"Does Lord Vale know that he is not going to obtain the bracelet?"
"I think it is safe to assume that Vale knows precisely what happened to the Medusa."
The door opened before Lavinia could ask any more questions. Mrs. Chilton appeared. She wore a disapproving expression.
"Dr. Hudson to see you, Mrs. Lake."
"Bloody hell," Tobias muttered. "Tell him Mrs. Lake is not receiving callers, Mrs. Chilton."
Lavinia frowned at him. "Really, sir, I will thank you not to give the instructions around here."
Howard walked into the study at that moment, his attention focused entirely on Lavinia. If he noticed Tobias rising slowly from the chair, he did not give any indication.
Lavinia jumped up quickly, grateful for the interruption. "Good afternoon, Howard. I collect that you are quite recovered from your ordeal?"
"Thanks to you, my dear Lavinia." He crossed the room to kiss both her hands.
"And thanks to Mr. March as well," she reminded him quickly.
She tried to retrieve her hands. Howard did not seem to notice the small effort. He clung to her fingers.
"Yes, of course," Howard said. He flicked a glance in Tobias's direction and then gave him his shoulder in a well-executed direct cut. "I have come to say goodbye for a while, my dear."
She tugged a little on her captive hands, aware that Howard's eyes had taken on a fathomless quality. He did not release her. She had a small moment of social panic, aware now that the only way to get free would be an ignominious struggle. She kept smiling, hoping that Tobias did not notice what was happening. The last thing she wanted was a quarrel between these two men here in her study.
"You are leaving Town?" she asked very brightly.
"Yes." Howard looked deep into her eyes. "I need time to recover from the loss of my dear Celeste. Time to come to terms with the extent of her betrayal. The knowledge that she was a professional thief is absolutely staggering. Indeed, I am undone by the news. It is best that I go off to the country to rusticate for a time."
"I agree, Hudson." Tobias crossed the room and gripped Howard's shoulder in a man-to-man fashion. "Leaving Town is an excellent notion. Give the gossip a chance to fade, eh?"
He squeezed Howard's shoulder in what appeared to be a friendly gesture. But Lavinia saw the flash of pain and astonishment in Howard's eyes. He released her hands abruptly. The interesting, bottom-of-the-sea quality disappeared immediately from his gaze.
"Indeed," Howard said through gritted teeth. The sonorous ring was gone from his voice. He gave Tobias a withering look. "Although my dear Celeste was the jewel thief, I fear that there are some unfortunate rumors circulating to the effect that I was involved in her schemes."
"Yes, I know. I heard some of those rumors myself, just this morning in my club." Tobias released his victim. "No one can prove anything, of course."
"Of course they cannot prove anything," Howard said heatedly. "Because there is nothing to be proven. I was entirely unaware of Celeste's criminal activities."
"Nevertheless," Tobias continued, "rumors of your proclivities in that direction will be damned hard to squelch, I'm afraid. Hard to attract an exclusive clientele while that sort of gossip is swirling through Society."
His smile did not look at all sympathetic, Lavinia thought. There was, in point of fact, a distinctly wolfish quality to it. She turned quickly back to Howard.
"Where will you go?" she asked gently.
"I haven't decided yet. Someplace where I can continue my researches and experiments."
"I wish you the best of luck with your investigations into mesmerism," she said.
"Thank you." He went to the door, paused, turned, and gave her a long, lingering look. "But never fear, my dear, we shall meet again. We are, after all, old friends, are we not? I have always felt that there was a connection between us. It is a link that cannot be broken by the whims of fortune or"—he glanced coldly at Tobias—"the opinions of other people who may come and go in our lives."
Tobias looked as if he was thinking very seriously about wrapping his hands around Howard's throat. Lavinia moved swiftly to get between the two men.
"Good-bye, Howard." She did not offer him her hand. "I wish you well."
"Farewell for now, my dear."
He smiled at her one last time and went out the door.
There was a short silence in the wake of his departure. Neither Lavinia nor Tobias spoke as Mrs. Chilton ushered Howard out the front door.
When he was gone from the house, Lavinia looked at Tobias.
"Those rumors concerning Howard that you mentioned were circulating in the clubs," she said without inflection. "The ones implying that he might have used his skills as a mesmerist to steal valuables from his clients."
Tobias gave her a look of polite inquiry. "What of them?"
"You wouldn't happen to know who started them, would you?"
He contrived to appear hurt by the thinly veiled accusation. "My sweet, are you accusing me of indulging in the lowest sort of gossip and innuendo?"
"Yes, that is precisely what I am accusing you of doing." She fixed him with a steely glare. "Well, sir? Did you deliberately impugn Howard's character to such an extent that he is obliged to leave Town?"
"I am crushed by your poor opinion of me." He came forward, closed his hands around her shoulders, and kissed her brow lightly. "I assure you that I never engage in false gossip and innuendo."
"But if you thought the gossip and innuendo were
not
false—"
"Then I would not be engaging in gossip and innuendo." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I would be dealing in the truth."
"Tobias, I want to know who started those rumors in the clubs."
"I thought I had made it quite clear, my sweet, I am not the sort of man who indulges in unfounded scandal broth."
She wanted to question him further, but he chose that moment to kiss her.
One of these days, she thought, her mouth softening under his, she really would have to make it clear to him that he could not expect to win every argument with this approach.
Joan stood in front of the tall library window and held the ancient bracelet to the light. Her new antiquity was quite extraordinary, she thought. The pattern that had been pierced into the gold was astonishing in its detail. Medusa's staring eyes were so brilliantly worked in the multilayered blue gem that one could almost believe that they had the power to turn men to stone.
The butler appeared in the doorway. "Lord Vale has arrived, madam."
A quiet excitement flowed through her. "Please show him in."
Vale walked into the library a moment later. He crossed to where she stood at the window and bent gracefully over her hand.
"I received your message and came at once," he said.
"I thought you might enjoy examining my new relic." She handed it to him with a smile. "I know that you have a deep interest in such things."
He took it from her and said nothing for a long time, content to study the piece.
At last he raised his eyes to Joan's. "I congratulate you, madam, on your purchase."
"Thank you. I am delighted with it. Do you know, I expected to have to compete with at least one other collector at the auction. But Mr. Nightingale informed me that I was the only one to place a bid. He said that his other client learned that I had made an offer for the bracelet and declined to do so, leaving the field to me."
Vale smiled and went back to studying the bracelet.
"You were Mr. Nightingale's other client, were you not, my lord?" she asked softly.
"I cannot think of anyone I would rather see take possession of such a fantastic piece than yourself, my dear." He handed her the bracelet. "It is quite remarkable. And so are you."
"Thank you." She looked at the Medusa and thought about what it must have cost him to remove himself from the secret auction. "I find I have developed a serious interest in antiquities. I would like to apply for membership in the Connoisseurs Club." She paused. "Assuming the club accepts ladies, that is."
"I am the club's founder. I make the rules." He smiled slowly. "And I have no objection whatsoever to accepting ladies."
She smiled and held the bracelet out to him. "My application fee, sir. I hereby present the Blue Medusa to the club's private museum."
"As the Keeper of the museum, I accept your application, madam." He caught her hand and brought it to his lips a second time. Then he raised his head and looked into her eyes. "If you are interested, I can arrange for a private tour this very evening."
"I would enjoy that."
A FORTNIGHT LATER, ON A SUNNY THURSDAY afternoon, Tobias motioned Mrs. Chilton aside and opened the door of the study himself. Lavinia was sitting in one of the oversize chairs in front of the hearth, a book open on her lap. The sunlight streaming through the window set fire to her hair.
"Good afternoon, my sweet," he said. "You have a visitor."
Startled by the interruption, she looked up with that abstracted expression she always wore whenever she was summoned summarily from one of her books of poetry.
Her eyes cleared when she saw him standing there in the opening. "I did not know that you intended to call this afternoon, Tobias. What brings you here? Have we a new case so soon?"
"Not a new one. Rather the conclusion to an old one."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"There is someone here who wishes to speak with you."
He stood back and held the door for Lavinia's visitor. The tall woman walked part way into the study and stopped.
"Good day, Mrs. Lake," she said. "I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you again and under these circumstances."
Lavinia stared, eyes very wide, lips slightly parted.
Tobias savored the expression. It was not often that he was afforded the opportunity to witness such a charming mix of astonishment and delight on Lavinia's face.
"Mrs. Felling.
Jessica." Lavinia fairly leaped out of the chair. She dropped the book on the table and rushed forward. "You're alive."
"Thanks to you, Mrs. Lake." Jessica smiled. "Actually, I have not used the name Jessica Pelling since the day I staged the drama of my own suicide. I have been known as Judith Palmer these past two years."
"Which is one of the reasons why it was so bloody difficult to find her." Tobias went to the window. "I sent out my letters of inquiry the day after Lavinia told me her tale. You did an excellent job of covering your tracks, Mrs. Pelling."
"I did my best," she said. "I was quite certain that my life depended on it, you see. Oscar was becoming increasingly mad. The rages were occurring more often, and each time he seemed more out of control when they struck. I knew I had to get away. I took your advice, Mrs. Lake."
Lavinia released her and stepped back. "You took it so well that I myself was convinced that you were dead. The only question in my mind was whether Pelling had murdered you or if you truly had taken your own life."
"I cannot tell you how much I regret not being able to tell you the truth. I had hoped that you would reason it out for yourself."
"The fact that your body was never found gave me some small hope, but I could not be certain." She looked at Tobias. "What were these letters of inquiry you mentioned?"
He moved one hand in a negligent gesture. "I wrote letters to a number of my associates from the old days. They are scattered throughout the country."
"Ah, yes, your fellow spies," Lavinia said. "Very clever of you, sir."
"I also asked Crackenburne to tap his extensive network of friends and acquaintances. You gave me a good description that day you told me the tale. The fact that Jessica was somewhat taller than average and that she had disappeared with an unusual family ring was extremely helpful."
"Yes, of course," Lavinia said. She gave him an admiring smile. "You reasoned that Jessica must have sold the ring to support herself in her new life, so you set out to trace it, didn't you?"
"That was one of several strategies I employed. I also knew that we were looking for a single woman who would have turned up out of nowhere two years ago. Eventually, word came back that there was a person meeting all the particulars operating a school for young ladies in Dorset."
Jessica gave him a wry smile. "It is fortunate for me that Oscar did not hire you to search for me two years ago, sir."
Tobias shook his head. "I doubt that he was eager to find you. Your so-called suicide proved quite convenient in financial terms. He had your inheritance, after all."
"And shortly after that he became occupied with his quest for the Medusa bracelet," Lavinia said. "He had sold it in his youth after murdering his aunt. But as his madness grew, he came to believe that he needed to recover the bracelet to ward off her vengeful spirit."
Jessica shuddered. "I knew that he was sinking into his madness."
Lavinia smiled at her. "I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you."
"You are not the only one who is pleased to know that Mrs. Pelling is very much among the living." Tobias smiled. 'Pelling's lawyer is equally delighted. Jessica is officially a widow now, and a wealthy one, at that."
"I must tell you, the money will come in handy," Jessica said. "There is not much profit in operating a school for young ladies."
"How do you come to be in London?" Lavinia asked.
"Mr. March sent me a letter introducing himself and informing me of the very good news that Oscar Pelling was dead. He offered to pay my expenses to come to London to visit you and assure you that I was alive and well. I believe he planned this reunion as a surprise for you."
Lavinia looked at Tobias. He felt the warmth of her smile throughout his entire body. Pleasure and a deep sense of certainty flowed through him.
"Mr. March feels that he has no talent for grand, romantical gestures," Lavinia said to Jessica. "But in truth, he possesses a distinct and most remarkable ability to select just the right gift for me."