Affair (44 page)

A whisper of unease went through him. He got to his feet and went to look at the first page of the old journal. He saw at once that it was a record of names that went back to the earliest days of the Vanzagarian Society. Slowly he turned the pages, examining the contents. There were lengthy notes beneath each entry. The details covered far more than such minor facts as the date a gentleman had been admitted to the Society and the level of expertise he had achieved. They included business and personal affairs as well as comments on the temperaments and extremely private inclinations of the various members.

Artemis knew that a good deal of what he was looking at would have made excellent scandal-broth, at the very least. Some of it was blackmail material. He paused to read the notes concerning himself. There was no mention of his affair with Catherine Jensen or the three men he intended to destroy. His plans for vengeance appeared to be safe for the moment. Nevertheless, there was far too much information concerning his personal affairs in the damned book. He frowned at the sentences that had been added at the bottom of the page.

“Who else knows about this book?” he asked.

She took a step back. He realized it was his tone of voice, not the simple question, that had alarmed her.

“Only my father and Ignatius Lorring knew about this record,” she said hastily. “They are both dead.”

He looked up from the page that was headed with his
name. “You are forgetting yourself, Mrs. Deveridge,” he said softly. “You appear to be very much alive.”

She swallowed visibly, blinked, and then produced a dazzling smile and a small, wholly artificial chuckle. “Yes, of course. But you have no need to concern yourself with the trifling fact that I possess this old book, sir.”

Artemis closed the journal deliberately. “I wish I could be certain of that.”

“Oh, you can, sir. Indeed, you can be absolutely certain.”

“That remains to be seen.” He picked up the book and carried it back to the cupboard. “Old volumes connected to Vanza can be dangerous. It was not so very long ago that rumors concerning an ancient text resulted in some mysterious deaths.”

He heard a thud as something heavy landed on the carpet. The sound was accompanied by a sharp gasp. He ignored both as he put the book into the cupboard. He closed and locked the door and turned slowly to look at Madeline.

She was crouched on the carpet, busily retrieving a heavy silver figure that had fallen from the desk. He noticed that her fingers trembled slightly as she rose and placed the little statue precisely next to the inkwell.

“I assume you refer to the rumors about the so-called
Book of Secrets
, sir,” she said smoothly. She made a show of brushing off her hands. “Utter rubbish.”

“Not in the opinion of some members of the Society.”

“I must point out, sir, that many members of the Society hold a variety of extremely odd notions.” She made a sound of exasperation. “The
Book of Secrets
, if, indeed, it ever existed, was destroyed in a fire that consumed a certain villa in Italy.”

“One can only hope that is the case.” Artemis went to stand at her heavily protected window. He looked out into the little garden and noted that there were no large trees, hedges, or other masses of foliage that could give cover to an intruder. “As I said, books can be dangerous things. Tell me, Mrs. Deveridge, do you intend to use the information your father set down in that journal to
blackmail anyone else? Because if that is the case, I must advise you that there is some risk involved.”

“Will you kindly cease employing the word
blackmail
at every turn in the conversation?” she snapped. “It is most annoying.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder. Her expression of severe disgruntlement would have been amusing under other circumstances. “Forgive me, madam, but given that my future is in your hands, I feel in need of constant reassurance.”

Her lips tightened with irritation. “I have already told you that I have no sinister intentions, sir. Last night I was forced to use desperate measures, but such a situation is highly unlikely to occur again.”

He looked at the little bells that dangled from the heavily barred shutters. “I do not think that you are as confident of that as you would have me believe, madam.”

Silence gripped the library. Artemis turned completely around to confront Madeline. Her expression was one of unwavering determination, but he could see the haunted look beneath the surface.

“Tell me, Mrs. Deveridge,” he said quietly. “Who or what do you fear?”

“I cannot imagine what you are talking about, sir.”

“I realize that because I am Vanza, you assume that I am something of an eccentric, if not a complete crackpot, but kindly credit me with some elementary reasoning ability.”

She began to have the appearance of a creature that has been cornered. “What do you mean?”

“You employ an armed coachman who clearly performs the services of a bodyguard. You barricade your windows with shutters that are designed to keep out intruders. Your garden has been stripped of foliage so that no one can approach the house unseen. You yourself have learned to use a pistol.”

“London is a dangerous place, sir.”

“It is indeed. But I think you feel more at risk than
many other people.” He held her eyes. “What do you fear, madam?”

She gazed at him for a long time. Then she went back behind her desk and sank down into her chair. Her shoulders were rigid with tension.

“My personal affairs are none of your concern, Mr. Hunt.”

He studied her averted face, taking in the evidence of her pride and courage. “Everyone has dreams, Mrs. Deveridge. I comprehend that yours is to be free of the fear you feel.”

Her gaze turned curiously speculative. “What do you think you can do on my behalf, sir?”

“Who knows?” He smiled slightly. “But I am the Dream Merchant. Perhaps I can make your dream come true.”

“I am in no mood for jests.”

“I assure you, I am not particularly amused myself at this moment.”

Her hand clenched around a small brass paperweight. She studied it intently. “Even if what you say is true, if you
could
just possibly be of some assistance to me, sir, I suspect there would be a price for such services.”

He shrugged. “There is a price for everything. Sometimes it is worth paying. Sometimes it is not.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, her gaze was steady, penetrating.

“I will admit,” she said carefully, “that last night after I returned home, a certain notion did cross my mind.”

He had her, he thought. She had taken the bait. “What notion was that?”

She put the brass paperweight down. “I spent a great deal of time pondering a pair of old sayings. One was the adage that it is best to fight fire with fire. The other was that it takes a thief to catch a thief.”

Understanding flashed through him. “Bloody hell, madam, this is a Vanza matter, is it not?”

She blinked twice at his leap of comprehension. Then she scowled. “In a way. Possibly.” She sighed. “I cannot be certain.”

“What are you thinking? That you will employ a master of Vanza to deal with an affair of Vanza? Is that your logic?”

“Something along those lines, yes.” She drummed her fingers on the desk. “I am still pondering the matter, sir, but it has occurred to me that you might be uniquely qualified to assist me in resolving an issue that is causing me a great deal of concern.”

“You mean that you have thought of a way to use my skills as a master to solve your problem.”

“If we were to come to an agreement,” she said deliberately, “I would see our association as being in the nature of employer and employee. I would pay you for your expertise.”

“This becoming more intriguing by the moment. Just how the devil do you plan to reimburse me, Mrs. Deveridge?” He held up a palm. “Before you answer that question, let us be clear on one point. As you have noted, I am in trade and I do very well in my business affairs. I do not need or want your money, madam.”

“Perhaps not.” Her eyes narrowed. “But I think I have something you do want, sir.”

He let his gaze slide coolly over her. “Do you indeed? I will admit that the offer is an interesting one.” He thought about the standing wager in the betting books. “And not without its rewards.”

She stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”

Her expression of blank incomprehension told him that she did not know about the wager. “It is not often that a man is afforded the opportunity of an affair with the Wicked Widow. Tell me, madam, can I expect to survive the experience? Or do your lovers run the same risks as your husbands?”

Her jaw dropped. An instant later icy fury leaped in her eyes. “If I decide to employ you, Mr. Hunt, there will certainly be some risk involved, but that risk will not emanate from me.”

He raised his brows. “I hate to sound crass, but about the nature of my reimbursement …?”

She glanced meaningfully at the cupboard that contained
the journal of Vanza members. “I saw from your expression that you do not relish the notion that so much personal information concerning your private affairs has been set down in that book.”

“You are correct. I do not like it at all.” And one way or another, he would find a way to get his hands on the bloody volume. He glanced at the foolish little bells on the shutters. They would prove no great obstacle to his skills.

She watched him with shrewd intensity. “If we come to terms, sir, I will pay you for your time and trouble with that journal.”

“Are you saying that you will give me that damned book if I help you?”

“Yes.” She hesitated. “But first I must decide whether or not to employ you. I must think on it some more before I come to a decision. There is a great deal at stake.”

“For your own sake, Mrs. Deveridge, I suggest that you do not hesitate too long.”

She raised her chin with chilly disdain. “Another threat, sir?”

“Not at all. I was merely referring to your attempts to fortify your home.” He motioned toward the shutters. “If what you fear is Vanza related, I can assure you that the ringing of those bells may well come too late to do you any good.”

She want pale and gripped the arm of her chair so tightly that her knuckles whitened. “I think you had better go now, sir.”

He hesitated and then inclined his head formally. “As you wish, madam. You know where to reach me when you make up your mind.”