Tobias fixed her with a steady look. He said nothing.
His unwavering gaze made her uncomfortable for some reason. “Well, that is neither here nor there, is it?” She sat forward determinedly and pushed aside the piece of paper on which she had been making notes for the advertisement she planned to write. She reached for a pen and a fresh sheet of foolscap. “Please sit down, sir. It will be helpful if we outline our plan, will it not?”
“Perhaps.” He sat down across from her. “In addition to determining the identity of the bracelet’s owner, we need to learn more about Celeste Hudson.”
She tapped the tip of the quill against the inkwell. “We can ask Howard some questions.”
“No offense, Lavinia, but I’m not at all certain one could rely upon his answers.”
“Are you implying that he would lie about her? Why would he do that?”
“If he is not a murderer, as you insist, then the best that can be said is that he was blind to his wife’s true nature.”
“You may be right on that last point,” she said, “but he would certainly not be unique, would he?”
“No,” Tobias admitted. “I doubt if most of the men in the ton know their wives any better. And vice versa.”
“How do you propose to learn more about Celeste, in that case?”
He smiled thinly. “I shall do precisely what you suggested one ought to do when one sets about selecting a competent mesmerist or investigator. I shall consult her references.”
“What references?” She suddenly recalled the conversation in the street two days earlier. “Oh, you mean the ones she mentioned in Bath? Lord Gunning and Lord Northampton?”
“Yes.”
“Are you acquainted with them?”
“No. But Crackenburne will no doubt be familiar with them. If he is not, he will know someone who is acquainted with them.”
“That reminds me. You have mentioned Lord Crackenburne on several occasions. He seems to be very useful to you.”
“He knows virtually every gentleman in Society and a sizable number of those who hang around the fringes.”
“I should like to make his acquaintance.” She gave him her sweetest smile. “Surely you can have no objection to introducing me to him. As you just pointed out, he is a gentleman.”
“I have no objection,” Tobias said. “But it is unlikely to happen.”
She stopped smiling. “Why not?”
“Since the death of his wife, Crackenburne hardly ever leaves his club. Which is what makes him so useful, of course. He hears rumors and gossip before anyone else does.”
She glared. “He must go home sometime.”
“Not that I’ve noticed.”
“Really, Tobias, a man cannot live at his club.”
“He can if he wishes. A club is a gentleman’s home away from home.”
“But-”
He glanced pointedly at the tall clock. “I do not believe that we have time for any more digressions, do you?”
She felt her jaw tighten but she knew that he was right. Reluctantly, she returned her attention to the piece of paper in front of her.
“Very well, sir,” she said. “If you insist upon being rude.”
“Of course I insist upon being rude. I have a talent for it.” He sat forward and glanced absently at one of the papers she had moved aside. His eyes narrowed in a faintly puzzled expression.
“What’s this?” he said, reading aloud. “Superior and exclusive services provided to persons of quality who wish to commission private inquiries}”
“Hmm? Oh, yes, I believe I mentioned that I intend to put a notice of my professional services into the papers. I am making a list of striking words and phrases that appear in advertisements.” She reached for the sheet of paper he was examining. “That reminds me, there was a particularly effective bit of writing in this morning’s paper. I had best jot it down before I forget it.”
He frowned at what she had written on the sheet of foolscap. “I thought I made it clear that I do not recommend putting an advertisement in the papers. You will likely attract all sorts of odd clients. In our line we are better off relying upon word of mouth.”
“You are free to operate your business in an old-fashioned manner if you wish, but I am determined to try a more modern approach to obtaining clients. One must do something to attract attention.”
He angled his head to read another line. “Confidential and effective devices for gentlemen of intrigue}’”
She studied the words with a sense of satisfaction. “I thought it had a very attractive ring to it. I especially like the phrase gentlemen of intrigue. It is very… well, intriguing, don’t you think?”
“Very intriguing, indeed.”
“Naturally, I do not wish to imply that I provide services only for gentlemen of intrigue.”
“Naturally.”
“I want to appeal to ladies also. I am thinking of substituting the phrase persons of intrigue.” She paused as another notion occurred to her. “How does this sound? Private and confidential services provided for ladies and gentlemen of intrigue.”
There was an acute silence from the other side of the desk. She looked up sharply. The corner of Tobias’s mouth was twitching. She knew that twitch, she thought. She did not trust it for a moment.
“Well?” she challenged. “What do you think of it?”
“I believe that I can almost guarantee that any advertisement patterned after the one in the morning paper aimed at gentlemen of intrigue will bring an extremely interesting assortment of clients to your doorstep,” Tobias said.
“You have seen the notice?”
“Yes, I have, as a matter of fact. I paid close attention to it.”
“Which only goes to prove that the wording is quite eye-catching.” She hesitated. “Although I must admit that, in spite of the interesting turn of phrase, it is a bit difficult to determine the precise nature of the devices that the firm offers for sale, isn’t it?”
“It is an advertisement for condoms, Lavinia.”
Chapter Ten
Lavinia walked into the antiquities shop shortly after two o’clock that afternoon. Emeline was right behind her, brimming with enthusiasm for the task ahead.
Edmund Tredlow, a rumpled little man in wrinkled breeches and a poorly tied, unstarched neckcloth, paused in the act of dusting a statue of a lascivious-looking Pan and peered at them through the lenses of his spectacles.
“Mrs. Lake. Miss Emeline. How nice to see you both.” He set aside the duster and hurried forward to bend over Lavinia’s gloved hand. When he looked up, squinting slightly, there was a familiar gleam in his eye. Lavinia knew that the expression did not indicate admiration for her person, or even raw lust. It was the possibility of a spirited bout of bargaining that excited Tredlow.
“Good day to you, Mr. Tredlow.” Lavinia retrieved her hand. “Emeline and I have stopped in to have a quick word with you, if you have the time.”
“Have you got another antiquity to sell, then? I must confess, in spite of my misgivings, I was able to obtain a rather nice price for the Apollo you brought in a few weeks ago. The collector I managed to interest in the statue was extremely pleased with the quality.”
“Fortunately, I do not, at present, find it necessary to sell any more of the excellent antiquities we brought back from Italy,” Lavinia said smoothly. “But I would be grateful if you could give me the benefit of your considerable professional experience.”
Tredlow looked immediately wary. “What, precisely, do you wish to know?”