Chapter Ten
Persephone and Conall met Priya in the late duchess’s private parlor in the family wing. The duke opened it for his goddaughters’ use, as long as they did not change the décor. It still had the silk wallpaper patterned with spring-green leaves and the footstools with the gold fringe that Persephone had loved to play with as a child. She had only met the duchess a few times before a fever had claimed her. While her husband loved all things ancient, the duchess had been enamored of…hedgehogs. Crystal and china hedgehogs lined the mantlepiece and marched along the windowsills. They were a cheerful addition, as cheerful as Lady Pendleton had been.
Persephone wasn’t sure what she would have thought of her personal morning parlor being converted to a war room. Needs must.
“Meg is fussing with her paintings and Tamsin is trying to get a game of cricket going, thank God,” Priya said. “We’d never be able to keep her out of this if she saw us congregating so privately.”
“I made a list of everyone at Lady Culpepper’s house party,” Persephone said as Conall went to stand by the window. It was difficult not to notice the way the morning light gilded his profile and flashed off his coat buttons. “And especially everyone on the terrace the day of the accident.”
Conall perused the list. “Very comprehensive,” he said.
“The ones on the row on the left were on the terrace when the urn fell,” she said.
“Four collectors and two antiquarians. And they match my own recollections. Not a bad place to start.
“I’ll start inquiries,” Priya said.
“Henry did mention it was a peer of the realm,” Persephone added. “So we know that, at the very least. And indeed, only another peer could wield the power to seriously testify against him.” She glanced at her list. “We have Lord Darrington, Lord Snettisham, Lord Fairweather, and Sir Barton though I’m not sure he’d have the clout for spy work. Or to take on Henry. He is an earl’s son, after all.”
“They were on my list as well when we came here,” Priya said. “And several others but they’ve only now arrived so we can likely count them out.”
“Not entirely,” Conall said. “But they can certainly wait. What do we know of Snettisham?”
“He likes to race his curricle,” Priya offered. “Only he’s not very good at it. He owes a substantial amount to several earls and to two gaming hells in London.”
“Is the amount enough to risk his life and reputation in a scheme to pay them off?”
“Ten thousand pounds.”
Persephone couldn’t stifle a small gasp. “That much? On wagering?”
Priya nodded. “It’s not unusual. He’s very kind, so most of his creditors are willing to wait. That part is unusual.”
“Anything else?” Conall pressed.
“If it wasn’t for me, he’d have spent a fortune on a bust of Aphrodite made right here in England and nowhere near Athens,” Persephone put in. “He’s passably good at knowing the provenance of an Egyptian piece but dismal when it comes to marbles.”
“Noted. And Darrington?”
“He is on the market for a countess and popular with the ladies. He has two mistresses.”
“He sounds expensive.”
“He is. And he also takes very good care of his younger sisters who are both away at school. They want for nothing. He bought a second house strictly to decorate in the Egypt fashion.”
Persephone felt a stab of envy. “He does have a grand collection, nearly as good as Lord Fairweather. And Lord Darrington was in the barrow that morning I went down to have a closer look around,” Persephone remembered. “It was also the day I found the flask from the burial in the Culpepper library. Someone took it out of the burial I’d opened.”
“Perhaps they thought you’d found something inside it,” Conall suggested. “Such as a letter.”
“Perhaps. But it could just have easily been a well-meaning footman.”
“I would be more inclined to believe that if it hadn’t been followed closely by your own collection being tossed and an urn falling on your head.”
“Fair point.”
“Fairweather is persona non grata in this house,” Priya said. “He might be allowed to visit the exhibit but that’s it. He’ll never be invited to the balls or any soirees. Pendleton is nursing a grudge.”
“That might push him to be reckless,” Conall said. “As the best of the Egyptian pieces are reserved for the house ballroom, correct?” Persephone nodded. “Do we know why he’s been banished?”