“Possibly, but he is a grown man and can take care of himself. I’m not worried about his reputation. He’s not likely to receive the nastiest edge of society’s scorn.”
“Why should I receive it? I did nothing wrong.”
“You were engaged to a married man.”
“I am still engaged to him, and he is not married.”
Graham placed a hand to his forehead. “They”—he waved vaguely at the outer wall—“do not know that. Until they do, you should not go out in society, or they will push you to disavow him. If you do go out in his company, they will think you have no morals, and their anger will fuel their suspicion that Hazelton murdered the woman.”
“But the people who know us—”
“Will be forced to choose a side.” He was looking at me, not unkindly. In fact, this might be the most compassion I’d ever seen Graham show—surprising in this situation. If my reputation suffered, so would his. We were family, after all.
Hetty, sitting next to me, gave me a nudge. I looked up to see George in the doorway, Frederick beside him.
“Mr. Hazelton, ma’am.” The footman intoned the words and backed away.
“Sorry to intrude,” George said as he stepped forward. I could see from the shadows in his expression, he’d overheard some of our conversation.
Graham realized it, too. He came to his feet and offered his hand. “Apologies if I’ve offended, old chap, but I’m only looking after Frances’s interests.”
George shook his hand. “I understand, and I can’t argue with your advice.”
“I can,” I said, feeling oddly as if George had betrayed me.
“Then I shall leave it to Hazelton to convince you and be on my way. I do wish you the best, Frances, whatever happens.” He took his leave, closing the drawing room doors behind him.
I turned to George. “Please tell me Bradmore has made a full confession to Delaney.”
“I’m afraid not. Delaney has been no more successful in locating him than we were. Well, he managed to find his latest lodgings, but no sign of the man himself.”
Hetty rose. “I should leave the two of you to discuss this together.” She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Whatever you choose to do, I will stand beside you.”
I watched her leave, wondering what would happen next. “I don’t think it will be quite as bad as Graham describes.”
George settled in next to me. “I think it will be every bit as bad, if not worse.”
I looped my arm through his and dropped my head on his shoulder. “No, no, no. I will not allow you to sink into despair. Bradmore running off must make him look much more guilty to Delaney than you ever did.”
“It certainly makes him look guilty to me. Hard to believe he might have killed her.”
“He had the opportunity, but I suggest we find him before we jump to any conclusions. Mr. Gilliam didn’t have much of an alibi, and Miss Cooper’s was a complete fabrication.” I told him what Hetty and I had learned at the theater today.
“Delaney was headed there when I left him. He should be able to sort out the alibis, find the threatening notes and the insurance policy. I’m glad we were able to put them back, as he warned me against interfering in his investigation. He reminded me that I’m a suspect, and it wouldn’t look good if I were thought to be tampering with evidence.”
“I’m relieved he didn’t catch me there today, but I’m sure someone will mention my visit.”
“You don’t carry the taint I do. I just hope that charwoman doesn’t mention the two actors she chatted with last night.”
“With the gossip rising, he can hardly expect us to sit quietly at home. The least he can do is report that there are other suspects.” That reminded me of Mr. Mosley, and I told George about my arrangement with him.
“Frederick told me he was assigned to chase away any reporters. I’m sorry they were here pestering you.”
“It’s not your fault. And you should know I don’t subscribe to Graham’s opinion of hiding in the house until this is all over. If Mosley prints a story suggesting there are other suspects, no one in his right mind would believe it was you who murdered her.”
“Right minded or not, there are plenty of people who will believe it was me.”
“Then they are fools, and I refuse to allow them to dictate my actions or rule my life. Besides, the fact that I am seen in society with you should tell everyone it’s a lot of nonsense.”
“I can’t agree with you there. Those same fools can ruin your life. For now, let’s wait and see what the Daily Observer reports. If Mosley can help exonerate me in the public eye, then perhaps your reputation will be safe. If not, we shall have this discussion again.” He cocked a brow. “Are we in agreement?”
“I agree we can have this discussion again, but not that I will change my mind. In fact, I’m supposed to be informing Mosley of any progress in the investigations. Should I tell him about Bradmore running off?”
“I hate to point a finger at a man who may be innocent.”
“But running off is rather damning. He was in the middle of a crisis. He needed a divorce, and he needed it soon. Then his wife is murdered, and he disappears. Should we assume he suddenly remembered a pressing engagement?”
“My point is though he looks guilty, we have nothing concrete. We need more information, or we will just be providing Mosley with gossip to circulate. The fact that it’s gossip about Bradmore rather than me doesn’t make it better.”
“Point taken. How do we get more information?”
He gave me a sheepish look. “I have his new direction.”
“Delaney just warned you against interfering in his investigation, yet he gave you Bradmore’s direction?”
“Of course not. I took advantage of a moment alone with the file and made note of it.”
I sat back and stared at him. “Am I to understand you are contemplating searching Bradmore’s lodgings?”
“I’d have to be awfully devious to do that, wouldn’t I?”
I grinned. “Don’t be so modest, dear. You’d be wonderfully devious.”
Chapter Thirteen
George had the carriage brought round, and we were on our way in no time at all. In fact, it seemed far too early for my comfort. It was still daylight, not the best time for housebreaking.
“Do you intend to access Bradmore’s lodgings by force, or have you a key?” I asked.
“I have nothing more than an address on Brook Street. I don’t even know what type of dwelling it is, if he lives alone or with a bevy of relatives. My understanding is this residence is only lately acquired. I suspect he relocated sometime after his visit to Fairview last month.”
That’s where we first became acquainted with Bradmore. My sister’s wedding was held at Risings, the Hazelton family home in Hampshire. We were gathered there for the festivities while Bradmore visited his aunt at Fairview, a neighboring estate. It currently belonged to his uncle, the Baron de Brook, but as Bradmore was the heir, he would one day inherit it. He gave us plenty of reason to mistrust him then, and I couldn’t help but wonder just what he was up to this time.
I turned my head to see George watching me with a benign smile on his face. “You are trying to sort this mess out, aren’t you? I can see it in your eyes.” He took my hand in both of his and let them rest in his lap. “Tell me, Lady Harleigh, however do you keep yourself occupied when you are not investigating crimes and chasing after suspects?”
“That does seem to be chief among our activities, doesn’t it? Do you suppose if not for the criminal behavior of others, we might not be together? Are we bucking the moral assumption that nothing good can come of bad behavior?”
He held my gaze while shaking with suppressed laughter. Affronted, I tried to pull my hand away, but he held fast. Once he had gained control of himself, he raised his brows. “I live next door to you. I’m confident we’d have run into one another at some point.”
“But without these challenges, we mi
ght not have become so close.”
“Perhaps not so quickly, but I missed my chance with you once. I was determined that would not happen again. Now, do you intend to answer my question?”
“What do I do with myself? Well, for a while, I entertained my aunt and sister. I recently planned a wedding for said sister. Currently, I’m missing my daughter, who is enjoying a shopping trip with my mother in Paris.”
“Any word from them yet?”
I chuckled. “My mother sent me the longest, most costly telegram in history, all about fabric for a gown she plans to have made for me.”
“Oh? Would there be a special occasion for this gown?” He sidled closer, one finger tracing the high collar of my cloak, barely grazing my neck.
“Very special. It’s for my engagement party. You see, I’m to be married.” I tipped my head aside to catch his eye. “So you might want to return to your side of this seat. I daresay my fiancé would not like you sitting so close to me.”
“I can guarantee you he approves.” He nuzzled my ear. “He definitely approves.”
Conversation was forgotten for the next few moments, until I realized the trip to Bradmore’s residence likely wouldn’t take long. Sensing the change in me, he pulled away, taking several pins from my hair with him. I sighed as I heard them hit the leather seat and put a hand to my hair to assess the damage. At the same time, I studied George.
“Did your question tend toward anything more than the obvious? Do you feel you don’t know me well enough?”
“Not anywhere near as much as I’d like to, and I hope to spend a lifetime discovering new aspects of you.”
A charming answer, but it felt incomplete. “And?”
He grinned. “Right. I believe you happen to know me all too well. I’ve been trying to determine what to do with myself once we are married.” He caught my look of surprise and continued. “Professionally, I mean.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “After what happened at Risings last month, I’ve come to the realization that I must be more particular in the cases I choose to take.” He paused. “Or perhaps not take them at all. I don’t want to bring danger to you or Rose or any future Hazel-tons.”
What had happened at Risings was that a killer had joined us there, had laid traps that caused several injuries and even a death. I had never been so happy to see my daughter ill, but it had kept her in bed and out of danger through the worst of it. Still, I couldn’t see George giving up his investigations.
“You love what you do.”
“And I must do something. You and I could live off my investments, but for any of the niceties, and if we expand our family, I must work.”
“Well, another little thing I do is to sponsor young ladies making their London debut. It’s not particularly lucrative, but it does help. I may be sponsoring Harriet Stoke-Whitney this spring.”
George blinked. “Why you?”
“Because Stoke-Whitney has threatened to banish Alicia to the country for a long stay. If I didn’t agree to sponsor her, his sister would take up the task. Can you imagine her at a presentation?”
He laughed at the image I’d created. “No young lady deserves that.”
“No, and Harriet is a sweet girl. It will be no hardship to help her.”
“But you’re also helping her mother.”
I grinned. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? I don’t often sympathize with Alicia, but I can understand her feelings in this situation. I know what it is to be an inconvenient wife—hidden away in the country, out of sight and out of mind.”
“You need never worry about that again.”
“I should hope not.”
“I only hope sponsoring young ladies still leaves you with some time to help me with my investigations.”
I suppressed a whoop of joy. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I was hoping you’d let me lend a hand on occasion.”
“Is there even a remote possibility I could stop you?”
The question sobered me. We were both well aware that a husband had the power to stop his wife from doing anything, just like my late husband and Arthur Stoke-Whitney. I had the greatest faith that George would not be that kind of husband. “Thank you for seeing it my way.”
“As if I’d ever want to dim that light in your eyes.” He chuckled as he caught me glancing out the window. “Look at you now—checking the streets, trying to determine if we’re close to Bradmore’s lodgings.”
“The only reason you aren’t doing the same is that you already know where it is.”
“We should be close. The house number is near Bond Street, and I believe that’s where we are right now.” He took on a pensive look as he gazed at me. “I’ve asked Jack to set us down a few doors away from Bradmore’s residence so we can walk by and observe it first. Now I’m not certain that’s wise.”
“It sounds like a good plan to me.”
“I realize you feel strongly about this, but I’d hate for you to be the subject of any loose talk.” He tipped his head toward the window. “I wasn’t expecting so many people out on the street. They’re just salivating for a juicy bit of gossip. You and I strolling along Brook Street could provide them with exactly the story they’re looking for.”
“You’re right. I do feel strongly about this. I won’t abandon you.”
“You wouldn’t be abandoning me. This isn’t a social event. I’m simply walking down a street alone.” He raised his hands, as if to ask, “Do I need to say more?”
I saw his point but still hated to be left out. “I brought a veil.”
“Unless you brought a second one for me, that would look all the more obvious. I’m not exactly unknown, you know.”
“Fine.” I hated when he was right, and nearly growled the word as the driver pulled out of traffic and came to a stop. “I suppose I must wait in the carriage?”
He stared at me in mock amazement. “You mean I’ve won this point?”
“You had better move quickly, before I change my mind.”
“I’ll have Jack pull across the road from Bradmore’s house, so you’ll be on hand if I come to any trouble.” With a quick kiss, he slipped out of the carriage and gave instructions to his driver.
I caught only a glimpse of him striding away before the carriage moved back on the street. We traveled around the block, almost making a full circle, and finally stopped across from a block of houses on Brook Street. In the short trip, I recognized several people of my acquaintance. If they had heard the rumors, then saw George and me together, they would fall over each other in an attempt to spread the word.
It took a full minute, perhaps even two, before I grew restless. I tried to take in my surroundings while staying back against the seat to avoid prying eyes. It was a reasonably broad street, with a mix of residences, clubs, and a hotel, with the shops around the corner on Regent Street, along with flocks of shoppers. There were fewer pedestrians here. One of them approached Jack, the driver. I heard him rather than saw him, as I drew back into the seat. They exchanged a few words I couldn’t make out, and the man moved on.
Or so I thought. A tap on the door startled me. I looked out to see Delaney standing just outside the carriage. He did not look pleased.
“Now, how did I know I’d find you here?” he asked. “Or if I’m honest, I expected you to be in the house. I suppose that’s where Hazelton is.” He took a step back. “Let’s check on him, shall we?”
Without allowing me to answer any of his questions, he opened the carriage door and held out a hand to help me step out. What else could I do?
“I assure you, Inspector, we have no intention of disrupting your investigation.”
He took my arm and led me across the street. “As much as I appreciate your assurances, my lady, it’s your actions, not your intent, that disturb me. Do you not recall my telling you to stay put?”
I had to scurry to keep up with his longer strides, wondering if my hat would stay pinned at this pace. “Of course I
remember. I only thought you meant we shouldn’t leave town.”
“I meant stay put, which is not an invitation to break into the theater, search the offices, and question the actors.”
“It didn’t happen exactly that way. One thing just led to another.”
We stopped at the main door to the building. Delaney thrust his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a key on a ring. He held it up. “Observe how this works. I’ve been given the authority to enter this building, so I have the key. If you don’t have a key, you should stay out.”
I’d never felt so chastised. Nor had I ever seen him this angry, at least not with me. “You must see that Hazelton and I have a stake in this investigation. We must prove our innocence.”
“Then it may surprise you to hear your actions make you appear precisely the opposite.” Delaney unlocked the door and pushed it open, then turned his angry glare on me and waved me inside. I stepped around him into the building.
“It’s not as if we took anything,” I lied.
The building had been divided into flats. One flat per floor, with a staircase running along the left-hand wall. Delaney used the key to unlock the door to our right. He opened it and stepped inside. “Find what you were looking for, Hazelton?”
Still in the hallway, I peeked around Delaney and through the doorway into a dimly lit room with sparse furnishings. No sofa or chair before the fireplace. A single lamp in the corner, alongside a few framed paintings leaning against the wall. Bradmore might have been here only a short time, but wouldn’t he have furnishings from his previous quarters? This looked like the home of someone trying to leave his past behind.
I spotted George on the far side of what must be a drawing room, seated at a desk and wearing a look of utter surprise. I raised my hands helplessly.
Delaney instructed me to take a seat in the chair next to the desk, and then he paced across the rug in front of us. “This time we got here before you. At least I believe so. This isn’t your second trip, is it?”
A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder Page 15
