XXV
Nancy’s Reward
Even to the casual wayfarer who chanced to pass Lilac Inn on a certain evening late in July, it must have been apparent that an unusual affair was in progress. The inn was aglow with gay, twinkling lights and the grounds were as brightly illuminated as though it were day. Colored searchlights played over the rippling waters of the lake. From the largest of the private dining rooms came the soft, blended notes of cello, violin, and harp.
Grouped about a long table sat many distinguished-looking men and women, but as they chatted together one would have noticed that their eyes frequently turned toward a young girl who occupied the seat of honor. Indeed, Nancy Drew had never appeared more lovely than on this evening when she occupied the limelight.
“Oh, Mrs. Willoughby, it’s the grandest party I ever attended,” she sighed dreamily, addressing her hostess. “It was perfectly marvelous of you and Emily to give it for me. I don’t deserve it at all.”
“Hear! Hear!” several of the guests laughed.
“My dear Nancy,” Mrs. Willoughby said, with a bright smile. “I owe you more than I can ever repay. Why, if it hadn’t been for you, I would probably be in jail at this very minute,” and she shuddered a bit.
“Surely, not as bad as that,” Carson Drew remarked lightly. “They couldn’t have held you on such flimsy evidence.”
“But I would have been arrested,” Mrs. Willoughby insisted, “and that would have been dreadfully mortifying. Nancy saved me a great deal of embarrassment.”
“She saved more than that for me,” Emily Crandall broke in. “I’d never have seen my jewels again if she hadn’t found them for me.”
“Did you finally recover them all?” Mrs. Potter questioned, with interest. “I thought part of them had been pawned.”
“Nancy got them all back for me,” Emily declared proudly. “That is, all but about three hundred dollars’ worth, and I can afford to lose that much. You see, she traced them to a pawnbroker in Winchester and had him arrested for accepting stolen goods. He was forced to give everything back.”
“It really wasn’t hard to trace the jewels,” Nancy observed quietly.
“I guess nothing is very hard for you,” Mrs. Willoughby laughed. “Really you seem to have a genius for solving mysteries.”
“Speaking of mysteries,” Carson Drew broke in. “Mrs. Willoughby has never explained to us why she went to the bank vault on the day before she planned to deliver the jewels.”
“It was silly of me, wasn’t it? And it made the police so suspicious! Well, to tell the truth, I was worried about Emily’s jewels, and I wanted to make certain that they were safe in the vault. Of course I knew they would be there but, well, I guess I’m the nervous sort. The police wouldn’t believe me when I told them. Under the circumstance, I suppose it was natural for them to suspect me.”
“The fact that you were known to be in hard circumstance made the case look worse, too,” Mr. Drew remarked.
“Yes, at that time I thought I might have to borrow money, but fortunately an investment has turned out much better than I expected, so I’m still a woman of means.”
“I guess we were all under suspicion,” Mrs. Potter observed dryly. “I’m sure Miss Drew considered me as the possible villain.”
“Not seriously,” Nancy laughed. “Though you must admit you didn’t take kindly to my questions.”
“No, I didn’t,” Mrs. Potter admitted soberly. “And I sincerely apologize for the way I failed to cooperate. You see, at first I thought you were trying to throw suspicion on me and I was afraid to tell you anything.”
“And then there was that young woman, Viola Granger,” Mr. Drew remarked. “She attracted my attention because of her prison record. I wasn’t able to explain her sudden acquisition of money.”
“Where did she get it?” Mrs. Willoughby inquired curiously. “I never heard.”
“In a perfectly legitimate manner. I have been told she invested in a wildcat oil scheme and, as luck would have it, they brought in a gusher.”
“And poor Jennings!” Emily said reflectively. “We did him an injustice.”
“I was positive he was the one who took the handbag,” Mrs. Willoughby said regretfully. “However, I’ve tried to make it up to him by giving him a generous present.”
“I’m glad to see that Lilac Inn is doing a thriving business again, too,” Mr. Drew remarked. “For a time it looked as though the scandal might ruin the trade.”
“The manager certainly has Nancy to thank,” Emily said earnestly.
Nancy laughed.
“She’s done it already. This afternoon she told me that anytime I wanted to I could come out here for dinner and bring my friends—and it wouldn’t cost me a cent!”
“It’s mighty nice to have a smart little daughter,” Mr. Drew declared, with a twinkle in his eyes. “Reduces the board bill, for one thing.”
“Dad, you mercenary creature!”
“Seriously, I am proud of you, Nancy.” A tender note crept into the lawyer’s voice. “It was a clever piece of detective work. I admit that when you started out, I didn’t have much hope that you’d solve the case.”
“I was doubtful myself, Dad. Especially when they tied me up and left me on that motorboat to drown.”
Mr. Drew shook his head sadly.
“You’ll worry me into an early grave with all your wild adventures.”
“I hope not, because I intend to have a lot more,” Nancy returned gayly. And she did, as you will find in reading of her further adventures in solving mysteries. “After all, I’m only following in your footsteps.”
“Well, all’s well that ends well. That Mason girl and her confederates are locked up where they’ll make no more trouble.”
“I didn’t hear how the trial came out,” Mrs. Potter remarked.
“They admitted their guilt,” Mr. Drew returned. “So there wasn’t a trial. The judge gave them long sentences. They were wanted for a number of other robberies.”
“It’s a wonder that girl didn’t steal Mrs. Stonewell blind when she worked there,” Emily observed.
“Yes,” Nancy agreed, “when I learned that she hadn’t taken anything, I was thrown off the track a little. I suppose she was planning a big haul and was discharged before she could carry her plans into effect.”
“Mrs. Stonewell was lucky to escape without having her whole house carted away.”
“She called me on the telephone yesterday and thanked me for being instrumental in Mary’s capture. I guess she read the account in the paper.”
“I think everyone must have thanked you except me,” Emily said soberly.
“Why, Emily Crandall! What do you mean? It seems to me you’ve thanked me a million times a day ever since I got those jewels back.”
“But I mean in a material way. You ought to charge a commission for recovering the jewels. Let me see, ten percent of forty thousand dollars would be—”
“I don’t do business that way,” Nancy laughed. “You know very well I won’t take a penny of your money.”
“Nancy has always made it a point never to accept a money reward,” Carson Drew stated, coming to his daughter’s aid.
“Oh, dear, I was afraid she wouldn’t! And for that reason I came prepared!” As she spoke, Emily brought out a small package and handed it to Nancy with a flourish. “There!” she cried. “Don’t you dare refuse to accept it, either!”
“Why, Emily, what are you giving me?” Nancy asked in surprise, as she fumbled at the silver ribbon.
“It’s just a souvenir to show you how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”
Nancy unwrapped the little package while the others watched eagerly. As the folds of tissue paper fell away she beheld the gift—a beautiful bracelet set with precious stones. It was one of the quaintest pieces in the Crandall collection.
“Oh, Emily!” Nancy gasped in delight. “Oh, how lovely!”
“You can have the jewels reset if you like.”
“I wouldn’t think of it! I love it the way it is! But, really, I shouldn’t take this bracelet, Emily. It represents a great deal of money.”
“It’s little enough to offer you for everything you’ve done. You’ll keep it, won’t you?”
Nancy hesitated and then nodded her head. She saw that Emily would be crushed if she refused the gift. And then, she would have found it difficult to have given back such an exquisite piece of jewelry.
After she had thanked her friend for the gift, someone proposed a toast, and to Nancy’s embarrassment, everyone sprang to his feet to give it with a will. At last, however, the party broke up.
Nancy was turning to leave when Emily drew her aside and led her out upon the veranda.
“There’s something special I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t like to shout it out when the others could hear,” she began in a confidential tone of voice. “Dick and I are going to be married next month.”
“Oh, I’m so glad, Emily. I wish you all happiness and prosperity.”
“Thanks. I want to ask a special favor.”
“Go ahead.”
“Will you serve as maid of honor at my wedding?”
“Anything you like, Emily. I’ll even be ring bearer if you ask it.”
“I knew you wouldn’t fail me. Oh, it seems as though I have more happiness than I deserve.”
Emily gazed out across the lake and gave the gentle sigh of the love lorn. Nancy squeezed her hand understandingly. She, too, turned to watch the twinkling lights on the water.
“The end of a perfect night,” Nancy Drew said softly. “And what could be more fitting than that the mystery of the Crandall jewels should fade out just where it began—at Lilac Inn.”