Social Graces (Victorian Vigilantes Book 5)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Always assuming he is the innocent party,’ Riley said, with a darkling glance towards the door through which his father had just left them. ‘Be that as it may, I am glad the pater called since I had been unable to discover why Harper met with Stoker. At least we have answers to that question.’

  ‘Stoker probably acted as spy for more than just Lord Chichester,’ Sophia said. ‘We know he worked for Barton too, and probably took it upon himself to become embroiled in the affairs of other residents, creating a lucrative sideline to supplement his income.’

  ‘Quite.’ Otto nodded his agreement. ‘I wonder if he resorted to blackmail. I wouldn’t put it past him.’

  ‘Perhaps that was what Harper was really doing,’ Riley said. ‘Paying for Stoker’s silence. If he was, the man will bleed him dry. Blackmailers always come back for more. But then if he has something to blackmail my father with then he probably deserves to be ruined financially.’

  ‘We will have another word with Stoker tomorrow,’ Jake said. ‘The time has come to exert a little pressure, I think.’

  ‘He must have been in Connie’s apartment since we were there,’ Sophia said, shuddering. ‘Otherwise how did he know her jewellery was gone? I hate to think of him pawing through her things. I shall remove them from his reach as soon as I have somewhere to remove them to. When the dust settles, I wouldn’t put it past him to sell off some of her things and I refuse to allow him to profit from my sister’s death.’

  Parker announced that dinner was served and they all went through. The conversation became more general at the table and Riley made intelligent contributions towards it, dwelling at length upon the shortcomings of the much-criticised Detective Department.

  ‘It seems to me that who you are carries considerably more weight than the evidence that points to your having committed a crime,’ he said, scowling. Presumably he was still thinking about Dowd’s sycophantic questioning of his father.

  ‘You will have to join the force yourself and do something to set matters straight, Riley,’ Jake said.

  ‘Perhaps I shall. Times are changing. Men in our situation are no longer treated with the respect my father still considers his due simply because we happen to have been born into positions of privilege. The middle classes are making themselves richer and beginning to encroach on our territory, and rightly so. A man should be judged by his achievements, not his heritage, which is something that the pater either doesn’t understand or refuses to accept.’

  ‘Perhaps a career in politics would better suit you?’ Otto suggested.

  ‘Lud, no!’

  ‘Very sensible,’ Olivia said, making everyone laugh.

  ‘How much longer shall you be in London, Riley?’ Jake asked.

  ‘I am due back at Eton on Sunday, but I might delay that return until the business with the pater is resolved, if it isn’t before then.’

  Otto nodded, understanding why he felt that way. Life at the school was brutal and if suspicions about Chichester’s behaviour were circulating throughout the ton, it was reasonable to assume that those suspicions would have reached the ears of society’s next generation, despite the fact that they were supposedly tucked away at school attending to their studies. And Riley would be made to suffer the consequences of his father’s folly.

  ‘That gives us two more days,’ Jake said with an encouraging smile. ‘A lot can be achieved in that time.’

  ‘You would do well to believe it,’ Olivia said, pushing back her chair. ‘Once Jake gets his teeth into a case there is no stopping him. Shall we, Sophia?’

  The gentlemen all stood as the ladies left the room. Resuming their seats, Jake and Otto chatted to Riley about Eton, reminiscing about their own tenures at that venerable seat of learning. Riley reiterated his thirst for knowledge that he and Otto had previously discussed.

  ‘Don’t take life too seriously,’ Otto said. ‘Youth is fleeting.’

  Riley smiled. ‘I fully intend to make my own way, so I must decide upon a career path. My brother and I are very different creatures and I wouldn’t be able to help meddling if I remained at Rochester Hall once I finish university. Besides, if I do that, Mother will have me dancing attendance upon every young woman she considers to be a suitable match.’

  Otto laughed. ‘You are wise beyond your years.’

  ‘But sensible to already be considering such matters,’ Jake added. ‘It will be necessary if you want to remain one step ahead of the matchmakers and retain a modicum of independence. Take it from one who knows.’

  Riley smiled. ‘I am very much my own man, already far too liberal for my own good—or so I’m told.’

  ‘Told by traditionalists who don’t welcome change to the old order, I shouldn’t wonder,’ Jake said.

  Riley smiled. ‘Precisely.’

  They rejoined the ladies shortly afterwards, at which point Riley spoke of taking his leave.

  ‘Thank you for an excellent dinner, Lady Torbay,’ he said, bowing over her hand.

  ‘The pleasure was mine,’ she assured him. ‘I hope your father’s appearance didn’t upset you or spoil your enjoyment.’

  ‘Not at all. He barely recalls I am alive unless it suits his purpose. I have hardly seen him all the time we have been in town. He’s usually out half the night, playing cards at one of his clubs or mixing with his acquaintances. But I suppose he will be there when I return this evening,’ he added gloomily. ‘He won’t have the courage to show his face until his innocence has been proven.’

  ‘Such behaviour will make him look guilty,’ Jake said. ‘He would be better off to carry on as normal and pretend not to notice the rebuffs.’

  ‘I agree, but I very much doubt if he will listen to my advice.’

  Jake stood as Parker appeared to show Riley out. ‘I will send word the moment I have news. In the meantime, if anything else occurs to you that you think might help us, please feel free to call at any time.’

  ‘I will certainly do that.’ Riley turned his attention to Sophia and took her hand. ‘Miss Larson, it has been a pleasure. I wish we could have met under different circumstances.’

  ‘As do I, Lord Riley, but I have enjoyed our conversation.’

  ‘You still want to help?’ Jake asked, addressing the question to Sophia the moment Riley had gone.

  ‘What do I need to do?’ she asked, sitting forward expectantly.

  ‘I didn’t want to raise this subject in front of Riley, mainly because it is not my secret and I would not have revealed it to him without your permission.’

  ‘Secret?’ Sophia wrinkled her brow. ‘What secret? I was not aware that I had any.’

  ‘Your newspaper connections.’ Jake smiled at her. ‘Perhaps it’s time to exploit them for our own purposes.’

  ‘A brilliant idea!’ Olivia clapped her hands. ‘You are thinking, I suppose, that the editors will be fighting one another for the inside story that led up to the murder of such a well-known actress, especially if they are speculating about the involvement of her aristocratic lover. Barton mentioned that the newshounds had been sniffing around him, and if they knew who Sophia is, they wouldn’t leave her in peace for a second.’

  ‘Precisely. Miss Larson can confide her connection to Connie to her editor and write a feature that might tempt the killer into indiscretion.’

  ‘It’s too dangerous!’ Otto protested.

  ‘Nonsense.’ Sophia waved his concerns aside. ‘What would you have me write?’

  ‘We are not satisfied that Chichester is innocent,’ Jake said musingly, ‘but Superintendent Dowd is. You could mention in your article that your sister had an aristocratic protector who has managed to convince the authorities that he had no hand in the crime.’

  ‘If you are trying to restore Chichester to the good graces of the plutocracy, it seems an odd way to go about it.’ Lady Torbay wrinkled her nose.

  ‘I agree with you, my love.’ Jake sent his wife a soft smile. ‘But the other suspects need to be left with the impression that s
omeone else is under suspicion, thereby forcing the guilty party to relax his guard.’

  ‘I don’t see how that will achieve anything,’ Lady Torbay said. ‘If the police have evidence even Dowd would already have brought the suspect in for questioning.’

  ‘How would you like an opportunity to add to the criticisms already being levelled at the Detective Department?’ Jake fixed Sophia with a challenging smile. ‘They are not conducting a thorough investigation but a certain earl, well known for taking on impossible-seeming cases, is taking an avid interest in this particular one, and…’

  ‘And I know precisely what to say to lure them in,’ Sophia finished for him, beaming. ‘Leave it to me.’

  ‘Well, I must either be very tired or very dense, because I don’t know at all,’ Lady Torbay said in a peeved tone.

  ‘Someone connected to the building saw the assailant making his getaway,’ Otto said. ‘But that would put Stoker at risk.’

  ‘We will warn him and pay him for his trouble,’ Jake replied. ‘He’s well able to take care of himself and will do just about anything for money. But still, let me see the article before you submit it, if you would be so kind, Miss Larson. We don’t want to go too far and frighten the guilty party into taking flight.’

  Sophia gave an absent nod. ‘Of course,’ she said.

  Otto noticed that she didn’t actually agree to have Jake look her work over. Before he could press her on the point, Lady Torbay yawned behind her hand. Otto took it as his cue to leave, disappointed not to have managed a few minutes alone with Sophia. For what purpose he could not have said. He admired her and felt sorry for her situation, but that was as far as his feelings for her extended. If he spent his leisure hours thinking about her, that was no one’s business but his own. If he got distracted in court and lost his train of questioning…well, that was a common enough mistake for a junior barrister, overcome by his responsibilities, to make.

  Even if his thoughts had occasionally drifted in the direction of matrimony since meeting Sophia, which they most decidedly had not, he was in no position to support a wife. Images of Sophia occupying his bed flooded his mind. He suppressed a groan and shook his head to chase them away. She might very well be the most enticing creature he had ever met. The only one, despite his mother’s best efforts, to turn his thoughts in the direction she wanted them to take. But she was in mourning, vulnerable and emotional. In no position to fend off advances from an unwanted direction. After all, she hadn’t given him the least encouragement.

  ‘Then I shall take my leave too,’ he said, standing. ‘Thank you very much, Lady Torbay.’ He kissed the back of her hand and repeated the gesture with Sophia. ‘Are we to visit Stoker and Barton in the morning, Jake? Isaac has no need of my services, such as they are, and so I am entirely at your disposal.’

  ‘I thought that we would,’ Jake replied. ‘We need to ensure that Tyrell has redeemed the earrings and return them to Miss Larson. We need to have a frank discussion with Stoker and see if he is willing to fall in with our plans. Then we shall visit Barton again.’

  ‘And Felsham?’ Sophia asked.

  ‘No, not immediately. Perhaps if Barton reveals the true nature of their partnership we will be in a better position to decide. I haven’t ruled out the possibility of him being the killer, but no one has mentioned his presence in Connie’s apartment, so he is not top of my list.’

  ‘We shall have to ask Felsham if he has ever been there,’ Otto said.

  ‘If he has, he will say he went to visit Tyrell, not Connie. Tyrell doesn’t think much of the repertory, and considers the company to be unworthy of his talent. But it’s the only employment he has, and he won’t want to put it at risk by implicating his boss in the crime.’

  ‘It sounds as though you have a busy day planned, gentlemen,’ Sophia said.

  ‘Indeed we do.’ Otto smiled at her, holding her gaze for a little too long. ‘And so I shall make myself scarce. Until tomorrow, Jake. Good night, ladies.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘Do you really believe that Sophia’s newspaper article will draw out the murderer?’ Olivia asked, an anxious edge to her voice.

  Jake slid into bed beside her and took her in his arms. ‘At this point I am not sure about anything, not even submitting the article. All I do know is that no one connected to this wretched business has told me the complete truth.’ He paused. ‘Yet.’

  ‘And you hate deceit in all its guises.’ Olivia leaned herself up on one arm. ‘But if you are undecided about the article, why did you ask Sophia to—’

  ‘She reminds me of you when we were trying to prove that you did not murder Marcus. Bewildered, heartbroken, friendless and desperate for answers. A caged beast restricted by invisible bars.’

  ‘I soon found out who my friends were, that much is true, and there were precious few of them. But there the similarities between my situation and Sophia’s end. Unlike her, I was not devastated by my loss, as you well know. I am many things, not all of them creditworthy, but at least I am no hypocrite. And my bars were not invisible. I was in a prison cell.’ She shuddered at the recollection of that cold and lonely time when she had lost all hope and really did imagine that she would swing for a crime she had not committed. ‘Until you got me out of it.’ She smiled at her husband. ‘My knight in shining armour.’

  ‘I’m sorry, my love.’ Jake kissed her forehead and pulled her more tightly into his arms. ‘It was insensitive of me to invoke such wretched memories.’

  ‘I can’t recall the last occasion upon which they gave me nightmares. Certainly not since I married you. Besides, we ought to be grateful to Marcus for so obligingly getting himself killed. Were it not for that, you and I might never have met.’

  ‘If I had known it would bring you into my life, I might have killed him myself long before his brother did.’

  ‘And who would have got you out of gaol?’ Olivia snuggled down again. ‘Now, what did you mean when you said that Sophia seemed pent up?’

  ‘Precisely that. You disliked being kept out of our investigations and she feels the same way. Needless to say, I cannot allow her to involve herself. If we do find proof that points irrefutably towards the guilty party, things could become dangerous. Cornered animals, and all that. Sophia hasn’t got the first idea how to protect herself, and even if she had I wouldn’t allow her anywhere near the perpetrator. She is too emotionally involved to see things objectively and too much in awe of us to rebel against my wishes.’

  ‘So far. But she is fast becoming accustomed to us.’

  ‘Thanks in part to your making her feel so welcome, my love.’

  ‘I understand and sympathise with her. I did tell her myself that in her case I thought you were right to protect her.’

  ‘She seems to listen to you, so let’s hope she doesn’t decide to do anything rash.’

  ‘And writing the article for the paper will make her feel as though she is not being excluded.’ Olivia reached up and stroked Jake’s face. ‘Very shrewd of you.’

  Jake caught her fingers and kissed the ends of them. ‘I aim to please.’

  ‘What of Riley, Jake?’ Olivia asked, pulling her mind away from the melting sensation that Jake managed to invoke simply by kissing her fingers. She and Jake had now been married for a year, she had given him a child, spent every night in the same bed as him, and he could still make her melt with desire without putting any effort into the attempt. ‘He does seem mature for his years, but should we really be involving him? He is full of youthful idealism to see right prevail, which is to his credit, but I am still not sure if he realises what the cost will be to his family’s reputation if his father does prove to be the murderer.’

  ‘The situation worries me too—but Riley came to us, remember. His father hasn’t spared him a thought since arriving in town and devoting his time to Connie. It obviously hadn’t occurred to him that Riley might know anything about the suspicion he’s under now that she is dead.’

  �
�Riley is angry with his father for underestimating his intelligence…’

  ‘And Dowd won’t prosecute Chichester unless we can produce irrefutable proof of his guilt, which is unlikely to happen. The only people who know what actually happened are Connie and her killer. The former can’t tell us anything and if Chichester is the latter, he’s got more sense than to incriminate himself.’

  ‘So the only danger to Chichester is the one that brought him to our door today. The court of public opinion.’ Olivia wrinkled her nose. ‘And I know from experience just how cruelly judgemental that particular establishment can be.’

  ‘And I shall not hesitate to fan the flames, if that is the only course open to us. Riley will survive the fallout, even if his family’s reputation suffers.’

  ‘Memories fade, and in time people might even feel a certain sympathy for innocent family members caught up in the scandal.’ A brief smile touched Olivia’s lips. ‘Especially when they are as dashing as young Riley.’

  ‘Very likely.’

  ‘Why did Chichester admit to striking Connie? It casts doubt on his innocence.’

  ‘It’s that admission which makes me think he told the truth.’

  ‘About everything?’ Surprise made Olivia’s voice shrill. ‘How can you be so sure?’

  ‘Because he gave me his word as a gentleman. He might have lied to Dowd without a second thought. Lied or twisted the facts to fit the account he’d already convinced himself was accurate. But when a man of his stature gives his word as a gentleman, it is…’

  ‘Sacrosanct?’

  ‘Precisely. And bear in mind that he offered his word without any coercion on my part, which makes me even more inclined to believe that he didn’t actually kill her.’ Jake lay on his back with Olivia’s head resting on his chest. He stroked her hair but seemed abstracted. ‘This is a sorry affair,’ he said softly. ‘Tawdry and scandalous. Snippets will find their way into the public domain and become exaggerated with each retelling, regardless of whether or not anyone is charged with the crime. Lady Chichester will be scorned and pitied.’