A Most Peculiar Circumstance (19 page)

“I was wrong to have kept you in the dark.”

Her world suddenly shifted on its axis.

Theodore Wilder had just admitted he’d been wrong.

It was strange, but she didn’t feel one little urge to gloat. “Tell me, why did you go back to Gilman?”

He shrugged. “Instinct.”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain with more than one word.”

He smiled. “Oh, very well. If you must know, I realized when we were in Gilman the first time that something disturbing was happening in town. When I went back there the second time, my concerns were proven correct.”

“Did you find dead bodies?”

“Why would you think I’d find dead bodies?”

“You did say there was something disturbing happening, and disturbing, in my mind, conjures up dead bodies.”

“No, there were no bodies, dead or alive. The sheriff and his men were not in town.”

She blinked. “Perhaps their bodies are out there lost somewhere. Perhaps those two men from the farmhouse did away with them in order to avoid arrest.”

Theodore laughed even as his eyes began to water. He swiped at them with his hand. “Are you sure you’re not reading gothic novels instead of romances?”

He was very appealing when he laughed.

“You explain it then,” she said when he finally sobered.

“I wish I could, but it’s a mystery. And just so you know, those men from the farmhouse were nowhere to be found either.”

“But . . . why do you think I’m in danger?”

“Because I have this feeling some of those men headed to New York.”

She frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense, especially in regard to Sheriff Dawson and his men. Granted, I did cause them a slight bit of trouble, but I find it hard to believe they’d come after me. It’s not as if they could arrest me again.”

“I hate to point out the obvious, but you’re exceptionally beautiful. Those men from the farmhouse seemed to be dealing in some kind of slavery, and you, my dear, would fetch an exorbitant price. You might just be too tempting for them to ignore.”

She couldn’t help but feel a little mushy inside.

“I’ve come to believe that some of Sheriff Dawson’s men might be involved in that ugly business, so I’m sure you can understand why I’m concerned about your safety.”

The mushiness disappeared in a split second.

“That was the unfinished business you neglected to mention to me, wasn’t it?”

Theodore winced. “I’m afraid it was, but in my defense, I really didn’t know any particulars, so other than having you try to stay out of trouble, there really wasn’t an urgent reason for me to share my thoughts.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you so concerned about that man I saw on the docks?”

“I think he has something to do with that nasty business in Gilman.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Why do you think that?”

“This is going to sound even crazier, but . . . I get these instincts about things, and my instincts are telling me everything is connected. It seems too much of a coincidence that everyone disappears from Gilman two weeks ago, and then a week and a half ago, ladies start disappearing from the streets of New York.”

“Explain the instincts.”

“There’s not much to explain. They’re just feelings I get, but they’re normally on target.” He smiled. “I know you probably won’t believe me, but I think God sends them to me, because there is no other way to explain them.”

She looked at him for a long moment. “There really is more substance to you than you let on, isn’t there?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Theodore said. “And just so you know, because I think you may think I’m not a man of faith, I do believe God guides me at times.”

Yes, she had doubted whether or not he possessed any faith, but she realized she really didn’t know the gentleman sitting across from her at all.

He was becoming more attractive by the second, but that wasn’t something she needed to think about right now. There was a mystery to puzzle out, and she was determined he wouldn’t leave her out of the puzzling again.

“What do you suggest we do now?” she asked. “Should we set me up as bait in order to capture the criminals?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“I’m going to take you out of New York.”

Her mouth dropped open. “That’s a little drastic, and . . . I can’t go away with you. It would hardly be proper.”

“You travel the country on a regular basis without a chaperone.”

“Yes, but I’m alone, certainly not in the company of a man.”

“You traveled with me to Chicago, and then to New York.”

“True, but it wasn’t planned, and it was perfectly innocent.”

Theodore grinned. “And traveling with me now wouldn’t be innocent?”

“Now we know each other.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“People would expect things.”

“What people?”

Arabella held up her fingers and began counting them off. “My parents, Hamilton, Zayne, and don’t even get me started on Eliza and Agatha, let alone your sister. They’d have a complete wedding planned for us before we had an opportunity to blink.”

Theodore leaned forward and took her hand from her lap, the action causing a shiver of something unexpected to run up her arm and down her spine. She forced herself not to snatch her hand from his.

“Don’t you think you might be overreacting a bit?” Theodore asked. “Your friends and family know we’re hardly a suitable match. They’ve certainly witnessed us arguing enough to realize we’d kill each other within a month of exchanging vows.”

Now, that was just . . . probably true, except for Agatha . . . and maybe Katherine.

She lifted her chin. “Agatha thinks I fascinate you.”

“She said that?”

“Yes, out loud.”

Theodore put her hand back in her lap and frowned. “What do you think about what Agatha said?”

“I don’t set much store by it. She was most likely just trying to make me feel better because you’d been so miserable to me at the dinner party.”

“I wasn’t myself that night.”

“You accused me of flirting with Grayson.”

“You
were
flirting with Grayson.”

Arabella opened her mouth and then closed it. “I might have been flirting.”

“See, that’s a completely feminine endeavor. There is absolutely no reason for you to doubt your femininity.”

“What is wrong with you? You’re being nice.”

“I’m trying to soften you up so you’ll agree to leave the city with me.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just being nice.”

“Don’t tell anyone. I do have a fierce reputation as a horrid and miserable man to uphold.”

Arabella smiled. “I really can’t leave town with you.”

“You could bring a chaperone.”

“I don’t have a chaperone waiting in the wings.”

“There’s always Agatha,” Theodore said.

“She would end up killing you before we even got out of New York.”

“Agatha likes me; she just pretends to find me repulsive. But she does have that pesky position at the newspaper to consider. They probably wouldn’t like it if their new star journalist disappeared from town.” He looked out the window for a minute and then turned back to her, a smile creasing his lips. “We could bring Violet and her friends.”

Arabella laughed, she couldn’t help herself. “They would hardly make respectable chaperones, even though they would
most likely be fun. Besides, we would have a hard time remaining unnoticed if we traveled in such a large group and with such a vivid assortment of characters.”

“We wouldn’t have to travel far,” Theodore said. “I can take you to my grandfather’s house.”

“I’m not certain your grandfather would appreciate hosting such unexpected and unusual guests.”

“My grandfather possesses a wonderful sense of humor.”

Arabella blinked. “Really?”

“Do you not believe anyone in my family could have a sense of humor?”

“Your sister is amusing.”

“My sister and I are very similar.”

Arabella arched a brow. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Theodore ignored her statement. “My grandfather will adore you.”

“Because . . . ?”

“You’re not normal.”

“I see we’re back to trading insults.”

“I meant that as a compliment.”

Arabella swallowed a laugh. “I can’t go to your grandfather’s house in the company of women of the night. He is an older gentleman, most likely set in his ways, and it’s just not done.”

“My grandfather was responsible for encouraging me to pursue a career as a private investigator.”

“And that knowledge is supposed to encourage me to stay at his house?”

“That knowledge is to let you know he’s a very progressive man. Also, you should know he supports rights for women.”

“You’re just saying that to get me to agree to your plan.”

“I’m not. He is very modern, and he won’t bat an eye if we take Violet and her friends with us.”

“I don’t know, Theodore. It seems rather . . . well, intimate.
Our families will assume we’ve formed an attachment to each other.”

“No, they won’t.”

“You do remember that Gloria is my mother, right? If you take me to your grandfather’s house, I can guarantee she’ll show up with a shotgun slung over her shoulder and demand you marry me.”

“You
have
been reading too many romance novels.”

Arabella blew out an exasperated breath of air. “This is a bad idea.”

“It’s a wonderful idea, especially if we bring Violet and her friends with us. You are in need of a distraction, especially since you took a slight beating from Dot tonight. What better way to reaffirm that God does have a purpose for you than to allow you to spend time in the company of women who truly do need your help?”

“I told you, I’m not good at actually helping anyone, and it’s obvious I completely misunderstood God’s plan for me. Besides, the ladies tonight were more than vocal about my offer to assist them.”

“Violet and her friends didn’t refuse the offer of a safe haven.”

That was an interesting point, but . . . no, she could not continue barging into other people’s lives.

“My grandparents would love to help you sort out those ladies,” Theodore said, pulling her from her thoughts. “And it would give them a purpose.”

“A purpose?”

Theodore shrugged. “My grandfather recently told me he feels a little useless. He’s almost eighty years old, and I fear he and my grandmother are not as happy now that they’ve been forced to slow down due to age. If we were to give them the task of figuring out what to do with the ladies, well, I would have to imagine they’d be forever grateful.”

It was amazing how innocent he looked at the moment,
especially since she was fairly certain he’d just spun an incredibly tall tale. For some odd reason, though, she didn’t feel like arguing the point with him. Instead, a sense of what felt like anticipation suddenly swept over her.

“We’ll have to broach this with my family first, before we begin to make any plans,” she heard herself say.

For a brief second, what looked like relief flickered through Theodore’s eyes before he blinked and the look disappeared. “Excellent,” he said with a grin. “And it’s a good thing we’ve just arrived at your house, because I would hate to allow you an opportunity to change your mind.”

The carriage had barely come to a stop before the door wrenched open, Hamilton jumped in, took a seat next to Theodore, and scowled at Arabella.

“You, my dear sister, are a menace.”

 15 

T
heodore shifted on the seat to allow Hamilton more room and smiled when Arabella caught his eye, grimaced, then turned her attention to her brother.

“My being a menace does seem to be the general consensus this evening, Hamilton, but I really can’t be blamed for all the ills of the world. I’m only responsible for a few of them.”

Hamilton narrowed his eyes. “You don’t even know why I called you a menace.”

“You could never be a menace, Miss Beckett,” Grayson exclaimed as he stuck his head in the carriage and then climbed in, taking the seat next to Arabella. He took her hand in his, placed a kiss on it and, to Theodore’s annoyance, didn’t release his hold. “You look exceedingly lovely this evening.”

Theodore’s annoyance increased when Arabella grinned—much too flirtatiously, in his opinion—back at Grayson and even seemed to flutter her lashes, drawing attention to her eyes that he just then noticed looked unusually big and . . . intriguing.

He swallowed a sigh. Everything had been much easier when he’d simply thought of her as irritating.

“. . . and you must tell me where you’ve been,” Grayson was saying, pulling Theodore rather abruptly back to the conversation at hand. “Your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Watson, and Mrs. Wilder have been in an uproar ever since you neglected to return on time from the theater.”

“They got delayed by way of the jail,” Theodore muttered.

“Did someone mention jail?” Zayne asked when the door to the carriage swung open again and he climbed in. To Theodore’s relief, Zayne squeezed himself in between Grayson and Arabella, forcing Grayson to finally release Arabella’s hand.

Zayne let out a grunt when Arabella shoved him, pulled out what looked to be half of her skirt from under him, and then sent her brother a glare as he looked her up and down.

“Nice,” Zayne said before he tilted his head. “Tell me, if you please, how it happened that you landed in jail again, especially when you led me to believe you were going to be spending a quiet evening with your friends?”

Arabella went from glaring to pouting, looking somewhat injured as she pouted.

He’d never even considered the fact that she’d have that particular feminine weapon at her disposal, but it was effective.

Hamilton leaned forward. “You’re forgetting you’re with your brothers, Arabella, so that won’t work.”

Arabella’s pout disappeared in a split second, right before tears filled her lovely eyes.

Hamilton and Zayne rolled their eyes, but Grayson drew in a sharp breath as he got up from the seat, shoved open the carriage door, and extended his hand to Arabella. “My dear, you are becoming distressed. This carriage has turned downright chilly, and I for one believe we should get you immediately into the house.”

Theodore, slightly disgruntled he hadn’t thought about the chill of the carriage, couldn’t help but be impressed at
the way Arabella’s tears suddenly vanished as she rose to take Grayson’s hand and disappeared out into the cold night.

She really could cry on cue.

“
Someone
should have let her rot in jail a little longer,” Hamilton said with a pointed look to Theodore.

“She wouldn’t have even been in jail if
someone
would have been keeping an eye on her like
someone
said they’d do,” Theodore said with a scowl back at Zayne.

Zayne smiled. “At least you can take satisfaction in knowing you’ve helped me discover I’m not meant to be in the investigation business.” He shuddered. “The past two weeks of following my sister around have been a nightmare. I think she might have been on to me almost from the start. She started becoming quite stealthy, as can be seen from what happened tonight.”

“She’s stealthy, that’s for certain,” Hamilton said. “She didn’t even stick around to tell me what happened to Eliza.”

“Oh, she’s in the carriage that just arrived,” Zayne said.

Hamilton didn’t linger. He jumped out the door and neglected to shut it behind him.

A brisk wind whirled around the interior, prompting Theodore to move off his seat and out into the frigid night. To his disappointment, Arabella was nowhere to be seen.

She was probably enjoying the attention of that bounder Grayson, and—

“She doesn’t like him in a romantic way,” Zayne said, climbing out of the carriage.

“What?”

“Arabella only sees Grayson as a friend.”

“I don’t think he sees her that way.”

“He’s just trying to annoy you, and he’s doing a bang-up job of it,” Zayne said. “Arabella’s not even his type, but I think Grayson finds it amusing to bait you. You turn a very interesting shade of red when he dawdles over her hand.”

“I do not.”

“I’m afraid you do.”

“Your sister and I are not well-suited, at least romantically, and I assure you, my feelings for her are strictly those of a friend.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“You’re the one who pointed out that Arabella and I would kill each other if we spent much time together.”

“Well, yes, I did, but . . .” Zayne shrugged. “The more I think about it, the more I believe the two of you are well-matched.”

“We bicker all the time.”

“Again true, but I get the distinct impression both of you enjoy bickering with each other.”

Theodore blinked, and then blinked again. He did enjoy his little tussles with Arabella. They were infuriating at times, but also invigorating.

It gave him pause.

“Agatha,” Zayne suddenly exclaimed, causing Theodore to turn and grin as Agatha hobbled toward them through the snow on her ridiculously high heels. “I say, you look smashing this evening.” Zayne strode over to her, took her arm, and began helping her up the walk. “That is a lovely gown, and what is the color of the hair you’re currently sporting?”

Agatha stopped walking, pulled the wig off her head, and thrust it into Zayne’s hand. “Revolting red is how I’ve been thinking of it, and who knew that wigs itched so much? I’m going to have to remember that the next time I go undercover. I imagine dressing as a gentleman would be entirely more comfortable.”

“After tonight, you should rethink ever going undercover again,” Theodore said.

“Yes, well, no need to talk about that right now,” Agatha said with an airy flick of her hand. “It’s freezing out here,
and I would love a hot cup of tea.” She peered toward the house. “Tell me, was that Grayson I saw escorting Arabella into the house?”

Zayne stiffened. “It was.”

“What’s he doing here?” Agatha frowned. “It’s really late, and it’s not as if Grayson comes around all that often.” She suddenly smiled. “I bet he came to see Arabella.”

Theodore felt
his
body stiffen. “Why would he do that, and if he had come to see Arabella, why wouldn’t he have left when he learned she wasn’t at home?”

Zayne laughed. “Grayson spent the evening with Hamilton and me.”

“Why in the world would Grayson Sumner want to spend an evening with you?” Agatha asked.

“There are some who find me an amusing companion,” Zayne replied between clenched teeth. “But he was actually tagging along as Hamilton and I worked. Eliza told us he’s been at loose ends lately, and we thought he might have an interest in the railroad business.”

“Well, no matter,” Agatha said briskly. “I’ve been dying to question him about his time in China, so since he’s here, I think I’ll go join him.”

“Allow me to escort you,” Zayne said. He took a firm grip on her arm and, with Theodore falling into step beside them, moved as fast as Agatha’s heels would allow up the sidewalk and into the house.

Theodore smiled his thanks to the butler as the man took his hat, but then winced when he looked up and found Mrs. Watson standing not five feet away from them. Normally, Mrs. Watson was a rather pleasant sort, yet now she looked downright ominous. Her arms were folded over her chest, her cheeks were pink, and her lips were not in their customary smiling position.

Agatha, who’d bent over to fiddle with one of her silly
shoes, took that moment to straighten. She froze for just a second, then smiled. “My goodness, Mother, this is a surprise to find you still here.”

Cora began tapping her toe against the wooden floor, the sound echoing loudly in the foyer. “Is it? The theater closed hours ago.” Her eyes narrowed to mere slits. “Given your appearance, I’m almost of the belief you’ve abandoned your desire to become a journalist and replaced it with a new occupation in the opera. Unfortunately for you, I’ve heard you sing.”

Agatha opened her mouth, but then quickly closed it when a gentleman’s voice bellowed from a room at the opposite end of the hallway.

“Jail again?”

“That sounded like my father. I should go check to see what’s keeping Eliza,” Agatha said. She lifted up her skirts, spun on her heels, and bolted out the door before the poor butler could even open it for her.

Zayne released a dramatic sigh. “I’ll go get her.”

“You’re leaving me to explain to everyone?” Theodore asked.

Zayne winked at Mrs. Watson, and then, coward that he was, bolted out the door just as Agatha had done seconds before. The butler hurried to shut it, sent Theodore a sympathetic look, and then he too disappeared through a side door without a single word.

“Come, dear,” Mrs. Watson said as she held out her arm, waited for him to take it, and strode with him at a rapid clip until they entered a delightful parlor bathed in soft light. He escorted her to the first available chair, helped her into it, and then turned.

Arabella was standing by the fireplace, obviously warming her chilled skin, while Douglas and Gloria Beckett sat on a chaise by the window, looking at their daughter with clear
resignation on their faces. His gaze shifted to Mr. Watson, who was not looking resigned in the least, but furious. Grayson, he saw, was standing by the tea cart, calmly sipping a cup of tea, as if he often found himself in contentious situations. Grayson raised his cup to him and quickly brought it to his lips when Mr. Watson began to sputter.

“You will explain to me, if you please, Miss Beckett, exactly why you’re dressed in such an outlandish fashion, and why you girls appear to have lied to us regarding plans for this evening.”

Arabella blew out a breath. “Forgive me, Mr. Watson, but we didn’t actually lie. We were, as you can tell by my dress, at the theater.”

“I thought they’d taken to the stage,” Mrs. Watson added, “but then I heard you yelling about jail, and all I can think is that they were involved in something shady having nothing at all to do with the theater.”

Mr. Watson walked over to his wife and patted her shoulder. “Brace yourself, dear, but once again your daughter was arrested, and Miss Beckett just told me they were down at the docks.”

“Oh . . . my,” Mrs. Watson whispered before she threw up her hands. “Where did I go wrong?”

“Begging your pardon, ma’am, but you didn’t go wrong.”

Theodore swiveled around. Violet was standing on the threshold, wringing her hands. He gestured her into the room, but she shook her head. “I’m fine right here, Mr. Wilder. Eliza insisted me and the girls come into the house instead of waiting for you in the carriage, but it wouldn’t be proper for me to come into the parlor.”

Another piece of his hardened heart melted away. Why had he never noticed the differences in social stations? Why would any lady feel she was not worthy of stepping into a parlor, as if the room would be tainted by her very presence?

Yes, Violet was in a profession that was tawdry and unappealing, but she’d probably never been taught any skills to do anything else, and probably hadn’t received any education.

It struck him then, really struck him, exactly what Arabella had been trying to accomplish.

She wasn’t some radical lady bent on upsetting the natural order of things. She was a warm, caring woman who wanted to improve the lives of ladies throughout the world.

He’d blithely told her that she could continue on with God’s plan for her while at his grandfather’s house, but he hadn’t really thought about what that meant.

It wasn’t a game to her, even if she mistakenly thought she’d been wrong in her pursuits. She was a woman who believed in doing good, doing what God wanted her to do, while he . . . he rarely considered what God wanted from him.