My estate manager is here at Sully, having deemed it better to travel all the way to Paris to conduct the possible sale of Lespinasse Castle with Lafayette. He warns me that some minor repairs ought to be made in advance of the Marquis visiting the property, and I find his idea of a minor repair to be quite expensive. All the same, one must spend money in order that one may make money at times, so I have hired workmen in Auvergne and my agent will return later this week to oversee things.
I held a small dinner gathering last night, and though I had by now given up hope of seeing either the Marquis de F- or Mlle de Rodez, to my astonishment, both accepted my invitation. Naturally Clementine was much-guarded by the Dowager Countess, but it seemed to me that she delighted in everything and was sorry to leave. I could not see that she took any special interest in F- but there is time yet to foster that plan.
As for the man himself, one important thing did occur. He attend with a lady, a Mlle Verloux, but he found a moment when I had stepped away from the other guests to speak with me. He pressed me for information about Thierry's whereabouts and plans, exuding friendly solicitude, though he has ever been a poor liar. I responded evasively, telling him that Thierry is moving about. Let him frustrate himself with that! I then asked him outright if he had anything to do with the Lettre de Cache and the information that was given to the police. He denied it, but I know in my heart that he did, and I will find a way to prove it.
Today I go once more to the police, and this time I will not deal with Lenoir, the Chief of Police, I will use more subtle means. It is a well-known fact that the clerks are underpaid, so I think that a good bribe may do the trick.
Olympe, Comtesse
No comments:
Post a Comment