The Peculiar Case of Lord Finsbury's Diamonds: A Casebook of Barnaby Adair Short Novel (The Casebook of Barnaby Adair) by Stephanie Laurens Page A
Authors: Stephanie Laurens
Tags: Historical Romance
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left the house without raising any suspicions likely to bring anyone after him.”
“I can understand why he would have wanted it that way,” Stokes said. “If the Finsbury diamonds are even half as fabulous as advertised, Fletcher would need a top-quality fence to handle them, and those gentlemen won’t touch any item that’s the subject of a hue and cry.”
Penelope sat up. “So he needed not just to steal the diamonds but to keep it quiet, presumably for as long as he could—and combined with the fact that the diamonds are very rarely worn, managing to leave the house as he did was utterly perfect for his plans.” She wriggled, then settled again. “So that accounts for his excellent spirits subsequently—everything was going his way.”
“And,” Griselda said, “that also explains why Kitty remained at Finsbury Court and didn’t disappear at the same time.”
“No need to raise questions, even on that score.” Stokes pulled a face. “They really were very good at what they did.”
“So it seems,” Barnaby said. “But we now have Kitty biding her time at Finsbury Court and Fletcher with the diamonds in his pocket in London, and he’s all but dancing a jig. What happened next?”
Penelope held up a hand. “The next morning he took the diamonds to his fence…and came back much less happy.” She frowned. “Why?”
After a moment, Stokes shrugged. “It could have been one of several reasons—the fence telling him that the diamonds were too well-known to fetch what Fletcher was expecting leaps to mind. Also that he couldn’t cut them up because much of the value was in the piece as a whole. We often find burglars left with their loot in their hands and their high hopes dashed, so to speak.”
“But,” Griselda said, “although deflated…what was it Fletcher said to his landlady? That things might be even better than he’d initially thought?”
Barnaby was nodding. “And later he sent a letter to Gwendolyn Finsbury asking to meet her the following afternoon because he had something to show her—by which he must have meant the diamonds—and the following day, Fletcher set off in good spirits once more, clearly expecting his scheme to end on a high note and expecting to return with Kitty that evening—which suggests that something he learned at his fence’s—”
“Or from someone he met while he was out that morning,” Penelope put in.
Barnaby inclined his head, accepting the qualification. “True. But regardless, something Fletcher learned that morning made him rejig his scheme. He was no longer going to steal the diamonds, which was why he took them back.”
“He was going to use them in some other way,” Penelope said. “And given that he had arranged to meet Gwendolyn Finsbury rather than her father, I suspect we can guess what that way was and who had become his new target.”
Griselda frowned. “But he told his landlady that he expected to return that evening with Kitty . But wouldn’t Kitty have been upset if Fletcher intended to transfer his affections to Miss Finsbury?”
“Not necessarily,” Stokes said. “Fletcher was a chiseler—convincing impressionable young ladies that his affections were deeply engaged was part of his stock-in-trade, and Kitty must have known that. And, by all accounts, Miss Finsbury has lived a relatively quiet life—she would have appeared an excellent target for Fletcher’s charm.”
“And yet…” Penelope tilted her head. “Griselda’s right. What if, in this particular instance, part of what influenced Fletcher to change his plans was, in fact, that he’d been smitten by Gwendolyn Finsbury? For all we know he might have been—with someone who pretends all the time, how can you tell when they’re sincere?—and Kitty, who knew Fletcher so well, might well have realized that he was in danger of succumbing before he left Finsbury Court. Kitty would have heaved a huge sigh of relief when he
“I can understand why he would have wanted it that way,” Stokes said. “If the Finsbury diamonds are even half as fabulous as advertised, Fletcher would need a top-quality fence to handle them, and those gentlemen won’t touch any item that’s the subject of a hue and cry.”
Penelope sat up. “So he needed not just to steal the diamonds but to keep it quiet, presumably for as long as he could—and combined with the fact that the diamonds are very rarely worn, managing to leave the house as he did was utterly perfect for his plans.” She wriggled, then settled again. “So that accounts for his excellent spirits subsequently—everything was going his way.”
“And,” Griselda said, “that also explains why Kitty remained at Finsbury Court and didn’t disappear at the same time.”
“No need to raise questions, even on that score.” Stokes pulled a face. “They really were very good at what they did.”
“So it seems,” Barnaby said. “But we now have Kitty biding her time at Finsbury Court and Fletcher with the diamonds in his pocket in London, and he’s all but dancing a jig. What happened next?”
Penelope held up a hand. “The next morning he took the diamonds to his fence…and came back much less happy.” She frowned. “Why?”
After a moment, Stokes shrugged. “It could have been one of several reasons—the fence telling him that the diamonds were too well-known to fetch what Fletcher was expecting leaps to mind. Also that he couldn’t cut them up because much of the value was in the piece as a whole. We often find burglars left with their loot in their hands and their high hopes dashed, so to speak.”
“But,” Griselda said, “although deflated…what was it Fletcher said to his landlady? That things might be even better than he’d initially thought?”
Barnaby was nodding. “And later he sent a letter to Gwendolyn Finsbury asking to meet her the following afternoon because he had something to show her—by which he must have meant the diamonds—and the following day, Fletcher set off in good spirits once more, clearly expecting his scheme to end on a high note and expecting to return with Kitty that evening—which suggests that something he learned at his fence’s—”
“Or from someone he met while he was out that morning,” Penelope put in.
Barnaby inclined his head, accepting the qualification. “True. But regardless, something Fletcher learned that morning made him rejig his scheme. He was no longer going to steal the diamonds, which was why he took them back.”
“He was going to use them in some other way,” Penelope said. “And given that he had arranged to meet Gwendolyn Finsbury rather than her father, I suspect we can guess what that way was and who had become his new target.”
Griselda frowned. “But he told his landlady that he expected to return that evening with Kitty . But wouldn’t Kitty have been upset if Fletcher intended to transfer his affections to Miss Finsbury?”
“Not necessarily,” Stokes said. “Fletcher was a chiseler—convincing impressionable young ladies that his affections were deeply engaged was part of his stock-in-trade, and Kitty must have known that. And, by all accounts, Miss Finsbury has lived a relatively quiet life—she would have appeared an excellent target for Fletcher’s charm.”
“And yet…” Penelope tilted her head. “Griselda’s right. What if, in this particular instance, part of what influenced Fletcher to change his plans was, in fact, that he’d been smitten by Gwendolyn Finsbury? For all we know he might have been—with someone who pretends all the time, how can you tell when they’re sincere?—and Kitty, who knew Fletcher so well, might well have realized that he was in danger of succumbing before he left Finsbury Court. Kitty would have heaved a huge sigh of relief when he
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