perry said with a grimace. ‘And I’ll alert Redfern.’
Laura looked across the table at Theo. Unlike the others who seemed energised and cheered by the prospect of action he had fallen silent and was staring at the opposite wall with a kind of bleak blankness in his expression.
‘I need to go to London,’ he said abruptly. He caught her looking at him and the colour came up over his cheekbones. ‘I’ll take your letter to the Home Office if you want, Hogget. That will be more secure than the Mails.’
Charlotte started to gather up the scattered papers as the footmen cleared the breakfast table. ‘We’ll take these home and continue sorting them. I will make sure all the ones that relate to church matters are kept safe,’ she added with a smile for Will.
Laura moved out of the way of Terence balancing a pile of plates and heard Jared say quietly to Theo, ‘Are you calling on Lady Penelope Haddon?’
‘Yes.’ Theo was curt. ‘There’s nothing useful I can do here.’ He turned to Perry. ‘I’ll leave just as soon as Pitkin can pack and I will call on you to pick up your London post, Hogget. I’ll be back for the dinner party.’
I should be glad, Laura told herself. He has accepted the inevitable. I can stop foolishly daydreaming about something that I was never meant to have.
‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ she said brightly, not turning as Theo went out with the Hoggets.
‘Consult with Mrs Bishop on a menu and try and work out how to conceal five observers where they can overhear what goes on,’ Perry said, looking more than a little harassed. ‘And help me with this confounded letter. If I sound too apologetic they’ll smell a rat and if I’m
too high-handed they’ll take offence.’
Theo set Pitkin to pack and went out to the stables. ‘Waggett, I want the coach ready in half an hour. We’re going to London. Jed, I want you to stay here, help Lord Manners and his staff protect Miss Darke and Mr Thwaite. We’re still not out of the woods with this, but we’re getting somewhere. Flynn will tell you what’s happening. Today’s Friday. I’ll be back Tuesday at the latest.’
‘Who is going to spell Tom?’ Jed asked. ‘There and back in a few days with no groom?’
‘I will,’ Theo said shortly and ignored Jed’s raised eyebrows. Driving would settle him more than sitting brooding in the carriage.
Pitkin came downstairs with a valise in each hand as he returned to the hall. Terence followed him with the trunk.
‘I’m only going for two days, three at most.’
‘You will be calling on Lady Penelope,’ Pitkin said. ‘There may well be evening engagements.’ He was looking positively disapproving.
Theo told himself it was the effect of the severe hair cut and poked his head around the study door. Perry was sitting at the desk, in the act of pushing a half-written page towards Laura. ‘Back Tuesday, latest. I’ve left you Jed Tucker.’
Perry looked up, his expression guarded. ‘Thank you. I’m inviting the Swinburns and the others for the Friday. If I can ever get this confounded letter right.’
‘You’ll manage. Goodbye, Laura.’
‘Good bye.’ She smiled faintly and went back to jotting notes.
She knows I am going to see Penelope, I told her I would try and extricate myself from the engagement – so why is she so cool? He made his farewells to Jared and Flynn and went out to find the carriage standing at the front door.
In fact no-one seemed very happy with him all of a sudden, he concluded as Waggett sent the horses into a trot. If Perry or Jared thought he should stay and help guard the place, or make plans for the dinner party they were more than capable of saying so, which made their constraint hard to understand. Pitkin was still looking stuffed, Jed had looked on the verge of criticising him…