To my surprise, Sir Harrow did not set out the box for anyone to see. I suspected he meant to use it to surprise someone into giving themselves away. But where had he put the box in the meantime?

There were soon more people in the garden than had been there in decades, I was sure. I mingled with the guests, exchanging pleasantries and trying to gauge any suspicious behavior. As I glanced around, I couldn't begin to guess who might be behind the recent mischief at my home. It didn't seem possible that any of the smiling people hid maliciousness.

Philippa's laughter echoed through the garden, drawing my attention back to her as she chatted with Lady Harrow by the flower beds. They seemed to be getting along quite well, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of relief. This would give her something else to think of and perhaps, finally, she could get over her pique with Talbot.

Soon enough, Sir Harrow caught my eye and gave me a nod. All the guests he had invited must be present. It was time for the hunt to begin.

Clearing my throat, I found a spoon to tap against my glass. "If I can have everyone's attention," I called out. Being the center of everyone's gaze was an uncomfortable position to be in, but at least this time, it was not with any kind of accusation or anger. "I'm sure you've all heard of Pearsend's mystery."

Nearly everyone whispered at that, though I didn't have the vantage point to see each person. No doubt they hadn't expected me to address it directly.

"Well, today, I propose we find a treasure for ourselves," I continued. I held up several sheets of paper. "You are welcome to work in pairs or work alone. Here are your clues. Happy hunting, everyone."

The younger members of the group surged forward with exclamations of delight. They gathered around me, eagerly taking the papers and discussing amongst themselves as they tried to decipher the clues. As I'd suspected, the group began to split into pairs.

Talbot, to my surprise, accepted to partner with Miss Campbell. Philippa watched him walk further into the garden and then turned to Lady Harrow. The Chapman couple set off together.

As the guests dispersed throughout the garden, I noticed Sir Harrow exchanging knowing glances with Ward. I made my way over to them, curious to see if they had any suspicions about the group. "Care to join the search?" I asked.

"I do not need treasure," Ward responded immediately.

"Ah, but think how much it would delight Miss Isabella," Sir Harrow said with a laugh. "She will never forgive you if she hears you had the chance to find her a priceless treasure."

Ward chuckled and shook his head. "I'm sure she will be easily distracted by a tart or some sweet. I know I am a lenient father, but I cannot indulge her in everything."

"No. No one can say you are not a devoted father," the magistrate assured him. He turned his attention to the dispersing guests. "Well. I daresay things are about to get more interesting. What say you, Mr. Bywood?"

"Not too interesting, I hope," I said honestly. "I'm not sure I'm prepared for that."

"Nonsense." Sir Harrow made a vague gesture. "I'm certain our plans have accounted for everything."

Timmons appeared from where he'd managed to blend into the edge of the gardens. He carried the prize box to the table that held the punch bowl and set it down. With a nod, he moved back to where he'd been keeping watch.

How long had he been working for Sir Harrow, and what kind of cases had he been involved with? The man had a remarkable ability to be unseen until he was needed.

"You had best go keep an eye on your guests," Sir Harrow told me. "They may become a little zealous in their search. John and I will keep watch out here. We wouldn't want our prize to disappear before it has served its purpose."

Acknowledging that was true, I nodded and headed for the house. There were five couples in the garden, so the majority of the seekers were in the house. I'd added a note on the paper that they were not to disturb the kitchen or bedrooms, but as soon as I entered the house, I could hear Mrs. Wallace's protests.

I found the younger Mr. Campbell there with one of the widow's daughters, Miss Fanny Spark. "There are no clues down here," I informed them as cheerfully as I could. "Did your list not have this rule? No one is allowed down here. My staff do need to be able to do their jobs."

"I told you!" Miss Fanny said to her escort. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Bywood. Gregory insisted that treasure would be found in the kitchen."

"It is the place no one would expect," the young man said, lifting his chin in a stubborn way. "Finding treasure means thinking outside of the box."

It took all my self-control to keep my smile in place. "Well, I'll keep that in mind if I decide to search for treasure," I responded. "However, today, you are following the clues on that list, so I must insist that you leave the kitchen now. Mrs. Wallace's tarts are a delight, but you'll find them in the garden."

After a moment, Mr. Campbell stalked out of the room. Cheeks flaming, Miss Fanny hurried after him. I gave Mrs. Wallace my apologies and followed the pair back to the ground floor.

I was pleased to see that several papers for the second clue were gone, so I hadn't made it too difficult. As I hurried towards the stairs, I heard Miss Campbell make an exclamation and when I looked back, she was rushing to the library. Excellent. At least two clues that were not unsolvable.

When I reached the first floor, I found only two couples in the drawing room. They were searching the room for the clue, and I left them to their task. Voices drifted down from the second floor, so I continued up to check that no one had gone into the bedrooms in their search for the seventh clue.

Instead, I found Philippa opening up the bedroom doors for Lady Harrow. "I'll give you a hint," I said to their backs. "There are no clues in the bedrooms."

My sister spun around. "We're not looking for clues," she said defensively. "I'm giving Lady Harrow a tour of Pearsend since she's never been inside before."

"You're doing a fine job in restoring it," the magistrate's wife told me as she turned.

I forced a smile. "Thank you, ma'am. I hope you understand that I don't want anyone else to think they can go into the private areas of the house. I've already had to chase them out of the kitchen."

"Oh, of course," the lady said with a nod. "Your sister has been a fine guide."

"No one saw us," Philippa said defensively. "I'm sure they will follow the instructions on their list."

There were footsteps on the stairs. "Well, close the doors now," I instructed, holding on to my temper. "Once I have the entire place restored, I'll consider showing it off to the neighborhood, but it is simply not ready for that kind of scrutiny."

And I was going to have words with Philippa the minute everyone left. What made her think that she could simply show people my home without telling me? Did she think about the consequences of her actions before she did something?

As it was, I regretted including the clue that sent searchers up to the top floor. I ought to have kept my guests contained to the public areas of the house. Oh, well. I couldn't even say that I would know better next time.

Hopefully, this would never happen again.

With a smile, I directed Captain and Mrs. Campbell to continue up the stairs if they were seeking the location of the seventh clue. Arm in arm, they climbed the narrower staircase to find the leather trunk that had been left behind by one of the previous owners.

Once I saw that Philippa and Lady Harrow were also moving on, I hurried down to the first floor. So far, the drawing room held Mr. Campbell and Miss Fanny. The lady was studying the pianoforte against the wall, while the gentleman was studying the windows.

"I hope it is not proving too difficult," I commented from the doorway.

"Not at all," Miss Fanny declared, glancing back with a grin. Mr. Campbell spun away from the windows, his expression startled.

Had he been studying the windows themselves, or had he been looking into the garden?

I smiled at the pair and then withdrew from the room. Mr. Campbell was certainly a suspect in my mind. He was behaving very strangely, but I didn't know enough about him to be certain.

Quickly, I went down to the ground floor. A couple I didn't recognize had their heads together. From their furious whispers, I guessed that they were arguing. "I can offer you a hint, if you need it," I informed them as I stepped closer.

They both started and spun towards me. It was only then that I recognized them. We hadn't spoken more than acknowledgement of the introduction Ward had done. Mr. and Mrs. William Fenwick.

"We're fine," Mr. Fenwick responded. He forced a smile. "We want to win on our own accord."

Pursing her lips, Mrs. Fenwick shook her head and marched towards the dining room. "She's very competitive," Mr. Fenwick confided before hurrying after his wife.

Shaking my head, I went back outside. The garden was now empty, save for Sir Harrow sipping his punch. "I trust the search is going well?" he asked.

"As well as it can be." I shared with him how Mr. Campbell had strayed into the kitchen to seek the treasure in an unexpected place and how my sister had begun a house tour with his wife. "Have you learned anything?"

With a sigh, the magistrate shook his head. "Nothing certain," he admitted. "I have my suspicions, as I told Ward, but no evidence to support it."

"Something you can tell me?" Some kind of information had to be better than none! The uncertainty of the whole thing was enough to drive me insane.

"Not at the moment. I would hate to spread gossip only for it to mean nothing at all."

As much as I disliked the answer, I had to respect it. I knew all too well what one wrong opinion shared with other people could do to a person's reputation! Sir Harrow knew his neighbors. He'd want to be very sure before he made any kind of investigation.

"I do hope that Mrs. Spark and her daughters are not suspects," I commented, glancing at where the widow was chatting with another lady, whose name I could not remember.

"Certainly not!" he exclaimed. "Mrs. Sparks is a widow with a small income. My wife and I make a point of including her and her daughters in whatever amusements I can."

Kind of him, to be sure, but also put me in an uncomfortable position. I did not want to endure the flirtatious looks and whispers from them. Even if there was nothing certain between myself and Miss Darkin, I was not the sort of man to flirt for fun, and I knew Miss Darkin was not the kind of lady to tolerate such behavior in a gentleman she was interested in.

And I hoped her interest in me matched mine in her.

"I apologize if the ladies are making you uncomfortable," Sir Harrow continued, his tone sincere. "I know they are all eager to have the future settled for at least one of them."

"Would it be too much to ask that you give them the hint that I am unavailable to provide a future for them?" I asked, only half-jesting. "I'm afraid my affections are engaged elsewhere."

"Certainly, certainly," the magistrate said promptly. "Should the matter come up, I will be happy to do so."

I thanked Sir Harrow for his understanding, hoped he was as sincere as he sounded, and then went to the punch, keeping an eye on the few guests who hadn't solved the clues for the garden. I sincerely wished for a stronger drink, but it wouldn't be possible until my guests had left.

It had briefly crossed my mind to invite the magistrate, his wife, Ward, and Talbot to remain for dinner, but knew that would create a strain on Mrs. Wallace's patience. She'd been a miracle worker in all that she'd accomplished, with the help of Sir Harrow's servants, and I didn't want to frighten her away with more work. I already owed her a wage increase because of all she had put up with already.

At that moment, I saw Philippa exiting the house. Alone. Curious, I set down my punch and hurried towards her. "Where is Lady Harrow?" I asked.

"She felt a little faint and asked to sit in the sitting room out of the sun for a time," Philippa responded, her tone short. Her gaze flicked around the garden. "Where is B-I mean, Miss Campbell?"

Was she jealous? I could only hope to be so fortunate. Jealousy meant she still had some affection for Talbot, which meant there was hope of a reconciliation between them.

"I believe they were seeking the solution to the clues inside," I told her. "How did you and Lady Harrow fare? Did you solve the clues?"

"Only one," Philippa said, glancing over her shoulder. "Perhaps I should make sure everyone has what they need inside."

Before I could advise her to stay away from Talbot and Miss Campbell, there was a loud crash that was all too familiar. Somewhere, towards the front of the house, a window had been shattered. Before I could move, there was a second crash. Another window. It had to be.

"What was that?" Philippa exclaimed, spinning around.

Without a word, Sir Harrow rushed towards the building. "Philippa, stay here," I ordered. She opened her mouth to protest. "Just do as I say! Please."

I didn't wait for her to agree or not before I started to run towards the door. My mind was racing with questions. Why would some break my windows? In the middle of the day?

When I stepped through the threshold and heard all the exclamations from further into the house, it hit me. Distraction. That's the only reason someone would break a window right now. They, whoever they are, wanted to get everyone away from the garden.

Swearing under my breath, I turned and raced back the way I'd come. Philippa's scream rang out.