Chapter Twenty-Nine
Octavius tiptoed down the main staircase in the guise of a very pretty housemaid. Dex followed a few steps behind, the sword held inconspicuously at his side. They scouted the ground floor. Rumpole was nowhere to be seen, but candles were lit in the dining room and the long table was set for one person. They narrowly missed being spotted by a footman who was clearly waiting for the baron to come down to dinner.
“He must be upstairs dressing,” Octavius whispered.
“Must be,” Dex whispered back.
They retreated to the library to wait. Dex hid the sword behind an armchair and sat down with a newspaper. Octavius concealed himself in a shadowy alcove, in case anyone should come.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. Octavius gave in and sat on the floor—which wasn’t easy wearing
