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

by Liza O'Connor

  “Sorry.” With his finger, he recovered most of the jam, widening the stain. Upon devouring the biscuit in one bite, he smiled at her. “Thank you for sharing your breakfast. We’ll have to do this more often.”

  “I had better buy more shirts before we do.”

  “A good point. You are very hard on clothes. I will try and make room in my drawers for five items.”

  “You are all kindness,” she replied with more than a touch of sarcasm.

  Leaning in, he suckled where the jam had fallen, spreading the stain to the size of an orange. “And you are all sweetness.” He smiled. “Literally.”

  “Whatever I am, you have made me so.”

  Returning to his own seat, he stroked her leg. “I would like to take the credit, but you were magnificent from the day I first met you.”

  Vic sighed. “I am hardly magnificent today.”

  “Not so. You were magnificently outrageous. You would have greatly impressed any six-year-old terror.”

  She managed to force a slight smile to her lips.

  “We all have our bad moments, Vic. I dare say I have had one or two on occasion.”

  ***

  When they arrived at the office, Xavier turned to business. “Aaron Hart has an appointment this afternoon, and there remains many loose ends needing tied up in the meantime.”

  Vic frowned and opened the appointment book. Xavier had scrawled in Aaron’s name over two time slots and an arrow drawn to five-thirty. She flipped back to the earlier ambiguous appointments and realized he had been the author of those as well. “It was you mucking up my appointment book!”

  “Well, if you had been here instead of wandering willy-nilly over the countryside, I wouldn’t be forced to perform your job as well as my own.” He escaped into his office before she could muster a reply.

  ***

  By the time Aaron arrived at 5:28 p.m., Vic had spent a frantic day tying up ends. She was in no mood to make their client wait two minutes in the outer office.

  As she led him into Xavier’s sanctuary, her annoying employer glanced at the clock and raised his brow at Vic, letting her know her rebellion had not gone unnoticed. She walked behind him and reached for the ledger, which had mysteriously gone missing from her desk.

  “Did you ask Aaron if he wished tea?”

  “He did, and I declined,” Aaron lied, and smiled at her.

  “Very well, you may join us, Victor,” Xavier declared with the benevolence of a king bestowing great favors.

  Vic sighed and took a stance behind his desk.

  “Oh for God’s sake, no one wants to look up to you. Have a seat,” Xavier scolded.

  She glared at him and took the chair next to Aaron’s.

  “You will have to excuse my secretary, but he is feeling his oats presently.” Xavier smiled at Vic. “Well, go on and tell Mr. Hart where your clever mind took you.”

  If only Xavier would stop teasing me before the clients. Turning to Aaron, she explained her concerns for Anne and her brother. “We found and destroyed the bills of sale so there is no evidence Chesterfield ever possessed the horses.”

  Aaron gave Vic a nod. “Excellent thinking and fast reacting.”

  “Don’t compliment the boy, Aaron. He’s impossible enough as it is. Besides, I am yet to be convinced he had not thought of this possibility from the very start and only waited until I became occupied, so he might be able to visit this infamous club and meet Lady Anne. Young Victor has an unnatural curiosity for the less than seemly parts of life. He has been seen in several clubs of decadence during his time off.”

  Vic’s face turned warm with embarrassment.

  Xavier chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “Perhaps we should not delve in Victor’s personal life, rather let us remain focused on the business at hand.”

  “It is not I who diverted from the topic,” Vic muttered loud enough to ensure Xavier heard.

  After a brief arch of his eyebrow toward Vic, Xavier focused on Aaron. “Lord Conrad has been an interesting challenge for young Victor. He appeared out of thin air fourteen years ago.”

  “Perhaps he changed his name,” Aaron offered.

  “It will not do for the client to ruin my stories by shouting out the conclusion before I can state them.”

  “My apologies,” Aaron said.

  Xavier turned to Victor. “Do you see how nicely he apologized?”

  Vic smiled in return. “Yes, I did. May I hope you are learning from his example?”

  With a growl, he returned to the papers in front of him. “You were exactly correct, Aaron. Fifteen years ago a man of his description, named Robert Candor, was wanted for questioning in the death of his wife. They had only been married eight months when she fell down a flight of stairs. The police did not initially suspect him, because he lived in Windsor while she remained in their leased house in Bath. However, the speed with which he stripped her home of belongings and disappeared with her money raised alarms. So an unsuccessful attempt was made to locate him.”

  “Candor…the same last name as my father’s steward…”

  “Yes, a nephew…or son…Scotland Yard remains uncertain about that point, for the woman he claimed to be his sister might have actually been his wife.”

  “Why would they pretend to be brother and sister?”

  “So he could marry rich widows who would thoughtfully die within the first year. While Scotland Yard could not locate Mr. Candor’s current whereabouts, they did a fine job of uncovering his past. They’ve sufficient evidence to hang him several times over for the murders of eight wives and three business associates who crossed paths with the Candors.”

  “I’m surprised they provided you the information once you revealed Candor’s current name,” Aaron said.

  “I have not yet officially discovered the connection. They provided the information on the promise I would let them know when I do discover it, which will be five minutes after we have destroyed Conrad’s influence, but hopefully in time to prevent him from leaving this earth quickly by a self-inflicted shot to the head.”

  Aaron nodded and turned to Vic. “Upon hearing this, I am more pleased than ever you moved Anne and her brother to safety.”

  Xavier frowned. “Yes, well to that point, it is quite possible Lord Conrad’s attack on Anne is motivated by more than money. The unsuitable woman Anne’s father married may very well have been Conrad’s wife/sister, Angeline. Victor found a painting of Anne’s stepmother when he was at the estate and the similarity to the description of Lord Conrad’s wife ten years prior is striking.”

  “But why would it make him hate Anne?”

  “Victor has a melodramatic theory, which to save my dignity, I will request he present.”

  She leaned forward. “I believe Scotland Yard’s interest in the last widow’s death frightened the Candors, so they gathered up all the money they had collected throughout the years and disappeared to Scotland where they found someone to teach them the fine art of being a proper gentleman and lady. Evidently, Robert excelled at his lessons, while Angeline struggled and their son Jerrold failed miserably.

  “Robert may have also been aware Scotland Yard still searched for him accompanied by his sister and her son, so they chose to part company. For whatever reason, he changed his name to Lord Conrad, the Earl of Glencoven, and moved to London. Angeline remained for several years in Scotland under the name Angeline Welsh, and Jerrold was sent to France under the name Girard Candor.”

  “You’ve yet to answer Aaron’s question,” Xavier chided.

  With a glare aimed at Xavier, she continued. “While Lord Conrad appeared to lead a life beyond reproach, Angeline did not. Two years after their separation, she bore another son, whom she named David. It is possible this betrayal angered Robert for even as she and the child sunk into deep poverty, he provided no assistance for several years. Eventually, they must have reconciled because she suddenly came into receipt of her non-existent husband’s pension and she and her son mov
ed to an estate near Anne’s property. There she met Anne’s father, and seduced him into marrying her.”

  Aaron sighed. “Her placement by the Rothchild estate was more than likely planned by Conrad.”

  Vic nodded. “I’ve no doubt the seduction was Conrad’s plan. He had been an acquaintance of Lord Rothchild before the marriage, but once Rothchild was ostracized by society, their friendship deepened, and soon he remained the man’s only friend.”

  “And guardian of his daughter.”

  “It may not have been his primary goal at the time. I believe Conrad was attempting in his frequent visits to the estate to sire his own son with Angeline who would become the heir of the Rothchild estate. By all accounts, he was very happy when his dear friend announced Angeline was with child. By the same accounts, he was utterly devastated when she and the boy-child died in a difficult labor. He blamed the midwife and doctor for incompetence.”

  Xavier spoke up, “Both died within two months of Angeline’s death. The midwife’s death was so brutal some feared Jack the Ripper had returned.”

  Vic cleared her throat. “I believe Candor hates Anne for two reasons. First, she never accepted her stepmother and I’ve no doubt the woman complained of the girl’s arrogance to Robert during his visits. Secondly, in his mind, Anne had stolen his son’s place. He therefore set out not only to take what belonged to his unborn son, but to punish the arrogant girl who thought herself so superior to his beloved Angeline.”

  Aaron grimaced. “That means there is no length he would not go to destroy Anne.”

  “Which explains why we must bring Conrad to his death and destruction.”

  Xavier shook his head. “Aaron is not the softhearted one in this office. However, if this realization makes you sleep better at night, I am all for it.”

  Vic blushed and excused herself. “I have much work to do at my desk.”

  ***

  Aaron smiled at his friend.

  “What has you grinning like a fool?” Xavier demanded.

  “The bond between the two of you has grown significantly since I was last here. I never thought to see you besotted.”

  “Nor shall you. I have no time for such foolishness.” He paused. “I hope you are not inferring from the interchanges between me and my secretary something unseemly is occurring.”

  “No…nothing objectionable,” Aaron assured him.

  Xavier eyed him with suspicion.

  Aaron smiled. “Truly, my friend, I am happy to see you so well pleased with another human being. That is all.”

  “I trust you will not share your observations with anyone else,” he scolded. “For it is not what you think.”

  “I would never betray you, Xavier. Surely, you know that.”

  Xavier nodded. “I must, or I would not torment poor Victor in front of you as I do.” He sighed. “It is damnably annoying to be forced to keep one’s affections hidden solely because society has such constraints as to how a person can act.”

  “I understand.”

  “I doubt it, but I appreciate that you remain a true friend, even with the misunderstanding. It means quite a lot to me.”

  Aaron chuckled. “I see why you allow Victor to speak to clients now. You’ve completely ceased to make any sense whatsoever.”

  ***

  Upon seeing Aaron out, Xavier locked the office door and approached Vic as a lion stalks its prey.

  “You know, Aaron believes I am in love with my secretary,” he said as he sat on the edge of her desk.

  “You are,” Vic reminded him.

  Xavier stroked her face. “True, but he believes I am in love with my male secretary.”

  The pup crossed her arms and scowled. “I am your male secretary. If your relentless teasing in his presence has led him to believe you may be somewhat deviant, that is your problem, not mine.”

  “I’m not asking you to change. I am only asking if I might be allowed to tell him the truth.”

  “No. It is my secret, and not yours to share. Let this be a lesson to you. You should not tease and banter with me in front of clients, because it is all too easy for them to see your preference for me is quite marked.”

  “Quite marked indeed,” he admitted and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When he broke the kiss, he smiled. “No, I would not change a thing about you. And given our hard work this morning, we deserve a reward.” He led her upstairs to his bed.

  Chapter 39

  As Vic reviewed the ledger, she grumbled about people who failed to pay their bills. When challenged, they all claim they never received it, which she highly doubted. Otherwise, the post office was run by pirates and ruffians.

  Suddenly a sense of being watched overwhelmed her. She looked up, expecting to see Xavier, for he had a very light walk. Jacko, the pirate, stood before her desk, watching her with his dark, ominous eyes.

  For a brief moment, she considered sending the fellow to collect the unpaid bills, but decided the appearance of a pirate at the door would send the gentry running to Scotland Yard rather than their checkbooks.

  “How are you, Jacko?”

  “Still alive.” He forced a smile, but his voice held great sadness.

  “Is everything all right in France?” she asked, suddenly worried something had happened to Anne.

  “All is well and as it should be. The Lady Anne is well-loved and protected. She has no need of my presence anymore, so I have returned here to see what I can do on this side to make her safe.”

  Vic pitied the pirate. He had fallen for Lady Anne just as all men did. Yet, just as Lord Carlington, even when sent away, he still wished to do whatever he could to help the damsel in distress.

  “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?”

  A faint grin crossed his face. “Coffee would be welcomed, black but generous with the sugar.”

  “I’ll bring your coffee and let Davy know you are here.”

  “Is Davy taking on cases as well?” Xavier demanded from his office door. He walked over and gripped Jacko’s shoulder, inviting him back to his office. “You didn’t have an appointment, did you?”

  “No.”

  “Good, because if you had, you’d be late, and I’d have to send you away.” Xavier glanced at Vic. “Bring Jacko’s witches brew into my office when it’s done.”

  Vic left the room speechless, shocked by Xavier’s friendly behavior.

  ***

  When she arrived with the coffee, she wondered why she had bothered, for both men sipped brandies. “Do you still want your coffee?”

  Jacko smiled. “Yes, please. I haven’t slept in many days.”

  She handed him the coffee. He poured the remaining brandy into the cup, and tasted it. “Perfect.”

  “Jacko escaped his duties in France. What do you think of that, Vic?” Xavier challenged.

  “I think he is very wise, for he can be of far more value here.” Her comment caused both men to stare at her in surprise.

  “And how is that? I hope you do not plan to use him to collect your unpaid receipts.”

  She smiled. “I considered it, but I doubt it would work. However, Davy mentioned you and he used to be in the same…er…business and you were the best.”

  Jacko gave her a slow smile and glanced at Xavier.

  Xavier’s eyebrow rose. “You have our undivided attention, pup. What bone have you between those tiny, little teeth?”

  She glared at him for the ‘tiny teeth’ comment but continued. “When we perused the contents of a certain gentleman’s safe, I found many letters from Lord Conrad demanding ‘proof of vices’ for various well-known and respected gentlemen.”

  Xavier shook his head and stared at Jacko. “My untrained pup took it upon himself to try his hand at burglary. Fortunately, he lived through the ill-judged mission.”

  Vic frowned. While they had discussed the mission thoroughly, and she now understood how unprepared she’d been for the task, she didn’t appreciate him telling others about her well-intentioned
act of ill-judgment…or stupidity, as Xavier called it.

  “My point is…,” she said with emphasis, hoping to regain control of the conversation, “…Lord Conrad appears to be collecting material on a great many people, and it’s the foundation of his power. If he lost ownership of the material, his downfall will be much easier. We can connect him to Candor, and without his foundation of blackmail, no one will prevent Scotland Yard from doing their job.”

  “You don’t think it hasn’t been tried?” Xavier challenged.

  “Perhaps you searched for the wrong thing.”

  “There are no ‘proof of vices’ in his safe,” Jacko assured her.

  “Exactly my point. He has too much material to fit into a safe. He would require a much larger area to store his items. Have you sought a hidden room?”

  “No…” Xavier admitted and glanced at Jacko.

  Jacko shrugged. “I could try, but if it’s well hidden, how will I know where to even start?”

  Vic leaned forward. “We could do this logically if we had someone working in the house. By measuring the perimeter and having someone pace out the rooms, we could determine which room or rooms appear to be short changed.”

  Xavier leaned back, and stared at her with admiration and love.

  Jacko laughed. “I see why this one is still here.”

  ***

  From the information obtained from a servant in Conrad’s employ, they drew out the measurements of the bottom floor of Conrad’s London house and isolated the area where the hidden room must reside. By reviewing the second floor to determine where the support wall ran, Vic concluded the entrance to this room was most likely in the library.

  “I think we’re on to something,” Jacko said. His fingers curled and uncurled as if a great game were afoot and he was anxious to play. “When at home, Lord Conrad spends most of his time in the library.”