“I understand,” she said gently. “I expect you are anxious to know if Mr. March and I have made any progress in our inquiries.”
“I must admit the subject is foremost in my mind these days.” He removed his watch from his pocket and began to toy with it in an absent fashion. The gold fobs dangled and danced. “Tell me the truth, Lavinia. Do you really think you can find the bastard who murdered my Celeste?”
Tobias had told her that it was important to reassure the client as often as necessary, she reminded herself.
“We are making progress,” she said firmly. “Mr. March and I feel certain that we shall find her killer.”
“My dear Lavinia.” The watch fobs swayed in a steady rhythm. “What would I do without you?” Howard’s voice deepened and grew heavy. “My dear, dear friend. You and I have so much in common. So much to talk about. So much that we can explore together, my dear friend.”
The intent quality of his gaze and the gold fobs disturbed her. Surely he was not attempting to put her into a mesmeric trance in such a sly fashion. This was her dear friend Howard, after all. He would not seek to take advantage of her with his skills. The steady, relentless movement of the fobs was simply happenstance, not deliberate. This was her dear old family friend.
“Such a dear friend…”
Quite suddenly she knew that she needed to look away. The urge was strong, but when she tried to avert her eyes from the gold watch fobs, it proved surprisingly difficult. She raised her fingers to touch the silver pendant that she wore at her throat, and the unpleasant sensation eased.
Relieved, she studied the page of the journal that was open in front of her. “As it happens, I am glad you came by this afternoon, Howard. I have been going over some notes and I find I have a few more questions.”
“I will tell you anything I can, of course, my dear, dear friend.” His voice was as resonant as a large bell. “What is it you wish to know?”
“Forgive me for such a personal inquiry, but I must ask how you came to be aware that Celeste was having an affair.”
“How does a man know such a thing? I suppose it was a matter of small clues, most of which I chose to ignore at first. She began to go shopping more frequently and returned late, sometimes without any purchases to show for her efforts. There were days when she seemed too cheerful or excited or impatient for no apparent cause. What can I say? She acted the way a young woman in love acts.”
Lavinia looked up at that and found herself staring at the dangling watch fobs again. The effort required to look away this time left her feeling rather breathless.
“Does that answer your question, my dear, dear friend?”
She was imagining this, she thought. Howard was not trying to induce a trance. Perhaps she was becoming a victim of bad nerves.
Returning her attention to her notes, she pressed on determinedly. There was another question she wanted to ask. She had to work hard to remember it.
“The antiquity Celeste stole belonged to Lord Banks,” she said. “Have you ever met him?”
“No, my dear friend.”
The gold seals bobbed gently.
“Do you think that Celeste may have somehow contrived to meet him?”
“I don’t see how that would have been possible.” Howard frowned. “Unless she was acquainted with him before I met her.”
“I had not thought of that possibility.” She tapped the quill on the edge of the ink bottle a few times. “I wonder if that is how she came to know about the bracelet.”
Tap…. tap… tap…
“I cannot answer that, my dear, dear friend____________________”
She suddenly realized that the tip of the quill was striking the bottle in a pattern that matched the swaying movements of the dangling watch fobs. She stopped and hastily put down the pen.
“You are trying to establish the manner in which Celeste learned of the antiquity,” Howard said.
“Yes.” Lavinia closed the journal. This time when she raised her eyes, she avoided his gaze by focusing on a picture that hung on the wall across the room. She tried to appear pensive rather than rude.
There was a short pause. Then, with an almost inaudible sigh, Howard dropped the watch back into his pocket. He began to pace the study.
“I think that the most likely explanation is that her lover informed her of the whereabouts of the bracelet and its value,” he said.
“But if he knew those facts, why did he not steal it himself? Theft is a dangerous business. Why send her to do the deed?”
“I’ll tell you why. The bloody bastard was too cowardly to take the risk of entering the mansion.” Howard’s voice throbbed with fierce emotion. He closed one hand into a fist at his side. “He preferred to force my Celeste to take such risks. He used her and then he murdered her.”
“I’m sorry, Howard. I know this is difficult for you.”
“Forgive me. You are only attempting to help, but when I think about the monster who strangled her I cannot contain my feelings.”
“I understand.”
“Please give me a moment to compose myself.” Howard turned away abruptly and went to look at the spines of the books on a nearby shelf.
After a few seconds he smiled wistfully. “You have not lost your taste for poetry, I see. You were always very fond of it, as I recall.”
It was a great relief not to have to avoid his eyes, she thought. “Emeline says it is a sign that I am a romantic at heart.”
“You have not had much opportunity for romance in your life, have you, my dear?” His voice was low, freighted with understanding and deep sympathy.
“I would not say that.” She tried to keep her own voice light. “My husband was a poet, if you will recall. I thought him wonderfully romantic.”
“I remember meeting him at your wedding.” Howard turned around unexpectedly, trapping her with his eyes. “I did not think that he was the right man for you, but it was not my place to speak of such matters. You seemed so happy at the time.”
“I was happy. For a while.” Instinctively, she touched the silver pendant again. The trapped feeling dissipated once more.
“I was sorry to learn of his untimely death from fever. I know it must have been very difficult for you, following, as it did, so soon in the wake of the loss of your parents.”
“Howard, I think it would be best if we returned to the subject of Celeste’s murder. We really do not have time to reminisce.”
“Do you miss your career as a mesmerist, my dear?” he asked in a strangely gentle tone. “You displayed such a gift for the science while still in the schoolroom. Quite astounding, actually. I cannot but assume that your talents have only grown stronger with the years. May I ask what made you abandon the profession?”
“I really don’t think this is the time or place to-”
She broke off at the sound of familiar bootsteps in the hall. A few seconds later the study door opened abruptly. Tobias glanced at her briefly and then immediately switched his attention to Howard.
“I beg your pardon if I am interrupting a private conversation,” he said.
His tone of voice made it quite clear that he was not the least bit sorry, Lavinia thought. In fact, unless she was sorely mistaken, he was furious.
“Not at all,” Howard said smoothly. “We were discussing the inquiry.”
“I see.” Tobias looked at Lavinia. “I believe we have an appointment.”
“Really? I do not seem to recall-” Something in his expression made her swallow the rest of her words. She summoned what she hoped was a professional sort of smile. It was never a good idea to let the client know that there might be some friction between oneself and one’s partner. “Yes, of course. An appointment. It slipped my mind, sir. Howard, if you will excuse us, Mr. March and I must deal with some pressing issues involving your case.”