Lie by Moonlight by Amanda Quick Page A

gentleman’s jaw flexed. “Wonder what they did with the damned horses?” he said, speaking more to himself than to Ned.
    â€œI can tell ye that, sir,” Ned said. “Left ’em at the livery stable next door to the train station.”
    The man flung a few more coins onto the counter. “How did the teacher pay for the rooms that she and the girls used? Did she have money?”
    â€œDon’t know about the state of her finances, sir.” Ned raised one shoulder in an elaborate shrug. “She wasn’t the one who paid the bill.”
    The expression on the face of the gentleman did not change by so much as the flicker of an eyelash, but the innkeeper’s wife suddenly found it hard to breathe.
    â€œWho paid for the rooms?” the man from London asked in a deadly soft voice.
    â€œWhy, the man the teacher hired to protect them while they were on the road,” Ned said, stunningly calm.
    The stranger’s hand tightened abruptly around the gold-headed handle of his walking stick. He studied Ned with eyes as cold as those of a fish. “She hired a bodyguard?”
    â€œVery sensible, I thought. She and her students were obliged to travel at night, after all.”
    â€œWhat was the name of the guard?”
    â€œSmith, I think.” Ned opened the register and ran a finger down the page. “Yes, here it is. Mr. Smith. Gave him room number five. The teacher and her girls used three and four.”
    â€œLet me see that.” The man whipped the register around with a short, brusque movement and studied the name on the page. “The handwriting looks the same as that of the teacher’s.”
    â€œShe signed the register for all of them—the girls, herself and Smith.”
    â€œDescribe Smith.”
    Ned shrugged again. “Nothing remarkable about him. Medium height, I’d say. Rather ordinary-looking, to tell you the truth.” He glanced back over his shoulder. “Lizzie, can you recall anything about the man who accompanied the teacher and her girls the other night?”
    She forced herself to turn slowly, as though the question had distracted her from more important work.
    â€œI believe that he had brown hair,” she said politely.
    â€œIs that all you can recall?” the stranger demanded angrily.
    â€œI’m afraid so, sir. Like Ned here said, there was nothing in particular to remark about him.”
    â€œWhere in blazes would she find a hired guard around here?” the gentleman asked.
    They both looked at him, politely blank-faced, and said nothing.
    â€œI’m wasting my time,” he muttered.
    Without another word he turned on his heel, walked out of the inn and got into the waiting carriage.
    Ned scooped up the coins on the counter and walked into the office. He put a comforting hand on Lizzie’s shoulder. Together they watched the vehicle roll out of the yard and turn in the direction of the village and the train station.
    â€œMr. Smith was right when he said that someone would likely come around making inquiries about the teacher,” Ned said.
    She shivered. “Thank goodness Smith did not ask us to lie in exchange for the money he gave you. I don’t think it would have been easy to fool that man.”
    Smith’s request yesterday morning had been simple and quite straightforward. He had put ten pounds on the counter and spoken very politely to Ned. “There will be questions asked. Feel free to say that the teacher hired me to see her and the girls safely onto the London train. But I would take it as a great favor if you could keep your description of me as vague as possible.”
    â€œIn a manner of speaking we did lie,” Ned said. “We told the man from London that there was nothing remarkable about Mr. Smith.”
    â€œWell, there wasn’t,” she said. “At least not in regard to his features or his height.”
    â€œThere was something about him,