Page 60 of A Scandalous Bargain
Instead, she continued inside. Several lanterns burned inside the shop and cast eerie shadows. There was no one in sight.
“Good afternoon?” Beatrix again lowered her voice in an attempt to sound masculine. She strolled to a glass case that displayed several items of jewelry. A necklace with a large pendant of coral caught her eye. A flower was carved into the coral, which was a deep red.
Her call was answered by the scuff of shuffling feet. Beatrix turned her head to see a tall but slightly stooped man come from behind a curtain hanging in a doorway. He squinted at Beatrix as he moved toward her.
She straightened next to the glass case. “Your brother-in-law sent me. I would like to commission a demi-parure of paste jewelry.”
“Paste?”
She nodded. “To look like emeralds. A necklace, earrings, and a bracelet.”
“I have something that will suit.” He began to pivot.
Taking two large steps toward him, she held up her hand. “No, I need you to make the set to my specifications.”
His brow creased as he studied her a moment. “All right. I’ll need you to describe what you want while I draw it.” He waved her toward a table on the left side of the shop. Two sconces burned over it, providing the brightest space in the shop.
There were two chairs, and as she sat down, she realized it wasn’t a table but a desk. After he took the other chair, he opened a drawer and removed a piece of parchment and a pencil. Licking the end of the implement, he looked at her in expectation.
Beatrix described what she wanted in exacting detail. As she spoke, he sketched the pieces, giving them form before her eyes.
“Like this?”
“Perfect, thank you. How much?”
He gave her a price that was well within what she’d just gotten at the receiver shop.
“When will they be ready?”
“In a week.”
She frowned. Reaching into her coat, she took out most of the money from the receiver shop and laid it on the table. “Can you have them for me tomorrow?”
He looked down at the money before nodding at her. “Come after five.”
“Half now and half tomorrow.” She scooped up half the money and put it back into her coat before rising.
He looked up at her, keen interest gleaming in his gaze. “What do you want them for, miss?”
Beatrix exhaled and wondered if the shopkeeper at The Golden Lion had also seen through her disguise. If not, his brother-in-law would probably reveal her secret. “I just want them. For myself. I would have preferred genuine emeralds, but your brother-in-law assured me your pieces would look authentic.”
“Aye, they will.”
She glanced toward the glass case that held the coral pendant. “I want the coral flower too. Have that ready with the rest, please.”
“Do you want to know how much it costs?”
“No. Do you want me to pay for it today?” She was confident she had enough money.
“Tomorrow is fine. It’s for you too?”
She shook her head. “For my sister. It’s a wedding gift. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Feeling satisfied with her errands, Beatrix hastened to catch a hackney back to Holles Street. As she made her way toward Cavendish Square, she contemplated how to get into the house without drawing notice. And whether the cook had said anything to anyone.
In the end, she went in the way she’d left and picked the same careful path through the lower level. This time, she was lucky enough to make it back to her chamber without encountering anyone. Now, she just had to duplicate that tomorrow when she returned to Marvin’s to fetch her set of jewels.
Then she’d have to accomplish an even greater feat when she crept into the duke’s house. Over the past several weeks, she’d learned many things about him and his house. In addition to spying on him from Tom’s garden, she’d also spoken to one of his stable boys. For a relatively small sum, he’d provided her with the household schedule as well as the house’s layout.
She just needed luck on her side, and she was due for a good dose of it.
