“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.”
Chapter Thirty-four
The following afternoon Lavinia put the finishing touches on her advertisement, sanded and blotted the foolscap, and sat back to savor her clever wording.
The door of the study opened just as she was about to read the lines aloud to herself to hear how it sounded. Tobias walked into the room.
Sometimes, she thought, his timing was uncanny.
She eyed him warily. “What are you doing here?”
“The warmth of your welcome never fails to lift my spirits and brighten my day, my sweet.”
“I thought you said at breakfast that you planned to discuss another investment with Crackenburne today.”
“Crackenburne can wait. He won’t be going anywhere. I told you, the man never leaves his club.” He looked down at the paper in front of her. “What is that?”
“I have finished my advertisement. My only regret is that I was unable to find a way to use the word intrigue. Nevertheless, I intend to send this off to the newspaper today. Would you care to hear it?”
“You are determined to ignore my advice on this matter, are you not?”
“Yes, of course I am.” She cleared her throat and read the advertisement.
Persons wishing to commission an expert for the purpose of conducting inquiries of a personal and private nature may send word to the address below. Exclusive references are available upon request. The utmost discretion is assured.
“Hmm,” Tobias said.
She narrowed her eyes in warning. “Do not bother to criticize. I am quite satisfied that it sounds extremely professional and I am not interested in your opinion.”
“It certainly sounds professional,” he agreed. “But I could not help but notice that you make no mention that you work with a partner.”
“You are entirely against the notion of placing a notice in the papers. Why would you want to be mentioned in it?”
“I suppose it is a matter of pride,” he admitted. “We are occasional partners, after all. But that advertisement makes it sound as though you always work alone.”
“Well-”
“If you are determined to advertise, I would think that you would want to draw attention to the unique nature of the services you offer. Surely anyone wishing to employ a professional for the purposes of making private inquiries would be more inclined to do so if he thought that he would be gaining the experience of not one but two experts in the field.”
He had a point, she thought. “Well, I suppose I could rewrite it to bring out that aspect.”
“Excellent notion.” He reached out, caught hold of the page between thumb and forefinger, and twitched it out of her grasp. “I shall be happy to assist you. Tomorrow morning at breakfast we can discuss the new wording. It may take a while, but I’m sure that, together, we shall come up with a very enticing advertisement.”
“Pray, do not trouble yourself, sir.” She snatched the paper back from him and gave him a cool smile. “With a minor change or two, this one will work perfectly well. I shall make the modifications this afternoon and send it around to the paper today.”
“Damnation, Lavinia-”
The door opened behind him. He broke off and glared at Mrs. Chilton over his shoulder.
Lavinia turned quickly toward the door. “Yes, what is it, Mrs. Chilton? A visitor?”
“No, ma’am.” Mrs. Chilton fixed Tobias with an unreadable look. “Miss Emeline’s gone out with Mr. Sinclair, and now I’m off to shop for currants. Just wanted to let ye know that I’ll be gone for a while.”
“More currants?” Lavinia frowned. “But we cannot possibly have run out so soon. I fail to comprehend why we are going through so many currants lately.”
“It’s the jam.” Mrs. Chilton backed out into the hall. “Takes a lot of currants to make good currant jam. Well, now, I’ll be off. Expect I’ll be back at three.” She paused, one hand on the doorknob, and gave Tobias a sharp look. “And not a minute later.”
Tobias smiled slowly. “Take your time, Mrs. Chilton. No need to hurry back.”
Mrs. Chilton closed the door very firmly and went down the hall. Lavinia could have sworn she heard her chuckling.
“I simply cannot comprehend how this small household can go through so much currant jam,” Lavinia muttered.
Tobias took her into his arms. “Mrs. Chilton is experienced in the preparation of jam. You must allow her to make the decisions pertaining to the quantity of the ingredients needed.”
“Well, I suppose so. Nevertheless-”
“You and I are expert in another line, are we not?” he asked very softly.
She started to argue, and then it struck her that he had just called her an expert. It was one of the few times he had paid tribute to her professional skills. The accolade gave her a glow of pleasure.
“Very true,” she murmured.
“We are also partners.” He brushed his mouth deliberately across hers. “And I think that now would be an excellent time to discuss some of the details of our business association.”