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just an idea,” Diana warned him, “but this is very important to Harrup, and he can be generous when he wants.”
    “Let’s see the address,” Ronald said eagerly.
    “Let us have dinner first. We must lay plans.”
     

Chapter Four
     
    “How many servants is a man like Markwell apt to have?” Diana asked her brother as they ate dinner. It was only an indifferent meal. Neither was in the mood for a lingering repast in some fine dining spot. They wanted to get on with the job at hand, so settled for Ronald’s former hotel, Ibbetson’s.
    “A gentleman in his position would have to keep up a good front. He’d have about two thousand a year from his papa. I’d say two or three servants: a valet and butler, or a valet who also buttles and a female to look after his rooms and do a bit of cooking. As he has only hired rooms, his female servant may sleep elsewhere, like my Rankin.”
    “If Markwell makes do with one man, then we should have no trouble,” Diana ventured. “I’ll knock on the door and distract him while you rifle the office. I shall say I felt faint and ask for a glass of wine. Perhaps I should send him for a doctor,” she mused, thinking aloud.
    “What if Markwell is at home himself?” Ronald asked.
    “Then we shall have to wait till he leaves. Surely he won’t be home at this hour. I’ve heard Harrup say a bachelor in London can eat out every night of the week if he possesses an impeccable jacket and a passable reputation.”
    Ronald nodded his agreement. “Even I have had several invitations already,” he mentioned.
    “Why do you say even you, Ronald?” she asked angrily. “You speak as though there were something the matter with you.”
    “I ain’t exactly a catch,” he mumbled.
    “Why, you’re handsome, well educated, wellborn, and have an unsullied character. You have good prospects—you’ll be the owner of the Willows one day. And soon Harrup will be your patron,” she added, smiling.
    Ronald look mystified at his lack of social success. “I don’t seem to add much to a party,” he said.
    “You must learn to put yourself forward more forcefully. Keep your eyes open for any chance of advancement. And when you begin looking about for a wife, Ronald, you should bear in mind your own reticence and seek someone who is outgoing, who will be a help to your social life.”
    “That sounds like you, Di,” he pointed out.
    “I should be very happy to play your hostess till you marry,” she agreed.
    “That might be forever. I turn into a blanc-manger when confronted with a bold woman,” he said, and mildly ate up his meat.
    When the carriage delivered them to Glasshouse Street, Ronald looked around with interest. “That’s the place,” Diana said, pointing to a mansion halfway between Old Bond and Swallow that had been turned into four bachelor flats.
    “I thought it might be,” he said. “I was with Cuthbert when he was looking at one of those flats, but they were too steep for him.”
    “You wouldn’t know which one was Markwell’s?” Di asked.
    “No, but the two on the top floor were still to let last week, so he must be on the ground floor. They’re dandy rooms, light and airy. Cuthbert was going to try to raise the wind to hire one.”
    “Excellent! If Markwell is on the ground floor, we can peek in the windows and see if he’s home. I’ll recognize him and know if it is the right flat.”
    This subterfuge proved unnecessary, though a few other precautions were taken. Diana had Harrup’s carriage wait in the shadows a block away, lest anyone recognize the crest blazoned on the panel. She and Ronald walked past the building twice, then went to the front door. In the entranceway, they found a small white card had been posted listing the occupants. Lord Markwell occupied the set of rooms to the left of the entrance passage.
    “There were no lights burning in those rooms,” Diana whispered. “Do you think you could pry the lock open?”
    Ronald looked lost.