Tobias watched Lavinia walk up the steps of Number 7
Claremont Lane and knew at once that something was very
wrong. Beneath the deep brim of her stylish bonnet, her
face, always a source of intense fascination for him,
showed signs of an odd, brooding tension.
In his admittedly limited experience, Lavinia rarely
brooded over a problem or a setback. She was more inclined
to take immediate action. Much too inclined to do so, in
his considered opinion. Reckless and rash were words that
came to mind.
He watched her from the window of the cozy little parlor,
every muscle in his body tightening with a battle-ready
tension. He had no patience with premonitions and other
such metaphysical nonsense, but he trusted his own hunches,
especially when it came to matters concerning his new
partner and lover. Lavinia looked nothing short of shaken.
He knew better than most that it took a great deal to
rattle her composure.
"Mrs. Lake is home," he said, glancing at the housekeeper
over his shoulder.
"About time." Mrs. Chilton set down the tea tray with an
air of enormous relief and bustled toward the
door. "Thought she'd never get here. I'll just go and help
her with her coat and gloves. She'll be wanting to pour the
tea for her guests, I'm sure. Likely be looking forward to
a cup herself."
From what he could see of her face in the shadow of the
bonnet, Tobias had a feeling that Lavinia was more in need
of a healthy dose of some of the sherry she kept in her
study. But the medicinal dose of spirits would have to wait.
The guests waiting for her here in the parlor had to be
dealt with first.
Lavinia paused at the front door, searching through her
large reticule for her key. He could read the signs of
strain around her fine eyes quite clearly now.
What the devil had happened?
During the affair of the waxwork murders a few weeks ago,
he thought that he had come to know Lavinia rather well.
She was not easily flustered, overset, or frightened.
Indeed, in the course of his own occasionally dangerous
career as an investigator, he had met very few people of
either sex who were as cool in threatening circumstances as
Lavinia Lake.
It would require something quite dramatic to put that grim
expression in her eyes. The prickle of unease that drifted
through him had a chilling effect on both his patience and
his temper, neither of which was in especially good
condition at the moment. He would look into this new
situation just as soon as he could get Lavinia alone.
Unfortunately, that would not be for some time. Her guests
appeared prepared to converse at some length. Tobias did
not care for either of them. The tall, elegantly lean,
fashionably attired gentleman, Dr. Howard Hudson, had
introduced himself as an old friend of the family.
His wife, Celeste, was one of those extraordinarily
attractive females who are only too well aware of their
effect on the male of the species and not the least
hesitant to use their gifts to manipulate men. Her shining
blond hair was piled high on her head, and her eyes were
the color of a summer sky. She wore a gossamer-thin muslin
gown patterned with tiny pink roses and trimmed with pink
and green ribbons. There was a small fan attached to her
reticule. Tobias considered that the dress was cut quite
low for such a brisk day in early spring, but he was almost
certain that the deep neckline was a carefully calculated
decision on Celeste's part.
In the twenty minutes he had spent with the pair, he had
reached two unshakable conclusions. The first was that Dr.
Howard Hudson was a charlatan. The second was that Celeste
was an out-and-out adventuress. But he suspected he would
do well to keep his opinions to himself. He doubted that
Lavinia would welcome them.
"I am so looking forward to seeing Lavinia again," Hudson
said from the chair where he reclined with languid
ease. "It has been several years since we last met. I am
eager to introduce her to my dear Celeste."
Hudson possessed the rich, resonant voice of a trained
actor. It had a deep, vibrant quality that one associated
with well-tuned instruments. The sound grated on Tobias's
nerve endings, but he had to admit that it commanded
attention in an almost uncanny fashion.
Hudson cut a decidedly fashionable figure in an excellently
tailored dark blue coat, striped waistcoat, and pleated
trousers. His neckcloth was tied in an elaborate and
unusual manner that Tobias thought his brother-in-law,
Anthony, would have admired. At one-and-twenty, Anthony was
at the age when young men paid acute attention to such
things. He would no doubt also approve of the unusual gold
seals that decorated Hudson's watch.
Tobias mentally calculated that the doctor was somewhere in
the middle of his forties. Hudson was endowed with the
distinguished, well-modeled features of a man who would no
doubt always turn ladies' heads, regardless of his age. His
wealth of dark brown hair was silvered in a striking
manner, and he wore his clothes with an authority and
aplomb that would have done credit to Brummell himself in
the heyday of his social reign.
"Howard." The strain evaporated from Lavinia's green eyes
as she swept into the parlor. She held out both hands in
unmistakable and enthusiastic welcome. "Forgive me for
being late. I went shopping in Pall Mall and misjudged the
time and the traffic."
Tobias was fascinated by the change that had come over her
in the past few minutes. If he had not caught that brief
glimpse of her expression when she came up the steps, he
would never have guessed now that she had been troubled.
It annoyed him that the mere sight of Dr. Howard Hudson had
had such an uplifting effect on her mood.
"Lavinia, my dear." Howard rose and took both her hands in
his long, well-groomed fingers, squeezing gently. "Words
cannot express how wonderful it is to see you again after
all this time."
Another wave of disturbing, albeit inexplicable, unease
washed through Tobias. Hudson's most arresting features,
aside from his riveting voice, were his eyes. An unusual
combination of brown and gold in color, they had a
compelling effect.
Both voice and gaze were no doubt extremely useful in his
profession, Tobias thought. Dr. Howard Hudson was a
practitioner of the so-called science of mesmerism.
"I was so very pleased to receive your note yesterday,"
Lavinia said. "I had no notion that you were in London."
Hudson smiled. "I was the one who was delighted to discover
that you were in Town. Imagine my surprise, my dear. The
last I heard, you and your niece had gone off to Italy as
companions to a lady named Mrs. Underwood."
"Our plans changed quite unexpectedly," Lavinia said
smoothly. "Emeline and I were obliged by circumstances to
return to England sooner than we had anticipated."
Tobias raised his brows at that understatement, but he
wisely kept silent.
"Well, that is certainly fortunate as far as I am
concerned." Howard gave her hands another little familiar
squeeze and released her. "Allow me to introduce my wife,
Celeste."
"How do you do, Mrs. Lake," Celeste murmured in dulcet
tones. "Howard has told me so much about you."
Tobias was briefly amused by her manner. The almost
theatrically gracious inclination of Celeste's head did not
conceal the cold assessment in her pretty eyes. He could
see her measuring, weighing, and passing judgment. It was
obvious that she immediately dismissed Lavinia as no threat
and of no consequence.
He was amused for the first time that afternoon. Dismissing
Lavinia was always a mistake.
"This is, indeed, a pleasure." Lavinia sat down on the
sofa, arranged the skirts of her plum-colored gown, and
picked up the teapot. "I had no notion that Howard had
married, but I am delighted to hear it. He has been alone
much too long."
"I had no choice in the matter," Howard assured her. "One
look at my beautiful Celeste a year ago and my fate was
sealed. In addition to making me a lovely wife and
companion, she has proven herself quite adept at handling
my business accounts and appointment book. Indeed, I do not
know how I would get by without her now."
"You flatter me, sir." Celeste lowered her lashes and
smiled at Lavinia. "Howard has attempted to teach me some
of his skills with mesmerism, but I fear that I have no
great talent for the science." She accepted the cup and
saucer. "I understand my husband was a dear friend of your
parents?"
"He was, indeed." A wistful expression crossed Lavinia's
face. "He was a frequent visitor in our home in the old
days. My parents were not only exceedingly fond of him,
they counted themselves among his greatest admirers. My
father told me on several occasions that he considered
Howard to be the most accomplished practitioner of
mesmerism he had ever met."
"I take that as a very great compliment," Howard said
modestly. "Your parents were both extremely skilled in the
art themselves. I found it fascinating to watch them work.
Each had a unique style, but each achieved amazing results."
"My husband tells me that your parents were lost at sea
nearly a decade ago," Celeste murmured. "And that you lost
your husband that same year. It must have been an extremely
trying time for you."
"Yes." Lavinia poured tea into two more cups. "But my
niece, Emeline, came to live with me some six years ago and
we do very nicely together. I am sorry that she is not here
to meet you this afternoon. She is with friends attending a
lecture on the monuments and fountains of Rome."
Celeste managed an expression of polite sympathy. "You and
your niece are alone in the world?"
"I do not think of it as being alone," Lavinia said
crisply. "We have each other, you see."
"Nevertheless, there are only the two of you. Two women
alone in the world." Celeste gave Tobias a veiled
glance. "In my experience, being on one's own without the
advice and strength of a man to lean upon is always a
difficult and unhappy situation for a woman."
Tobias nearly fumbled the cup and saucer that Lavinia had
just thrust into his fingers. It was not Celeste's
completely inaccurate assessment of Lavinia's and Emeline's
personal resources and abilities that jolted him. It was
the fact that, for a few seconds there, he could have sworn
that the woman was deliberately flirting with him.
"Emeline and I manage very well, thank you," Lavinia said,
an unexpected edge on her words. "Pray, have a care,
Tobias, or you will spill your tea."
He caught her eye and realized that beneath her drawing-
room manners, she was irritated. He wondered what he'd done
this time. Their relationship seemed to lurch from the
prickly to the passionate with jolting force and very
little middle ground, as far as he could determine. Neither
of them was entirely comfortable yet with the fiery affair
that had blossomed between them. But he could certainly say
one thing about their liaison: It was never dull.
That was unfortunate, to his way of thinking. There were
times when he would have given a great deal for a few dull
moments with Lavinia. The time might provide him with an
opportunity to catch his breath.
"Forgive me, Lavinia," Howard said with the air of a man
who is about to broach a delicate subject. "I cannot help
but notice that you are not practicing your profession. Did
you abandon the science of mesmerism because you found the
market weak here in London? I know that it is difficult to
attract the proper sort of clientele when one lacks social
connections."
To Tobias's surprise, the question seemed to catch Lavinia
off guard. She gave a tiny start that caused the teacup in
her hand to tremble. But she recovered swiftly.
"I have embarked upon another career for a number of
reasons," she said crisply. "While the demand for mesmeric
therapies appears to be as strong as ever, the competition
is extremely fierce in that line and, as you noted, it is
not easy to attract an exclusive sort of clientele unless
one has connections and references in Society."
"I understand." Howard nodded somberly. "Celeste and I will
have our work cut out for us, in that case. It will not be
a simple matter for me to establish a new practice here."
"Where have you been practicing until now?" Tobias asked.
"I spent several years in America, traveling and lecturing
on the science of mesmerism. A little over a year ago,
however, I grew homesick and returned to England."
Celeste sparkled at him. "I met Howard in Bath last year.
He had established a flourishing practice there, but he
felt it was time to come to London."
"I hope to discover a greater variety of interesting and
unusual cases here in Town," Howard explained very
seriously. "The vast majority of my clients in Bath, as in
America, sought treatments for rather ordinary afflictions.
Rheumatism, female hysteria, difficulty with sleeping, that
sort of thing. All worrisome enough for the patients, of
course, but rather boring for me."
"Howard intends to conduct research and perform experiments
in the field of mesmerism." Celeste gave her husband an
adoring look. "Indeed, he is dedicated to discovering all
of the uses and applications of the science. He hopes to
write a book on the subject."
"And to do that successfully, I must be able to examine
clients with more exotic nervous disorders than one
generally encounters in the country," Howard concluded.
Lavinia's eyes lit with enthusiasm. "That is a very
exciting and admirable goal. It is high time that the
science of mesmerism was accorded its proper due." She shot
a speaking glance in Tobias's direction. "I vow, a great
many ill-informed people still persist in believing that
mesmerists are all quacks and charlatans of the worst
order."
Tobias ignored the barb and swallowed some tea.
Hudson exhaled heavily and shook his head with a grave
air. "Unfortunately, I must admit that there are far too
many fraudulent practitioners in our profession."
"Only advancements in the science will discourage that
sort," Lavinia declared. "Research and experiments are
precisely what is needed."
Celeste gave her an inquiring look. "I am curious to know
the nature of your new career, Mrs. Lake. There are so few
professions open to a lady."
"I am in the business of taking commissions from persons
who wish to employ me to make private inquiries." She put
her cup down on the saucer. "I believe I have some of my
cards around here somewhere." She leaned across the arm of
the sofa and opened a small drawer in a table. "Ah, yes,
here we are."
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