“Oh, balderdash! I am quite confident that the truth and what I want to hear are the same thing. Only those fools Dunbridge and Storm don’t have the wits to look beyond the obvious, and if there’s anything my husband has taught me, Crouch, it’s that beauty is on the thin sheep.”

Crouch blinked at her as if she had suddenly sprouted wings and a halo. “M’lady?”

“Beauty is on the thin sheep. It means that you must dig deep to find anything but the superficial. It is a famous saying, from a famous poem, I believe. Papa read it to me once many years ago. I particularly remember him telling me it was a point I should remember, although I have never found thin sheep particularly attractive. I prefer the fat ones, but I suppose ‘beauty is on the fat sheep’ doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?”

Crouch continued to blink at her for a moment. His scar twitched twice as he cleared his throat. “Erm…as to the other, m’lady, there is something…”

Charlotte stopped drumming her fingers, and with much gentility raised an inquiring eyebrow. “Something? Something that will prove the Pretender is a nefarious ne’er-do-well intent on lining his pockets with my Dare’s inheritance, not to mention his title? Something to squelch his pretensions and evil plans once and for all? Something I can present to those fools Dunbridge and Storm, and they can use to make him the laughingstock of the ton?”

“That’s fer ye to decide. I’ve ’ad a man sniffin’ around and ’e tells me that ’is lordship—’is pretend lordship, that is—is on ’is uppers.”

“Uppers?”

Crouch nodded. “Word is that ’e’s up to ’is blow-piece in vowels, all on expectation of receivin’ ’is title and inheritance. ’Asn’t a shillin’ to bless ’imself, is what I ’ear.”

“The bounder! No doubt once we prove he’s nothing but a sham he’ll try to foist his debts on us, saying it’s all our fault things didn’t work out for him. Men of his ilk have no shame.”

“Seems to me a man that deep in debt would do anythin’ for a few groats to rub together,” Crouch said wisely.

Charlotte immediately took his meaning. “You mean it might be possible to bribe him into dropping his ridiculous claim?”

Crouch shrugged. “Might be worth the try.”

“Hmmm. It is a good thought, but unfortunately, our present circumstances don’t run to a blackmail fund, so we’ll have to think of an alternative. In the meantime, I wanted to discuss a different matter with you—I take it Lord Weston has you and the rest of the servants here on board wages?”

If Crouch looked surprised at the change in conversation, he didn’t show it. “Aye, m’lady.”

“Good, that means you’re not doing anything important. I’d like you and every available servant to come to my house every morning. You may sleep here, of course, and I’m sure Lord Weston wouldn’t begrudge you the use of his carriage and horses while he’s gone, especially since they would be used on my behalf. I shall expect you all promptly at sunup. Report to Batsfoam; he will tell you what duties everyone is to assume.”