Free The Sans Pareil Mystery (The Detective Lavender Mysteries Book 2) by Karen Charlton

Garcia de Aviles who fell at the Battle of Talavera,’ he said. ‘Her husband and his men fought alongside Sir Arthur Wellesley.’
    ‘Wellesley, eh?’ said the duke. ‘Well, madam, we have cause to be grateful for our Spanish allies tonight. That was as nifty a piece of footwork as I have ever seen.’
    ‘Yes, William, dear,’ said a soft female voice, with an attractive Irish lilt. ‘Doña Magdalena has saved the day.’ Dorothy Jordan had now reached the duke’s side. She slid her hand into the crook of his arm. Sir Lawrence Forsyth handed back her reticule with a stiff bow.
    ‘I trust you have not hurt your ankle, my dear?’ said the duke.
    ‘No, Your Highness, my ankle is fine.’ Magdalena gave him a brilliant smile. ‘However, I fear that the rogue has scuffed and damaged my boots.’ At that point she lifted her skirts again, raised her right ankle and twisted it provocatively in the air for his inspection. The boot was indeed scuffed but if Lavender remembered correctly both this one and its partner had needed replacing for some time. He wondered what she was up to now.
    Dorothy Jordan’s green eyes narrowed at the sight of Magdalena’s little trick. The duke, however, clearly appreciated the view.
    ‘Damnation!’ he cursed. ‘We can’t have that! We shall reward you with a new pair of boots, m’dear! Come, Dora. Be grateful – hand over the reward for saving your purse.’
    ‘A new pair of boots for rescuing a purse which contains but a few pennies?’ There was a sharp edge in Mrs Jordan’s question.
    The duke gave his mistress a scathing look. ‘Such bravery and assistance towards the House of Hanover deserves a reward,’ he snapped. ‘Doña Magdalena will be the toast of the town by tomorrow morning when news of this unfortunate incident leaks out to those scoundrels in the press. We can’t appear to be ungrateful.’
    Dorothy Jordan hastily changed tack. ‘Alas, my dear, I do not carry money of that value around with me. Perhaps Detective Lavender can call at Bushy House tomorrow and claim your reward.’
    ‘I would be delighted, ma’am,’ he said and bowed again. He wasn’t sure if Magdalena was aware of the friction her little trick had caused but he was left in no doubt that money was a source of conflict in the Clarence household.
    ‘Come now, William, it has been a long night. We need to return home.’
    Reluctantly the duke tore his eyes away from the hem of Magdalena’s dress. He offered his arm to Mrs Jordan and everyone bowed low again as the royal party swept towards the theatre door.
    When they reached the exit, Dorothy Jordan turned back to Magdalena. ‘When you go shopping to replace your boots,’ she said, ‘I would recommend the establishment of Mistress Evans on Long Acre.’
    ‘Many thanks, ma’am, for your recommendation,’ said Magdalena. ‘I shall be sure to pay Mistress Evans a visit.’
    ‘You do that,’ said the actress. There was a glint in her eyes that reminded Lavender of a cat.
    ‘Are you hurt?’ he asked Magdalena when the royal party had gone. ‘I heard you cursing about your knee.’ He offered his own arm to support her, which she took gratefully.
    ‘No, no. I twisted it when he ran into me but I will be fine.’ Her cheeks glowed and her eyes shone with excitement. ‘To meet a prince!’ she exclaimed. ‘Stephen! You never told me you knew the royal family!’
    He smiled. ‘I don’t know them,’ he said, ‘but I have worked for the Prince of Wales on several occasions and Queen Charlotte. The principal officers are the only police officers allowed into Buckingham House. The heir to the throne has a particular attachment to a colleague of mine, John Townsend. On a few occasions when Prince George wanted additional security, Townsend was unavailable and I had to take his place. The Duke of Clarence has a remarkable memory if he remembers that.’
    Suddenly, they were interrupted with a torrent of excited Spanish. With a flurry of