But what can they prove? Harrison pointed out reasonably. You didnt steal anything. He didnt even see you trying to steal something. All he saw was you wandering around, looking at things. Thats not proof.
They dont always need proof, Da put in, his voice tinged with bitterness. One word from a lord and He drew his forefinger across his throat in an ominous gesture.
Even if he did not tell the authorities, Betsy pointed out, all he has to do is spread it around that Marianne is a thief, and the Game will be ruined. She wont be received in polite society after that.
Thats true. Harrison rubbed his chin thoughtfully. But we were on the verge of such opportunityI hate to throw it away on a mere chance. I think we should wait and see. If we lie low for a few weeks, we might be all right.
Do you think so? Marianne brightened a little. She hated to think that she had ruined their plans for everyone.
Harrison nodded. Some other pretty young thingll come along to tickle his fancy.
That much was true, Marianne was sure. No nobleman was going to waste his time looking for or thinking about some socially inferior girl. If one was not of their class, there was only one use for a woman, and no doubt he could find other willing participants. Marianne realized that that idea gave her no joy, but she shoved the thought aside. She was, after all, a realist; she had to be.
He doesnt know where you live, right?
No. I left the party, and I am sure that he did not follow.
If we take nothing from Batterslee House, it will lull his suspicionsor at least give him no proof to back them up.
Marianne sighed. I am so sorry. I dont know how I could have been so careless.
It happens to all of us, Harrison assured her kindly. The main thing is that nothing happened to you.
Thank you. But it would have been a nice bit of change. They had some beautiful things.
I am sure it wasnt all a loss. You met some people, didnt you?
Marianne nodded. A few. Lady Ursula Castlereigh and her daughter. I talked to the daughter at some length.
There? That will get you entré into other places. You see if it doesnt. And if not Harrison shrugged. Well, well try the Continent, as you said, or go back to Bath.
Piers groaned. Not Bath! Theres nothing but old ladies there.
Harrison cocked an eyebrow at him. We arent there for your entertainment.
I know. I know. Piers sighed and subsided.
Well. Della glanced around. There is nothing else to do tonight. We will just have to wait and see. I am sure Marianne would like a bite to eat and a good nights sleep.
Marianne smiled gratefully at the older woman. Thank you. I dont think I could eat anything, truthfully. But the thought of sleep is appealing. Hopefully everything will seem better tomorrow morning.
The group broke up, starting up the stairs toward their rooms. Marianne, too, started out of the room, but Winny caught her arm. Stay for a bit, Mary.
Marianne looked around at her questioningly.
Itheres something I need to tell you.
What? Fear clutched at Mariannes heart. Is it Rosalind? Shes not sick, is she?
No. No. Nothing like that. Its justwell, I got a letter today. From Ruth Applegate. You remember her, dont you? She werewasa scullery maid at the Hall.
Marianne frowned. In referring to the Hall, Marianne knew that Winny meant the Quartermaines house, where they had both worked. The look on her friends face disturbed her. Yes, I remember. You were good friends with her. Whats the matter? Did something happen to her?
No. She knows that I went to live with you. She wrote to warn you. Theres been a man at the Hall asking about you. She thinks a Bow Street Runner is after you.
CHAPTER THREE
A BOW STREET RUNNER! MARIANNE GASPED. Sweet Lord, I thought it couldnt get any worse.
Winny reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, which she unfolded to reveal a pencilled scrawl. Its very difficult to read. Ruth never learned to read and write very well. What she said, I think, was, There was a mantwo men atI think she means different times. They was asking about Mary C. But nobody knows about her, and I didnt tell. I thought I should warn you. Bow Street Runners.
Could we have been found out? Has someonebut no. No one Ive met the past few years would know I was Mary Chilton or that I worked for the Quartermaines.
Winny nodded. I know. Its got to be someone from the past.
But who? Why?
Do youdo you think it could be your family? Winny asked tentatively, voicing every orphans dream. If they went to St. Anselms, theyd have told them youd gone on to the Hall.
After all this time? Marianne suppressed the little spurt of hope that had leapt up in her at Winnys words. It was foolish to think that there was family who wanted her after so many years. I havent any family, or they would have looked for me years ago. Its been over twenty years.
Maybe they didnt know. Maybe you were stolen from them.
Marianne smiled. Thats a childs dream. I used to tell myself that that was what had happened, that my parents were still alive, still wanted me, that a wicked person had taken me from them. But thats nonsense. Its the stuff of dramas. Why would someone steal a child and then drop it at an orphanage? Besides, she said warn. There must have been something sinister about the man.
Well, if Ruth thinks hes a Bow Street Runner, then she would think hes wantin to arrest you. Winny gnawed at her lip. It worries me.
It is unsettling, Marianne agreed. If someone who knew me as Mary Chilton, who knew I was only an orphan and a housemaid, saw me masquerading as a lady, they could have guessed, I suppose, that I was doing something havey-cavey.
And gone to the trouble of hiring a Bow Street Runner? Winny asked skeptically. The Bow Street Runners, though they pursued criminals, had to be hired.
That seems rather absurd, too, doesnt it? The thing is, if it was someone we nabbed a few things from, someone with the blunt to hire a Bow Street Runner, they would know me as Mrs. Cotterwood. They wouldnt send the man to Quartermaine Hall looking for Mary Chilton.
Maybe it was someone like you said, who saw you and had known you as Mary Chilton. Winnys eyes widened as a thought struck. Maybe it was someone who had visited the Hall, and when they saw you again, they knew you were a housemaid.
You think they would remember a maid that well?
One that looks like you, they would, Winny replied bluntly. And then they saw you at a party, say, in Bath.
And when some things went missing, they suspected me? Marianne nodded thoughtfully. That makes sense. But they had been introduced to me as Cotterwood. They would have looked for me under that name. Surely they would not have remembered my name from ten years ago.
But what if they looked for Mrs. Cotterwood and couldnt find you? What if it was after we came back to London?
So they decided to trace me through the Quartermaines. Marianne sighed. Oh, Lord! As if things werent bad enough! Winny, what should I do? If Ive brought the Bow Street Runners down upon us Tears sprang into her eyes. Im ruining everything!