Free To Seduce an Angel by Kate Moore Page B

and the whore’s get, both paying you.”
    Wallop applied his fork and knife to the pie and lifted a large bite to his mouth. A drop of glistening gravy hit his waistcoat below the napkin and settled in one of its folds. He chewed with slow ponderous working of his large jaw and patted his mouth with dainty taps of the napkin. His shrewd eyes never left Emma’s face.
    â€œIt’s best we come to an understanding, miss. Josiah Wallop is a businessman. His business is dealing with inconveniences. Your highborn gent knows no more than a baby how to deal with inconveniences. So he turns to Wallop.” Wallop shook his head. “These are inconvenient times, they are, so business prospers. Wallop puts a half crown in the plate at St. Margaret’s every week. Now, girl, you don’t want to become an inconvenience, do you?”
    Emma shook her head. She kept her face as blank as a wall.
    Wallop nodded. “Good lass. Now let’s see wot you have for me.” Wallop heaved himself out of his chair and unrolled a small scroll of the house plan on the table next to his pot of ale. “Wot can you tell me about where he keeps to and what he does?”
    Emma’s plan was simple, a mix of truth and lies that would leave Wallop trying to sort the wheat from the chaff.
    â€œHe sleeps on the second floor in the north wing.” Emma put her finger on the place, and Wallop made a note. “He has a large servant, Adam Digweed, who looks out for him. The household staff includes the butler, who serves as Daventry’s valet, four footmen, a housekeeper, five maids, two laundresses, a cook, and three scullery maids. Out of doors there are a groundskeeper, four under-gardeners, a head groom, and two stable boys. When the estate manager comes, he and Daventry drive about the estate with an armed companion. He dines with the boys in the dining room in the southwest corner, ground floor.” Again she put her finger on the spot.
    â€œDigweed, eh? A big man, you say?”
    â€œHis hands are bigger than my head. His shoulders would touch both jambs of the door, and he’d have to bend down to enter.” She did not mention that he was away in London investigating the new tutor.
    â€œThe big fellow must sleep sometime. Find out where Digweed’s quarters are and when he’s not with his master. An accident waiting to happen is wot that whelp is. You know, a blowup, a tumble, a smash.”
    Emma kept her face still. Let nothing show. Wallop must think her indifferent to her employer. After a minute, he seemed satisfied, and rolled up the map.
    He settled himself in front of his plate and speared a dripping bite of fowl. “What can you tell me about his dogs?”
    â€œNothing.” She hadn’t seen any dogs.
    â€œJosie Wallop doesn’t like nothing , missy. Josie Wallop doesn’t take nothing for an answer.”
    â€œI didn’t know I was to spy on the dogs. There are no dogs in the house.”
    â€œWell, there are dogs somewhere. So you’d best find’em. Start with the stables. Find out who feeds ’em and when and how much.”
    â€œMy place is in the schoolroom with the boys.”
    â€œYour place is where I say it is. You’d best get out of that schoolroom when you can. You’re the inside man on this job, d’ye see? Josie Wallop is the outside man, the best in the business.” He tapped his head. “Up ’ere I’ve got everything stored about that whelp. I’ve been watching ’im since’e were just that whore’s fry. I know everything that passes in or out of that house. I know who that maid of yers flirts with in the village. But yer the inside man.”
    A fit of coughing stopped him, and he took a long pull at his ale pot. “The whelp received a package yesterday delivered by his London visitor. Yer ta go over the house when he’s abed and find it. Ye do see ’im at supper, don’t