Page 9 of The Stolen Sparkler
“Did they see you put it there?”
“My back was turned to them, so I couldn’t say.”
“But they could see you from where they were standing.”
She breathed an easy sigh. She must have figured out where I was headed with my questions. In a firmer voice, she said, “Yes, milady. They could.”
“You’re doing very well, Martha. Now if we could move on to other questions. Is there any chance someone saw you deliver the necklace?” I asked. “Did you encounter anyone on the way?”
Martha’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head slowly. “No, my lady. The hallways were quiet. I took care to be discreet.”
The duke, who had been watching the exchange in silence, spoke up. “Where was the rest of the staff?”
“Well, it was time for our tea, Your Grace, so they were in the staff dining room, close to the kitchen.”
“All of them?” the duke asked.
“I believe so.”
“But you couldn’t swear to it.”
“No, Your Grace. After I stored the jewelry box in Lady Eleanor’s vanity, milady released me so I could have my tea as well. I was very excited about the ball. That was all everyone could talk about.”
“Who was there?”
“Well, Cook, of course, the housekeeper, the butler.” She continued to enumerate all the people who’d been in the staff dining room. While she did so, I jotted down the names on the notebook I always carry with me which I use to write my thoughts. In this instance, it would provide a record of everything surrounding this investigation.
“Is that it?” Steele asked when she was finished.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“You’ve done a fine job, Martha,” I said. “Thank you. That will be all.”
“Ta, milady.” She curtsied again before leaving us.
I turned to the duke once she was gone. “She’s telling the truth.”
“She may be,” he replied, his expression unreadable.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of interviews. While I spoke to the female servants in the housekeeper’s room, Steele questioned the men in the butler’s pantry.
I faced an array of anxious maids, laundry women, kitchen staff, and everything in between. They all had stories—some conflicting, some vague, and some suspiciously rehearsed. But it all added up to the same conclusion. All of them had been too busy with their chores to wander into Eleanor’s room and steal the necklace. And if they had, their absence would have been noted.
By the time I was finished, my head was spinning. It was a relief to finally step out of the stuffy room and breathe the cooler evening air filtering through the hallways. I made my way to myroom so I could write a report of what I’d heard before dressing for supper.
I couldn’t very well claim yet another headache, so I spent the time after the evening meal socializing with the other guests. The time seemed to crawl by. But finally, around eleven, Eleanor suggested we seek our beds as she had much planned for the next day.
When I finally met the duke in the study, I was drooping with fatigue. It was no wonder as I’d had an early start this morning, followed by a full day. After a brief discussion, the duke suggested I read the report I’d brought. I didn’t get far before I was stumbling through it, slurring my words.
It didn’t take long for the duke to stop me. “Lady Rosalynd?”
I turned bleary eyes to him. “Yes, Your Grace.”
“You seem . . . exhausted.” His voice seemed to accuse more than care.
So, of course, my temper got the better of me. “I’ve been up since dawn, Your Grace. I arrived at Needham Hall looking forward to days of holiday merriment, only to become embroiled in an investigation. I now find myself consoling Eleanor, questioning staff, putting up with obnoxious cousins. And if all that were not enough, I’m now being censured by an overbearing duke.”
That brow of his took a hike. “I haven’t been dressed down that forcefully since my school days.”
