Slightly Shady (23 page)

mention the obvious. The higher one went in the ton, the higher the marriage stakes. VAile she schemed to scrape together a taste of a real Season for Emeline, hoping to attract the eye of a young man who could support her niece in some degree of comfort, Joan was engaged in a strategy more akin to an affair of state. She caught another fleeting glimpse of Neville in the crowd and decided it was a good thing he was here. It meant he was not at home in his mansion, where Tobias might accidentally encounter him in the middle of the search. She wondered what it was about Neville that had attracted Joan's interest at one time. As if she had read her mind, Joan answered the question. "I know he has the unpleasant look of a hardened rake who has spent too many years pursuing meaningless pleasures, but I assure you that when I first met him he was a very dashing, very handsome, thoroughly charming man." "I understand." "Looking back, I should have seen the streak of greed and selfishness just beneath the surface. I pride myself on being an intelligent woman. But the long and the short of it is that I did not realize his true character until it was too late. Even now I find it difficult to imagine him killing 1hose women." " Why? " A small, thoughtful frown drew Joan's brows together. "He was not the sort to get his hands dirty." "It is often difficult to see into the hearts of others when one is very young and has not had much experience of the world." Lavinia hesitated. "Do you mind if I ask you an extremely personal question?" "What is it?" Lavinia cleared her throat. "I realize you do not go out into Society very much, but obviously there are occasions when you must meet Neville in public. How do you handle such moments?" Joan smiled with what appeared to be genuine amusement. "You will soon learn the answer to your question. Lord and Lady Neville are coming this way Shall I introduce them to you?" Nothing. Frustrated, Tobias closed the journal of household accounts and dropped it into the desk drawer. He stepped back, lifting the candle higher so that it cast its light deeper into the shadows of the study. He had searched every corner and crevice of this room, but he had uncovered no hint of murder or conspiracy Neville had secrets. They had to be someplace in this house. It was very odd to find oneself being introduced to a murderer. Lavinia took her cue from Joan. A cool smile and a few murmured words that dripped with ennui. She could not help but notice, however, that Neville never quite met Joan's shuttered gaze. Constance, obviously blissfully unaware of the past her husband shared with Joan, launched immediately into a cheerful conversation. "Congratulations on your daughter's engagement," she said warmly to Joan. "It is an excellent match." "My husband and I were very pleased," Joan said. "It is my greatest regret that Fielding did not live to dance at her wedding." "I understand." Constance's eyes lit with sympathy. "But at least he had the satisfaction of knowing her future was assured." Lavinia studied Neville's averted face while she listened to Joan and Lady Neville. He was looking at someone, she realized. There was something unpleasant in his eyes. Very discreetly she turned slightly to follow the path of his gaze. Shock clenched her stomach when she saw that he was watching Emeline, who was standing some distance away with Anthony and a small group of young people. As if sensing danger, Anthony glanced toward her. His eyes narrowed when he saw Neville. "What a lovely gown, Mrs. Lake." Constance smiled. "It looks like one of Madame Francesca's creations. I vow her work is quite unique, is it not?" Lavinia managed a smile. "Quite. I take it you are one of her clients? " "Indeed. I have patronized her establishment for years." Constance gave her a politely inquiring look. "You say you are visiting from Bath?" "Yes." "I have traveled there many times to take the waters. A charming town, is it not?" She would go mad if she had to continue this inane conversation, Lavinia thought. Where was Tobias? He should have returned to the ball by now. The giggles and laughter downstairs could not be heard up here on Ithe floor where Neville's bedchamber was located. Tobias set the candle on the dressing table. Swiftly, methodically, he began opening and closing drawers and cupboards. Ten minutes later he found the letter in a small drawer built inside the wardrobe. He removed it and carried it to the dressing table where the candle stood. The letter was addressed to Neville and signed by Carlisle. It itemized expenses, costs, and fees for the commission accepted and carried out in Rome. Tobias realized he was looking at the business contract that had been Bennett Ruckland's death warrant. Neville took his wife's arm. "If you ladies will excuse us, I believe I see Bennington over there near the staircase. I have been wanting to have a word with him." "Yes, of course," Joan murmured. Neville whisked his wife away through the crowd. Lavinia watched, trying to keep an eye on the pair. It soon became clear that Neville was not headed toward the staircase. In- stead, he deposited Constance with a small cluster of women who were conversing near the entrance to the buffet and made his way toward the far side of the room. "Forgive me," Lavinia murmured, "but I cannot help wondering if you went so far as to invite Neville and his wife to your daughter's engagement ball?" To her surprise, Joan actually chuckled. "Fielding told me that Lord and Lady Neville need not receive invitations. I was quite happy to leave Neville off the guest list." "I can understand that." "Well," Joan said, "now you see how one handles the vexing problem of dealing socially with a former lover who may well be a murderer." "You act as if nothing ever happened." "Precisely" Tobias tucked the letter inside his jacket, put out the candle, and crossed the room to the door. He listened intently for a moment. When he heard no sound out in the hall, he let himself out of the bedchamber. The cramped staircase designed for the use of the servants was at the far end of the corridor. He found it and started down into the deep well of shadows. When he reached the ground floor, he paused again. Silence emanated from the floor below. The two people he had overheard earlier had either fallen asleep or found some other occupation that did not inspire them to giggles and laughter. He rather suspected the latter. He had just opened the door of the conservatory when one of the heavy shadows looming in the hall detached itself from the wall. There was just enough moonlight to see the glint of the pistol in the man's hand. "Halt, thief!" Tobias dropped to the floor, rolled through the opening, and came up hard against a stone planter. Pain stabbed through his left leg but it was not from a bullet, just the all-too-familiar protest of his old wound, so he ignored it. "Thought I heard someone on the back stairs." The pistol exploded, shattering a nearby clay pot. Tobias flung an arm across his face to protect his eyes. The man dropped the empty gun and launched himself through the doorway. Tobias staggered to his feet, barely avoiding the charge. Another jolt of pain was all the warning he got before his left leg collapsed on him. He pitched forward, groping for purchase. The man was already back on his feet. The massive hands on the ends of his outstretched arms looked like claws. "There'll be no more of yer tricks." Tobias managed to catch himself on the edge of a workbench. His knuckles struck a large -pot planted with a voluminous fern. He hoisted the heavy object in both arms. The man was less than two paces away when Tobias slammed the fern pot into his shoulder and the side of his head. He went down like a felled ox. An unearthly silence gripped the conservatory. Tobias steadied himself against the workbench and listened. There were no footsteps. No cries of alarm. After a moment he pushed himself away from the bench and limped toward the door that opened onto the gardens. A short time later he reached the street. There was no hackney in sight. just his bloody luck. it was going to be a long walk to the Colchester mansion. On the bright side, it was not raining. Bloody hell, where is he?" Lavinia stood on tiptoe, trying I to peer over the heads of the crowd. "I cannot see Neville. Emeline? " Emeline did not have to go up on her toes in order to get a view. "No. Perhaps he went into the buffet room." "A moment ago when I caught a glimpse of him, he was speaking with one of the footmen." Lavinia's palms tingled. "Now he is gone. He may have left the house." "What is so surprising about that?" Joan asked. "Neville no doubt intended to put in only a brief appearance here at the ball. Events such as this are exceedingly boring for most gentlemen. By now he will be on his way to a gaming hell or perhaps to a brothel to search for a new mistress." A vivid picture of the blood on the hood of Sally's cloak flashed through Lavinia's brain. "What a dreadful thought." "Calm yourself." Joan watched her with an expression of concern. "I vow, you have become extremely anxious during the past half hour." Because I cannot stop worrying about Tobias, Lavinia thought. But there was no point in voicing her private fears aloud. There was no reason to be overly concerned about Neville's sudden disappearance from the ballroom either. Joan was no doubt correct in her assessment of the situation. Nevertheless, it made her uneasy to have lost track of her quarry. Anthony materialized in front of her, a glass of lemonade in his hand this time. He handed it to Emeline. Lavinia frowned at him. "Did you see Neville inside the buffet room?" "No." Anthony turned slightly to examine the crowd. "Saw Lady Neville on my way back here, but not her husband. I thought you said you would keep an eye on him while I fetched the lemonade." "He has disappeared." Anthony's face tightened. She knew he was no happier with the news than she was. "Are you certain?" he asked. "Yes. I do not like this," Lavinia said quietly. "It is nearly onethirty. Tobias should have finished his task and met up with us here by now." "I agree," Anthony said soberly- "I told him he ought to take you with him tonight." Anthony nodded. "You have mentioned that once or twice this evening." "He never listens to me." Anthony winced. "If it is any comfort, Tobias is in the habit of doing as he likes." "That is absolutely no excuse. We are partners in this affair. He ought to pay attention when I give him the benefit of my opinion and advice. I will have a few things to say to him when he finally does decide to put in an appearance." Anthony hesitated. "He may have stopped off at his club on the way back here to confer with a friend." "What if he is not there?" "We must be reasonable about this. The search may have taken longer than Tobias expected." Anthony paused, frowning. "I could find a hackney and drive past the mansion to see if there is any sign he is still inside. If he is not there, I might check for him at his club." She was not the only one who was growing alarmed, Lavinia thought. Anthony was trying to appear coolheaded but he was also uneasy. "An excellent notion," she said. "Given the crowd here tonight, there are bound to be hackneys banging about in the street hoping for fares." Anthony looked relieved to have her make the decision. "Very well then, I'm off." He made to turn away Emeline touched his sleeve, her eyes grave with concern. "You will be careful?" "Of course." He took her hand and bowed gallantly over it. "Do not be anxious on my behalf, Emeline. I will be very careful." He turned to Lavinia. "I'm sure that all is well, Mrs. Lake." "It will not be at all well for Mr. March if I discover he stopped off at his club instead of coming directly here." Anthony smiled wryly and hurried away through the crowd. Joan frowned. "Do you really believe something has gone wrong in the course of Mr. March's search?" I don't know what to think," Lavinia admitted. "But the fact that he is not here at the appointed hour, together with Neville's sudden disappearance, makes me extremely worried." "I do not see how you can connect the two. Neville could not possibly know Mr. March is at his house at this moment." "It is something about the way Neville left after he was approached by that footman a moment ago that worries me," Lavinia said slowly "Almost as if he had received a message and was responding to it." "The waiting is going to be intolerable," Emeline said. "There must be something we can do." "There is," Joan said with authority. "We must act as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. You have promised the next dance to Mr. Geddis, have you not? He is coming this way." Emeline groaned. "Dancing is the last thing I want to think about at the moment. I could not possibly manage polite conversation with Mr. Geddis while I am worrying about Anthony" "Gossip has it that Mr. Geddis is worth nearly fifteen thousand pounds a year," Joan said dryly. Lavinia choked on her champagne. When she had recovered, she smiled pointedly at Emeline. "It will not hurt you to dance with Mr. Geddis. Indeed, it is necessary you do so." "Why?" Emeline asked. "To keep up the appearance that there is nothing wrong, just as Mrs. Dove suggested." Lavinia made surreptitious little shooing motions with her gloved fingertips. "Go on, dance with him. You must behave as any other young lady is expected to behave at such an affair." "If you insist." Emeline summoned a brave smile for the handsome young man who had just come to a halt in front of her. He stammered politely and led her out onto the floor. Lavinia sidled a little closer to Joan. "Fifteen thousand a year, you say?" "So I'm told." Lavinia watched Geddis sweep Emeline off to the dance floor. "He appears to be a very nice young man. Any bad blood in that family? "None that I know of." "That's good." "I don't think he stands a chance against young Anthony," Joan said. "I think you're right." The waltz came to an end a few minutes later, leaving Emeline and her partner on the far side of the floor. Lavinia glanced at the tiny watch pinned to her reticule while she waited for the pair to return to the alcove. "Calm yourself," Joan said quietly "I'm certain that Mr. March is safe. He seems quite adept at taking care of himself." Lavinia thought of Tobias's left leg. "He has been known to miscalculate. " Joan looked thoughtful. "You are genuinely concerned about him, aren't you?" "I did not like this plan to search Neville's house," Lavinia admitted. "In fact, I was very much-" She broke off abruptly when she saw who had stepped into Emeline and Mr. Geddis's path. "Bloody hell." "What is it? What's wrong?" "Pornfrey, Look at him. I do believe he's attempting to persuade Emeline to dance with him." Joan followed Lavinia's gaze to where Emeline and Mr. Geddis stood confronted by Pomfrey, "Yes." Her