Page 76 of The Hidden Heart

“Of course!” Cobb slapped his hand against his thigh triumphantly. “It was the middle-aged dancing master—only that man was you!”

“Yes. We were good at disguises. It made it easier to get away, less dangerous. Who would connect the blond, well-bred lady who befriended Mrs. Gilpin with the Italianate, quiet Mrs. Woods? Or the graying, paunchy dancing master with an Anglican priest?”

He sighed, leaning back in his chair, and went on dully. “Bettina was the one who thought of the jobs, who found the marks and plotted out what we would do. I was just good at opening safes and pocketing things without anyone noticing. Sometimes, when I was younger, I’d work the audiences outside the theater to get a little extra money. It was much easier—and more fun than treading the boards. I hated that life. So did Bettina. She left when she was sixteen, came to London to make her fortune. And she did. She became a very successful courtesan, you see. The toast of London—Marie MacDonald.”

“Good God!” Darius gasped from across the room. “Marie MacDonald!”

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Darius, and he blushed fiery red and said, “Beg pardon. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Go on with your story.”

“Nothing much to tell,” Radfield said. “Marie was beautiful, celebrated, but she hated that life, too. Besides, she was getting older, close to thirty by then, and you age fast doing that. She wanted to stop, and so, after a while, she came up with this scheme. She knew a lot of wealthy men. Her parties were famous all over London and attended by some of the highest names in the country. She knew where the jewels were and who made a show of wealth and hadn’t any really. So we started out…” He shrugged. “And we were good at it.”

He looked up at Richard in supplication, “So you see, I would never have harmed Bettina. She was my best friend. My whole life. I’m no good without her.”

“You know, I am rather inclined to believe you,” Richard said.

“What?” Cobb swung around and looked at Cleybourne in disbelief. “The man’s a villain.”

“Oh, he is your thief, all right. You have found your Mr. Gilpin’s jewels and the pair who took them from him. I will even wager that Lord Kestwick had it right, and you were the fellow I ran into the other night in my study.”

“Yes, I was there,” Radfield returned a little sullenly. “I could hardly be expected to forgo a try at the Cleybourne emeralds, could I, when I’d landed smack on them.”

Richard arched one brow. “There are those who might consider robbing one’s host a rather poor return for his hospitality.”

“I know.” Radfield sighed. “My character is weak. I hadn’t anything against you. You seem a perfectly good man. But the emeralds are world renowned.”

Richard grimaced and went on, “However, the fact that he is a thief doesn’t necessarily mean that he killed Mrs. Woods.”

“No one did, I’m sure,” Lord Vesey put in. “Merely an accident.”

“I agree,” Kestwick added. “You are making far too much of it, Cleybourne. The whole thing is nonsense.”

Richard glanced around the room at the others. “I’m sorry. But if the rest of you wouldn’t mind…I need to speak to Radfield alone.” He raised his eyebrows toward Kestwick and the others, looking, for the moment, every inch a duke, and with a bit of grumbling, they began to file out of the room.

“You may stay, Cobb,” he said to the Runner, who was hanging about by the door, glowering. “And, of course—” Cleybourne bowed toward Jessica “—I shall need my note-taker.”

Jessica quickly hurried around to sit down behind the desk and pull out a sheet of paper. Cobb assumed a position in front of the closed door, arms crossed in front of him, as though ready for whatever escape attempt Radfield might make.

“Now, Mr.—” Cleybourne stopped. “Is that your name? Radfield?”

“Actually, it is my first name. Radfield Addison. You may call me whatever you like. Over the years I have answered to almost anything.”

“All right, then, Mr. Addison. Let us say I believe you that you did not harm your sister.”

“I didn’t. I swear it.”

“I believe that someone else may have. There have been some other odd incidents around here lately, and your sister’s death strikes me as suspicious. If someone did kill her, I am sure you would like to help us find the culprit.”

“Of course. I’d do anything.”

“First, I want you to answer me honestly. I am trying to separate the various things that happened here. You broke into my study the other night. But before that, did you break into the nursery?”

“What? No. Why would I break into a nursery? There’s nothing worth stealing there. Besides, I never saw this place before the coach broke down. Before we arrived here, I was on the mail coach, traveling from London.”

“And since you have been here, did you by any chance take a small jewelry box from Miss Maitland’s room?”

“Miss Maitland?” Radfield glanced over at Jessica. “The governess? Why would I take something that belonged to a governess? That’s absurd.”

“I just wanted to make sure. Now, then, can you tell me if your sister was involved in something else while she was here? Something besides the jewelry theft?”