The Troublesome Apprentice (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 1)

by Liza O'Connor

  ***

  Vic exited her carriage and ran to Davy. “Did Xavier say anything?”

  “Just ask where you were and told me to ready the carriage. You should probably tell me where you’re going in the future. You know he hates it when a person can’t answer his questions.”

  “I will,” she promised and ran inside, breathing a sigh of relief upon sight of the papers still lying on her desk. She removed her resignation from the bottom and tore it into tiny pieces. Grabbing the list, she knocked on Xavier’s door.

  After a very long wait, he called “enter.”

  The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She glanced at Xavier to ensure he wasn’t holding the inkwell in his hand. The only thing tossed was the remainder of his drink down his throat. The intensity radiating from his eyes assured her all was not well.

  “I’m sorry I went off without telling Davy where I was going.”

  His eyes widened. “You didn’t have to tell him. You could have told me. Then if Davy planned to take you—let’s say to the courthouse to learn how to do research—he could have asked me where you had run off to and I could have told him. I’m assuming you went in search of food again?”

  “No. I went home for a personal reason, but it’s all resolved now. I’m sorry. I won’t leave without letting you know in the future.”

  “Or Davy, I’m sure he cares about you as well.” He waved her forward. “Let me see your morning’s work.”

  Xavier flipped through the pages as if searching for something. “Your questions are intriguing but overreaching and all too plentiful. We will pare the list down by half as we ride in the carriage.”

  She nodded and grinned, relieved she had returned in time to fix her mistake.

  “What are you smiling about? I just told you that you did a poor job.”

  “I’m sorry about the questions, but I’m just happy to work with you.”

  Xavier sighed and met her gaze. “Then why did you wish to resign today?”

  Her heart caught in her throat. He had seen the letter after all. “I took it back.”

  “I am very glad you did, but you need to explain what caused the resignation in the first place. Upon review of this morning, I can find nothing to justify such a response.”

  When she began her explanation, his eyes held disappointment and sadness, but near the end, his emotions had escalated to outrage.

  “Let me understand this. You quit because some unknown person might someday discover a secret that either I already know and have concluded is not a problem, or is so well hidden that despite my amazing investigative skills and close proximity to you, I cannot uncover it—yet this other person can. Besides the insult to my abilities implied in your response, why on earth would you decide to jump ahead of the problem and quit before this amazing sleuth even appears on the horizon?”

  “I momentarily lost all reasoning abilities? Mrs. Wimple says it happens when…never mind, it’s not important. I was just worried about you and it made me irrational in my logic.”

  “It greatly upset me, Vic,” Xavier admitted.

  “I know, and I am sorry.”

  “Sorry is not sufficient. I want your word of honor if anyone ever does learn your secret and attempts to blackmail you, you will let me know immediately. You may believe I will fire you if you wish, but at least do me the honor of possibly proving I am a better man than you think. Do not assume the worse and resign in advance. Your actions today insulted both my integrity and competence. I am quite put out with you. I find it most unpleasant to be maligned so grievously by the one closest to my heart.”

  She yearned to throw herself into his arms, but held still, in fear he might push her away. “I did not mean to insult you. I only wanted to keep you safe, and I have already acknowledged my thinking was irrational, so it is unfair of you to derive any implications from my actions. But I do promise not to resign again and, if I am ever blackmailed, I will come to you first, although the probability someone else can learn what you cannot is very unlikely.” She said the last to appease him, but she knew, all too well, a person could avoid seeing the obvious when they did not wish to see it.

  Chapter 20

  Xavier set Vic to tedious record searches in the courthouse as he walked to Scotland Yard to speak with a friendly source. He did not tell his pup where he was going because she would want to follow, but he did not wish her assistance. First, his source would not speak freely in her presence, and, second, he needed some time away. Her resignation today for such flimsy reasons concerned him greatly. It alerted him to the very real possibility that when he revealed he knew her secret, she would do the inexplicable and run away instead of into his arms.

  But she came back, he reminded himself. She returned on her own and tried to undo the flight entirely. He focused on the bright point of his frightening day. His pup came back.

  ***

  Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Stone welcomed him into his office and offered him a drink from the bottle stashed in the bottom drawer of his desk.

  “Better not. I have to retrieve my new secretary when I leave here, and he’ll be most put out if he thinks I enjoyed a fine pub while he suffocated in dust and tedium.”

  Stone shook his head and laughed. “What horrid task have you given the poor fellow?”

  Xavier paused before replying. “He’s researching Robert Conrad.”

  Stone’s smile disappeared. “Researching what?”

  “Background information, but don’t worry, Vic won’t find anything to alarm anyone.”

  “Just searching can put a person into harm’s way. Seriously, Xavier, you are a fool to take any case involving Robert Conrad. Nothing good can come from it.”

  “It’s for a friend,” Xavier said.

  “Then you should be honest and tell your friend he is asking you to tweak the whiskers of a very nasty tiger.”

  “I’m too egotistical to admit fear. So I put Vic to a useless task and I’ve come to you.”

  Stone shook his head. “Well, I can provide nothing on the record.”

  “I know, but my friend is more interested in facts. He will trust me to filter the sources.”

  “Conrad’s got his teeth into every Parliament member and half the judges.”

  “I assume his power comes from blackmail,” Xavier prompted.

  “That’s my belief. If you have a secret, he’ll blackmail you. If you have no secrets, but stand in his way, he’ll murder you. Either way, nothing comes back to him. I’ve had several investigations stopped the moment they turn in his direction.”

  Xavier hated when criminals got the upper hand on justice. “Know anything about his background?”

  “Only that he doesn’t have one. Appeared out of thin air eighteen years ago. We used to have a file on him.”

  “For what?”

  “Suspect in a few missing person cases, but we never could prove his guilt, and you have to be damn certain before you accuse a lord. With the influence he holds now, he could come in here and shoot you right before my eyes and nothing would be done about it. When I said he owned all of Parliament, I meant the First Minister as well.”

  “Hopefully, I can convince my client to leave him alone. Now, have you ever heard of a man name Girard Candor?”

  “I’m not sure…Candor rings a bell, but I think my man was named Robert. Wait, while I send for Meyers. It was his case.” He stepped out of his office a moment before returning. “I’ve someone looking for him. You heard what happened to the shoemaker didn’t you?”

  “No,” Xavier said. He hoped they had not allowed Maddy’s killer to escape.

  “He was placed in confinement to keep him safe. At change of guard yesterday, he was found dead.”

  “How?”

  “Poison. It’s causing some concern at the palace. If one of the Queen’s Men has been turned, what is to keep him from poisoning the Queen?”

  “Seth’s reach has clearly expanded, but I cannot believe the Queen is in dang
er. In my experience, the man only kills when someone is in his way or has betrayed him.”

  “Perhaps, but it sends a strong message. He can reach you even if you’re hidden away in the safest place on earth. His involvement in this espionage concerns me greatly.”

  Xavier nodded. “I agree. Did you hear if they picked up the other agents?”

  “They did, all but Seth. However, we’ll have to release them now, given the shoemaker’s death. His testimony was the only evidence against them.”

  “How about the key?”

  “Well, that part of the story has a happy ending. The documents they retrieved from the locker included a full list of our agents working in and outside of England. God knows how many lives you saved.”

  “Maddy Hamilton saved them. She was a damn fine woman. I’m glad her death brought about some good.”

  “Is that why you hired her nephew to work as your secretary?”

  “Out of guilt? No. Victor’s incredibly bright—I’m teaching him the business.”

  Upon knocking, a policeman entered.

  Stone stood. “Sergeant Meyers, this is Xavier Thorn.”

  The sergeant grew an inch taller. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I’ve always wanted to meet the real Sherlock…”

  Stone broke in. “Meyers, was anyone in the Candor case named Girard Candor?”

  The sergeant frowned. “Can’t say I recall the name. There was a nephew named Jerrold.” He shook his head in disgust. “Sorry piece of work they were. If you come upon Robert, his sister Angeline, or the nephew, Jerrold, let me know. I’d dearly love to close the case with a hanging.”

  “Yes, yes, so would we all,” Stone said and dismissed the man. He turned to Xavier. “I’ve done you a favor, now do me one.”

  “Name it.”

  “Go retrieve your poor secretary before he accidentally comes to harm and I have another murder I am not allowed to pursue.”

  Chapter 21

  By the time Xavier retrieved Vic, she was completely sick of research and suspected he gave her the job as punishment for insulting him.

  Xavier reviewed her progress, while she repeatedly sneezed due to the dust.

  Given she had little to show for her afternoon’s work, Vic expected him to burst out in rage, demanding to know what she’d been doing all these hours.

  “I expect you are sorry you wrote quite so many questions,” he said.

  She nodded.

  His hand settled on her shoulder. “It’s all right, Victor. This is part of the learning process. Let’s put away the books and I’ll take you for an early dinner, for your stomach has rumbled nonstop since I arrived.”

  “It’s rumbled since you left me,” she said, hoping her reply didn’t sound quite as pitiful as she truly felt.

  Once in the carriage, he gently dusted her off. She appreciated the assistance since cobwebs and dust covered her from head to toe.

  “Is research always so horrible?”

  “No. Your subject has taken great efforts to cut all ties with his past, so trails lead to nowhere. While the books are always dusty, there is normally a morsel of information to discover at the end of the long, tedious journey. Today, you found nothing. You showed great tenacity continuing over such parched lands.”

  “You don’t have to be kind,” she muttered.

  Xavier laughed. “Never has a secretary accused me of such a sentiment before. However, I might have enjoyed your declaration a bit more if it had not sounded like an accusation rather than a compliment.”

  “It wasn’t a compliment. You were kind to me because I’ve become a complete muttonhead, and people always go easy on imbeciles.”

  “I’ve considered every secretary I’ve had before you to be dunces, and I assure you, I was never kind to them.” He stared at her a moment. “You may ask Davy if you have also taken to doubting my word.” Dissatisfied with her silence, he yelled, “Now stop drowning in self-pity at once. It is most unlike you.”

  “I know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. Perhaps I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

  “Or perhaps you are just tired, hungry, and frustrated.” Xavier bellowed at Davy to take them to Victor’s home. “We’ll call it a day, and start fresh tomorrow.”

  “But we did nothing for Mrs. Wimple.”

  “We’ll save her tomorrow.”

  “How? How do you save a woman who is in love with her murderer? How do you convince her she’s in danger? If she even thinks we suspect Charles, she’ll warn him so he comes to no harm.”

  Xavier frowned. “That will indeed make matters more difficult.”

  “Perhaps we could find some other crime Charles has committed and convict him of it. If he’s arrested before they marry, surely she would change her mind.”

  Xavier sighed. “Then we must determine the guilt or innocence of Edward. Is he an accomplice to murder or an innocent victim in Charles’ games?”

  “The letter telling his wife to take Charles as a lover makes him to be the accomplice, but Charles is a proven forger of handwriting. He could have forged Edward’s letter as well.”

  Xavier smiled. “I see the mere promise of food has brought my brilliant apprentice back to life. Very good, Vic. Tonight, after we eat, we will pay Edward Wimple a visit and determine his part in the matter.”

  “Will he not be with Charles?”

  “No, Charles appears to truly have left London.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Well, since you were so kind as to procure his address, I’ve had his place watched. He has not been seen there nor at Edward’s house since the body supposedly of Edward took its tumble.”

  “Do you think Edward knows he is supposedly dead?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think he does. I think he does not want to be an earl.”

  Xavier rubbed his finger beneath her chin in something more akin to a caress than a chucking. “We will get to the bottom of this, for I intend to use my secret weapon against him.”

  Vic stared at him, certain by the twinkle in his eye, he sported with her. “And what is your secret weapon?”

  “You, of course. I have discovered genteel people wish to tell you the truth, whereas with me, they invariably lie and dissemble.”

  Vic laughed. “Yes, but you are a part of the weapon as well. They tell me the truth so they don’t have to be interrogated and badgered by you.”

  ***

  Xavier found it damnably difficult not to kiss the precocious pup, but he restrained himself. Once they arrived at Victor’s home, his starving apprentice advised Gregory they required food at once because much work remained to be done. Xavier expected scolding glares and protests from the meddlesome butler. Instead, the man patted Vic on the back and declared dinner ready.

  Jonas tended to the addition of one more at the table with great speed. Given all the smiles and welcome, Xavier might have thought he had been expected, nay, perhaps even held as the guest of honor.

  When Claire asked if they could discuss the case at hand, he apologized. “It would not be ethical to share clients’ confidences, not even with people whom I trust.” He expected Vic to protest, but she only nodded in agreement.

  After a very fine dinner, no reprimands occurred when they excused themselves and left the house to resume work. He appreciated their understanding and said as much to Vic. “One of the reasons I’ve never sought a wife was because I pictured constant recriminations when I arrived late for dinner and left immediately after, failing to return until the wee hours of the morning, only to disappear at sunrise to go to my office. I calculated once I would see my wife no more than five hours a week, and I suspected she would use those five hours to vent displeasure at her neglect.”

  Vic smiled for a brief moment, but then sobered. “Xavier, you are not thinking of marrying Claire, are you? I am pleased you two get along so well, and it’s true that she wouldn’t actually miss you because she has Jonas, but
I still don’t think it’s a very good idea.”

  “I agree, and so would Claire, for she does not want a husband, any more than she wants a guardian. Claire has exactly the life she wants. I admire and envy her, but nothing else.”

  “Envy her?”

  “For being able to create a situation where she has both her ideal life and true love. She contrived an unconventional solution, which appears to be quite conventional to society, for there is nothing odd about a butler living in the house.” He sighed. “She gives me hope I might do the same.”

  “You want a butler?”

  Xavier’s eyes narrowed, for he was damn certain Vic followed his train of thought very well. “That would hardly do me the least bit of good, since I do not actually possess a house. No, my partner would have to be connected to my work. I had thought at one time you and I… Well never mind, you’ve set your mind against it, and I will not challenge your reasons. These matters cannot be forced. Either both parties want it or they don’t. I have no real complaints of our current relationship, except when you resigned and insulted me to boot.”

  He glared at her. “But it’s best forgotten. However, it does show me how I might be able to have love in my life. I’ll just need to increase the staff.”

  Vic sat up straight. “Increase the staff? Why?”

  “Have you heard nothing I’ve said?” he demanded in outrage.

  “I have, but I just meant what would this person do?”

  “They could be my secretary, and I’ll promote you to investigator.”

  “I just got your office straightened up. You’re not giving it to someone else to muck up once again. It’s a much more difficult job than you realize. It is best left to me!”

  “All right, another driver.

  “And break poor Davy’s heart? Not a chance.”

  “A second apprentice investigator?” he suggested and almost laughed at the fury in Victor’s eyes. “Never mind, the poor fellow or lass could never live up to my performance expectations, which would destroy any chance of a lasting love affair.”