Page 34 of The Rum and The Fox

Keziah watched him as he went to pour himself a drink and felt certain that his spirits were in much the same disorder as her own.

“What is it, Ash?” she asked, and then gave him a rueful smile as he raised one eyebrow. “Well, apart from the obvious,” she added. “Has something happened?”

He shook his head and sat down opposite her. “No, no, nothing new,” he said, but he avoided her eyes as he spoke, and Keziah, who had seen a first rate liar in action on many occasions, felt certain that he wasn’t telling her the truth.

“Ash?” she said, an enquiring tone to his name that made him look back at her again. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing!” he replied, sounding rather irritated. “For God’s sake, you sound like my grandmother.”

Keziah snapped her mouth shut, deeply offended by that remark.

“Sorry,” he said, immediately contrite as he reached out a hand to her. Keziah stared at it but didn’t move. “The truth is that this business is wearing on my nerves and I’m blue-devilled. Shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Forgive me?”

She looked up then to see him giving her the expression of a wounded puppy and couldn’t help but give a choked laugh. She reached out and gave his fingers a brief squeeze.

“Forgiven,” she said, settling back in the chair. “The truth is, I’m feeling much the same way. Oh, Ash. Whatever are we to do?”

“Nothing we can do,” he said with a shrug. “Sit tight, see what happens.”

Keziah nodded, knowing there was sense in this, but finding the idea hard to endure.

“I’m afraid I’m being a terrible burden to you.”

He snorted at that, shaking his head. “Good God, yes, you are,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Forty staff kicking their heels, thirty five bedrooms … and that’s just here,” he exclaimed. “Don’t know how we’ll manage to keep you.”

Keziah couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Oh, don’t be absurd, you know very well what I meant.”

Ash nodded in agreement. “I do. I’d best ship you down to Chartley where there are more people to cope. Would you like to know how many staff are in that great mausoleum?” he demanded.

“No, I would not!” she retorted with a choked laugh. “And if you’re trying to impress me …” she began, with a theatrical sniff of disdain.

Ash snorted. “I wouldn’t dare,” he muttered, and something in his tone made her think he wasn’t joking.

He looked gloomy all at once and she wished she’d said nothing. She racked her brain for a topic to take his mind off things but came up empty. “Let’s have a game of cards,” she said with sudden inspiration. Ash looked sceptical but joined in the hunt for cards and gaming fish, which he felt sure were in the study somewhere. Where, precisely, he couldn’t remember, and so some time was spent in turning out drawers and exclaiming over things he’d thought lost many moons previous.

Finally, they sat down with the card table between them when there was a knock at the door and Grant appeared.

The butler was as aloof as ever as he intoned the very unwelcome news that Inspector Formby was wishful of speaking with his grace immediately.

Keziah noticed how the colour drained from the duke’s face at this information and stood to face the butler herself.

“At this hour?” she demanded with an indignant tone. “Certainly not. Tell him to go away and come back tomorrow.”

The butler inclined his head at this but looked to Ash for confirmation. “Yes, Grant,” Ash said, looking rather shaken. “I have an appointment to see him tomorrow afternoon, in any case. Surely it can wait until then?”

“I regret to say, your grace, that the inspector was quite insistent, and spoke of those wishful to obstruct the law in quite strenuous tones. I do not think it likely he will leave without seeing you.”

Ash swallowed and Keziah felt a chill of foreboding that he knew something that she did not.

“Very well, Grant. If I can’t escape him, you’d best send him in.”

Grant inclined his head once more and removed himself to seek out the inspector.

Keziah leapt to her feet, rushing to his side as the door closed. “Ash, whatever is the matter?” she demanded once the butler had closed the door. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Ash returned a weak smile and shook his head. “No, not quite,” he said. “But someone saw me.”

Keziah blinked, for a moment not understanding what he meant, but then a cold, sickening feeling unfurled in her belly and she knew.