Catherine sighed.
“And no one realises until months have passed,” she said quietly.
Edmund nodded.
“Exactly,” he said. “By the time suspicions arise, the trail has gone cold.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“I brought him here,” he said. “I invited him to examine my holdings. He has walked through nearly every corridor of this house.”
“With practised charm,” Catherine said. “And precisely targeted interest.”
Edmund’s expression was grim.
“You are not the first,” he said. “But I hope you will be the last. If we handle this carefully, we may be able to stop him.”
Catherine shook her head in disbelief.
“What do you propose we do?” she asked.
Edmund thought for a moment as he reread the letter.
“I should like to continue observing,” he said. “But now with Marcus’s full cooperation. I believe Harold is searching for something specific. He asks too many questions, especially about items of high monetary value rather than historical significance. I can track which pieces he gravitates toward. If he does anything that raises any further suspicion, with your permission, I will act immediately.”
Marcus nodded emphatically, though he looked at Catherine before answering. When she nodded, he turned back to Edmund.
“You have our consent to do what you must to stop him,” he said.
Edmund folded the letter again and slipped it into his coat.
“Good,” he said. “I strongly recommend continuing to be vague with the remaining guests. However, I understand that we are among esteemed intellects, and that may not be possible. Use your discretion regarding how much you tell anyone.”
Marcus and Catherine nodded simultaneously.
“We will,” they said in unison.
Catherine bit her lip. The thought had not occurred to her until just then, but Mr Price—Edmund—could be in danger if he cornered a culprit without the authorities. Yet he had notseemed concerned at all about handling a confrontation alone. She thought it was odd. Why would he not be afraid?
The room was silent for several moments. It seemed they were all lost in their own thoughts, each trying to make sense of what lay before them and figure out what should be said next.
Catherine looked at Rosalind, who was standing familiarly close to Alexander. He was looking at her with warm sympathy and reassurance, even though the tightness at the corners of his mouth betrayed his own stress.
Catherine took a breath.
“What, precisely, do we need to do?” she asked.
Edmund unfolded another sheet of paper and placed it on the desk.
“This is a list of the items most at risk,” he said. “Pieces of known value, easily transported, and not widely catalogued. He tends to select items that will not be immediately missed. We need to secure these quietly. He must not suspect that we are aware of the threat.”
“We must see that the artefacts of our other guests are safeguarded also,” Marcus said at last.
Alexander nodded.
“I believe that is the first priority,” he said. “But how are we to help everyone guard their prized pieces without thereby alarming them?”
Rosalind shook her head.
