Daniel tried to hide his disappointment, thankful that his mask concealed much of his face and his features.
“I understand, my lord,” Daniel said. “And I wish to officially extend my services, should there be anything I can do to help you and Rose understand and rectify this situation.”
The Earl sagged with relief, but only momentarily. He suddenly straightened and looked at Daniel sharply.
“Rose must not be put in harm’s way during any investigations,” he said.
Daniel took a deep breath. He did not wish to reveal Rose’s role in his investigation, nor did he wish to lie to the Earl. At last, he smiled his best actor’s smile and bowed again.
“I assure you that I will personally see to Lady Rose’s safety,” he said truthfully.
That seemed to be the exact response for which the Earl had hoped. He smiled immediately and nodded.
“Very good,” Lord Roxbough said. “And please, let me know if there is anything further that I can do to help you with your investigation.”
Daniel smiled with genuine sincerity.
“It will be my pleasure to help you and Lady Rose,” he said. “And I will let you know of any developments as I learn of them.”
The Earl smiled, seemingly reassured by Daniel’s words, as one could be only by the promise of a true, old friend.
Daniel felt guilty only briefly for omitting Rose’s involvement thus far, before excusing himself and rushing to the stairwell to the veranda.
He had every confidence in his ability to keep Rose safe, so he felt that he should not feel so terrible for not speaking up to the Earl.
He knew that it had been far less than an hour, but as he had obtained all the information he could from Rose’s father, he felt there was nothing to do but wait for her at their meeting spot. To his surprise, she was already waiting for him when he reached the veranda.
“Did Father speak to you?” she asked apprehensively as he closed the door behind him.
“He did,” Daniel said. “But he knows nothing more than we do about the arrival of the letter.”
Rose sighed in exasperation.
“Allison knew nothing, either,” she said. “She said she found the letter atop a pile of her costumes when she arrived that evening.”
Daniel stood frozen, both in frustration and in fear. If they were no closer to solving the mystery, then someone was bound to get hurt before the perpetrator was caught. And that someone might very well be Lord Roxbough. Or, worse still, Rose.
If only her father had had anything more to offer, Daniel thought.
Then, he felt his face grow paler than he would ever have believed possible. It couldn’t be…
“What do we do now?” Rose asked.
Daniel wanted more than anything to reassure Rose, to tell her that everything would be alright. But, not only did he know that she was far cleverer than to believe such unbelievable reassurances, he was no longer sure himself.
“I think I have an idea,” Daniel said darkly.
Rose perked up, waiting for Daniel to say more.
“I am sorry, Lady Rose,” Daniel said truthfully. “But I think that the final lead is mine and mine alone to investigate.”
“But why?” Rose asked, indignant.
Daniel winced. There was nothing he could say to Rose that would not expose his identity. Also, he could not yet admit to himself that what he was considering was even a plausible option at all.
However, he did not wish for Rose to think that he felt her incapable of helping him in this investigation. He sighed, his frustration matching Rose’s.
“I must speak with someone,” Daniel said carefully. “And I do not wish to bring too much interrogation onto them until I am certain that they deserve it.”
When Rose’s face relaxed and became silently thoughtful, Daniel knew that his response had been the correct one. He smiled.
“Do not worry, Lady Rose,” Daniel said. “We will get to the bottom of this mystery, I promise you.”
Rose looked at him, her eyebrows raised.
“You do not mean that you will get to the bottom of it, do you?” she asked.
Daniel noticed that she did not sound skeptical, but rather more hopeful and determined.
“Not at all,” Daniel said. “I mean that you and I shall do this together.” He smiled sincerely and bowed to her.
But I do have a visit to my father to make, he added silently, praying that he was wrong to even think that his father could be capable of such a thing, even as the cold dread built up in his stomach.
Chapter 12
Rose and her father arrived home a short while after her meeting with the Specter.
They had both agreed that they would better serve the theater and its repairs once they were rested and clearer headed.
The ride home was a silent one, which gave Rose time to think of everything she had learned from the Specter. Specifically, it gave her time to wish that the two of them had been able to find more pieces to this crucial puzzle.
She feared that the more time that passed before they figured out what was happening and who was responsible, the higher the chances were that something else sinister, and more devastating, would happen.
She struggled to sleep well that night, and for a couple of nights after. She could not help but feel hope slipping away, and fear taking its place, with each day that passed without any new information that might lead to uncovering who the perpetrator could be.
She also hated seeing her father constantly so tired and frayed, though she had to admit that he was managing to smile a bit more since they had had tea with the marchioness.
At the evening of the ball, Rose felt guilty, as though she was abandoning her father. It was, after all, the night of the theater’s reopening.
Briefly, she played with the notion of feigning illness so that she could stay home, but she could not bring herself to tell her father such a lie. Besides, she knew that, even if he believed her sick, he would not allow her to help him in any way, and he certainly would not allow her near the theater.
He would send her straight to bed and might even insist on sitting with her until she fell asleep, as he used to do when she fell sick as a child. She knew that he had more than he could handle alone with everything going on at the theater, and she felt that it was her duty to help him as much as she could.
Whereas, just a couple of weeks before, she had begun to feel excited about the ball, and especially seeing Daniel there, now, she felt that it was more of an obligation than a fun-filled event.
She barely even noticed as Sarah helped her into her dress and fixed her long red hair into a beautiful style. In fact, she hardly knew anything until Sarah at last waved her hands gently but firmly in front of her face.