Page 23 of The Lady Glass
She had done it again and revealed too much. She swatted her mouth with her hand. “Theresia!” she whined, scolding herself with another swat at her lips.
“At least now I know what to look for so you can remain far away from Ashbury Court.”
She straightened in her seat. “Then, you will help me?”
“Isn’t that what you wrote to me about? To elicit my assistance?”
“Well, yes, but that was before I claimed to your friends that I was... you know.”
He chuckled, his lips barely smiling. “I do know. Were you this much of a handful for Mrs. Stone?”
She relaxed back, the hope of his offer filling her with needed peace. “Not at all. I never caused any trouble at school. In fact, I was a paragon of how a lady should behave. A lot of good it did me.”
He raised his brow, but she had said enough. Too much, really. “What about you? How long have you been in the spy business?”
He smirked again. “You do not mince words.”
She shrugged. “Perhaps I held them in for too many years. Besides, you cannot think less of me than you already do.”
Taking his time to answer again, he finally said, “I think of myself as a soldier, not a spy. When your countrymen’s lives are at risk, you will do anything to protect them.”
It was not much by way of an explanation, but she had a feeling it was all he would offer. And it was probably more than he would have said to most. “You might not think well of me or my opinion, but you are a good man, Rolland Reese, aren’t you?”
His eyes narrowed. “After meeting you, I cannot say what sort of man I am. I’m hiding women in my room and secreting them home in my carriage.”
It was her turn to laugh. “Fair enough.”
Apparently he did not find his own joke amusing, though, because he rubbed the skin between his brows like the very thought brought on a headache. “Tell me about this vase so I can search better. What does it look like? I imagine there are dozens of vases at Ashbury Court.”
“No vases like mine. It is the finest bohemian crystal you have ever seen, created by a renowned master craftsman. The facets are cut so finely that they glitter like diamonds, and the base is of solid gold. But the gems embedded in the top make it truly unique and valuable.”
“And someone discovered the worth of this vase and stole it from you?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“What can you tell me about the thief? Finding him will lead me to the vase.”
“I did not see his face, but he spoke French.”
“French, you say?” His eyes looked far away for a moment.
“Yes, I have a good ear for languages, and I am fairly good with tones because of years of music lessons. I am quite positive I would know his voice again if I heard it.”
“Do you really think so? There are plenty of people in England who speak French.”
“But how many of them are at your house party?”
Rolland eyed her, clearly surprised by her logic. “What did this man want with your vase? To collect it? Sell it? Did you hear him say anything in particular?”
“Nothing substantial. He said it would support his cause, but he wasn’t specific. He also mentioned a debt in need of repaying, but there was none my family owed... not monetarily that I canimagine.”
“A cause and a debt. I wonder . . .”
“Wonder what?”
“I wonder if your thief is related to our traitor.”
Theresia pushed her back into her seat. Had she been chasing after someone so dangerous? She thought of the thief in London and the way he had swung at her. She squeezed her eyes shut. The carriage pulled to a stop at just that moment, and the motion pulled her back to the present. She suddenly had a feeling that she was risking more than her reputation when it came to finding her vase.
