Don’t Look Back

Chapter Twenty-six

She could see at once that he was not pleased, but she chose to ignore his opinions. She was not in the best of moods herself.

She sat down and watched him shut the carriage door. The vehicle rumbled forward. Tobias unfolded the blanket that lay on the seat and tossed it to her.

“You’d better use this to keep warm,” he muttered. “That gown was obviously not designed to be worn outside an overheated ballroom.”

“If you had not been in such a hurry, I would have taken a moment to fetch my cloak.”

She was relieved to discover that the blanket was relatively clean. Quickly, she pulled it around her shoulders and was immediately grateful for the warmth. Tobias lounged in the corner, watching her with narrowed eyes.

“I was waiting for you on the balcony,” she said in response to his unspoken question. “I saw you and Vale enter and then I saw Anthony stop you. A moment later you turned and left. I knew at once that you were leaving to follow some clue. Where are we going?”

“I am on my way to meet a streetwalker named Maggie,” he said without inflection. “For your information, she has nothing whatsoever to do with the Medusa affair.”

“Rubbish. Do not expect me to believe that bit of nonsense. Why else would you go chasing off on a night like this to talk to a streetwalker, if not to pursue-”

She broke off abruptly, her jaw dropping in shock when it occurred to her that there certainly was a reason why a gentleman might take a hackney to visit a prostitute. A terrible pain uncurled like a serpent deep inside her. It was followed by a hollow, utterly numb sensation. She sat there, staring at Tobias, unable to speak.

“No, my sweet, that is not why I am off to visit the light-skirts. Surely you know me well enough by now to be certain of that much, at least.”

Relief flooded through her. Of course Tobias would not resort to a prostitute. He would not betray her. What was the matter with her? She reined in her scattered senses with an effort of will. Still feeling flustered, she tightened her grip on the blanket.

“Tell me what this is about, Tobias. I have every right to know.”

He contemplated her in silence for such a long time that she began to think he might not answer her.

“You are correct,” he said at last. “You do have a right to know. The long and the short of it is that I have been told that this woman named Maggie has been entertaining Pelling during his stay here in Town.”

She was so surprised she could only look at him rather blankly. Not an attractive expression, she reminded herself.

“This is about Oscar Pelling?” she finally managed.

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.”

He rested an arm on the window ledge. “I thought it best to keep an eye on him while he was here in Town. Anthony asked some questions at the inn where Pelling is staying and learned that he has been visiting a prostitute in the area. I want to interview her.”

“But why? What do you hope to discover?”

He shrugged. “Nothing, probably. But I was never comfortable with the fact that both Pelling and Hudson showed up here in London at the same time.”

“I thought we agreed it was nothing more than chance.”

“ You were certain of that. I was not entirely convinced.”

“So you made some inquiries into Pelling’s activities?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” She was not certain what to say to that. She thought she ought to berate him for not telling her that he was conducting inquiries in that direction. On the other hand, he had been concerned on her behalf. She would save the lecture for later, she decided. “I assume that you learned nothing that was alarming.”

“I must admit I have begun to worry a bit about Maggie. Women who get close to Pelling seem to meet with bad ends, and Anthony had a deal of trouble locating her.”

She shuddered. “I understand.”

“I want to satisfy myself that she is unharmed. I also want to ask her a few questions about Pelling’s activities here in Town.”

She gave him a quizzical look. “But he has made no move to seek me out. Indeed, why would he? I told you, at the time he found it convenient to blame me for his wife’s supposed suicide. He cannot possibly have any interest in me now. Indeed, he has every reason to avoid me.”

“I know. But I do not like the situation.”

She smiled slightly. “I can see that.”

Tobias looked out at the fog-bound street. “That is the damnable thing about this business of conducting investigations, you see. One must keep blundering about, asking questions, until one finally gets some answers.”

“Not unlike our own relationship, if you ask me,” she said under her breath.

He turned his head. “What did you say?”

“Nothing important. Just some personal musings.”

She managed a bright little smile, but inwardly she was not feeling nearly so blasé. Their relationship was such a strange affair, she thought. Neither of them was a coward, yet in this matter they both walked as gingerly as if they were trying to cross a perilous landscape, a world in which unseen dangers lurked in every shadow.

Then again, perhaps that was only her view of the situation, she thought. For all she knew, Tobias saw nothing complicated or worrisome about their arrangement. He was a man, after all. In her experience, men tended to assess matters involving emotion in a more straightforward fashion than women did. When all was said and done, although he occasionally complained of the venue, Tobias was getting a certain amount of physical satisfaction on a regular basis. Mayhap that was enough for him.

They traveled the remainder of the distance to Cutt Lane in silence. When the hackney finally halted, Lavinia looked out and saw a solitary gas lamp glowing in front of a darkened doorway. Candles burned in some of the windows. Here and there a figure moved behind a thin curtain.

Tobias opened the door and got out. He reached up, gripped Lavinia around the waist, and lifted her out of the cab. Then he turned to toss a few coins to the coachman.

“We will not be long,” he said. “Be so good as to wait for us.”

“Aye.” The coachman checked the coins in the lantern light. Evidently satisfied, he pocketed them swiftly. “I’ll be here when yer ready to leave, sir.”

“Come.” Tobias took Lavinia’s arm and steered her toward the dark mouth of a small lane. “The sooner we find Maggie, the sooner we can return to the ball.”

She did not argue. She draped the blanket around her shoulders as if it were a fine Indian shawl and went forward at his side.

More candles and the occasional lantern burned in the windows of the tiny lane. Tobias stepped into the shelter of a stone doorway and clanged the knocker. The sound echoed eerily in the darkness.

There was no response, but Lavinia heard a window open on the floor above. She looked up and saw a woman leaning out, a candle set in a heavy iron candlestick in her hand. The light from the small flame illuminated sharp features and eyes that appeared to be sunk in deep wells.

The woman wore a dressing gown that was only loosely tied. The garment gaped, exposing her bony shoulders and thin breasts to the damp night and the casual view of passersby in the lane below.

“You down there,” the prostitute called in a drunken voice, “are ye lookin’ for some sport tonight?”

Tobias took a step back out of the doorway.

“We’re looking for Maggie,” he said.

“Well, now, yer in luck, then, because you’ve found her.” Maggie leaned precariously out over the sill. “But I see there’s two of ye, and yer friend is a lady. I take it yer one of those what likes to watch two women enjoyin’ themselves, eh? That’ll be extra.”

“We just want to talk to you,” Lavinia said quickly. “And, of course, we’ll pay you for your time.”

“Talk, eh?” Maggie considered that for a moment and then shrugged. “Well, so long as yer willin’ to pay, it don’t make much difference to me. Come on up. First room at the top of the stairs.”

Tobias tried the door. It opened readily. Lavinia peered around his shoulder and saw a narrow hall and a cramped staircase lit by a single, smoky candle set in a wall sconce.

“Try to resist the temptation to overpay her,” Tobias said. “Especially since we will no doubt be using my money.”

“Of course we must use your money. I did not bring any of my own with me tonight. A lady never takes money to a grand ball.”

“Somehow that does not surprise me.”

He ushered her into the hall and followed on her heels, pausing only to shut the door.

Lavinia started up the staircase, Tobias two steps behind her. She was on the fourth tread when she heard the hall door slam open behind her with a jolting crash.

Two men dressed in rough clothing rushed into the hall.

They went directly for Tobias. The light of the wall sconce gleamed evilly on the blades of their knives.

“Tobias. Behind you.”

He did not reply. He was too busy responding to the attack. She saw him grip the banister with one hand and use it to brace himself. He lashed out with one booted foot.

The blow struck home, catching the first man squarely in the chest. The villain sucked in air and staggered back, colliding with his companion.

“Get out of my way, ye bloody fool.” The second man shoved his companion aside and flung himself at Tobias. His arm moved in a short, vicious arc. The blade slashed through the air.

Tobias kicked out again. The second man hissed like a snake and darted backward to avoid the boot. He had to catch himself on the banister.

“Go into Maggie’s room,” Tobias ordered without taking his attention off the two men. “Bolt the door.”

He launched himself toward the closest villain. The two came together with a sickening thud and landed at the foot of the staircase. They rolled across the floor and slammed into the wall.

The door at the top of the stairs banged open. Maggie appeared, the iron candlestick in her hand.

“What’s going on down there?” she demanded in a slurred voice. “See here, I don’t want any trouble.”

Lavinia flung aside the blanket, collected her skirts, and dashed up the stairs to the landing.

“Give me that candlestick.” She yanked it out of Maggie’s hand.

“What are ye doin?” Maggie demanded.

“Oh, for pity’s sake.” Lavinia pulled the dripping tallow candle off the prong and shoved it into Maggie’s fingers.

“Ouch,” Maggie muttered. She held her finger to her mouth. “That burns, it does.”

Lavinia ignored her and flew back down the stairs, the iron candlestick clutched in her right hand.

She could see Tobias and the second villain writhing on the floor of the hall. Light danced on the blade.

The first man heaved himself up into a sitting position at the foot of the stairs. He appeared dazed, but it was obvious that he was recovering rapidly from the stunning blow he had taken from Tobias’s booted foot. He scooped up the knife that had fallen from his hand and gripped one of the banister supports. He started to haul himself to his feet.

He studied the two men locked together in silent, deadly combat on the hall floor. It was clear that he was seeking the right moment to go to his companion’s assistance.

Lavinia raised the iron candlestick aloft, praying that the man at the bottom of the staircase would not look back.

Down below, Tobias and his assailant heaved and rolled violently once more. One of them grunted hoarsely. Lavinia could not tell which man had cried out in pain. Rage and fear flashed through her.

She reached the second step from the bottom and swung the iron candlestick with all of her strength.

At the last instant, the man sensed the threat behind him. He started to turn and put up an arm to protect himself.

But he was too late. The candlestick glanced heavily against the side of his head and struck his shoulder with a jolting force that Lavinia felt through her entire body. The villain staggered back against the wall. The knife clattered on the bottom step.

For a shocked second Lavinia and the man stared at each other. Then she saw the blood flow from the gash on the side of his head.

“Bitch.”

Enraged, he lunged at her with both hands, but his movements were awkward and unsteady.

Lavinia grabbed the banister and used it to lever herself up several steps. She raised the candlestick on high again, preparing to deliver another blow. The man saw the weapon and hesitated, swaying in the light.

Tobias appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looming in the shadows, his face an icy mask. He grasped the first man’s shoulder, spun him around, and slammed a fist into his jaw.

The man yelled, reeled around, and lurched blindly toward the door. The second man had it open and was already outside.

The pair fled into the fog. Their boots rang hollowly on the paving stones for a moment and then they were gone.

Heart pounding, Lavinia examined Tobias from head to toe. His neckcloth had come undone in the scuffle. There was blood on it and on the front of his greatcoat.

“You’re bleeding.” She picked up her skirts and hurried down the steps.

“The blood isn’t mine.” With a gesture of distaste he snagged the trailing end of the cravat and tossed it aside. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She stopped on the step above him and touched his face anxiously. “Are you certain you’re not hurt?”

“Quite certain.” He frowned. “I told you to bolt yourself in Maggie’s room.”

“Those two men were trying to kill you. Surely you didn’t expect me to just wait quietly in another room while they went about their business. I would remind you yet again, sir, that we are partners in this venture.”

“Damn it, Lavinia, you could have been seriously injured.”

Maggie chuckled above them. “Appeared as how the lady did ye a favor, if ye ask me.”

“I didn’t ask you,” Tobias said.

Maggie cackled.

“I suggest that we conduct this quarrel at some other time,” Lavinia said crisply. “We have business here, in case you have forgotten.”

He rubbed his jaw somewhat gingerly. “I have not forgotten.” He looked up at Maggie. “Do you know those two men?”

Maggie shook her head. “Never saw ‘em before. A couple of footpads that spotted ye in the lane and decided to follow ye into the hall, I expect.” She gestured grandly toward the open door behind her. “Come on up, if yer still in a mood to ask questions.”

“Yes.” Tobias climbed the steps behind Lavinia. “I’m very much in a mood to ask questions.”

They followed Maggie into a dingy little room furnished with a cot, a washstand, and a small trunk. An open bottle of gin stood on a table.

Lavinia handed the iron candlestick back to Maggie and sat down on a stool near the cold hearth. Tobias went to the window and looked down into the lane. She wondered if he was hoping to spot the two men who had attacked him. There was little chance of that, she thought.

“We wish to ask you about a man named Oscar Pelling,” he said without turning around. “We understand that he purchased your services during the past few days.”

“Pelling. That bastard.” Maggie speared the candle on the stick and set it on the table. She lowered her thin frame onto the bench and poured herself a glass of gin. “Aye, I took him on as a client for a time, but never again. Not after what he did the last time.”

“What, precisely, did he do?” Lavinia asked.

“He did this, that’s what.” Maggie turned her head so that her face was fully illuminated by the glow of the candle. “Haven’t been able to work for the past few days because of him.”

Lavinia saw for the first time that the area around Maggie’s eyes was badly discolored and bruised. “Dear God, he struck you?”

“Aye.” Maggie gulped some gin and put down the glass. “A girl has to be flexible in this business, but there’s some things I won’t put up with and that’s a fact. No man who raises his fists to me is allowed back in this room, I don’t care how fine a gennelman he is.”

Tobias had turned away from the window. He watched Maggie with a riveted expression, eyes narrowed and cold. “When did Pelling strike you?”

“The last time he came to see me.” She screwed up her face with the effort of trying to remember. “Think it was Wednesday last. No, it was Thursday. He’d behaved himself right enough on his first few visits. A little rough, but nothin’ out of the ordinary. But that last time he had himself a rare fit of rage.”

“A fit?” Lavinia repeated carefully.

“Aye. I thought he’d gone mad. And all because I teased him a bit.” Maggie poured more gin into the glass.

“Why did you tease him?” Tobias asked.

“Well, he’d come here later than usual, ye see. Almost dawn, it was. I’d just gone to bed. I looked out the window when he knocked and I could tell straightaway that he was in a foul temper. Almost didn’t let him in. But he’d been a good client. Always payin’ a little extra by way of a thank you. Rich as a nabob, he is.”

She paused to swallow more gin.

“You said you teased him,” Lavinia reminded her gently.

“Just tryin’ to put him in a better temper. But it only made things worse. He beat me somethin’ dreadful, he did. And all the while, he kept saying all sorts of terrible things about women. How they had snakes in their hair and how they turned men to stone with their eyes.” Maggie shuddered. “Like I said, he went mad. Don’t know what would have happened to me if my friend upstairs hadn’t come down to see what all the commotion was about. When she pounded on the door, he stopped hitting me.”

Lavinia recalled the terrifying ordeals Pelling’s wife, Jessica, had revealed while in a trance. “Thank God your friend came downstairs when she did.”

“Aye. The bastard like to have killed me.”

“What did Pelling do after your friend interrupted the beating?” Tobias asked.

“Just turned and walked out the door as casual as ye please. Like he’d done nothing more than have some of the usual sport. To tell ye the truth, he seemed in a better mood afterward. Not cheerful, but more calm. Hasn’t come back since, thank the Lord.”

Tobias looked thoughtful. “You didn’t say exactly what you teased him about.”

“It was nothin’, y’know? Just a little thing.” Maggie wrinkled her nose. “Still can’t understand why it set him off.”

“What was the little thing?” Lavinia asked.

“His cravat,” Maggie said.

Lavinia felt her blood run cold in her veins.

At the window, Tobias did not move. She sensed the hunter in him catching the scent of the quarry.

“What about Pelling’s cravat?” he asked very softly.

“Well, he wasn’t wearin’ it that last time, y’see,” Maggie said in her gin-thickened voice. “Properly dressed, he was, like he’d just come from his club or a fancy ball, but no cravat.”

Lavinia met Tobias’s eyes. Impossible, she thought.

“It looked odd,” Maggie said. “Like his valet hadn’t dressed him properly. So I teased him about being so eager to visit me that he had started to undress before he arrived. Asked him if he’d lost his bloody neckcloth somewhere along the way. That’s when he went mad with his rage.”