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“May I ask your current thoughts?”

“Of course you can Harriet. If not you, then who? I like the Colonel, that is easy to admit. I do not love the Colonel, that is also easy to admit. What I find myself wondering is why I like the Colonel. My current concern is that I like him because he is so different to those who importuned me all season. He is no different to any of them, in financial status. He will bring little to the marriage. As for status? I am not sure. I am not the daughter of a Baron, I was the wife of one. I do not know where the two of us fall within the hierarchy of the nobility. Is a Baroness higher than, equal to, or lower than, the untitled second son of an Earl?”

What Elizabeth never said, she kept the thought in her own heart, was that marrying again would remove the name Napier. And she was unsure she could take that final step.

--

Wickham spotted the Colonel in time to turn away, his face remained unseen. What was most worrying was the Colonel had exited the gates of Napier Hall. As the Colonel rode back to Bath, Wickham and Denny watched as the gates were closed. The clang had a certain finality to it.

“What is the matter?”

“I know that Colonel. If he spots me, there is a chance I will be run through on the spot. I would wish that we could find out more about Napier Hall but we need to act and quickly. We are not ready to leave tonight, but we should spend the next day packing in preparation. We return tomorrow night.”

“Agreed. We have been here for too long.”

One of the grooms at Napier Hall had being riding down the road, paying them not attention. He heard nothing of their words, other than the last two. They would be ready, prepared to deal with these two vagabonds. He continued south and returned to the stables via a farm lane. Thomas Jones was waiting.

--

“The plan?”

“We will leave here at midnight, our belongings packed ready to be quickly collected as we head west. Two hours will get us to this Napier Hall. You are sure you can get us into the grounds?”

Denny was a poacher of old.

“Easily. How do we tackle the manor?”

“Slow and quiet, until we get to the main house. We will jemmy our way in, trying to make no noise. It will be better to be in and out without them any the wiser. If we are challenged then we cosh them first unless we see a knife or gun. We grab hold of the widow, goodness only knows how old she will be. We force her to hand over her jewellery and any cash in the house, housekeeping, emergency fund, whatever it is. We tie them up and we are gone.

“We head north, keep clear of Bath, grab our packs and make for Bristol. If it is easily to hand, then we can saddle up two horses at Napier Hall and escape all the quicker. The sooner we are in Bristol, the sooner we can be on a boat to America. If we can sail on the evening tide then there is no way word will get to Bristol in time to stop us.”

It was simple, and had to be given they knew so little about what to expect at Napier Hall. What was amusing, although not to either of them, was that they were both thinking of disposing of the other. There would be no need to share the loot, and the dead man was there to take the blame.

They were a pair of deluded fools.

--

“I wish to talk to you and my mother. Could you request her to join us?”

The Earl was immediately on guard given the seriousness of his younger son. Two minutes later the Colonel was sitting opposite his parents.

“Given all that has happened, and her social prominence, I thought it wise to inform you of my summer. For the last six weeks, I have been calling on Lady Napier.”

He waited as his parents talked over each other.

“If you would allow me to explain. We met at Arbuthnot’s, by far the most likely place to meet her in Bath. We had luncheon together and at the end of the meal she invited me out to Napier Hall. As you know she is carefully chaperoned and guarded, and it is no different when we are on the estate. But I have met the Baroness two or three times a week for most of the summer.

“After luncheon today, I asked her to accompany me as my guest to General van Grant’s wedding. She accepted my invitation.”

A considered silence.

“You said you had been calling on Lady Napier. I presume you mean that in the start of a courtship sense?”

“At first I did not presume so. But after six weeks? Yes, I think of the time that way.”

“And the next step? Courtship.”

“I would hope so, but she is an intelligent lady who was hounded throughout the season. I am in no rush, as I do not want her to feel pressured. It has been clear to me she does not want to be the centre of gossip and speculation.”