Next, Grayson stepped to the hearth, hunkering down before it and poking through the remains of the fire with a stick, searching for a scrap of paper or telltale trace of wood, but there was only a blackened log and lots of ashes.
“Nothing,” Grayson said, leaning back on his heels in frustration.
“I told you,” Tom said.But his words lacked their usual spite, whether because of his interest in helping Lucy or his improved mood, Grayson could not tell.
“It’s hopeless, my lord.”
Grayson lifted his head at that.“Nothing is hopeless,” he said.“If this place will not yield an answer, then we must find it elsewhere.Let’s look close at hand first.Here’s Hargate.”With a gloved finger, he drew an X in the dust of the floor, then a circle around it.“Now, I want you to tell me who lives within a ten-mile radius, all the way around.”
Tom looked at him blankly, then turned belligerent.“Who’s to say the fellow lives nearby?What makes you think it wasn’t one of your noble friends having a lark?”
Grayson eyed the coachman calmly.“Our imposter is no lord.”
Tom snorted.“Why?Because of what he did?”
“No,” Grayson said.“Because of what he didn’t do.He brought her no gifts, no trinkets of any sort indicative of wealth.And he wore no rings, no distinguishing jewelry, not even a watch fob.”
Tom gaped at him in amazement, while Grayson continued.“I questioned Lucy at great length yesterday,” he explained.“And I discovered that the fellow did not even have a substantial wardrobe, so we can rule out anyone with money.Of course, it is conceivable that our man was some penniless aristocrat passing through, but if so, where did he stay?How did he live?”
When Tom did not answer, Grayson went on.“No.I’ll wager that our imposter is a commoner.But not too common.A local farmer or traveling tinker would not be able to fool Lucy into thinking him a marquess.Therefore, I suspect him to be a member of the area’s gentry or someone of similar circumstances who was visiting for a time.Let us hope for the former, so that he can be more easily discovered.”
“I’ll be damned,” Tom muttered, staring at him.“You are a clever one.”
Grayson’s mouth curved wryly.“High praise from you, of course.Now, tell me of our suspects.”
Tom looked down at the markings in the dirt and crouched down across from Grayson.“Well, saying as this is north, there is nothing up that way but the old earl’s land.And west is your fancy place.South is the village, but there are few gentry living there.”He scratched his beard.“The squire’s house is a bit east of it.”
“Does he have a son?”Grayson asked.
Tom grinned.“Aye, but he’s too young to be chasing skirts.”
“Any other young men living there?”
Tom frowned thoughtfully.“Well, that’s the trouble, my lord.I’m not so sure of local gossip as I used to be, seeing as how we keep pretty much to ourselves these days.I think there’s a nephew or a cousin, someone in charge of the home farm at the squire’s, but I’ll have to check.”
He paused.“Then there’s the vicar.He’s got five boys, three that might be of an age.He lives east of the village, too,” Tom said, pointing to a point on the circle.“His sister has a house nearby.And there’s the small manor next to it.I’m not sure who’s living there now.”
Grayson studied the small marks on his makeshift map.“Then that area, southeast of Hargate, must be the focus of our investigation.The squire or the vicar and his people might have had guests for the winter, to say nothing of the residents of the manor.”
He lifted his head to fix Tom with a steady gaze.“I hesitate to show myself in the village, so I will have to rely upon you for the time being.”
To his surprise, the coachman nodded and puffed up his chest like a toad.
“Start today, when you take Meg in for supplies,” Grayson said.“She can help you.She has a good ear for gossip.You can let it be known that she is the new cook and hint at a change in fortunes at Hargate.Then perhaps our imposter, if he was frightened off by the girls’ lean circumstances, might come sniffing around again.”
As he waited for the coachman’s assent, Grayson wondered if he was entrusting his investigation to the wrong man.There was no love lost between Tom and himself, and he had considered sending Badcock.But the valet was a stranger and might have difficulty getting the villagers to talk to him.A local would be best, and Tom was it.
As if sensing his misgivings, the old man scratched his beard.“You’re a smart one, make no mistake,” he said, shaking his head.For a moment, Grayson thought he would refuse the task, but then his wrinkled face split into a wide grin.“You’re even beginning to make me think that you just might find the lad.”
Grayson acknowledged the compliment with a jerk of his head, but he could not help lifting a brow at the coachman’s lack of faith.“Of course I am going to find him,” he said with complete conviction.“I never fail.”
After Tom and Meg left for the village, Grayson sought out Kate, only to find that she and her sister were busy being fitted by Mrs.Leeds.If not for Lucy, he might have tossed all decorum to the winds and sat in on the session.Then again, the sight of a half naked Kate draped in silks and satins would have tested his already strained control.
Instead, he took the opportunity to walk through the house while Badcock took notes on its furnishings, condition, and potential problems.Obviously, the place had been neglected for years, and on top of that, various improvements, such as a bathing room, were sorely needed.
Again Grayson noticed the telltale signs of paintings that had been removed, and he was reminded that he must question Kate about the missing items—and about her guardian’s dubious financial support.
They ended their tour in the study where he had taken pen to paper yesterday, but now Grayson looked the room over more thoroughly.Although he had no compunctions about opening drawers and checking contents, he could discover no letters from the infamous Jasper or correspondence of any kind.What he did find, neatly tucked away, was the household account book.
