Jen Turano - [Ladies of Distinction 02]

by A Most Peculiar Circumstance

  “Oh, those ladies.” Dot let out a grunt of obvious disgust. “I don’t know why you’d want to seek out those do-gooders, Mr. Wilder. We’ve been forced to spend the entire evening listening to them preach on and on about our derelict lives. I readily admit they’ve gotten on my nerves. They’re a dreary lot, whereas me and the girls here, well . . .” Another throaty laugh sounded around the room, causing Arabella’s hackles to rise.

  “Where are they?” Theodore asked.

  “Oh, very well. If you must know, they’re hiding behind those two women at the back there.”

  “There is no honor amongst thieves,” Katherine whispered and then shook her head. “But that was a silly thing for me to say. We’re not thieves.”

  “You lot, hush,” Lottie hissed without turning her head. “I think Mr. Wilder knows you’re behind us.”

  “He doesn’t know for certain,” Katherine hissed back. “Keep standing there, and for heaven’s sake look innocent.”

  “That might be a stretch,” Lottie muttered.

  “Arabella, I know you’re there. You might as well stop hiding,” Theodore called.

  “Why is he singling me out? Surely he can’t believe this was my idea, can he? I mean, we distinctly heard him tell the ladies that he knew we were running down a story. You’re the journalist, Agatha, not me. He should be yelling for you right about now.”

  “This just proves the point I made hours ago regarding Theodore’s fascination with you. He’s calling for you because he’s desperate to see you again.”

  “That wig is squeezing your head too tight.”

  “Arabella, I’m waiting,” Theodore snapped.

  “Does he ever sound this impatient with anyone other than me?” Arabella asked.

  “He’s normally fairly composed,” Katherine said. “Bit unusual, to tell you the truth, but I guess it just proves Agatha’s statement. You’ve garnered his attention.”

  “Of course I’ve garnered his attention,” Arabella said. “He’s currently yelling my name.”

  She considered the backs of Hannah and Lottie, wondering what in the world she was supposed to do now. It was obvious Theodore wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

  “I’m going to start counting to five.”

  She blinked and couldn’t help but shake her head. What would he do once he reached five? There were bars separating them, and she was fairly certain he wasn’t quite strong enough to break through them.

  “One.”

  “You’d better get it over with,” Agatha said. “He’s beginning to sound really upset.”

  “Don’t tell him I’m with you,” Katherine added before she tugged on Arabella’s arm as if to prod her forward faster.

  “Two.”

  Arabella refused to budge. “He asked about three ladies. I’m pretty certain he knows you’re here.”

  “Oh, right,” Katherine said glumly and then brightened. “Maybe he thinks the other lady is Eliza.”

  “Three.”

  Arabella winced when she noticed the pesky little fact that Theodore’s voice was becoming slightly menacing.

  “You don’t think he’ll recognize you?” Arabella asked, still refusing to budge.

  “I can always hope,” Katherine said with a wink as she patted her wig back into place and smoothed the flounces of her gown.

  “Four, and my patience is beginning to wane.”

  Arabella blew out a breath, stood up and looked at her friends. “How do I look?”

  Agatha quirked a brow. “You’re not serious?”

  Arabella swallowed a laugh. Agatha did have a point. She was dressed in a garish gown, wearing an outdated wig, and beauty patches were attached to her face along with a thick layer of hideous blue color smeared around her eyes.

  She was not at her best.

  “Five. So help me, Arabella, if I have to go fetch those keys and drag you out of there, as God is my witness, I will.”

  Now really, there was no cause for threats.

  Lifting her skirt, she strode around Hannah and Lottie. She paused, squared her shoulders, and moved as gracefully as she could to the front of the cell, feeling every eye upon her, including Theodore’s. She swore right there and then that she would not allow him to see her so much as flinch.

  “You called?” she asked as she stopped in front of him, meeting his gaze and rethinking her flinching vow when she took note of the barely controlled fury pouring out of his eyes. She swallowed when his gaze left hers and traveled down her figure.

  “I cannot believe you had the nerve to leave your house dressed like that. Have you lost all sense of propriety?”

  He truly was the most disagreeable gentleman she’d ever met, and she certainly shouldn’t have spent hours thinking about him or worrying about his welfare while he’d been out of town.

  She lifted her chin. “I think I look quite fetching, and I’ve done nothing to cause you to question my sense of propriety.”

  A vein began to throb on Theodore’s forehead. “I have half a mind to leave you here.”

  Her chin lifted even higher. “By your attitude at the moment, I have to believe you’re only possessed of half a mind.”

  Theodore moved closer, grabbed the bars with both hands, and Arabella couldn’t help but notice how his knuckles had gone white.

  “I would walk away right now, even though I told Eliza I’d get you released, if only my sister weren’t involved.”

  “I didn’t pull your sister into any scheme. It just sort of happened.”

  A low groan sounded from behind Arabella, causing her to grimace. She’d forgotten Katherine was still trying to remain undetected.

  “Why are you dressed in that ridiculous gown, and why have you painted your face in that disturbing fashion?” Theodore shot at her, pulling her abruptly back to the realization she was in the midst of an unpleasant conversation.

  She patted her wig. “I needed to be inconspicuous.”

  “You don’t honestly believe you achieved that, do you?”

  His incredulous tone of voice was beginning to wear on her nerves. “Anyone would be hard-pressed to recognize me at the moment.”

  “You look like a deranged actress,” Theodore said. “I’m certain you attracted more attention than any of the ladies you were trying to emulate.”

  “Not one single gentleman even approached me.”

  “Is that a note of disappointment I hear in your voice?” Theodore asked.

  Her patience was now at an end. “You are a horrible man, and I don’t care to speak with you any longer.” She spun on her heel, but stopped when Dot suddenly blocked her way.

  “Mr. Wilder has done you a kindness by tracking you down,” Dot said. “You will grant him the courtesy of listening to him yell at you.” She grabbed Arabella’s arm and turned her back around until they were both facing Theodore. “Continue, Mr. Wilder,” Dot said, even as she pushed Arabella closer to the bars.

  Theodore blinked and seemed, for the moment, to be at a loss for words.

  “Don’t fail me now, Mr. Wilder,” Dot added. “Seeing this snooty lady being given what she’s due is the most enjoyment I’ve had all evening.” She batted her lashes. “You would not believe the nerve she had toward me and the other ladies. She wanted to change us, she did.”

  “I never said I wanted to change you, only help you,” Arabella countered.

  Dot waved a hand into the air. “You’re a meddler.”

  Before Arabella could respond to Dot’s latest insult, she glanced to Theodore and found the gentleman nodding his head.

  Heat began to bubble through her entire body until she felt as if she might explode.

  “She does make an excellent point,” Theodore said.

  “I don’t meddle.”

  “Oh, you’re discreet about it, I’ll give you that, but you do like to change people.”

  She had the uncanny suspicion they’d suddenly stopped talking about her trying to change Dot. “I never tried to change you.”<
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  Theodore arched a brow. “You didn’t hope that by relentlessly bringing your suffrage movement into the conversation every time we spoke, I would change my mind about it?”

  How to respond? She opened her mouth, but Theodore didn’t allow her the luxury of a response.

  “You didn’t set out to change my sister by pulling her into this ridiculous scheme tonight? She was happy and content being a wife to Harold until you got involved.”

  His words hurt, as did his tone.

  She dashed a hand across her face to brush away the angry tears that leaked from her eyes. “If you believe Katherine was happy and content, you’re delusional.”

  Theodore shrugged. “Perhaps, but you can’t deny your goal was to change her, make her long for more, and . . . are you crying?”

  She brushed away another tear and ignored the small bit of concern she saw in his eyes. “Don’t let that discourage you from your rant, Mr. Wilder. Please continue.”

  Theodore leaned closer and peered through the bars. “Did I hurt your feelings?”

  She drew in a shuddering breath and then another as it suddenly dawned on her exactly why she’d been dwelling on Theodore over the past few weeks.

  She was attracted to him, or had been until he’d shown up at the jail.

  She was a fool.

  They were complete opposites, and to even consider them together was absurd, and . . . she had thought she might be able to change him.

  That thought caused a fresh bout of tears to dribble out of her eyes. They were right, Theodore and Dot. She did expect people to change to her way of thinking.

  She was a horrible, horrible person.

  She’d been using the excuse of working on God’s behalf, when in actuality she was simply trying to make everyone do what she felt was best for them.

  Her life was a sham.

  That idea forced her to draw in a shaky breath, but before she could think of something to say, Agatha slipped up beside her and put an arm around her waist, sending Theodore a glare through the bars.

  “What did you do to Arabella?” Agatha hissed. “Why is she crying?”

  Theodore didn’t answer right away, but took a moment to fish in one of his pockets, drawing out a pristine handkerchief, which he then thrust through the bars at Arabella. She turned and settled her attention on Agatha’s wig that was tilted back on her head, wisps of black hair now mingling with the red.

  For some reason, the sight caused her lips to twitch, until Theodore pushed the handkerchief at Agatha, who took it and began dabbing at the tears that seemed to still be streaming down Arabella’s face.

  Theodore cleared his throat. “I’m not certain, but I think I might have hurt her feelings.”

  “Of course you hurt her feelings,” Katherine said as she stepped between Arabella and Agatha and then shook a finger at her brother. “I am deeply ashamed to even admit we’re related. Really, Theodore, it is not well done of you in the least to blame Arabella for this situation. I readily admit to dabbling in a bit of blackmail to force them to allow me to come with them.” She smiled. “I told them I’d inform their mothers what they were really up to this evening, and they simply had no choice but to let me tag along.”

  “Harold is going to have a fit when he sees you dressed like that,” Theodore said.

  “You’re right,” Katherine said as she fluffed out the skirt of her gown. “I was quite distressed when I first laid eyes on this hideous monstrosity of a dress, knowing perfectly well Arabella chose it for me out of a sense of revenge. But now, well, I think it makes a statement, and that is exactly what I hoped would come of this evening.”

  Theodore eyed Katherine for a long moment before switching his gaze to Agatha. “Eliza mentioned something about a story you’re working on. She was annoyingly closemouthed regarding the more pertinent details, so you’ll need to fill me in.”

  Agatha planted her hands on her hips. “I hope you didn’t make Eliza cry.”

  “I don’t make a habit of bringing ladies to tears.”

  Agatha reached out, dabbed at fresh tears trailing down Arabella’s cheeks, and then waved the handkerchief at Theodore.

  Theodore muttered something under his breath and caught Arabella’s gaze with his own. “I didn’t realize you had such tender feelings, Arabella. I never meant to cause you this level of distress.”

  His statement sent more hurt through her.

  She was a lady, much as he didn’t seem to realize it. Most ladies did possess “tender feelings,” but his words gave testimony to the fact he didn’t see her as a normal lady.

  She pushed aside the hurt, straightened her spine, accepted the handkerchief Agatha offered, and blew her nose loudly. She lifted her head and forced a smile. “I’m not distressed in the least. In fact, I’m perfectly fine.”

  “You’re not perfectly fine,” Katherine argued. “Even though we’ve embarked on a thrilling adventure this evening down at the docks, we’ve still landed in jail, and you’ve been forced to bear the brunt of my brother’s anger. It’s no wonder you’re a bit distressed.”

  Silence suddenly fell over everyone when Theodore took one step forward, crossed his arms over his chest, and settled what could only be described as a smoldering glare on his sister. “You were down at the docks?”

  Katherine turned a shade lighter, but her voice didn’t waver when she spoke. “That is where all those poor women went missing.”

  Theodore’s color turned the exact opposite shade of his sister’s. “What missing women?”

  Katherine reached out a hand, snagged Agatha’s arm, and pulled her front and center. “You tell him.”

  Agatha winced, but then drew in a breath, released it, drew in another, and then another, and . . .

  Theodore was now an interesting shade of purple. “You’re stalling. Tell me now, and do not even think about leaving out any details. What missing women?”

  Agatha blew out one last breath. “Fine. If you must know, women have been disappearing in rapid succession from the streets, and nobody, specifically the police, seems to want to help them. We, or rather Arabella and I—Katherine was not involved at first—agreed to assist them. In order to help them, we had to travel to the docks, where the majority of women have gone missing. Unfortunately, we were not very successful gathering information, so our investigation tonight seems to have failed.”

  Dead silence settled over the cell as everyone waited with bated breath for Theodore’s reaction to that startling bit of news.

  They didn’t have long to wait.

  13

  Theodore couldn’t seem to stem the flow of words that kept spewing out of his mouth. Things like “completely ridiculous” and “what were you thinking?” and “you’ve obviously lost your mind” continued to pour from his lips as he stalked back and forth in front of the cell. It was only when “all of you need a good spanking” burst out that he suddenly realized he might have gone too far. He came to an abrupt halt and winced when all the ladies—not just Katherine, Agatha, and Arabella—began making rather loud hissing noises.

  He braced himself when Katherine, surprisingly haughty in her outlandish outfit, stepped up to the bars, pressed her face as far as she could through them, and sent him a glare he hadn’t received from her since childhood.

  “While that was certainly uncalled-for, brother dear, I’m going to excuse your behavior just this once because it’s apparent that you have lost your mind, not the other way around.”

  Before he could reply, she drew back and let out a huff. “Now then, you may feel free to continue your rant, but may I suggest you do so at a later time? I for one am weary of this place. I’m sure your time would be better spent securing our release, so run along and do whatever it is you need to do. We’ll wait for you here.”

  A flash of something he hadn’t felt in a very long time crashed over him. It almost felt like remorse, or perhaps it was embarrassment, or . . .

  A snapping of a finger had him narrow
ing his eyes at his sister. “Don’t ever . . . do that . . . again,” he bit out.

  Katherine lifted her hand, snapped her fingers, not once but twice, and then turned her back on him. She pushed her way past Dot, moved to the opposite side of the cell, and sat down on a bench without speaking another word as she began to inspect her fingernails.

  A glimmer of reluctant admiration ran through him.

  A loud clearing of a throat from behind forced him to drag his attention away from his sister and turn. He discovered a police officer standing a few feet from him, watching him warily.

  “Is, ah, everything all right, Mr. Wilder?”

  Theodore summoned up a smile. “Of course, everything is fine.”

  “I thought I heard you yelling and, well, I must state most emphatically that we really don’t condone spanking prisoners.”

  He really shouldn’t have allowed his temper free rein.

  It wasn’t how he normally reacted to disturbing news, but the thought of the ladies blithely traveling around the docks had unfortunately sent him over the edge.

  How to explain?

  No explanation came to him, so he gave the officer a nod, hoped the man would take that as a sign he wasn’t going to spank anyone, and decided his only option was to change the subject. “What have you heard about women disappearing from the streets?”

  The officer shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Theodore heard Dot mutter something less than ladylike under her breath. He turned back to the cell and watched as she strode up to the bars and glared at the officer through them. “I knew no one would believe me and file a report.” She caught Theodore’s eye. “That’s why some of the ladies got it into their heads to seek out Miss Watson and have her help us. She was their last hope, or at least that’s what they thought until she failed miserably tonight.”

  “I didn’t completely fail, at least not yet,” Agatha said as she moved to Dot’s side. “I’m sure if I continue questioning people, something will turn up eventually.”