by Kate Parker
* * *
At closing time, I put on a violet wide-brimmed hat that matched the trim on my purplish-rose day dress, grabbed my umbrella in case of more showers, and went to Lady Kaldaire’s.
I was surprised to see she was ready. She hurried me out her front door and down the pavement. “We have a stop to make before we can go to the club and find out what they know.”
“Why do we have to stop somewhere?” I had invited James to dinner and I didn’t want to be made late by extra visits. I hoped I could visit the club quickly and run home so no one would know where I’d been.
“Lulu doesn’t know where Lord and Lady Theo went to gamble. But she says the Duke of Blackford does.”
“And he’s just going to tell us?” I was amazed at the things Lady Kaldaire would ask people. I didn’t believe he’d answer.
“He investigated crimes with his wife before they married. You’ve met the duchess. You know that she’ll understand what we are doing and why.” Her tone said she didn’t understand why I found this so surprising.
I went with her, expecting to be thrown out of Blackford House. The duke was reported in the newspapers to be an immensely rich aristocrat with business interests around the world. It was rumored he undertook special negotiations for the British government. Why would he make time for us?
Blackford House was directly across a side street from Wallingford House and was even larger than the house where the Duke and Duchess of Wallingford lived with their two sons and their families. As I stood on the pavement, my knees knocked. I’d never before been thrown out of anywhere.
Lady Kaldaire, cloaked in aristocratic privilege, marched up to the door and rang the bell while I lingered behind her. She presented her card as she asked for the duchess and we were shown into a small parlor off the front hall.
The duchess appeared a few minutes later in an emerald green gown that must have cost a semester’s fees for Matthew’s school. She smiled when she saw us and said, “I received your note, Lady Kaldaire. While Lady Juliet is excited about her new hat, I’m sure that’s not why you’re here, Miss Gates.”
She was pleasant. She was serene. But there was a steel about her that made her both more attractive and more of a commoner. I definitely liked Georgia, Duchess of Blackford.
Lady Kaldaire explained what we needed to learn as the duchess went pale. “You’d have to ask the duke, but I’m not sure you’re going to like his answer. It’s not the sort of place a respectable woman would go.”
“I don’t want to go,” I told the duchess. “I don’t want to ask your husband for the name of this club. But Lady Kaldaire is determined to ask whoever is in charge what he might know about the deaths of Lord and Lady Theodore Hughes, and I can’t let her go alone.” Actually, I’d like to, but it wouldn’t work out well for either of us.
She stared at both of us with her violet eyes. Finally, she said, “Let’s go ask him.”
The duchess led the way, Lady Kaldaire on her heels. I trudged along after them, half-hoping the duke would say no. The duchess stopped and tapped on a door, waited a moment, and then walked in.
I was the last one in, momentarily stunned by the paneled study with leather upholstered chairs and a huge mahogany desk. Two huge windows looked out over the private park where I’d found the body. A large globe, the British Empire in pink, sat in its frame in a corner.
The number of leather-bound books on the large bookshelves was a wonder in its own right. I wondered if the duchess, a former bookshop owner, had a hand in the selection, or if these were all the property of the duke.
The duke looked lean and fit, with gray at the temples of his dark hair. His impeccably tailored jacket and vest may have come from any of a number of bespoke tailors, but his were so unblemished they appeared to have been ironed while he wore them.
He looked at his wife, surprised but not upset that she had interrupted him from reviewing a stack of papers.
“These two ladies want to visit the club that Lord and Lady Theo Hughes frequented,” she told him.
“Why?” His voice was dangerously quiet as he looked us over.
Lady Kaldaire looked at me. I swallowed and said, “No one knows how the killers entered Wallingford House, unless they found the key Lord Theo supposedly lost. If whoever killed Lord and Lady Theo isn’t finished yet, the rest of the household may be in danger.”
He stared at me with his piercing dark eyes and I felt my heart pound. He was a powerful man and his expression left no doubt that he was in charge and he was not amused. As he continued to gaze at me, I felt Lady Kaldaire, who was standing next to me, start to squirm. It took a lot to make that lady uncomfortable.
“Come back tomorrow after five in the afternoon.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked.
“If you want my help, you’ll wait.” With that, he turned his attention back to his papers.
The duchess escorted us out of the study. Once we were in the hallway heading toward the front door, Lady Kaldaire said, “What can possibly be gained by waiting a day?”
“I don’t know, but I have my suspicions. You’d do well to take his advice,” the duchess told us.
“We’ll return tomorrow after five,” I said as the butler opened the door to show us out. The last thing I wanted to do was repeat this the next day and waste more time.
“We’ll see you then,” the duchess said with a smile.
“Thank you so much, Duchess.” Lady Kaldaire kissed her on the cheek and followed me out.
We walked in silence until we reached Lady Kaldaire’s steps. “Be here at a quarter after,” she said.
“Do I have a choice?” I asked.
“No.”
From one perspective, I didn’t mind. I wanted to see what a duke would do when dealing with a frightening gaming club and two respectable women who wanted to invade this dangerous world.
But this was also the night I had invited James Russell to dinner. I hurried home to find Jane had shut the shop on time and gone home. Then I found James had arrived early for once and was talking to Noah in our tiny drawing room.
Both men rose when they saw me, but neither expression was welcoming. “Noah tells me you left early to meet Lady Kaldaire,” James said in his Scotland Yard detective inspector tone.
“Yes.” What else could I say?
“Where were the two of you going?”
“The Duchess of Blackford’s house.” It was the truth. And I could tell it shocked James.
“Emily,” Noah said, “I don’t want you getting hurt. Everything that woman does is dangerous.”
“No, it isn’t. Strange, perhaps, or surprising. But not dangerous.” I decided to change the subject before their queries led to my activities the next day. “Shall I dish up dinner?”
They were both willing to leave me alone so they could get fed. At least until James and I were alone in the kitchen doing dishes.
“Emily, you and Lady Kaldaire aren’t planning on doing anything dangerous, are you?” he asked.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re being evasive.” He crossed his arms, a tea towel in one hand.
“You said you didn’t mind us asking questions in drawing rooms. I suspect there’ll be a great deal of that.”
“And nothing else?”
“Nothing else.” I grinned at him. “Those dishes won’t dry themselves.”
He got to work on the dishes, leaving me to feel guilty about lying.
* * *
The next afternoon, Lady Kaldaire and I reached Blackford House precisely at twenty-five after five. The butler showed us into the front drawing room again, and this time we were joined by not only the duke and duchess, but two other men. The older, squatter man of the two was introduced as retired Metropolitan Police Sergeant Adam Fogarty. The younger, about the age of the duke, was introduced as Mr. John Sumner. He had the powerful look of a man handy with any sort of combat and the ramrod backbone of a military man.
/> “These two men will accompany you to the gaming club and will see you safely away from there.” There was a note of finality in the duke’s voice.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” I said with a curtsy before Lady Kaldaire had a chance to object.
“Is this really necessary?” she asked.
“Yes.” The duke seemed to favor one-word replies.
The four of us set off. As I reached the pavement, I looked back to see the duke and duchess framed by the doorway. He had an arm around her waist. She was leaning against him as he looked at her devotedly.
It made me feel warm to see them. Perhaps, someday, with James…
We walked down Regent Street and veered off on a side street. Sergeant Fogarty stopped in front of a large three-story-and-basement brick building with a brass plate located discreetly by the front door. The Marlowe Club, please ring bell it read.
Mr. Sumner held up a hand and walked up the steps to ring the bell. We followed closely, Sergeant Fogarty bringing up the rear as he glanced this way and that along the busy street.
An older man opened the door a few inches. “We’re closed.”
Mr. Sumner shoved the door open before it could be closed in his face. “Good. Then Lucky Marlowe will have time to talk to us.”
I stepped into the entry way on Mr. Sumner’s heels. Right behind the former soldier seemed the safest place to be. Lady Kaldaire stepped daintily onto the wood floor as if trying to avoid horse manure. Sergeant Fogarty came in last, his plodding steps echoing in the building.
The older man, who was dressed in black tails, tried to get in front of us, but Mr. Sumner strode ahead of him down the hall and then through drawing rooms furnished with chairs arranged around tables and chest-high serving cabinets with different-sized glasses on top. All of the draperies, upholstery, and carpeting was bright red. Whether silk, damask, or velvet, the shade of red was exactly the same.
Sumner headed directly to a door off to one side. He twisted the doorknob without knocking and walked in. Still on his heels, I went in right behind him, with the older man trying to shove me aside.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Marlowe. I tried to stop them,” the old man said in a begging tone from over my shoulder.
I peeked around Mr. Sumner to see a man with dark hair and eyes seated behind a desk littered with papers and account books. He glared at me through the eyes of Satan, and I understood why everyone was afraid of him.
I also knew that women would be fascinated by this handsome devil.
Chapter Ten
“This is a private club. Leave immediately or I’ll have you ejected,” the devil said with a sneer.
Lady Kaldaire crowded in next to me, brushing the older man aside. “I’m Lady Kaldaire, and I want to know if you had Lord and Lady Theodore Hughes killed.”
I couldn’t believe she had just burst into this man’s business and was now accusing him of murder. It was typical of her, but I still couldn’t believe she was that foolhardy.
The man burst into laughter, but his eyes stayed hard. “Why would I kill Theo and Roxanne?”
“Because they owed you money.”
“If I killed everyone who owed me money, half the aristocracy would be dead.”
That silenced Lady Kaldaire.
Two thugs larger than Mr. Sumner stood in the doorway and pinned the four of us plus the old man into the office with Lucky. Silence descended on the room like a pall as we glanced at each other, not looking anyone directly in the eye.
“But if you killed the people who owed you the most money, perhaps the others would pay up,” I suggested. I’d been taught early that if you’re in a tight spot, keep them talking.
“Make an example of them.” The man behind the desk nailed me in place with his stare. “It sounds like a good idea in theory, but I didn’t kill Theo and Roxanne. I make it a point not to kill my customers.”
Lady Kaldaire harrumphed.
“I’ve heard you saw more of them than their family did. Do you have any idea who would want to kill them? Other members of the club? You can’t be the only person here that they owed money to,” I said.
So far, it felt like I was the only one talking. We were still in a tight spot, with more footsteps and murmuring voices outside the office. I didn’t take my eyes off Lucky Marlowe. And still I hadn’t discovered a thing.
“I’m sure they owed others, and not just in currency. But I make it my business not to know the private business of members.” He stared at me with a half-smile that frightened me, but I wasn’t certain why.
“What would they have owed if not money?” I was confused.
“You have the look of someone. What is your name?”
“Miss Gates. Miss Emily Gates.”
He found that quite amusing. When he finally stopped chuckling, he said, “Miss Gates, I am not going to shock the sensibilities of an innocent. I’ll just say aristocrats in Theo and Roxanne’s circle paid off bets in a variety of ways.”
“Do you know anyone in particular they owed more to than most?”
“I might.”
“Mr. Marlowe, I don’t want to take up any more of your time than necessary, unless you had Lord and Lady Theodore Hughes murdered.” I held up a hand when he sat forward as if to rise. “You say you didn’t, and I believe you. But I also believe you might know about the missing front-door key to Wallingford House and the names of people we should be talking to. Who were their friends? Who did they come here with, and who did they talk to?”
He raised one dark, narrow eyebrow, giving him a quizzical expression not unlike a puzzled demon. “Missing key?”
“Emily, do you really think you should—bargain with this individual?” Lady Kaldaire asked. So far, both Mr. Sumner and Sergeant Fogarty had kept silent but watchful.
I saw Lucky Marlowe’s eyes narrow, and I had a sense of a man who didn’t like being dismissed by aristocrats as just another common little man. “Yes, I do. Mr. Marlowe is a busy man who appreciates honest dealing. Now, Lord Theo may have lost a front-door key shortly before he died. A key that may have given his attacker a way in, to kill Lord Theo and badly injure a young child and his nurse. Say what you will about Lord and Lady Theo, the idea of injuring an innocent baby is appalling.”
He spread out his hands, displaying long, tapered fingers. The hands of a card player. Or a strangler. “I don’t have the key. I didn’t kill anyone. I can’t help you.”
“Very well, Mr. Marlowe. Thank you for your time.” I took out one of my cards for Duquesne’s Millinery and set it on his desk. “If you remember something that might help, please contact me.” Then I turned toward the door.
The two henchmen stepped aside and Sergeant Fogarty and Lady Kaldaire stepped out of the small study. I was in the doorway when I heard, “Miss Gates.”
I turned to face the man behind the desk.
He held my gaze with his dark eyes. “If I discover something about the key, I will contact you. Despite what you might think, I don’t approve of hurting children or servants.”
“Thank you, Mr. Marlowe.” I turned then and fled the building.
When we regrouped on the pavement, Mr. Sumner said, “Do you think you accomplished anything, Miss Gates?”
“I won’t know until I hear from him.”
“Oh, Emily, no. You don’t want to hear from that man,” Lady Kaldaire said.
“Why not? Don’t you want him to contact me? That’s why we’re here.” It wasn’t like Lady Kaldaire to show fear.
“I’m afraid he’ll hurt you.”
She so seldom expressed concern for me that I was momentarily shocked into silence. Finally I said, “If he contacts me, it will tell me he had no interest in whether Lord and Lady Theo lived or died, which would mean he had no hand in their death.” I locked gazes with Lady Kaldaire. “In that case, who might have killed them?”
“You might want to consider why Lord Theo was killed a month before his wife,” Mr. Sumner said.
I looked up at h
im, surprised. “How did you know when he was killed?”
“I’m a frequent visitor at Blackford House, and two odd deaths one month apart at the neighbors’ is bound to be commented on.” The smile he gave me would have frightened Marlowe. It certainly frightened me.
“My only thought was that they were killed by different people for different reasons.” My mind traveled down a new path. “Unless Lady Theo wasn’t present the night her husband was killed. How would we find out?”
“I’ll find out,” Lady Kaldaire said with a sigh. “Thank you, gentlemen, for accompanying us.”
As she began to walk up the street, Sergeant Fogarty said, “You head home, Sumner. Lady Kaldaire, may I escort you?”
“Why thank you, Sergeant.” The two gray heads headed toward Lady Kaldaire’s part of Mayfair.
“Do you need escorting?” Mr. Sumner asked me.
“Goodness, no. It’s still daylight out. Thank you for going with us to visit the Marlowe Club. That isn’t a place I’d want to go into on my own, or with only Lady Kaldaire.”
“That man would just as soon eat you alive as look at you.” Spoken by a man with a nasty scar down the side of his face and powerful-looking muscles inside his well-tailored jacket, his words weren’t a good reference for Mr. Marlowe. “If he gets back in contact with you, don’t return on your own. Ask the duchess to get in touch with me, and I’ll travel there with you.”
“Have you known the Duchess of Blackford long?”
“Since the duke first met her. I had been in his employ a year at that time.”
“Do you still work for him?”
“Only on special assignments. Good day, Miss Gates.” He tipped his bowler to me and strode off.
Traffic was almost at a stop due to a delivery wagon blocking a hansom cab. The two drivers were shouting obscenities and shaking their fists at each other. Only one lane could pass them and those drivers were proceeding slowly.
I took several steps into the street, only to discover the hansom cab had moved on and now a carriage raced toward me. I took a step or two backward, but the carriage seemed aimed directly at me as it veered to my side of the road.
