A Most Peculiar Circumstance (13 page)

A trickle of sweat rolled down her neck despite the cold, and she could hear the harsh intake of her breathing. Her breathing increased when a figure of a man, cloaked in a flowing cape, stepped into the feeble light of a gas lamp, his features hidden beneath a cap he’d pulled down almost to his eyes.

A feeling of abject terror swept over Arabella as she realized the man had settled his attention on her. He took a step toward her, and she opened her mouth to scream.

Horror filled her when she realized she was incapable of speech, not even a whisper. She glanced around, searching for help, and saw that everyone had drifted away from her.

She was completely alone.

She yanked up her skirt and pulled her pistol from her leg, but stilled when a rough hand grabbed her arm, causing a high-pitched squeak to spill from her lips.

“Give me that.”

Arabella raised her gaze and sagged in relief when she recognized an officer of the law. She swallowed. “There’s a man,” she finally managed to get out.

“Isn’t there always?” the officer said, grabbing the gun out of her hand before he began pulling Arabella up the street.

Arabella tried again. “No, you misunderstood me. There was a man . . . a sinister man.”

The officer didn’t slow his pace as he hauled her to a waiting police wagon. He shoved her into the dark space without speaking another word and slammed the door.

She landed on a bench and sat there for a moment, her pulse racing. The door opened seconds later and more ladies sailed through it, the last one being Agatha, who plopped down on the bench right beside her.

“Rotten luck, getting arrested,” Agatha said. Looking around, she asked, “Where’s Katherine?”

“I’m here,” Katherine said from the very back of the wagon, peering around Lottie. “I must say, I’ve never been in a police wagon before, and this isn’t exactly what I imagined.” She blew out a breath. “Tell me, what should we do now?”

Agatha sat forward. “I think Violet managed to slip away. Hopefully she’ll think to contact Eliza.”

“What if Violet didn’t slip away?” Katherine asked.

“We’ll probably have to send for your brother,” Agatha said. “He’s the one with the most experience in these matters.”

Arabella could not shake her head fast enough, the motion sending her wig into her lap. She ignored it. “There is absolutely no way we can send for Theodore. In case you’ve forgotten, he bailed me out of jail only a few weeks ago, and he won’t be keen to do it again. Besides, Katherine’s involved as well, and you can’t tell me she wants Theodore at the jail either.”

“You do make an excellent point,” Katherine said with a bob of her head.

“But . . . if we don’t summon someone, how are we going to get out of jail?” Agatha asked. “I have a few dollars on me, but I didn’t bring much since I didn’t want it stolen down at the docks.”

Arabella leaned over her wig and whistled to get Lottie’s attention. “What normally happens after you get arrested?”

“Well, first we get taken to jail,” Lottie said, “and then we’ll get thrown in a cell where we’ll probably stay until morning. Once the judge arrives, we get to stand before him, where all of us will solemnly tell him we’ll never walk the streets again.” She grinned and stuck her hand down her bodice, rooted around for a moment, and retrieved some crumpled bills. “He’ll take this from us, and then it’s back to the streets we go.”

It was somewhat amusing to discover other ladies stashed their funds down their bodices. Arabella shoved her amusement aside, ignored Katherine’s incredibly wide eyes, and tilted her head. “Is there any possibility of getting released tonight?”

“Only if someone important shows up to bail you out,” Lottie said. “That’s your only hope.”

Katherine leaned around Lottie. “Agatha, don’t you have any credentials from the paper?”

“Excellent thinking, Katherine,” Agatha said. “Unfortunately, those credentials have the name Alfred Wallenstate on them. And I don’t think anyone’s going to believe me when I make the claim I’m the gentleman in question.” She suddenly brightened. “But since we’re off to jail, we might as well make the most of it. We’ll be able to question some of the inmates, so maybe the night won’t be a total loss.”

A small shiver ran through Arabella at the reminder of why they’d been out in the first place. She sat up straight.
“We’ll need to be diligent in questioning those other inmates, because unfortunately I encountered something of a grave nature down at the docks tonight.”

“What was it?” Katherine asked.

“Evil.”

 11 

T
heodore rubbed a hand across his face and squinted at the document he was attempting to read. He loathed paperwork, preferring to spend his time on the streets working a case, but he procured the majority of his clients through written requests, so he had little choice but to sort through the petitions hopeful clients had sent him while he’d been away.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, knowing full well that the reason the paperwork seemed so daunting was his dismal mood.

He’d spent two weeks trying to discover what was transpiring in Gilman to no avail, mostly because every single officer of the law seemed to have disappeared.

The few people he’d managed to coerce into talking with him told a very strange tale indeed. Apparently, Sheriff Dawson and his men were involved in a secret case, which had forced them to leave town in order to pursue leads and keep the good people of Gilman safe.

Leaving a town completely devoid of protection certainly wasn’t what he considered keeping the people safe.

It was beyond odd.

What was also odd was that all his investigating efforts had turned up absolutely nothing.

He’d been forced to finally admit defeat, something that didn’t sit well with him, and return to New York. He’d spent the entire train ride brooding about the mysteries plaguing Gilman. Unfortunately, once he’d reached the comforts of his home, his brooding had turned to the annoying Miss Arabella Beckett.

Why he was even allowing himself to brood over that particular lady was beyond him. It wasn’t as if they shared a common affection for each other. They could barely abide each other’s company.

Why then did his thoughts continuously return to her?

Theodore picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, and grimaced as the tepid liquid slid down his throat. He considered ringing for a fresh pot, but thought better of it. There was no sense inflicting his foul mood on the servants.

He probably shouldn’t have burdened his sister with his dark company the day before either, but that hadn’t stopped him from traveling to her house shortly after he’d gotten back to town.

He hadn’t planned on paying Katherine a visit, but when Arabella kept plaguing his every thought, he’d needed a distraction. He’d hopped on his horse, ridden the twenty minutes it took him to get to Katherine’s house, and greeted her with the required kiss on the cheek before launching into a full interrogation, all of which revolved around Arabella.

It was little wonder Katherine had been a touch bemused. It wasn’t as if he sought out his sister on a regular basis, and he certainly had never bothered to question her about a lady before . . . ever. Katherine had regarded him with wary eyes as he’d ranted on and on, until finally, after about five minutes, her expression turned speculative instead of wary, which had caused him to turn defensive.

It had not been one of his finest moments.

He took another sip of tea and consoled himself with the knowledge that he most likely questioned Katherine in such a direct manner because his deepest fear, as he’d traveled back to New York, was that Sheriff Dawson and his men had followed Arabella home. His fear made absolutely no sense whatsoever, but had stayed in the back of his mind from the moment he’d discovered the sheriff and his deputies missing.

It didn’t explain why he’d gotten so angry when Katherine informed him Arabella was perfectly fine and that she’d been spending her time shopping.

Shopping was such a perfectly normal and expected activity for a lady.

A sliver of relief shot through him. Shopping explained everything. He set down his cup and folded his hands over his stomach.

It was no wonder he’d been surly and short-tempered with Katherine. She’d brought to his attention the fact that Arabella was just a normal everyday lady, and that wasn’t a notion he wanted tickling his brain.

It made her approachable, in the same way her new appearance did.

An image of Arabella at the dinner party—looking entirely too delightful with her flirty little hairstyle and her eyes sparkling with mischief as Grayson lingered over her hand—flashed to mind.

“You’re becoming obsessed,” Theodore muttered, pushing Arabella out of his thoughts as best he could as he reached for his paperwork.

She pushed her way right back in.

Honestly, the amount of time Arabella spent in his head was enough to drive him mad. It was also making him short-tempered. He was never unpleasant with his sister, but he’d
certainly been unpleasant the day before, and he knew he needed to make amends.

He began sifting through the papers, hoping to find something that would occupy his thoughts and allow him to discontinue pondering the all-too-annoying Arabella. He finally found a few interesting requests, one for help in locating a missing relative and another for assistance with a delicate matter concerning the disappearance of a priceless painting. Either one would provide a welcome distraction.

He picked up a fountain pen and began scribbling notes, his hand pausing over the paper when the door to his study opened and his father, Samuel, followed by his brother-in-law, Harold Gibson, strode into the room.

“It’s about time you got home,” Samuel Wilder said, stopping in front of Theodore’s desk. “Your grandfather has been pestering me endlessly the past few days, demanding to know when you were expected to return. I believe he wishes to speak with you.”

“Is he all right?” Theodore asked, getting to his feet to shake his father’s hand before gesturing Samuel into a chair. He lifted his head and nodded at Harold, who for some strange reason ignored the nod and moved directly to the window, immediately presenting Theodore with his back.

Theodore frowned. He and Harold did not enjoy what anyone would call a close relationship, but the gentleman had never been downright rude to him.

“I’m sure your grandfather is perfectly fine,” Samuel said, pulling Theodore back into the conversation. “He’ll outlive us all.”

“He must have a new business proposition for me,” Theodore said as he settled back in his chair. “He most likely sent a note over, but since I’ve been away so long, I’m somewhat behind on my correspondence.”

Samuel leaned forward, his dark eyes flashing. “I wish he
would cease and desist with his business propositions. It’s bad enough you’ve abandoned the family business, but to operate an investigation agency? You’re wasting your talent.”

“My agency is incredibly lucrative, Father. You know that, and you also know I use my agency as a front for the jobs I do for the government. It’s not as if I’m a criminal.”

“You have the brains for finance.”

Theodore nodded to his brother-in-law, who was still turned away from him. “So does Harold, which is why it was so fortunate for you when he married Katherine. He’s perfectly capable of taking over the family business if you ever decide to slow down. I would not be satisfied sitting behind a desk all day poring over figures.”

“
Hmph
,” Samuel muttered as he leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t come here specifically as a messenger for your grandfather. I came to speak with you on another matter. You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble lately.”

“Indeed,” Harold Gibson said as he finally spun around and glared at Theodore. “Katherine is no longer the sweet and compliant woman I married, and it’s entirely your fault.”

Theodore’s mood improved dramatically. It was refreshing to discover he wasn’t the only one plagued with difficulties of the feminine type. “I hate to tell you this, Harold, but I don’t recall ever thinking Katherine was exceptionally sweet.”

“That’s preposterous,” Harold said. “I mean, granted, at the moment she does seem to have a slight edge to her demeanor, but before you went and introduced her to that horrid Miss Beckett and Miss Beckett’s mother, she was completely delightful. Now my entire world has gone topsy-turvy.”

Theodore arched a brow. “Katherine’s temperament changed because I introduced her to Mrs. and Miss Beckett?”

“Katherine’s not the only one who has acquired a change in personality,” Samuel added. “Your mother has obtained some very peculiar ideas of late, and I must tell you, I am not
amused. She had the audacity to lock me out of the house three nights ago when I arrived home past midnight.” He drew in a shuddering breath. “I was forced to climb through a window on the second floor. I could have lost my life.”

“You obviously didn’t.”

“That is completely beside the point, and I’ll have you know I’m covered in bruises from missing the window and sliding halfway down the gutter.”

Theodore choked back a laugh. “How did you manage to get back to the window?”

Samuel puffed himself up, rose from the chair, and began to pace about the room. “I certainly didn’t get back to the window with any help from our servants.” He paused in mid-pace. “I have no idea why not a single one of them came to my aid. They must have heard me. I was yelling rather loudly.” Samuel shook his head. “I finally managed to inch my way up the gutters, then used the vines to swing my way back to the window. To add insult to injury, your mother was calmly standing right before the window, and she didn’t even bother to ask about my welfare.”

“At least you got into the house,” Harold said, moving to Samuel’s side and giving him a commiserating pat on the back. “Katherine locked me out last week. She claims it was an accident, but I was forced to spend the night at my parents’ house.”

“It’s a conspiracy, I tell you,” Samuel said. He stalked back to Theodore’s desk and banged his fist on it, causing papers to drift to the floor. “It’s your fault, Theodore, and Harold and I are here to demand you set matters right.”

“You’re sadly mistaken if you believe I know anything about women these days.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I will say this, though. The two of you created your situations, not I. Did you truly think Mother and Katherine would believe that ridiculous story you made up about spending
an evening participating in a charity event and at a church no less?”

“Are you suggesting I lied to your mother?” Samuel asked.

“I’m not
suggesting
anything, Father. I know you lied to her. You and Harold were most likely off at a pub.”

Harold lowered himself into a chair. “There’s nothing wrong with pubs.”

“Then why didn’t you tell Katherine that’s where you were going?”

Harold ignored Theodore’s question. “None of this would have ever happened if you hadn’t introduced them to those two Beckett women. They’ve been a horrible influence on Louise and Katherine. Katherine’s never questioned my actions before, and I don’t appreciate the fact that she’s doing it now. I want my adorable little wife back, not the hoyden who has somehow taken her place.”

“Mrs. Beckett and Miss Beckett are wonderful ladies,” Theodore said, unwilling to contemplate why Harold’s disparaging statement rankled so much when he’d been lecturing Katherine along the same lines, at least in regard to Arabella. “Mrs. Beckett is a prominent member of society, and Miss Beckett is a woman who has devoted her life to helping others.”

Samuel’s face turned red. “Miss Beckett has devoted her life to convincing other women they need to throw off their feminine manners and behave like men.”

“Exactly how is Mother behaving like a man?” Theodore asked.

“She questions me, and it’s not a woman’s place to know what her husband is up to every single minute.”

Theodore considered his father for a moment. “This is going to sound odd, coming from me, but don’t you think you and Mother might be happier if you actually attempted to share more of your lives together? You might discover you enjoy spending time in her company.”

“Miss Beckett’s gotten to him,” Harold said.

“Miss Beckett has nothing to do with any of this,” Theodore said, even though he feared that was slightly less than the truth. “The only reason I invited Mother and Katherine to attend the dinner party in the first place was because you two left them alone that night. I found them upset and unhappy, so I took it upon myself to improve their situation by getting them out of the house. My plan worked because Mother and Katherine had a lovely time. You two should be thanking me.”