Mondrian had justbeen informed that Barney had finally turned up to his rooms. He was anxious to hear the news he wished for—the boy Shrimps could not at all prove he was a person named Jimmy Black.
Mondrian was certain he was not Jimmy Black, that he was in fact the Dedmont heir named Henry Conroy. But he must be certain there was no Jimmy Black before he could proceed.
Barney was led in.
“Well?” Mondrian said. “What did you discover?”
“He ain’t got no proof of his name, or so he says. I threatened him with going over the side of a bridge and into the Thames so I think he don’t got it. He had another of his propositions though.”
“Another ten pounds for a handkerchief?” Mondrian mused. “Take the job if you like, but if you’re caught don’t bother turning to me.”
Barney shuffled his feet. “It ain’t no handkerchief this time. You’ll hardly believe it, but Lady Rosalind Bennington what lives across the street wants to be kidnapped and she’ll pay twenty pounds for it.”
Mondrian paused. “Did you say shewishesto be kidnapped?”
Barney nodded. “These society people have some wild ideas. Shrimps says it’s all to make a duke run after the carriage and profess his undying love. At first I thought he was makin’ the whole thing up, but shedidwant to get robbed so that fella could see it. That little set-up was supposed to drive ’im to the altar but he’s kept out of her net so far.”
“Which duke?” Mondrian asked.
“He didn’t say, all I know is he’s tall.”
“Tell me the whole of the scheme,” Mondrian said, beginning to get an idea. He was planning to take Shrimps, otherwise known as Henry Conroy, and ransom him anyway. Why not take Lady Rosalind too, if she were determined to have herself kidnapped?
A duke, or her father, or both, might pay a nice purse to get her back. If he were very smart, and very lucky, he might someday soon find himself living in New York as a gentleman prince. The idea suited him very well.
“Sit down, lad,” he said to the boy. “I want you to take your time and relay absolutely everything you know about this Lady Rosalind and her interesting plan.”
*
Rosalind was lookingforward to the evening as much as she could to any evening that she did not suppose she would see Conbatten.
She and Miss Mayton were to go to a private theatrical.
Of course, they had such things in their own neighborhood from time to time, and then they were so often entertained in their own drawing room by Cordelia’s Desdemona. However, this was to be another thing entirely.
This theatrical evening was to be put on by three influential ladies of theton. Lady Rawley would host the evening and her particular friends, Mrs. Robinson and Lady Agatha, were to be her supporting actors.
They were to do a scene fromCymbeline, which Rosalind must admit was not her favorite Shakespeare play.
But favorite play or not, what a joy it would be to describe to Cordelia how it had all been staged and how it had come off. It was said that Lady Rawley put on the event every year and Cordelia was already thinking about how she might befriend Lady Rawley and become one of her company when it was her time to be out in society.
When Rosalind and Miss Mayton had left the house, Cordelia had a stack of books in her arms, determined to read over all of Shakespeare’s plays so she could be ready to tread Lady Rawley’s boards if such an opportunity were ever to present itself.
They found Lady Rawley to be a charming woman, though she greeted her guests in rather outlandish attire. She wore flowing white robes and carried a gold staff with an eagle fashioned atop it.
Lady Agatha was also dressed for the occasion. She was to be Cymbeline, the king, and was garbed in a heavy gold doublet over her dress, a gold crown sitting atop her head.
Mrs. Robinson’s bottom half was enormous and was arrayed in layers of removable skirts, as she explained to Miss Mayton. There was an overskirt, then a skirt made to look like trousers, then another skirt, then another skirt made to look like trousers, then a final skirt. She would not say why all these layers were necessary, but she hinted that there were many twists and turns to their version of the play.
Miss Mayton had been intrigued to hear of the skirts made to look like trousers and Mrs. Robinson had explained they were just usual skirts, but brown fustian cut out in the shape of trousers had been sewn on the front to give the idea.
The drawing room had been set up as a theater and it was very well done. A wood stage two feet high had been built and installed at one end and velvet covered chairs in rows formed a semi-circle round it.
At the other end of the drawing room were a series of sideboards heavy with all manner of food and drink.
“I think Papa would have enjoyed this,” Rosalind said. “But then, he was also eager to challenge Lord Cannerly to another game of piquet. I suppose one cannot be everywhere at once.”
“It is for the best, I think,” her aunt said. “After all, if your father had been bowled over by Lady Rawley’s performance, then Cordelia might have wondered if he liked it better than Desdemona and we should not wish…oh my goodness.”
