Lie by Moonlight by Amanda Quick

fingertips together. He wanted to take her to bed and she wanted to do business with him. Matters between them were not proceeding along optimistic lines.
    “I see,” he said neutrally. Always a safe response, he assured himself.
    “Excellent.” She smiled, evidently taking his comment for agreement. “Now then, what is your customary fee? I believe that a number of the items I removed from the castle are somewhat valuable. There is a rather nice silver and crystal salt cellar that is surely worth several pounds.”
    “You mean to pay me in stolen goods, Miss Glade?”
    She flushed but her eyes remained steady. “I’m afraid I do not have any money. And, under the circumstances, I am highly unlikely to receive my quarterly wages for my work at the castle.”
    “Yes, I think that is a safe assumption.”
    Her chin came up. “If you feel that you cannot accept what you term ‘stolen goods’ in exchange for your services, sir, then I shall have to consider other alternatives.”
    “You have no other alternatives, Miss Glade. And I think you know that as well as I do.”
    She took a deep breath. “Nevertheless—”
    “Nevertheless, you want to hire me so that you will feel that you are in control of this situation.”
    “That is putting it somewhat crudely, but yes, I suppose that is an accurate statement.”
    “Very well, Miss Glade, if you insist upon paying me, I hereby officially accept your business. Now then, about my fee. You should know that I do not charge money for my services.”
    “I don’t understand, sir.”
    “I deal in favors.”
    She stiffened. “Favors?”
    “Most of my clients cannot afford to pay me in hard coin of the realm, Miss Glade. So I long ago established a system of barter. It works in this manner. I perform the services required to obtain the answers my clients want. In turn, they agree to repay me at some future date, should I ever happen to need a favor that they are in a position to grant.”
    “What sort of favors do you generally request?” she asked coldly.
    “It varies. Sometimes I need information. Sometimes goods and services. For example, a few years ago I was hired by a housekeeper in a wealthy household. She wanted me to find answers to some questions she had concerning her employer’s private activities. After I conducted an investigation and confirmed her fear that her employer was, indeed, a member of a rather nasty club, she determined that she could not continue on in her position. I asked her if she would consider a new post in this household. She and her husband, who happened to be a skilled gardener and very good with tools, accepted positions here.”
    “That is how you obtained the services of Mr. and Mrs. Oates?”
    He nodded. “Nan, the maid, came with them. She is Mrs. Oates’s cousin. It has worked out well.”
    She cleared her throat discreetly. “You say that you, personally, hired Mr. and Mrs. Oates and Nan? Mr. Stoner was not involved in that decision?”
    “Stoner had no objections, and as it happened, we were in need of new staff.”
    “It strikes me as a trifle odd that the master of the house left something as important as the hiring of the staff in someone else’s hands.”
    “Stoner is more interested in his scholarly research, his writing and his travels, than he is in the management of this household.”
    “How often is Mr. Stoner in residence?”
    “He comes and goes at his own whim.”
    “How convenient for you,” she said dryly. “It would appear that you are able to enjoy all of the comforts and advantages of a grand house without the necessity of having to actually pay for it, as it were.”
    “The situation has worked out rather nicely.” He sat forward and picked up his fork. “Then there is my current case. The woman who recently employed me to investigate the death of her sister is a shopkeeper. She has promised to repay me in ladies’ parasols should I ever happen to require some.”
    “Good heavens.”