Dusk was drawing in and there were more candles lit than there had been the other morning, yet still the room seemed shadowy. There was a closed iron box on the desk and what appeared to be an open ledger; and I saw, with a jump of my heart, his black-handled riding crop lying across the corner. As I stood before him, Silas marked something with a tick in the ledger and then looked up at me through his spectacles. “I’m sorry to hear what Doggett says,” he said, chiding me like a father with a disobedient child. I cleared my throat. “What does she say, Sir?” “That you went with Miss Leah to the mere this afternoon.” I understood now the reason for Dog’s triumphant look. “You wanted me to stay with her, Sir.” “But are you going to tell me what took place there?” I bit my lip. “I can’t spy for you, Sir, I’m sorry.” I thought he’d be angry.
