Don't Look Back (15 page)

"Rubbish."

"I fail to see why you are concerned with learning how to charm gentlemen," Tobias said. "You contrive to do rather well without that skill."

"I believe that is an insult, sir."

"I did not mean it as such."

She narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps I would enjoy charming certain gentlemen."

"Me, for instance?" He smiled in a kindly fashion. "It is a pretty thought, but it is not necessary, my dear. I am content with you just the way you are."

"Really, Tobias."

"Yes, really. It is apparent to me that you and I have established an understanding of each other's nature that goes beyond insincere platitudes and meaningless compliments."

"You may be correct; nevertheless, it strikes me as an extraordinarily useful inquiry technique and I am strongly inclined to perform some experiments of my own before I abandon the whole notion."

"I trust you will be cautious, madam. I am not at all certain that my nerves are strong enough to sustain the shock of a heady dose of charm delivered by you."

She had had enough of his teasing. "Do not concern yourself, sir. I was not planning to waste any such hard-won skill on you. I suspect you would be utterly impervious to charm, in any event."

"No doubt." His voice softened to that low pitch that told her he was no longer teasing her. "Nevertheless, if you choose to conduct any experiments with charm, I must insist that you confine your researches to me."

She caught a glimpse of something in his eyes that was both dangerous and exciting, but she was not certain what to make of it. There was an element of irony here, she thought. This was just the sort of situation where the ability to charm a gentleman would be quite useful.

"Why should I confine my experiments to you, sir?" she asked lightly.

"I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to put any other innocent gentlemen at risk."

"You, sir, are no innocent."

"It was a figure of speech." His gaze went past her shoulder. "Speaking of one who knows the value of charm, here is Mrs. Dove."

Lavinia was oddly disappointed that Joan had chosen this moment to seek her out in the crowded ballroom. These brisk verbal exchanges with Tobias never failed to invigorate her senses and infuse her with a certain pleasant heat.

Nevertheless, business called.

She collected herself and turned to greet the striking woman coming toward them.

Joan Dove was in her mid-forties, but her pale blond hair hid the telltale streaks of silver well. With her fine, classical features and her superb sense of style, she was frequently mistaken for a much younger woman. It was not until one drew close enough to notice the faint lines at the corners of her eyes and the worldly experience in her gaze that one got a hint of her true age.

Although she had been widowed for a full year, Joan still wore only gray and black in memory of her much-loved husband. While the gowns were limited in their colors and hues, they were inevitably in the first stare of fashion. Madam Francesca saw to that.

Tonight she was serenely elegant in silver satin trimmed with exquisite little black roses. The neckline was cut low to frame her fine shoulders and bosom. The skirts fell in perfect folds to her ankles.

"Ah, there you are, Lavinia. Tobias." Joan smiled at both of them. "A pleasure to see you this evening. I collect that Emeline and Anthony are enjoying themselves on the dance floor."

"Indeed." Lavinia smiled with satisfaction. "This is another social coup for both of them, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your efforts to secure the invitations for us."

"Think nothing of it. Now that I am getting out a bit more, it is in my own best interests to ensure that there will be people at these affairs with whom I can enjoy conversation. I consider you and Tobias to be not only good friends but colleagues as well."

Lavinia caught Tobias's eye. They exchanged glances of mutual understanding that needed no words. The thought of Joan as a colleague was unsettling.

It had been Joan's suggestion that they should consult with her on difficult cases where her unusual connections might prove useful. Indeed, she was quite enthusiastic about what she viewed as her new
hobby.

Although Joan had been their first important client and Lavinia would always be grateful to her, not only for the business but for introducing her to Madam Francesca, there was good reason to have some misgivings about the notion of taking her on as a consultant. On the positive side, however, she offered her services for free.

Joan was a mysterious woman with a shadowy past. One of the few things that Lavinia knew for certain about her was that, before his untimely death, her husband, Fielding Dove, had controlled a powerful criminal organization known as the Blue Chamber. At its zenith, the ring had possessed extensive legal and illegal business interests that reached beyond England all the way to the Continent.

The Chamber had supposedly disintegrated and collapsed following Dove's death last year. But Tobias had picked up rumors in certain underworld quarters to the effect that many of the Chamber's enterprises had not been destroyed after all. They were merely under new management.

And the most likely new proprietor in sight, as far as Lavinia and Tobias could determine, was Joan Dove.

Some questions, Lavinia thought, were better left unasked.

"I am happy to tell you that I have been quite busy with my researches on behalf of Lake and March this evening," Joan said cheerfully.

The enthusiasm in her voice caught Lavinia's attention and made her look at her friend more closely. This lightness of spirit was new. Perhaps Joan was, at long last, emerging from mourning.

"Lake and March," Lavinia repeated thoughtfully. "I rather like the sound of that."

"Personally, 1 do not care for it," Tobias said. "If you must give our
occasional
partnership a formal designation, Joan, you may refer to the firm as March and Lake."

"Rubbish," Lavinia shot back. "Lake and March is far more appropriate."

"I disagree," Tobias said. "The senior partner always comes first."

"Age is a consideration, of course, although I would not have been so rude as to call attention to yours. Nevertheless—"

"I was referring to being the senior in terms of experience in the profession," Tobias muttered. "Not my years."

Lavinia smiled sweetly and turned back to Joan with an inquiring expression. "Now, then, you were saying, madam?"

"Before I was so rudely interrupted by your little squabble about the proper name for your business relationship with Mr. March, do you mean?" Joan's eyes glinted with a rare amusement. "Yes, well, I was about to tell you of some rumors that are circulating among certain members of the ton who take a keen interest in antiquities."

Tobias put down his champagne glass and looked at Joan with acute interest. "You have my undivided attention, madam."

"I knew it," Lavinia said, excitement bubbling inside her. "Word of the missing Medusa has begun to move through high circles, has it not? That is precisely why I contacted you earlier today and asked for your assistance, Joan. With your social connections you are in an ideal position to learn this sort of information."

"I am delighted to be able to consult on this matter." Joan kept her eyes on the crowd and lowered her voice to a confidential tone. "What I discovered is that the news of the Blue Medusa has captured the interest of a certain collector, an extremely wealthy, powerful gentleman who has a reputation for obtaining whatever he sets out to possess."

"How do you know he wants the Medusa bracelet?" Lavinia asked.

"Because he rarely deigns to appear at social affairs, even though he is on every hostess's guest list.

The fact that he just walked into this ballroom is proof that he is after the bracelet. I cannot imagine anything else that would have brought him here."

Lavinia followed Joan's gaze and saw a man standing with a small group near a cluster of palms. He was well dressed, and he held himself with the cool arrogance and unmistakable assurance that came with rank and wealth. In that, he had a great deal in common with most of the other men in the room tonight. He should have been virtually indistinguishable from those around him. But he stood out in the crowd in some indefinable way, even though he was obviously making no effort to do so. If anything, given his quietly elegant appearance and manner, he was making every effort to be perceived as a part of the landscape.

Yet, Lavinia thought, her eye had gone straight to him. She had known at once which man Joan was watching. In a sea of colorful little fish, he was a poorly disguised shark.

Rather like Tobias, she thought uneasily. The realization made her take a swallow of champagne.

Physically, however, the two had little in common. For one thing, the stranger was older than Tobias— late forties, perhaps. For another, his hairline had receded in a dramatic fashion, drawing attention to a high forehead and a strong profile. He was also taller and more elegantly slender than Tobias.

"Who is he?" Lavinia asked.

"Lord Vale," Joan said softly.

There was something in her voice that made Lavinia glance quickly at her. She was startled to see an expression of interest in her friend's face. It occurred to her that she had never seen Joan regard any other man in that manner.

Joan found Vale intriguing.

"Bloody hell," Tobias muttered. "Is Vale involved in this affair?"

"So it would seem," Joan said. "What is more, I suspect that he is aware that you and Lavinia are investigating it. There simply is no other reason why he would be here tonight."

"Damnation." Tobias set down his unfinished champagne. "I could have done very nicely without this complication."

Lavinia looked at him. "Why are you concerned about Vale?"

Tobias did not take his attention off the man on the other side of the room. "As Joan just told you, Vale is a collector with very discriminating tastes. He possesses the financial resources to satisfy those tastes. It is rumored that if money alone will not help him obtain what he chooses to acquire, he is willing to employ other means and methods."

"He is the founder of a very exclusive club," Joan said. "The members call themselves the Connoisseurs. Only those who collect the most exotic and unusual antiquities are invited to join. Vacancies occur rarely. When they do, a prospective new member must present a suitable relic for the club's private collection in order to be considered for admission." She paused. "There is an opening for a new member now, as it happens."

Tobias glanced thoughtfully at Joan. "How do you know that?"

"Because the vacancy was created by my husband's death a year ago. He was a member of the Connoisseurs for many years."

"I wonder why Vale has not filled the opening in the club membership," Tobias said.

"Perhaps no suitable candidate has applied," Joan said. "Do not forget, the prospect must present not simply a very fine artifact but one that is considered unusual or extremely rare. It is not easy to find such a relic."

Lavinia caught her breath. "The Medusa bracelet would almost certainly qualify as an acceptable membership artifact."

"Indeed. The club's museum is a very
private
collection, one that is never open to public viewing. I doubt that Vale or any of the members would be inclined to question the source of a relic provided that it was suitably exotic and rare." Joan contemplated Vale. "Given his lordship's appearance here tonight, I think we must assume that he has no intention of sitting back in hopes that some other collector will find the Blue Medusa and present it to the club's museum. Vale plans to acquire it himself."

Tobias glanced at her. "Do you know him well?"

Joan hesitated. "He was a guest in our home on occasion when my husband was alive. Fielding liked him. The two respected each other. But I cannot say that I know Vale well. I do not think anyone can make that claim."

"No," Tobias agreed. "Probably not."

"Have you met him?" Joan asked.

"Crackenburne introduced us. But like you, I cannot claim a close acquaintance. We certainly do not move in the same circles."

"Look, he has left his companions," Lavinia said. "He's coming toward us."

"So he is," Tobias said quietly. "You were right, Joan. He knows about Lavinia and me."

They watched Vale glide smoothly around the edge of the dance floor, bestowing an almost imperceptible nod here and there, pausing once or twice to greet someone. But although his path appeared random, it was clear to Lavinia that he was working his way toward where the three of them stood in the alcove.

"He'll no doubt attempt to interrogate both of you," Joan warned. "He will be very polite about it, of course, but he is a very clever man. Be careful what you say if you wish to keep your secrets."

Vale materialized out of the crowd at that moment and stopped in front of them. Lavinia studied him covertly and saw that there was another way in which he differed from Tobias in terms of physical appearance.

Vale had the haunting eyes of a romantic artist.

"Joan." He bent gracefully over her gloved hand. "It is good to see that you are getting out into Society again. It has been too long."

"Good evening, Vale." She retrieved her hand with a smooth motion. "Do you know my friends? Mrs. Lake and Mr. March."

"March." Vale nodded once in Tobias's direction and then he turned to Lavinia. "A pleasure, Mrs. Lake."

When he took her hand she noticed the odd iron ring he wore. It was shaped like a small key. She tried for a truly charming smile and added a little curtsy for good measure.

"Lord Vale."

He did not look particularly dazzled, she noticed. He merely bowed briefly over her hand and turned back to Joan.

"May I have the honor of a dance, madam?" he said.

Joan stiffened ever so slightly. The tiny hesitation was almost undetectable. If Lavinia had not been watching her she would have missed it altogether.

"Yes, of course," Joan said, recovering quickly.

She flicked a puzzled glance back at Lavinia as Vale led her away.