And after, she would despise him for his shortsighted selfishness. Mentally uttering every curse he could remember, he forced himself to raise his gaze and ask evenly, "What are you thinking? You have a speculative gleam in your eyes."
"The Marlowe is going to perform Scandal Street for the first time on Friday," she replied. "It's a play that has been popular in the provinces, and this will be its first performance in London. My part is small, so Cassie James isn't featured on the playbills. Do you think you could invite the chief suspects to be your guests at the theater? You could watch when I make my first appearance and see if anyone seems unduly surprised."
"A good idea, except…" He frowned. "If the kidnapper sees you, he will know that you must be Kira's twin. As you yourself said, some men are stimulated by the prospect of bedding identical twins. That might put you in danger."
"If I'm abducted, too, at least I'll find Kira."
"Don't joke about it, Kit," he said sharply. "If something happens to you…"
Whatever she saw in his face made her gaze drop. For a moment scalding emotions hovered in the air. By unspoken consent, they both retreated. He said, "Tomorrow I'll try to arrange a theater party. From now on I don't want you to go anywhere alone. Can your Bow Street Runner act as an escort when I'm not with you?"
She nodded. "I think so. He's been as protective with me as a sheep dog with an errant lamb."
"A man of sense." Lucien regarded her speculatively. "I've been wondering. Do you think you could consciously communicate with Kira? If it's possible, perhaps you could learn something about her captor and where she is being held."
"Do you mean that the next time I have a nightmare, I should try to ask Kira questions?" She frowned. "I don't think I can control my dreaming like that. Even if I could, I doubt the results would be very helpful. The nightmares are only hazy images and a sense of her emotions."
He studied her expression, wondering if she was in a daring mood. "Rather than waiting for another nightmare and hoping for the best, we could try mesmerism."
Her brows shot up. "I thought that was mere quackery."
"I'm not convinced that Dr. Mesmer's animal magnetism exists," he admitted, "but his techniques can induce a sleeplike state in sensitive people. If you could establish contact with your sister that way, I could ask questions through you."
"You know how to mesmerize someone?" When he nodded, she began to laugh. "Lucien, where do you learn such things?"
"In this case, from a physican who had studied with Mesmer and went on to develop methods of his own. I thought it sounded interesting, so I asked him to teach me. I don't know whether mesmerism will help you reach Kira, but I'm reasonably sure that trying won't hurt."
"Very well." She rubbed her palms along her thighs nervously. "What should I do?"
He frowned. "You must be exhausted. Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow, when you've had some rest."
"Fatigue lowers one's mental barriers. I think the chances are best when Kira and I are both tired." Kit made a rueful face. "I know I am, and if she has just endured a session with her captor, she is, too. It's worth a try."
"Very well. Make yourself comfortable."
While she settled back among the pillows so that her upper body was slightly elevated, he took a candle from the branch on the night table, then held it several feet in front of Kit at a level where she could see it without strain. "Ready?"
She nodded and smoothed the blankets over her hips, but there was anxiety in her eyes.
"There really isn't much to this. You might not notice anything at all," he said in a deliberately casual manner. "All you have to do is relax and look at the flame. Steady, bright, burning away all of your worry and fatigue, leaving peace and calm. You're tired, very tired, and now you can relax. You feel very light and very tranquil, like a feather drifting in the breeze." He continued in a similar vein, making his voice soft and flowing, like warm, smooth molasses.
As he had suspected, Kit was a good subject. Muscle by muscle her tension disappeared, leaving her face peaceful and her gaze steady on the flame. When he thought she was ready, he said, "Your left arm is very light, so light it wants to float up into the air. Let it float free."
Slowly, her arm rose until it was a foot above the blanket. "Good, very good, Kit. Now your hand feels heavier. Let it drift back down." Her limp arm lowered to the counterpane.
As he readied himself for the next step, he found that he had the bizarre desire to ask her if she loved him. He suppressed the thought. This was not the time or place, and he was not sure he wanted to hear a truthful answer.
"Reach out to Kira," he said quietly. "She's tired and lonely and will feel better if she knows you're there. Can you feel her?"
Kit's gray eyes lit up. "Yes. Kira, Kira, love…"
Interlude
She was mortally weary when he left, but she found the strength to drag off her loathsome costume. Then she rubbed herself all over with a coarse towel, for though he had never used her sexually, she always felt soiled after a session. Tonight was worse than usual, for he had hinted at her fate and it was hard not to succumb to terror.
She donned the longest, most opaque chemise in her wardrobe and lay down to sleep. She had early vowed not to allow self-pity, but it was harder to banish despair.
As always, she used the thought of her sister as a shield. The knowledge that she was never truly alone was a balm.
Her mind was drifting toward sleep when she felt a warm presence in her mind and a gentle, questioning, "Kira?"
"Kit!" She was so startled that she jerked into wakefulness when she clutched for her sister. The sense of connection disappeared.
Alarm, loss, loneliness.
After a period of desperate mental thrashing, she realized that she must relax if she was to reestablish the contact. With the grim determination that had enabled her to keep her sanity, she made herself calm again. Then she opened her mind to her twin.
Chapter 28
Kit's face contorted. "She's gone!"
"Relax, be calm," Lucien said soothingly. "Kira was probably startled. Reach out and give her time to find you."
Several taut minutes passed before Kit gave a soft, relieved exhalation. She had connected with her sister again.
Lucien asked, "Is Kira in London or the country?"
Kit's brow puckered. "C-country."
"Does she know where?"
When Kit looked confused, he suggested, "Visualize a map of Great Britain with a cross where London is. Does she have any idea where she is in respect to London?" After a minute of silence had passed, he suggested, "North? West? South? East?"
"Don't know," Kit said fretfully. A long pause, then, "But… but not far from town. Maybe two hours or so."
If true, that narrowed the range considerably. "What is her prison like?"
"Dark. Always dark, only lamps. Silence. Guards." The sheet over her breasts rose and fell as her breathing roughened. "Not uncomfortable, but it's ghastly not to see the sun."
"Does she know who her captor is?"
Kit gasped and terror flashed across her face. "No! No!"
"It's all right, Kit, you're safe," he said quickly. "Tell Kira that we'll find her and she'll be safe, too."
Instead of soothing, his words produced more distress. "Not much more time! The sun… the sun is dying, and I'll not see the new year." Tears began flowing down her cheeks. She whispered desolately, "Don't cry, Kira, please don't cry, I can't bear it."