Bloody Royal Prints (19 page)

“We don't have wild hedgehogs in the USA,” Coleman said. “I only know them in books. I want to see a badger, I guess at night—isn't that the only time you can see them?”

“Yes, they're night creatures,” Tony said.

“Again, I only know them in books. Most of all, I want to see and hear a nightingale.”

“You are not like any woman I've ever met,” Tony said.

“How so? What makes me so different?” Coleman said.

“Most women want to meet members of the Royal Family, or they ask me to take them to certain clubs, or to the most expensive places in London,” he said.

“Oh, well, maybe I'll be interested in doing those things on another trip. My love for England grew out of books. I want to see animals and flowers and other things I've read about—because I already love them,” Coleman said.

“I figured that out. I'm pretty sure I can handle the badger and the bluebells and the hedgehog. The nightingale might be tough.”

Coleman laughed. “I'm confident you can do it,” she said.

“Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the Fat Duck? Three hours, a fixed menu, and £300? It's quite an experience.”

“Fat Duck?” Coleman asked.

“Yes,” said Tony. “Most people want to go because the food is good, but it may also be the most expensive restaurant in England.”

“No, I don't want to go there,” Coleman said firmly.

He laughed. “I didn't think so,” he said.

•••

When the party was breaking up, and she was standing by the door saying goodnight to the guests, Tony approached her again.

“Would you like to go to Claridge's for a nightcap?” he asked.

Coleman smiled. “Thank you, but I'm exhausted. May I have a rain check?”

“That must be an American expression. If it means you'll go out with me another night, what about tomorrow?”

She hesitated. “What I'd like more than anything tomorrow night is to ride the London Eye. Can we do that?”

“Of course we can, but we still have to eat. Where would you like to go, or put another way, what would you like to eat?”

“I'd like something very English,” Coleman said. “I know, let's have a picnic with tea sandwiches. I think of tea sandwiches as very English. Smoked salmon, cucumber, egg salad, watercress—and lemonade or hot chocolate?”

“That's fine. I'll pick you up at Heyward's at seven. Dress warmly.”

•••

In the car on the way home, Heyward said, “I overheard you turn down a nightcap with Tony. Are you too tired to have a cup of hot chocolate in the library with me before bed?”

“No, I'd love it,” Coleman said. “I'll run upstairs and take off this dress first.”

She removed her formal clothes and reappeared a few minutes later in the white robe and slippers she'd found in her room.

In front of the fire in the library, with a cup of hot chocolate in her hand and Dolly on her lap, Coleman thanked Heyward for the party.

“I had the best time,” she said. “It was a fabulous party. Interesting people, marvelous food.”

“Dinah looked lovely tonight, and seemed to be in the best of spirits. I assume that's your doing?” Heyward said.

Coleman smiled. “Yes, I've helped a little. But before I leave London, I'd like to see Dinah truly happy. Being here should be a great experience for her, and the criminals in the house ruined all of her time here so far. A good cook and the new assignment with
First Home
will help. She says the people at the Art Museum of Great Britain are unfriendly. I can't imagine why, but I'd like to do something about it. Do you have any ideas?” Coleman said.

“Mrs. Carter can easily find her a good English cook. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow. Your idea for Dinah's column is great. She'll enjoy it, and meet a lot of people doing it. I also think it will be very successful,” Heyward said. “I'll take care of the museum. I've been asked to join their board. I think they'll be nice to her when they learn we are connected.”

“That's great,” Coleman said. “Thanks.”

“Now let's talk about the party. I want to know what you think of all the guests,” he said.

“Rachel is very nice—I feel as if I've always known her. We'll get along fine on the art publishing project. Her lawyer is as Dinah described—slow, but sound. Not a lot of fun. His relatives are very like him. Decent, reliable people, not very interesting.

“Lady Fitzgerald puzzled me. She comes across like a flibbertigibbet, but her eyes are sharp. I think she's very smart underneath all that fluttering.”

“You seemed to get along very well with Tony,” Heyward said.

“Yes, I like him a lot. He's taking me out tomorrow night to ride the London Eye. I can hardly wait.”

Heyward smiled. “I bet that was your idea.”

“Yes, it's on my list of must-dos while I'm here,” she said.

“I noticed you didn't speak to Jeb?”

Coleman smiled. “Put another way, he didn't speak to me. He had his hands full with Princess Stephanie, but I thought he'd at least have the courtesy to say ‘Welcome to London' or something.”

“Jeb has a lot on his mind,” Heyward said. “What did you think of Lady Jane?”

“She's another puzzle. I liked her, but I'm uneasy about her. I enjoyed hearing about her garden, and I plan to visit it. Someday I'd like to have a garden of my own. We have a common interest: She designs and makes her own clothes, too. She asked about my dress, and I told her it was inspired by a picture I saw in
Majesty
—do you know the magazine? About the Royal Family? I get it for the pictures of the clothes, and so does she! She's going to e-mail me a list of shops I should visit while I'm in London. She's lovely, but she's got some awful relatives! It's hard to trust her, having met them. Her companion was one of them. I saw him in the Ross office yesterday. He barely spoke to me tonight. He was jumpy and uncomfortable. I haven't had a chance to tell you about our meeting with the Ross men—”

“I know all about it,” Heyward said.

“Who told you?” Coleman asked.

“The Ross clan has been under suspicion for a long time, for all sorts of crimes. We don't know whether Lady Jane is involved,” Heyward said.

“Who is ‘we'? You seem to know a great deal about crime in England,” Coleman said.

“I'm spending most of my time here these days, and I have major investments here. I've met some very intelligent and interesting people. The UK is a wonderful country, but criminals have invaded it. I encountered a criminal organization here having to do with art fraud, with roots in New York, and I helped expose it. I've continued to help where I can. I can't tell you any more than that, but that's how I got to know Tony.”

“Do
you
think Lady Jane is a criminal?” Coleman asked.

“I really don't know. Tell me more about the man she brought with her—a cousin?”

“He barely spoke to me—I don't have much to report. As I said, he was in that office yesterday. That crowd was threatening. I'm sure they're guilty of something.”

“What about Stephanie?” Heyward said.

“She's a pathetic little fool,” Coleman said.

“Yes, I fear you're right. It's hard to know what to do about the Stephanies of the world. Well, she's a good place to end our evening. Are you ready to get some sleep?”

“Oh, yes,” Coleman said. “Thanks again for a wonderful party. Goodnight.”

•••

Coleman went to bed as soon as she was in her room, but she couldn't sleep. She thought about the evening: what people had said, her impressions of everyone, mostly about Jeb and his new companion.

She was glad her back had been to the door when Jeb arrived. Her face might have revealed her feelings. She had thought they might meet in London, and pick up where they'd left off in New York. After she saw him with Stephanie, though, she'd dismissed that idea. In any case, he hadn't shown the slightest interest in her, even though she was the guest of honor, and good manners demanded that he at least exchange a few words with her. That had stung, but her feelings had been soothed by Tony's attentions. When Jeb arrived, she was talking to Tony, and had, for the moment, forgotten Jeb was coming to the party. That was a sign she was over Jeb. The other good news: Tony was attractive and seemed interested in her.

“Out with the old and in with the new,” she told Dolly. But Dolly was making little snoring noises, and didn't open her eyes. Coleman closed her own eyes, and drifted off to sleep a few minutes later.

Friday night, after the party, London

The house had been stripped of most of its furniture, but the master bedroom was nearly intact. The stuffed chairs, the big bed, and the bedside tables were reproductions, owned by Lady Jane, so Dinah and Jonathan had a place to sleep, and a place to sit and discuss the party.

Dinah removed the glittery white dress and matching shoes, and huddled by the fire in her cashmere robe and warm slippers.

“It's not that cold in here anymore, since no one is turning back the thermostat, but I'm used to my robe,” she said.

Jonathan, still in his tuxedo, had paused downstairs to pour himself a glass of brandy, and Dinah a glass of sherry.

He handed her the drink, and said, “This will help you get warm.” He took a deep breath, and let it out. “That was a great party, but it's nice to be alone with you,” he said.

“I loved the party, except for Princess Stephanie—she was such a spectacle in that hoop skirt. I'm sure Heyward would never have invited her. Jeb is crazy to be involved with her.”

“I doubt it's serious,” Jonathan said.

“Oh, I know, but he shouldn't have brought her to Coleman's party. Coleman really liked him when they went out in New York.”

“No! How could she? He strikes me as a lounge lizard, good with women like Stephanie, but not good for much else,” Jonathan said.

“I think you're wrong. Jeb is good-looking and smart and he works for Coleman's brother, who's a genius, who trusts him. I didn't have anything against him until I learned he was living with Stephanie. Then I lost all respect for him. Coleman's well off without him. Tony may be the perfect man for Coleman.”

“Yes, Tony is impressive. But let's talk about you. I've never seen you more beautiful than you were tonight. The dress and the diamonds glittered, but you were glittering, too. I haven't seen you this happy in a long time,” he said.

“Yes, Coleman slayed the dragons, rid my house of vermin, and gave me a wonderful way to enjoy my spare time in London, while meeting new and interesting people and learning more about food. If I can do a good job at the museum, and make friends there, too—well, I'll be happy as a lark. But even if the museum job isn't fun, I'll be fine.”

“What are you doing about replacing the servants for the house?” he asked.

“We have James, Hamilton, and Franklin, and Heyward's housekeeper is finding a cook for us. That ought to be enough, but if it isn't, I'll hire someone else. Maybe I'll want a secretary, or an assistant for my writing. Anyway, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it.”

“You sound very confident,” he said.

“I feel confident. I know my life in London is going to be a lot better. I'm even looking forward to dealing with the furniture issues, which are huge. A week ago I would have said I couldn't do it. Right now, however, I'm looking forward to bed. I'm exhausted.”

Jonathan laughed, got up, and went into his dressing room. Dinah hung her robe on its hanger, and slipped into bed. She was asleep when Jonathan turned off the lights and climbed into bed beside her.

•••

Dinah woke an hour later, and couldn't go back to sleep. She was still high on the day and night she'd just experienced. Just as Dinah knew she would, Coleman had rid the house of the horrible women who had destroyed her happiness ever since she came to London.

Everything had changed. She had three dependable allies in James, Franklin, and Hamilton. They had arranged for a cleaning service to come in and clean the rooms the women had occupied, and the rooms where the antiques and paintings had been stored. She would soon have a good English cook. It would be fun to have a cook to help with her column for
First Home
. She shivered with excitement at the thought of her column.

Jonathan, contrite when he heard from Coleman just how bad the witches were, had apologized to Dinah. He told her that she should buy furniture for the house, with the thought that they would probably want antiques in New York eventually. If not, they could sell them. Coleman would help her shop, and Rachel said she'd help, too, as would Lady Darny. Meanwhile, they still had a few pieces in the house—all of the beds belonged to Lady Jane, as did some of the dining room furniture, and a few other large, heavy pieces.

Maybe they could rent some items until she found what she wanted to buy. Coleman had ordered books about antiques for her, some of which Coleman had read. If Coleman could learn about antiques, she could, too.

Dinah felt like a new person: invigorated, charged up. As she'd told Jonathan, she was excited about furnishing 23 Culross, when once she would have thought it was an insurmountable burden.

She would start her job at the museum on Monday, and she rather dreaded it—the people she'd met had been so unfriendly when she'd dropped in to introduce herself. Well, if they were cold, so what? She had an interesting and challenging task, and was eager to get on with it. She'd absorb herself in her work at the museum, and make sure she did it well. That's what mattered.

She'd had a wonderful time at Heyward's party. She knew she had looked her best, and she loved seeing all the other beautiful dresses. She enjoyed talking to Jane Ross about flowers and clothes. Jane had again apologized for the behavior of her relatives. She was horrified to hear about the cook and housekeeper at 23 Culross, and interested to hear that Hamilton and Franklin were back at the house. She said she had been sorry when they left. She seemed to think they had resigned. Dinah knew Mr. Ross had fired them.