Table of Contents
Read an Excerpt
One
Tobias watched Lavinia walk up the steps
of Number 7 Claremont Lane and knew at once that something was very wrong.
Beneath the deep brim of her stylish bonnet, her face, always a source of
intense fascination for him, showed signs of an odd, brooding
tension.
In his admittedly limited experience, Lavinia rarely
brooded over a problem or a setback. She was more inclined to take
immediate action. Much too inclined to do so, in his considered opinion.
Reckless and rash were words that came to mind.
He watched her from
the window of the cozy little parlor, every muscle in his body tightening
with a battle-ready tension. He had no patience with premonitions and
other such metaphysical nonsense, but he trusted his own hunches,
especially when it came to matters concerning his new partner and lover.
Lavinia looked nothing short of shaken. He knew better than most that it
took a great deal to rattle her composure.
"Mrs. Lake is home," he
said, glancing at the housekeeper over his shoulder.
"About time."
Mrs. Chilton set down the tea tray with an air of enormous relief and
bustled toward the door. "Thought she'd never get here. I'll just go and
help her with her coat and gloves. She'll be wanting to pour the tea for
her guests, I'm sure. Likely be looking forward to a cup
herself."
From what he could see of her face in the shadow of the
bonnet, Tobias had a feeling that Lavinia was more in need of a healthy
dose of some of the sherry she kept in her study. But the medicinal dose
of spirits would have to wait.
The guests waiting for her here in
the parlor had to be dealt with first.
Lavinia paused at the front
door, searching through her large reticule for her key. He could read the
signs of strain around her fine eyes quite clearly now.
What the
devil had happened?
During the affair of the waxwork murders a few
weeks ago, he thought that he had come to know Lavinia rather well. She
was not easily flustered, overset, or frightened. Indeed, in the course of
his own occasionally dangerous career as an investigator, he had met very
few people of either sex who were as cool in threatening circumstances as
Lavinia Lake.
It would require something quite dramatic to put that
grim expression in her eyes. The prickle of unease that drifted through
him had a chilling effect on both his patience and his temper, neither of
which was in especially good condition at the moment. He would look into
this new situation just as soon as he could get Lavinia
alone.
Unfortunately, that would not be for some time. Her guests
appeared prepared to converse at some length. Tobias did not care for
either of them. The tall, elegantly lean, fashionably attired gentleman,
Dr. Howard Hudson, had introduced himself as an old friend of the
family.
His wife, Celeste, was one of those extraordinarily
attractive females who are only too well aware of their effect on the male
of the species and not the least hesitant to use their gifts to manipulate
men. Her shining blond hair was piled high on her head, and her eyes were
the color of a summer sky. She wore a gossamer-thin muslin gown patterned
with tiny pink roses and trimmed with pink and green ribbons. There was a
small fan attached to her reticule. Tobias considered that the dress was
cut quite low for such a brisk day in early spring, but he was almost
certain that the deep neckline was a carefully calculated decision on
Celeste's part.
In the twenty minutes he had spent with the pair,
he had reached two unshakable conclusions. The first was that Dr. Howard
Hudson was a charlatan. The second was that Celeste was an out-and-out
adventuress. But he suspected he would do well to keep his opinions to
himself. He doubted that Lavinia would welcome them.
"I am so
looking forward to seeing Lavinia again," Hudson said from the chair where
he reclined with languid ease. "It has been several years since we last
met. I am eager to introduce her to my dear Celeste."
Hudson
possessed the rich, resonant voice of a trained actor. It had a deep,
vibrant quality that one associated with well-tuned instruments. The sound
grated on Tobias's nerve endings, but he had to admit that it commanded
attention in an almost uncanny fashion.
Hudson cut a decidedly
fashionable figure in an excellently tailored dark blue coat, striped
waistcoat, and pleated trousers. His neckcloth was tied in an elaborate
and unusual manner that Tobias thought his brother-in-law, Anthony, would
have admired. At one-and-twenty, Anthony was at the age when young men
paid acute attention to such things. He would no doubt also approve of the
unusual gold seals that decorated Hudson's watch.
Tobias mentally
calculated that the doctor was somewhere in the middle of his forties.
Hudson was endowed with the distinguished, well-modeled features of a man
who would no doubt always turn ladies' heads, regardless of his age. His
wealth of dark brown hair was silvered in a striking manner, and he wore
his clothes with an authority and aplomb that would have done credit to
Brummell himself in the heyday of his social reign.
"Howard." The
strain evaporated from Lavinia's green eyes as she swept into the parlor.
She held out both hands in unmistakable and enthusiastic welcome. "Forgive
me for being late. I went shopping in Pall Mall and misjudged the time and
the traffic."
Tobias was fascinated by the change that had come
over her in the past few minutes. If he had not caught that brief glimpse
of her expression when she came up the steps, he would never have guessed
now that she had been troubled.
It annoyed him that the mere sight
of Dr. Howard Hudson had had such an uplifting effect on her
mood.
"Lavinia, my dear." Howard rose and took both her hands in
his long, well-groomed fingers, squeezing gently. "Words cannot express
how wonderful it is to see you again after all this time."
Another
wave of disturbing, albeit inexplicable, unease washed through Tobias.
Hudson's most arresting features, aside from his riveting voice, were his
eyes. An unusual combination of brown and gold in color, they had a
compelling effect.
Both voice and gaze were no doubt extremely
useful in his profession, Tobias thought. Dr. Howard Hudson was a
practitioner of the so-called science of mesmerism.
"I was so very
pleased to receive your note yesterday," Lavinia said. "I had no notion
that you were in London."
Hudson smiled. "I was the one who was
delighted to discover that you were in Town. Imagine my surprise, my dear.
The last I heard, you and your niece had gone off to Italy as companions
to a lady named Mrs. Underwood."
"Our plans changed quite
unexpectedly," Lavinia said smoothly. "Emeline and I were obliged by
circumstances to return to England sooner than we had
anticipated."
Tobias raised his brows at that understatement, but
he wisely kept silent.
"Well, that is certainly fortunate as far as
I am concerned." Howard gave her hands another little familiar squeeze and
released her. "Allow me to introduce my wife, Celeste."
"How do you
do, Mrs. Lake," Celeste murmured in dulcet tones. "Howard has told me so
much about you."
Tobias was briefly amused by her manner. The
almost theatrically gracious inclination of Celeste's head did not conceal
the cold assessment in her pretty eyes. He could see her measuring,
weighing, and passing judgment. It was obvious that she immediately
dismissed Lavinia as no threat and of no consequence.
He was amused
for the first time that afternoon. Dismissing Lavinia was always a
mistake.
"This is, indeed, a pleasure." Lavinia sat down on the
sofa, arranged the skirts of her plum-colored gown, and picked up the
teapot. "I had no notion that Howard had married, but I am delighted to
hear it. He has been alone much too long."
"I had no choice in the
matter," Howard assured her. "One look at my beautiful Celeste a year ago
and my fate was sealed. In addition to making me a lovely wife and
companion, she has proven herself quite adept at handling my business
accounts and appointment book. Indeed, I do not know how I would get by
without her now."
"You flatter me, sir." Celeste lowered her lashes
and smiled at Lavinia. "Howard has attempted to teach me some of his
skills with mesmerism, but I fear that I have no great talent for the
science." She accepted the cup and saucer. "I understand my husband was a
dear friend of your parents?"
"He was, indeed." A wistful
expression crossed Lavinia's face. "He was a frequent visitor in our home
in the old days. My parents were not only exceedingly fond of him, they
counted themselves among his greatest admirers. My father told me on
several occasions that he considered Howard to be the most accomplished
practitioner of mesmerism he had ever met."
"I take that as a very
great compliment," Howard said modestly. "Your parents were both extremely
skilled in the art themselves. I found it fascinating to watch them work.
Each had a unique style, but each achieved amazing results."
"My
husband tells me that your parents were lost at sea nearly a decade ago,"
Celeste murmured. "And that you lost your husband that same year. It must
have been an extremely trying time for you."
"Yes." Lavinia poured
tea into two more cups. "But my niece, Emeline, came to live with me some
six years ago and we do very nicely together. I am sorry that she is not
here to meet you this afternoon. She is with friends attending a lecture
on the monuments and fountains of Rome."
Celeste managed an
expression of polite sympathy. "You and your niece are alone in the
world?"
"I do not think of it as being alone," Lavinia said
crisply. "We have each other, you see."
"Nevertheless, there are
only the two of you. Two women alone in the world." Celeste gave Tobias a
veiled glance. "In my experience, being on one's own without the advice
and strength of a man to lean upon is always a difficult and unhappy
situation for a woman."
Tobias nearly fumbled the cup and saucer
that Lavinia had just thrust into his fingers. It was not Celeste's
completely inaccurate assessment of Lavinia's and Emeline's personal
resources and abilities that jolted him. It was the fact that, for a few
seconds there, he could have sworn that the woman was deliberately
flirting with him.
"Emeline and I manage very well, thank you,"
Lavinia said, an unexpected edge on her words. "Pray, have a care, Tobias,
or you will spill your tea."
He caught her eye and realized that
beneath her drawing-room manners, she was irritated. He wondered what he'd
done this time. Their relationship seemed to lurch from the prickly to the
passionate with jolting force and very little middle ground, as far as he
could determine. Neither of them was entirely comfortable yet with the
fiery affair that had blossomed between them. But he could certainly say
one thing about their liaison: It was never dull.
That was
unfortunate, to his way of thinking. There were times when he would have
given a great deal for a few dull moments with Lavinia. The time might
provide him with an opportunity to catch his breath.
"Forgive me,
Lavinia," Howard said with the air of a man who is about to broach a
delicate subject. "I cannot help but notice that you are not practicing
your profession. Did you abandon the science of mesmerism because you
found the market weak here in London? I know that it is difficult to
attract the proper sort of clientele when one lacks social
connections."
To Tobias's surprise, the question seemed to catch
Lavinia off guard. She gave a tiny start that caused the teacup in her
hand to tremble. But she recovered swiftly.
"I have embarked upon
another career for a number of reasons," she said crisply. "While the
demand for mesmeric therapies appears to be as strong as ever, the
competition is extremely fierce in that line and, as you noted, it is not
easy to attract an exclusive sort of clientele unless one has connections
and references in Society."
"I understand." Howard nodded somberly.
"Celeste and I will have our work cut out for us, in that case. It will
not be a simple matter for me to establish a new practice
here."
"Where have you been practicing until now?" Tobias
asked.
"I spent several years in America, traveling and lecturing
on the science of mesmerism. A little over a year ago, however, I grew
homesick and returned to England."
Celeste sparkled at him. "I met
Howard in Bath last year. He had established a flourishing practice there,
but he felt it was time to come to London."
"I hope to discover a
greater variety of interesting and unusual cases here in Town," Howard
explained very seriously. "The vast majority of my clients in Bath, as in
America, sought treatments for rather ordinary afflictions. Rheumatism,
female hysteria, difficulty with sleeping, that sort of thing. All
worrisome enough for the patients, of course, but rather boring for
me."
"Howard intends to conduct research and perform experiments in
the field of mesmerism." Celeste gave her husband an adoring look.
"Indeed, he is dedicated to discovering all of the uses and applications
of the science. He hopes to write a book on the subject."
"And to
do that successfully, I must be able to examine clients with more exotic
nervous disorders than one generally encounters in the country," Howard
concluded.
Lavinia's eyes lit with enthusiasm. "That is a very
exciting and admirable goal. It is high time that the science of mesmerism
was accorded its proper due." She shot a speaking glance in Tobias's
direction. "I vow, a great many ill-informed people still persist in
believing that mesmerists are all quacks and charlatans of the worst
order."
Tobias ignored the barb and swallowed some
tea.
Hudson exhaled heavily and shook his head with a grave air.
"Unfortunately, I must admit that there are far too many fraudulent
practitioners in our profession."
"Only advancements in the science
will discourage that sort," Lavinia declared. "Research and experiments
are precisely what is needed."
Celeste gave her an inquiring look.
"I am curious to know the nature of your new career, Mrs. Lake. There are
so few professions open to a lady."
"I am in the business of taking
commissions from persons who wish to employ me to make private inquiries."
She put her cup down on the saucer. "I believe I have some of my cards
around here somewhere." She leaned across the arm of the sofa and opened a
small drawer in a table. "Ah, yes, here we are."
Excerpted from Don't Look Back by Amanda Quick
Copyright 2002 by Amanda Quick. Excerpted by permission of Bantam, a
division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this
excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing
from the publisher.
loading...