Table of Contents

Mouse Trap

Afterword

Mouse Trap

by

Sophie Duncan

Dedication

Thank you to Tasha, Rob and Mama for all your help.

~*~

This publication is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organisations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

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Copyright © 2011 Sophie Duncan

Cover art by Natasha Duncan-Drake

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ISBN 978-1-908333-19-3

Mouse Trap

Harry Moorsely sipped her Pimms and watched Tubby Granger and his latest squeeze stroll across the pristine lawn of Devril Estate's formal garden. Of course, Tubby wasn't tubby anymore, not since school. In fact, he cut quite a dash in his Saville Row suit and slicked back hair. However, it wasn't Tubby that Harry was interested in, it was Mariam DeBoer, the slender young thing he had brought with him to the house party. Mariam's dark, almost black bob had curled a little at the bottom in the damp country air, but the unintentional wisps framed her pale face and made Harry think of the nymphs from Art Nouveau. Not really her style, she was currently trying her hand at Art Deco, but that didn't mean Harry wouldn't have liked to study the petite creature in more depth back at her studio in London after the weekend house party.

"Harriet, Mariam came with Tubby," came the somewhat amused tone from the chair beside Harry.

Harry turned her head and smiled mischievously at her god mother, Lady Jane Devril. Apart from insisting on calling her Harriet, Jane was refreshingly modern for a woman in her fifties and had taken Harry's predilection for her own sex in the same sturdy stride she used when taking the dogs out for a walk.

"You have to let me have a little fun, Jane," she countered and pouted when Jane raised an eyebrow.

"We must all go and change for dinner," was Jane's final comment and, with that, she rose and set off across the lawn and, deliberately, Harry thought, blocked the view she had been so enjoying.

With a sigh, Harry conceded round one to Lady Jane, stood up and headed in through the patio doors.

~

Round one had been a very short affair and Harry quickly moved onto round two. Standing in front of the full length mirror, she checked the outfit she had chosen very carefully. She had rather too much bust for the straight dresses all the winsome young things were wearing, but the beaded, fitted bodice and handkerchief line of the skirt draped over her curves perfectly. In contrast to the monotone dress, she had lit up her lips with flame red and lined her eyes simply to show off their blueness. Satisfied, Harry turned and headed out into the corridor.

There she stood for some minutes, just waiting. Eventually, she was rewarded when the handle of the room next to hers turned. Harry took a step down the corridor and half turned as Mariam appeared. Discovering Harry, the girl looked startled and nervous at the same time, which was rather endearing and Harry gave her no chance to back off.

"Mariam, what luck, shall we walk down together?"

Harry practically dived at the girl, slipped a hand under her arm and started to take them down the corridor without waiting for an answer. Mariam, the timid little thing that she was, capitulated with only the smallest of gasps. Harry beamed at her, leaned in to take in the girl's delicate scent of rose and whispered, "You look divine tonight."

Mariam was rather stunning, all brown eyes and ivory chiffon. She tensed a little at the compliment, but Harry kept hold of her hand and continued, "Now you must tell me all the details of how Tubby won himself a gorgeous girl like you."

Harry lingered just longer than proper at Mariam's ear and was delighted when the girl actually shivered. Mariam's eyes were even darker than before when Harry drew back, pupils dilated, and there was the most delicious pink tinge to the girl's cheeks. Harry knew her message had been at least partly heard if not understood, and, not wishing to frighten Mariam, she advanced them down the hallway at almost a trot. Giggling like the school girl she hadn't been for half a decade she announced, "Those drop earrings are just darling. Where did you get them?"

The change of subject disarmed any disquiet in Mariam and, although the girl was still a little too in awe of her and did not reply, Harry was happy with her first play.

~

Harry sat at dinner and found herself staring at the darling Mariam's neck and the way the cheap earrings did an amazing job of accentuating how long and delicate it was. She knew she was obsessing, it was a habit when something she wanted was just out of reach, and she was enjoying the little thrill her overt interest was risking. Old Colonel Banfry on her right wouldn't notice, of course: he was a good old duffer, who could be relied upon to escort a lady into dinner, but Harry knew as long as she nodded and smiled at him occasionally, he would carry on recounting his war stories without a care. Tubby had noticed, which made the chase all the wilder, because he was glaring whenever he didn't have to talk to Dame Gracelin on his left and he hadn't said a word to Mariam all evening.

Mariam looked a little lost with Tubby on one side and Marcus Aldling, a rather prim man, on the other. Jane was doing her best to hold the odd conversation with the whole table of fourteen, but Mariam was a mouse, an enticing little dormouse, who did not join in with the talk of country pursuits. Harry just couldn't help wondering where her teapot was. Harry wasn't sure if Mariam had noted her interest herself, but it was rather fun not knowing. The girl refused to meet anyone's eyes, so Harry would have to be content with just playing the game.

"…They do say they were a gift from a Raja to his favourite wife," Jane's laughter broke Harry's concentration, and since Tubby was moving from glaring to shifting menacingly in his seat, Harry turned her head and smiled at her God Mother.

Jane had her hand to her throat, fingering a fine string of emeralds as she spoke to Mr Gracelin, who was staring partly at bosom and partly at the jewels. The whole point of the weekend had been to show off the newest acquisition of the Devril collection and Jane had been preening handsomely all evening.

"They look so expensive, how will you keep them safe?" asked Mr Gracelin, who was American and therefore not au fait with the niceties of not mentioning price at an English dinner table.

"We have a safe in James' study," Jane returned, her smile slipping just a little at the gaff.

"Never can be too careful with the state of society these days," Tubby chimed in and shot Harry a frosty look in the process.

Harry scored herself a point.

"Well if Baldwin would just pull his finger out and do something about the unions, we'd be on a stronger footing," Aldling joined in with a gusto that caused Mariam to glance at him askance.

"It's all been changing since the war," the Colonel was not so much of a surprise for Harry.

Harry rubbed the bridge of her nose: if the evening's conversation hadn't been boring enough already, she did not really want to jump into a debate about government policy, not after such a nice selection of wines anyway. It was Jane who came to the rescue: putting down her glass, she drew everyone's attention with just a polite smile and then she announced, "Well, if the gentlemen are going to start talking politics, I suggest it is time for we ladies to retire to the drawing room."

Harry barely resisted a sigh of relief and she rose from the table before the talk could continue. All the men rose as the rest of the ladies followed Jane's lead and, almost gleefully, Harry made her way quickly around the table so that she was waiting when Mariam reached the door. Without waiting for permission and with a grin at Tubby, she slipped her arm through Mariam's and told her, "Come on, let's leave the boys to their talk. We have better things to do."

Having been accosted once already, Mariam did not look as scared or surprised this time, in fact a small smile tweaked the corners of her mouth and Harry had an urge to kiss it. She swept Mariam out of the room instead and was gratified when, once out of earshot, Mariam confessed quietly to her, "I do hope the girl talk is more interesting than dinner."

"Tubby was being a bit inattentive," Harry took her chance for a dig, "but don't worry, I shall be very attentive, Mariam, my dear, and we shall have a jolly time."

A couple of the older ladies gave the girls a look as they walked into the drawing room giggling, but only Jane's glance held a reproach. Harry winked at her irreverently, guided Mariam to a sofa and sat down as close as she could without alarming her. She kept hold of Mariam's hand and laid their clasped fingers on Mariam's leg as she lent in and offered, "Now what will you have to drink?"

Mariam looked up at Grayson, the butler, who was waiting to take their order and then glanced back at Harry.

"What are you having?"

"Stinger, please, Grayson," Harry chose quickly.

From her expression, Mariam had no idea what that was, so Harry just smiled at her, told Grayson, "Make that two," and then assured her, "You'll love it."

Everyone else was being much more staid in their choice of digestif, Madeira being the most common choice, and Mariam's eyes opened wide when she was presented with amartini glass full of the amber cocktail. She took it gingerly and gave it a sip and then practically beamed at Harry.

"Yum!" she whispered and took a large swig.

Harry raised her glass and saluted the gulp before taking one herself. Then, leaning back in her seat and making sure she was still arm in arm with Mariam, she launched, "So, Jane, do tell us the story of the Maharaja and his princess."

~

Half an hour later and Jane was still waxing lyrical about India and Harry was happily curled up with Mariam's tipsy head on her shoulder. Jane could always be counted on to spin a good tale and, egged on by only the faintest of hints, Jane had kept the ladies entertained with joyful recounts of visiting swamis on hillsides and riding elephants through the jungle to remote temples.

"…and the walls were decorated with the most magnificent paintings that shone in the evening sun as if they had been created just for us that day," Jane cast the image out and there were sighs from every quarter.

Harry smiled to herself: she had grown up on these stories when her Godmother had visited her parents and she never grew tired of them. Jane had been an adventurer, only settling down later in life when she had met James, and Harry took the woman as her inspiration. She knew her own mind, she would not be cowed by society's expectations and Harry was almost sure Jane had dabbled in at least one union with her own sex, although she could not prove it.

"What was in the paintings, Lady Jane?" Mariam asked, her tone in awe of the wonderful tales.

Jane and Harry shared a smile then. In the privacy of her mother's parlour, they had shared the details of the wall paintings, the like of which had made the school-girl's eyes go wide, but they were not the sort of murals for polite company.

"Men and women, my dear, worshipingShiva and Pavarti," Jane glossed over the details of what had been depictions of very literal rituals celebrating Shiva and Pavarti's union.

"My grandfather was in India," Mariam revealed the reason she had finally spoken up and Harry was glad to hear excitement, if some nerves in her voice as she became the centre of attention. "He told me about all the gods they worship. Shiva and Pavarti were husband and wife, weren't they?"

"That's right," Jane sounded impressed.

That encouraged Mariam and Harry was a little disappointed when the girl sat away from her, but the profile she could see was lit with more life than she had seen before and she was happy to watch as Mariam continued, "Pavarti was honoured when she was told she would marry Shiva, but she had to be persistent to attract him. And when they were finally married, they celebrated..."

Mariam fell quickly silent and her cheeks coloured. She shrank back next to Harry, watched by the assembled company of gentlewomen.

"How did they celebrate?" Dame Gracelin pressed.

Harry giggled as she remembered just how the couple had spent their time. Jane's smile was also twitching and, thankfully, she saved Mariam from dying of embarrassment by announcing, "They made love, Ladies, they made love."

There were a couple of gasps, but then Harry and Jane's eyes met and rather too much cocktail took over. Harry's giggle became a snort of laughter and then Jane joined in with a hearty chortle. Mariam looked from one to the other as did the other polite ladies, but her mouth was set in a rather desperate line. She put her hand up to her mouth and then it escaped, the first peep of laughter. Her cheeks were practically glowing, but she collapsed against Harry in a gale of giggles. It took a few more seconds for anyone else to find it funny, but then more titters joined in and even those who had gasped were laughing nervously as well.

It was not the most ladylike time for the gentlemen to join them in the drawing room, but Harry was rather satisfied when Tubby walked in and bristled at the way Mariam was lying up against her.

"Well, well, Darling, what have you ladies been discussing?"James enquired with an open smile.

That caused a moment's pause as all the ladies looked around at each other, but then they dissolved into another peel of laughter.

"Gentlemen, I feel we should retrieve our better halves, or else there may be a scandal," James took the unfettered jollity in good humour.

However, Tubby didn't, and his response was a tight, "Yes. Mariam, I think it is time to retire. I will escort you to your room."

Mariam straightened immediately and the disappointment in her expression was obvious. However, the way Tubby's eyes were flashing, Harry knew when not to challenge, or there would be a scene, so she just patted the girl on the hand when Mariam looked her way.

"Shiva calls," Harry dismissed her friend with a smile.

"I always preferred the stories about Pavarti," Mariam returned with a hidden little frown just for Harry and Harry sat up a little straighter at the undertones she thought she was hearing.

"Mariam," Tubby tutted.

The man smirked in a superior manner at Harry when Mariam obeyed his call, but Harry just watched the couple go with her own smile developing once more. Whether the alcohol had loosened Mariam's inhibitions or Tubby's manner had pushed her into it, Harry had definitely heard a fledgling promise in Mariam's words. Grabbing her refilled glass, she sank back down into the sofa and hid her glee behind the stinger.

~

Harry lay in bed listening to the creaks of the old house and running the vision that was Mariam DeBoer over in her head. Until the small message at the end of the evening, the chase had been a mere game, something that Harry had not considered winning, only giving Tubby a run for his money. However, she caught herself seriously considering how to hook her nymph and planning what to do when she did.

She slipped her palm slowly down her stomach as she held the dark-eyed beauty in her mind's eye and drew her breath in through her mouth as she slid her fingers under the waistband of her pyjamas. She played her nails in the very top of her curls and continued to create her dryad in her mind. She clothed her only in a few vines curling temptingly down over her delicate breasts. Harry ran her imagination over the fantasy she was creating, adding the glistening of dew on Mariam's pale skin, taking her time to create the image properly.

Harry's attention traced her fae's slender waist and dallied over a white rose entwined in the leaves just below her navel. She licked her lips as she prepared to look lower. However, a large creak from the hall outside threw Harry out of the moment and a second creak kept her there. Frustrated, she rolled over and listened and heard several more of what she realised were footsteps. The image of her nymph fading with every step, Harry growled and climbed out of bed to find out what exactly had disturbed her reverie. In a temper, she pulled open the door and stuck her head out into the corridor. Before she gave her disturber a piece of her mind, she slammed her mouth shut, because, what she saw was her fairy heading down the corridor, silk robe half hanging off her delicate shoulders.

Mariam was glancing around the hallway like a jumpy rabbit and Harry ducked back into her room when that worried look came her way. She paused there, not really sure why she had hidden, but her instincts firing and making her as unsure as Mariam had seemed. After a second, she realised how silly she was being and stepped back out into the corridor. However, Mariam was gone.

Confused and a little perturbed, Harry stood in the cool hallway for a few moments, looking at the moonlight shining in through the window at the end, and wondered if she had imagined the lovely sight. Her intended dream had been deliberately vivid, but she was not prone to hallucinations, so she concluded it had been real.However, her dream was, at that moment, more enticing than reality and so Harry headed back into her room and her appointment with a nymph.

~

The smell of bacon wafted down the corridor out of the breakfast room as Grayson opened the door for her and, smiling at the butler, Harry walked into the sunlit room, her stomach grumbling quite loudly.

"Good morning," she announced brightly to cover the noise and was greeted by a wide variety of responses.

Dame Gracelin smiled cordially and her husband waved his newspaper and offered a very colonial, "Hi!"

"Morning," Jane replied, already tucking into an ample pile of kedgeree and her belief that breakfast was the staple meal of the day.

Tubby was also at the table and did not even look up, in fact, he was glaring into his eggs. Harry fancied just a little dig and so, as she walked over to the breakfast bar to help herself to the bacon that was making her mouth water, she asked, "Where is everyone else this morning, no James or Mariam yet?"

Tubby hrmphed as he was meant to. Jane cast him a glance and then showed her minor disapproval to Harry.

"James has gone to his study to collect some letters," Jane informed her. "Mariam is tired and has requested a tray in her room."

"Oh what a pity, she is such good company," Harry dug a little more and settled herself in the seat opposite Tubby.

She smiled sweetly when he glanced up at her.

"Stay aw-" Tubby began through gritted teeth.

However, before he could finish, James came charging into the room, limbs flying and face red.

"They're gone, they're gone!" he yelled.

Everyone was on their feet in alarm in a second and Jane asked, "What are gone?"

"The emeralds, we've been robbed!" James exclaimed and headed back out of the door.

Harry glanced at Tubby, whose face showed shock and, Mariam put on the back burner, they both headed quickly after their host. Jane and Mr Gracelin were next and the grand Dame Gracelin brought up the rear. They followed the tempest that was James Devril to his study and all piled into the room behind him. The curtains of the French windows were blowing gently in a summer breeze, there was glass all over the hard wood floor scattered towards James desk. Behind that, the safe was as open as the doors.

"My God!" Jane wailed, pushed through Tubby and Harry and dashed across to the safe.

Harry followed her quickly and took her by the shoulders as they both stopped in front of the hole in the wall. Papers were piled untidily inside, and some boxes, but there was no jewel case.

"Oh Jane, I'm so sorry," Harry offered what little consolation she could.

"Call the police!" James yelled as Jane sagged against Harry.

Harry guided Jane down to the seat behind the chair and she knelt down next to her, taking hold of her hand.

"How could someone do this?" Jane bemoaned, her face having gone worryingly grey.

"There, there," Harry patted Jane's hand, feeling rather ineffective.

Harry looked back up at the open safe, disbelieving the ugly audacity of the thief. The joy of the evening's stories chilled in the light of such criminality and Harry had to look away again as it ruined everything. There was no glass on the floor here, but something did glint in the thin rays of light that made it past the big Victorian desk. Harry squinted in the half light and then her heart entered her throat as she recognised the small object that had caught her attention: it was an earring, Mariam's earring. Chills running up and down her spine, Harry acted on instinct, she snatched out her hand and grabbed the glaring item.

"Jane, you need air, we should get out of here," Tubby sounded a sensible option and came round the desk.

"Yes, we should," Harry agreed with her rival for once and, between them, they helped Jane to her feet and led her back towards the door.

Breathing hard, Harry slipped the earring into her pocket and tried not to think too hard about what her discovery could mean.

~

Harry hovered in the hallway outside the study, pacing in a short circle as she listened to the men talking to Constable Higgins, the local policeman. She had the earring clutched in the palm of her hand and her mind was reeling with the consequences of her find. The study was James' domain, no one entered unless with him and Mariam had not been invited inside. Mariam had been wearing the earring when she left the drawing room, Harry had been admiring the curve of her neck again and she was certain, but that meant the earring had to have found its way into the study during the night, at the same time as the thief.

Yet Harry could not accept that Mariam had taken the emeralds. She had seen something in Mariam, something that had drawn her in and she did not want to believe that she had been so mistaken. There was innocence in her nymph and a genuineness that was tearing her heart apart to think she had been deceived.

Yet, Mariam had not appeared from her room since the commotion had started. She was remaining remote from it all, maybe because she was afraid the guilt would be in her eyes. Harry didn't like that thought, didn't like to think of those brown depths tainted by slyness. Yet, she couldn't help it. Lost in her quandary, she could only distract herself in the eavesdropping.

"Well, the burglar came in through the windows, My Lord," Higgins observed lamely.

"Yes, we know that," Tubby snapped.

"And all that was taken was the emerald necklace, Sir?" the constable checked.

"Yes," James tutted and Harry felt the man's pique of impatience.

Higgins was discrete, reliable and could deal with the occasional poacher the game warden handed to him, but he was not known for his brains.

"I'll need to speak with the servants, My Lord," Higgins continued.

"Yes, yes, I'll have Grayson arrange that," James agreed, but led the way with, "but it looks like the man broke in from the outside, Constable. Have you any reports of similar thefts in the area?"

"None that I know of, My Lord," Higgins was not being very helpful, "and no known criminals in the area, either."

"This thief has to be a professional, Constable: he can pick locks, there is no sign of force on the safe," Tubby added his own thoughts.

'Then why did he break the window to get in?' Harry wondered as the thought occurred.

Her dissatisfactory conclusion was that it was to make it look like an outside job. Harry looked down at the earring in her hand and had to face the possibility that Mariam was that good at thievery and deception. Harry closed her hand back around the earring, tight enough that she felt it digging into her palm and then she turned her back on the inept investigation that was happening in the study.Instead, she strodepurposefully down the hall and then up the stairs. Mariam was not so innocent as she had seemed and that she could have been so wrong peeved Harry. This was no longer a game, she had to find out the truth, one way or the other and so, dashing up to Mariam's bedroom door, she paused, took a deep breath and, preparing to deceive as she had been deceived, she set her face to a bright smile and knocked.

"Come in," that gentle voice called from within and, with one more steadying breath, Harry grabbed the door handle and went in.

Inside, what she found rather brought her up short, because Mariam was sitting on the edge of the bed, dabbing hastily at her eyes and trying not to look up.Her quickly laid plans crumbled in the face of obvious grief and Harry's heart went out to the girl without her permission. She crossed the few paces to the bed in seconds, sat down and, arm going round Mariam, asked, "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry," the girl began, clearly trying to hold back tears that had already made her eyes red.

She failed and, with a sob, she confessed, "You'll think me awfully silly, but I just have to find it, I can't go home without it."

It wasn't the most useful reply and, none the wiser, Harry asked , "Find what?"

Mariam held out her hand and slowly uncurled her slender fingers to reveal the pair of the earring Harry was holding.

"I was wearing them last night," Mariam gushed quickly. "I know they're not as important as Lady Jane's emeralds, but my mother leant them to me for this weekend, they were my grandmother's and now I've lost one and she'll be so disappointed in me. I searched half the night, but I couldn't find it."

A confession to the late night foray was the last thing Harry had expect from Mariam and it quite upset her thought processes. So far, the interview was not going at all how her annoyance wished it to go, but then again, her annoyance was a fleeting thing in the face of vulnerable sorrow.Any thought of challenging the distraught girl dribbled out of Harry's head and, instead, she held out her own hand and displayed her prize. The cry from Mariam was filled with such relief that it could not have been fake and suddenly Harry found herself clutched into a desperate hug full of sobs and gratitude. A little shocked, Harry took a moment to respond to the body trembling close to hers, but slowly, she closed her arms around Mariam and kept her close, enjoying the warm feeling that spread out from her chest as she did so.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you..." the words kept coming between hiccups from Mariam into Harry's shoulder and Harry just sat there, honestly stunned by the strength of Mariam's emotions over such a small trinket.

Gradually, Mariam calmed and feeling oddly protective, not an emotion she was used to, Harry released her hold. The girl sat back, her bangs falling round her elfin features, sticking to wet, pink cheeks and she looked anywhere but up at Harry.

"I'm sorry," she murmured as embarrassment seemed to catch up with her once more.

"Nonsense," Harry dismissed, not about to ruin the moment with awkwardness, since it was still firing some odd little pleasure centres she wasn't used to. "What are friends for?"

Mariam looked up then, surprise in her eyes. Harry smiled at her and, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, dabbed gently at the open expression. Then she handed Mariam her earring.

"I have to put them away before I lose one again," Mariam revealed, looking sheepish and clearly waiting for permission to stand up.

"Of course," Harry agreed and watched as her friend demurely climbed to her feet, cradling the jewellery in her hand like the earrings were the most expensive diamonds in the world.

Mariam walked over to the dresser and opened a box that was out of all proportion to the earrings she placed into it. It was a large, multi-drawered wooden affair inlaid with ivory, Harry knew this, and knew it was real, because she had been coveting a similar one in the window of Harridges. She couldn't resist, she stood up and purred enviously, "Oh isn't that just gorgeous."

The colour on Mariam's cheeks darkened again as Harry swept up beside her and ran her fingers over the fine polished surface.

"It is lovely, but I think Tubby was being far too generous when he gave it to me," Mariam sounded embarrassed again.

Harry wasn't having any of that, though, she laughed, leant up against Mariam and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't be silly, a lady accepts all gifts with graciousness. You lucky thing."

Mariam bit her lip coyly then, a gesture that sent shivers down Harry's spine. Before she was tempted to move too fast, Harry looked back at the box, tracing the abstract inlay.

"I only have the earrings and one necklace in it, it's a bit ridiculous," Mariam admitted, but she giggled lightly with it. "I don't have any fine jewels. I'm a secretary, but Tubby insisted."

"And we can't have you disobeying your young man, can we?" Harry laughed and then dropped her hand down over the back of the piece, teasing, "Hasn't he sent you any love letters you can stash in the hidden drawer?"

"There's a hidden drawer?" Mariam sounded excited and intrigued and hung over Harry's arm, watching intently. "Tubby never told me that!"

Just like a chap to ignore one of the best things about a gift.

Sliding the box round, Harry showed Mariam what she was doing, and, pressing on one of the inlaid roses, there was a click and the bottom section of what looked like a flush inlay popped out, revealing the drawer. What Harry was not expecting to see was the glint of green catching the light from the window. Ice slicing down her spine, Harry reached into the drawer and pulled out Lady Jane's emeralds.She then proffered them out to Mariam. The girl gave a horrified gasp, her features paling and she backed off.

"I didn't," Mariam began, panic clearly rising. "I wouldn't. I didn't know."

Harry had her thief, it was as clear as day, she'd been caught red handed. Yet, that conclusion left a bad taste in her mouth. Something was wrong. When Mariam sagged and sat down heavily onto the bed, Harry's instincts screamed at her to go in for the kill, get a confession from her suspect. Yet, she was dumb and just stared as Mariam began to cry again.

"I didn't take them, Lady Harriet," Mariam whimpered, "I promise. I couldn't do that."

The sudden gap between them put Harry's hackles up and she ran the course of events back through her head: the midnight search; finding the earring; Mariam's gratitude at her find; Mariam's love for the little paste beads; the excitement at the undiscovered drawer. Something unpleasant occurred to her.

"Mariam, when did you last have your earring?" Harry asked.

Mariam looked up, sniffling and surprised at the turn of the question.

"I noticed it was gone after I said goodnight to Tubby at my door," she replied and, from the way her eyes danced away and back again, Harry guessed the goodnight had not been a little peck on the cheek.

"Well, you were wearing both when you left the drawing room," Harry recalled, clear about the vision in white that had left her presence the night before.

"Where did you find it?" Mariam calmed and suspicion began to enter her voice.

"In the study."

Mariam gasped and Harry saw the same realisation dawn in the girl's eyes as had already hit her.

"I've never been in the study," Mariam disclosed firmly and then, much less sure, asked, "Do you think Tubby..."

Innocent little Mariam could not finish her thought, but Harry could. She nodded and continued, "Tubby had the earring, either by accident or design, and he dropped it in the study while he was stealing the emeralds."

"And he put them in my box," Mariam sounded crestfallen.

"Absolute rotter," Harry snarled. "If the constable searches and finds the drawer, you'd get the blame. If not, he collects the jewels later and gets away scot free."

"You believe it wasn't me?" Mariam checked, standing up hopefully and wringing the bottom of her scarf.

"Of course it wasn't you, the man's a bounder," Harry dismissed, her mind firing off thoughts at ten to the dozen as anger boiled up from her belly at what she was sure Tubby had been willing to do.

"Then what happens now? Do you think they'll believe me if we take the emeralds to the constable?" Mariam revealed just how naďve a beauty she was.

"No," Harry was feeling far more devious and she stalked right up to her pretty young thing, looked her in the eyes and told her, "Tubby has to pay."

Harry's vehemence had a wonderful effect on Mariam: the girl's lips opened slightly in shock, her cheeks darkened and her pupils dilated. Harry was so close that she could feel her friend's breath dancing delightfully over her jaw and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt as well as saw a shiver run right through Mariam. No more games. Harry threw the emeralds onto the bed and brought her arms up around Mariam. There was absolutely no resistance as her lips brushed her quarry's and Mariam moulded against her, hands dancing up her back as well. It was heaven and Harry couldn't help herself, she moaned as her chase became a heady reality.

Mariam's light summer dress hid little and Harry kissed harder as she felt the nipples of Mariam's breasts harden with desire.She rubbed against those enticing nubs and was rewarded with a whimper and trembles that sent shots of delight out through her own body. When Mariam opened her mouth and flicked her tongue against Harry's lips, Harry took a second to realise her little innocent was not so innocent, but then she took up the invitation and tasted her.

The kiss was long and deep and Harry drank in the experience of her nymph until she was forced to relax by the need for air. Still, she held onto Mariam as she lifted her face away and smiled. Mariam looked across at her, all dark eyes and plumped up lips, clearly still drifting in the pleasure of their touches. Harry resisted the urge to engage again, but only because the glint of emerald caught her eye and her original intent returned.

"I think we should continue this at my studio," she breathed warmly and was buoyant when Mariam practically glowed with desire in response.

Harry was loathed to break the mood, but everyone would be packing soon to disperse back to the smoke and she had an idea.

"But first, let's deal with Tubby."

Mariam 's face fell at the reminder, but Harry was glad when the girl nodded resolutely.

~

Harry walked slowly down the sweep of stairs that led to the main entrance of Devril Hall and watched Tubby and Mariam as they preceded her. After a couple of hours of servants running around and packing, it was time to leave. The pile of luggage standing with the self-same servants in the hallway was also being flanked by Constable Higgins, who was looking decidedly nervous. However, James was standing behind him with his best authoritative face on, and it was James who stepped forward and began, "Sporting of you to allow this search, Granger. Must be seen to be even handed, clear everyone of suspicion."

That suggestion had taken a little persuading on Harry's part, but when Mr Gracelin, whom she had taken with her to talk to James and was as staunch supporter of justice for all, had backed her up as she had hoped, James had eventually agreed to propose the search to his guests.

"Of course, Lord James," Tubby responded smoothly and Harry couldn't help a small smile over what was to come as she came to a halt about halfway down the stairs.

"Sir, Miss," Higgins nodded to them and coughed anxiously, "your keys please."

Both Tubby and Mariam handed over their suitcase keys and the policeman hurried on with his task. In contrast to the constable, Tubby looked quietly confident, his arm draped lazily around Mariam's shoulders. Mariam was nervous, Harry knew that, but she had agreed to Harry's plan with a grim resolution. Harry felt for her new friend, it was an awful thing to know you had been used as cover for the criminal activities of your boyfriend, but she was sure she could make things alright for Mariam as soon as Tubby was dealt with.

Higgins went for Mariam's bags first, tentatively pressing down on the clothes in the case, especially when there was evidence of bedroom silk on the top layer. As expected, he gave the jewellery box a cursory inspection, opening the obvious drawers, but he completely missed the hidden compartment, which made Tubby smile unconsciously. Harry gritted her teeth; she was going to enjoy this. A maid stepped in quickly once Higgins was done to rearrange the items and close the case while he moved on to Tubby's luggage.

Gentleman's clothes were a much easier search for Higgins and he was more thorough than he had been with Mariam's smalls. Tubby watched on confidently, blithely unaware of the trap that she and Mariam had set for him only half an hour before, when Mariam had distracted the footman packing Tubby's bags, and Harry watched him closely. When Higgins' hand closed around something solid wrapped inside a pair of socks, Harry positively grinned to herself. Higgins glanced up at Tubby and then across at James. He looked decidedly peaky at having located something, and only slowly straightened up from the case and passed the socks to James. Tubby's face fell and he glanced at Mariam, who was doing a very good impression of the unsure mouse she had been when she arrived.

James took the small bundle, unbound the pair and then tipped up one sock. Out slid Jane's emeralds. James fixed Tubby with a stare that was more disappointment than anger, just like him. Tubby's mouth began to move, but nothing was coming out. Mariam gasped and stepped away from him, betrayal clearly having helped her acting abilities and it was she who broke the silence with, "Tubby, how could you?!"

"I-I," Tubby stammered, brain obviously trying to catch up with what had happened.

Tubby had never been the brightest of the bunch, but Harry saw the light dawn in his eyes. His expression went through disbelief to the conclusion only he could come to and then he held up a finger and pointed at Mariam, "You did this."

"Me?" Mariam put a hand to her mouth and let out a shocked whimper.

Harry took her cue and trotted down the stairs. As Mariam began to cry, she wrapped her in her arms, held her close and glared at Tubby.

"How dare you accuse Mariam when you've been caught red handed," she charged back, "and you a guest in this house."

More light was dawning in Tubby's eyes and they narrowed on Harry. Yet, he said nothing more, his lips becoming a thin line.

"Thank you, Higgins, we'll handle this matter privately from here," James stepped in then.

The constable looked relieved and, with a nod, acknowledged, "Right you are then, My Lord."

The man, dutiful yokel that he was, turned and headed for the door.

Tubby turned to face James and Harry recognised the authority in the man that was the magistrate and land owner.

"I'd prefer it if you were to leave this house immediately, Granger," he spoke quietly, but with gravitas.

Tubby was sensible enough not to try to answer back. He did glance over at Mariam once more, but the girl sobbed loudly at his attention and buried her face in Harry's shoulder. With satisfaction, Harry watched her rival stomp out of the front door followed by two footmen with his cases. There would be no prosecution, such scandal was to be avoided, but Percival 'Tubby' Granger would be persona non grata in every stately home in England by tea time.

~

As soon as Harry heard the doorbell go, she dumped the lump of clay she had been handling and, wiping her hands on her apron and then ripping the insanely grubby item off of her slightly more presentable overalls, dashed across her open-plan flat to the front door. She knew who was at the door, at last, Mariam; it had been almost a week since they had sent Tubby packing and, much to Harry's consternation, James and Jane had been the consummate, consoling hosts and offered Mariam a longer stay on the estate in order to recover from the shock of Tubby's thievery. It had not been an invitation Mariam could refuse and Harry had returned to London with only a promise to keep her going. So, all week she had been trying to distract herself by diving into her art, more and more as the hour of her would-be lover's arrival drew near.

Harry flung open the door, grabbed for the body on the other side, found a wrist and pulled. Harry hadn't stopped to check her visitor was Mariam, but the squeak of surprise was more than enough recognition and, slamming the door behind them, Harry pushed the girl up against the wall and crushed their lips together. Mariam took only a second to catch up with Harry and then Harry smiled into the kiss as she felt hands snake up her back. She dallied in the feel of Mariam's slender frame against her own curves and ran her fingers into Mariam's smooth bangs, pushing away the cloche that had been covering them.She had been dreaming about this moment every time she closed her eyes, but reality was much, much better. Yet, it wasn't just Mariam's touch Harry had been longing for, and she drew back eventually to look into the deep brown eyes of her nymph.

Mariam gazed back, face lit up with a joyous smile. Her hat was only still on her head because the felt was caught between her skull and the wall and Harry had done a very good job of ruffling the boyish bob into something far more cherubic.

"I've missed you," Harry breathed earnestly.

Mariam started a laugh, but when Harry glanced self-consciously over at the studio area and Mariam's attention followed, the sound died in her throat. Harry felt her face heat up as Mariam gasped and pushed her away. She really had been missing Mariam awfully and, mouth open, the object of her desire took a few steps towards the result of that absence. Harry had abandoned her investigation of Art Deco in favour of pure expression and she had recreated her growing obsession in as many ways as she knew how.She had started with charcoal, a dozen sketches were lying all over the studio in various stages of completion; then paint on canvas, taking some of those ideas into colour; finally, she had moved into the more tactile medium of clay and in the centre of her workroom lay the nude figure of her darling nymph, reclining in glimpses of a woodland glade. It was in front of this four foot display that Mariam stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Harry. Harry couldn't read the look she was being given, and suddenly embarrassed by it all, crossed the space between them.

"I had to guess at your body," she stammered, not really sure of the mix of emotion that was coming through, and then confessed, "I couldn't stop."

"I can see that," Mariam replied, still regarding the whole collection with quiet separation.

Harry held her breath when the girl stepped right up to the clay figure. When one finger pressed gently against the dark, wet material of the shoulder, Harry wasn't sure what to think and then she felt a second rush of embarrassment when Mariam ran that finger down the arm to wrist and over a half-formed manacle. Harry had been trying to capture her emotions around the close call with the law that Tubby had orchestrated, but right then she didn't have the words to express that. Her throat went dry when, hand still resting on her work, Mariam turned to her, expression still unreadable.

"Do you like it?" she had to ask.

Harry didn't doubt Mariam would be honest, she was that type of girl, and that made her very nervous. She wasn't a good artist, she knew it, her work was clichéd and ordinary, but she didn't know if she could take direct criticism from her subject.

"What have you called this one?" Mariam asked, patting the figure.

"Nymph in Chains," Harry replied quickly.

Mariam smiled again then and reached out, taking one of Harry's hands.

"I am flattered."

Mariam stepped right up to Harry and slipped her other hand over Harry's hip. Harry shivered as Mariam then leant in and whispered right into her ear, "But I've always fancied the idea of silk over metal."

Harry had not been expecting that and the ideas that sparked in her head sent desire skittering all over her body. Mariam was biting her lip and blushing when she stepped back, but Harry saw her own passion reflected in those dark eyes: she hadn't been the only one dreaming that week.

"That can be arranged," she murmured back, confidence growing again, and she squeezed the hand in hers.

By that point, the berry colour was so dark on Mariam's cheeks that Harry could have painted it there, so Harry decided to break the moment and offered, "Would you like something to drink?"

Mariam surprised her again, when she shook her head.

"I don't want this moment adulterated by anything," came out quickly and rather unsurely.

However, if Harry hadn't been picking up her own hints over the week that Mariam was no ordinary conquest, the depth of emotion that welled up inside her with that admission underlined for her how much her nymph had captured her heart. Harry was feeling a little giddy at that kind of idea: she'd thought she wasn't the head-over-heels, madly in love type, but it seemed she had been wrong. She hadn't really thought about much more than kissing her nymph when she arrived, she hadn't dared, well not outside her dreams, anyway. No-one had made such an impact in her life before and Harry was a little afraid of the innocence Mariam projected, but it seemed Mariam was doing her best to penetrate that protection from the inside.

"What do you want to do?" Harry finally gave their affair over to Mariam entirely.

Mariam didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked over at the naked nymph once more.

"She looks like she is being worshipped," Mariam observed, eyes running from the figure's head to its feet.

"She is," Harry confirmed.

"Will you worship me like that, please?" Mariam requested quietly.

"Oh yes," Harry breathed earnestly and immediately lent in for a kiss to seal it.

This time, she was gentle, preferring a brush of lips to express her desire and almost before it had begun, she broke away, and led Mariam towards where the bedroom was curtained off from the rest of the flat. Mariam followed easily and, as soon as they had breached the barrier, Harry turned back to her and asked, "May I undress you?"

Mariam just turned around, revealing the buttons of her dress.

The girl was clothed simply in a straight summer dress that slipped easily off her shoulders and her slender figure had no need of moulding, so Harry was able to run hands down over and then up underneath Mariam's loose chemise. Mariam breathed in and lifted her arms out as Harry stroked her hips, her waist and then danced fingers around the base of the girl's breasts.It took only a few encouraging gasps for Harry to push the chemise further out of the way and close her palms over Mariam's soft mounds. The thrill of it was wonderful and the intimacy sent tingles out through Harry's body. She had been forming this body in her imagination for a week and she revelled in the reality, leaning down and laying a kiss on Mariam's long neck as she fondled gently.

Mariam pushed back into Harry, sighing and gasping in equal measure, and Harry continued to nip and lick as a hand came up and fingers wound into her hair. She looked down her fairy's body, over the folds of silk that were nestling above the sight of pale, smooth bosoms broken by her exploring fingers. She pulled the girl slightly off the vertical, taking control of her balance, so she could see the modern, light panties that Mariam was wearing as well, and then she whispered, "Touch yourself for me, Nymph."

Mariam responded to the new name with a murmur of desire, and then her other hand was running down over her flat stomach into her underwear. Harry could see the dark outline of Mariam's hair against the thin white clothing and she watched the silhouette of fingers descending through it and she knew when Mariam parted herself and touched, because she bucked her hips and her murmur became a moan. The sensitivity in the move made Harry drop one of her own hands down to join Mairam's and, threading her fingers with her nymph's, she pressed at the emerging dampness she found. Mariam shuddered, falling back against her fully and flexing into the touch. Mariam swelled quickly under Harry's touch then, writhing against her and lighting up Harry's own body as her senses filled with Mariam's arousal.

Mariam's presence was all-encompassing for Harry, wrapping her in desire and warmth the like of which she had never experienced before. She wanted to make love to this woman forever. Yet there could be highs and lows in forever, and Harry felt the first high approaching as Mariam began to tense against her, breathing becoming tighter. Smiling into the attention she was lavishing on Mariam's shoulder, Harry stroked Mariam forcefully into orgasm. Mariam bucked strongly, a small, strangled sound in her throat and Harry wrapped a free arm around her, pulling her shudders and sighs close, absorbing the little shocks as she continued to press until the sounds of pleasure became a whine of 'too much'.

Mariam sagged against Harry, shivering contentedly, and Harry slowly guided her down to the bed. Mariam went where she was put, eyes glazed over with left over high, and she was blissfully compliant when Harry, suddenly impatient for more, swiftly relieved her of the panties which had concealed the fondle. However, when she knelt over the girl's hips to reach and do the same with the chemise, Mariam pouted and stopped her. Confused, Harry paused and just asked her question with a look.

"Get those overalls off, I want to see too," Mariam revealed her dissatisfaction.

Harry smiled then: she had forgotten her own attire. She climbed off the bed and waited as Mariam adjusted her position onto the pillows, slipping off the chemise as she did so. Then, with her nymph's full attention, she reached for the top button of the heavy men's one-piece she always wore when creating. They were thick old blue things, which got very warm in the summer, so there was something that Mariam didn't know. As she released each fastening in turn, Mariam's mouth began to open, because, what Harry revealed was that, under the overalls, she preferred to go naked.

Harry revealed the inner curve of her breasts first, parting the material just enough to give Mariam a hint of her unfashionable voluptuousness as she continued to unbutton. Then her navel, gently rounded and then all the way, showing a flash of the blond curls between her legs. Mariam licked her lips. Not really wanting to keep her nymph waiting, Harry pushed the overalls off her shoulders and let them slip down off her hips to the floor.

Mariam was all eyes and quickly held out her hand, inviting Harry back onto the bed. However, Harry shook her head and walked over to her chest of drawers. A rush of adrenaline made her gulp in a hasty breath as she reached into the drawer for what she knew was there and drew our two of her long, silk scarves. Mariam collapsed back onto the pillows as she saw what was being proffered and, with a playful, but enticingly nervous sigh, threw her arms out and back across the width of the pillows.

"Your nymph awaits her silk," she promised, her voice not completely even.

Harry climbed back onto the bed, shimmying her way up over Mariam's body, enjoying the feel of skin against her inner thighs.Mariam accommodated her and positioned one wrist more carefully against the bedpost. However, as Harry leant over to slip the scarf around wood and flesh, Mariam surprised her, running the other hand up over her stomach and then cupping her breast. Harry shivered and pressed against the caress, her nipples already hard and extremely sensitised. She paused in the sensation, closing her eyes and enjoying it as Mariam explored her. Yet, it was only a pause, because, shortly, she revelled in the thrill of closing slippery silk around Mariam's delicate wrist.

Mariam mewed as Harry pulled just a little harder than comfortable for a second and the lovely caress fell away, but the pout that Harry checked on her nymph's face created a new heat in her body. She relaxed the scarf back from the tight knot which had gained Mariam's attention, leaving the girl a little play in the binding, and smiled as Mariam looked at her own wrist with open-mouthed passion.

"Now the other," she instructed, watching closely as the colour rose in Mariam's cheeks.

The second tie was more swiftly done and then Harry knelt back to survey the result, her pale princess breathing more quickly, features deliciously unsure about what was happening.

"You will enjoy this," she promised.

It clearly took a little more effort for Mariam to relax onto the pillows this time and the spice of it increased Harry's own pulse, so she emphasised the situation by leaning over and laying a tender kiss on the last knot she had just made. Then, lightly, she pressed her lips against bound wrist and slowly down towards Mariam's elbow. With each contact, Harry varied her approach, sometimes lips, sometimes tongue, sometimes a light nip with her teeth, sometimes a combination, and each touch evoked a beautiful response from Mariam. Those responses in murmurs and whines and shivers grew gradually stronger and by the time she had reached the stretch at the top of Mariam's arm, the girl was shifting against her kiss.

Harry nipped her way down the side of Mariam's chest, skirting her love's small, pert breasts, but knowing her hair was falling on them and causing Mariam to wriggle in the most erotic manner as her bonds stopped her meeting the tease.

"Harder please," Mariam finally begged as her attempts to shift closer to the light touches failed.

Harry looked up Mariam's body at the heavy, dark look she was being sent and instantly relented. Bound, or not, her nymph had power over her and Harry revelled in the warmth of that knowledge. Running her hands up the sides of Mariam's body from the girl's hips to her chest, she returned to the fondling she had enjoyed so much earlier and kissed breastbone. Mariam groaned, long and deep, and pushed up into the press of palms, her whole body behind the move. Harry maintained the stroking then, but began to move her kisses down the midline of Mariam's body. She was almost thrown off her task by her nymph's response when she tongued Mariam's navel.

When Mariam collapsed back from that move, panting and eyes closed in her passion, Harry watched her for a few moments, drinking in the sight. Her own body was pulsing with desire and she knew what she wanted to do. Shifting further down the bed, she moved herself between Mariam's thighs, which drew her nymph's attention once more.

"Spread your legs for me, Nymph," she requested.

Slowly, Mariam did as she was told and Harry lay down where she was, resting herself over Mariam's thigh. Carefully, she reached out and gently parted Mariam's outer lips. Mariam gasped: she was still swollen and sensitive from the earlier stimulation and Harry could smell her arousal. Lowering her face to the quarry, Harry slowly, but firmly, ran her tongue up over all she had revealed. Mariam ground her tail into the bed and her whole body tensed and Harry smiled as she repeated the action and felt her own passions responding, spiced by the control she now wielded.

When Mariam did not immediately try to throw her off, Harry began to explore with her tongue. With smooth, even strokes, she tasted her nymph, parting her and licking up round her opening, over her clitoris and back down.

"Oh God!" Mariam gasped, moving against Harry, her hips flexing reactively.

Harry persisted with the kisses and licks and was flooded with the thrill of it when a gentle suck on Mariam's sensitised body brought out the most erotic moan from the young woman Harry had ever heard. The enthusiastic response made her bold and, without warning, she slid her tongue inside Mariam and then out again. The moan got lower and Mariam flexed against the bedposts and her whine as Harry withdrew more than sent the message that her nymph had enjoyed it.

Her own body heated with desire, Harry teased a little more, but as she did so, she stroked her fingers up Mariam's opposite thigh. Mariam spread that leg even wider and Harry was sure she understood her intent, so, returning to lapping at Mariam's swollen clit, she pressed two fingers against her opening. Mariam was so aroused, Harry needed very little movement for them to slip inside and Mariam keened and reared onto the intrusion. Harry had not intended to be so direct, but she finished the movement Mariam had begun and Mariam collapsed back onto the mattress, writhing and moaning her pleasure.

Harry leant fully on Mariam's thigh then, putting her weight behind it and brought her mouth and hand into time. Her senses were so full of her nymph by then, that it was almost her own orgasm she was feeding and she could feel the climax approaching. Moans became pants and Harry spread Mariam with a third finger, knowing how she liked to be filled. Mariam, it became clear, did as well, because after only a few more strokes, Mariam cried out and bucked so strongly she almost threw Harry off and then she was shuddering uncontrollably. Harry absorbed the trembles and shifts and listened to the sighs, her own body damp and needing release.

Harry waited until Mariam had stilled before, gently withdrawing her fingers and the overloaded murmur from Mariam made her smile with satisfaction. She crawled back up the bed, watching the closed eyes and open mouth of her nymph and drinking in the beauty there.Impulsively, she leant down to kiss those enticing lips.

Mariam opened her eyes as Harry drew back, her deep gaze sated, but something in them suggested to Harry that her nymph was not completely content. Harry frowned at the idea, but she was surprised when her Mariam smiled, lifted one thigh to rub her own and told her, "Let me go now. Let me worship you."

The intense, comforting warmth that had been catching Harry out all week washed through her, joining with her already heightened arousal and she shivered. It wasn't the words that she had heard that meant so much, it was the clear, earnest gaze that hid nothing showed her the depth of feeling behind them. Harry had not known Mariam DeBoer very long, but like the fairies that her wonderful nymph evoked, she felt like she had experienced a lifetime in just a few days in the presence of such magic. When she had first seen her, she had wanted to trap Mariam, like a cat with her mouse, but instead, she knew she was caught, a mere mortal revelling in the presence of her dryad. Tubby and the Devril emeralds firmly in the past, Harry reached up to remove the final bonds she and Mariam had been enjoying. Games were over and she wanted to be worshipped too.

####

Afterword

About Wittegen Press:

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Where to Find Sophie Online

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Sophie's Other Publications

Novels:

Sacrifice of An Angel: Haward Mysteries #1

http://www.wittegenpress.com/catalogue/items/show/6

Short Stories/Novellas:

The Need In Me

http://www.wittegenpress.com/catalogue/items/show/19

Bonds of Fire **

http://www.wittegenpress.com/catalogue/items/show/17

Mouse Trap **

http://www.wittegenpress.com/catalogue/items/show/16