Mrs. Rushton swept back into the drawing room a short time later. Alarm and bewilderment were etched in her face.
“Good God, the bracelet is gone, just as you said.” She came to a halt in the center of the carpet, clutching the chatelaine. “I don’t understand. I told you, there is no sign that any thief entered this house. There are no broken windows or locks. The housekeeper keeps a very close eye on things. I would have been told if anything of value had gone missing.”
Tobias looked at the key ring in her hand. “Was the safe locked when you went to open it just now?”
“Yes.” Mrs. Rushton stared down at the keys that dangled from the chatelaine. “Just as it should be.”
“Are there any other keys to the safe?” Lavinia asked.
“No, only this one. I took possession of all the keys the day I moved into this household.”
“Well, there you have it, Mrs. Rushton,” Lavinia said. “The bracelet has been stolen. And although you never thought highly of it, I can assure you it is worth a great deal to some people. I assume you want it found?”
“Yes, of course.”
Lavinia summoned up her best professional smile. “In that case, Mr. March and I would be happy to accept a commission from you.”
Mrs. Rushton hesitated, frowning warily. “Commission?”
“To conduct inquiries into the matter,” Tobias explained. “On your behalf.”
“You expect me to pay you a fee if you find the bracelet?”
“That is generally how it works,” Lavinia said.
“I see. I’m not sure about this. It is all rather confusing, to say the least. I believe I can feel my nerves reacting to the strain of this situation already.”
Tobias folded his arms. “Our understanding is that the bracelet constitutes a portion of your inheritance. But I must tell you that it can be extremely difficult for someone who is unfamiliar with the antiquities market to strike an excellent bargain with a dealer. There are any number of frauds and charlatans in the trade, to say nothing of outright criminals who will not hesitate to take advantage.”
“Yes, I have heard that.” Mrs. Rushton was steadier now. “My uncle always maintained that one must be extremely careful in such transactions.”
“He was right,” Tobias said. “But as it happens, Mrs. Lake and I have connections in that market. If we are successful in recovering the Medusa for you, we will be happy to help you make arrangements to sell the thing at a very fine price.”
“For another small fee, of course,” Lavinia put in quickly.
A shrewd look appeared in Mrs. Rushton’s eyes. She sank down slowly onto a chair. “Naturally, I would not have to pay you this second fee until I had received my profits from the sale of the bracelet?”
“Naturally,” Tobias said. “Now, then, do you wish us to pursue the matter for you?”
Mrs. Rushton devoted only two or three seconds of close consideration to the question before nodding once, decisively. “I will give you a commission provided I do not have to pay you so much as a single penny if you are unsuccessful in locating the bracelet.”
“That is understood,” Lavinia said. “Now, then, as we have established a business arrangement, I would like to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind.”
“What sort of questions?”
“You mentioned that you suffer from delicate nerves and that you are prone to bouts of female hysteria.”
“Yes.”
“When I called yesterday afternoon, your housekeeper remarked that you take regular treatments from a mesmerist.”
“Indeed,” Mrs. Rushton said. A glow of enthusiasm blazed in her eyes. “Dr. G. A. Darfield. He is excellent, I must say.”
Lavinia recalled one of the advertisements she had studied. “I saw a notice of his services in a newspaper. He claims to be especially skilled at alleviating the symptoms associated with female hysteria in married women and widows.”
“I can assure you that I have consulted with many doctors and various types of medical practitioners over the years, but I have never had such amazing results as those I have obtained from Dr. Darfield’s therapies. I cannot begin to describe the marvelous sense of relief and well-being that descends upon me following a session with him.”
“May I ask if you ever consulted Dr. Howard Hudson?” Lavinia asked, holding her breath.
“Hudson?” Mrs. Rushton’s brows snapped together above her long nose. “Hudson? No. I have never even heard of him. Does he treat cases such as mine?”
Bloody hell, Lavinia thought. She had been convinced that she would uncover a link between Mrs. Rushton and Celeste Hudson.
“Dr. Hudson’s wife was the lady who was murdered,” Tobias said. “We have reason to believe that she may have been involved with the theft of the bracelet.”
“Dear heaven.” Mrs. Rushton touched her bosom again. “This entire affair is becoming odder at every turn.” She gave Tobias a melting glance. “I am relieved to know that a gentleman of your obviously vigorous physique is investigating, Mr. March.”
Lavinia cleared her throat. “I am also investigating the case. I assure you, I am every bit as vigorous as Mr. March.”
Lavinia went straight to the sherry cabinet the moment she walked into her study. She poured two glasses, handed one to Tobias, and then threw herself down into her favorite chair.
She propped her ankles on the hassock and watched Tobias crouch carefully to light the fire. He seemed to move without obvious discomfort today, she thought, no doubt because the sun was out.
“Damnation,” she said. “I was so certain that we would uncover a connection between Mrs. Rushton and Celeste Hudson.”
“That would have been much too convenient.” Tobias gripped the mantel and used it to haul himself to his feet. He took a long swallow of sherry. “This case does not lend itself to simple answers. But look on the bright side. We have got another client.”
“Thanks to me.”
“Indeed.” He raised his glass in a mocking salute. “You did very well.”
“Mmm.” She sipped sherry. “Unfortunately, I am forced to conclude that, although approaching Mrs. Rushton was my idea, it was the sight of your obviously vigorous physique that secured us the commission.”
“I am delighted to know that I was able to contribute in some small way.”
“Not small,” she mumbled into the glass.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I believe Mrs. Rushton was persuaded to employ us because she has concluded that the portion of your obviously vigorous physique that interests her is most assuredly not small.”
He grinned. “You’re jealous.”
“The woman is a female version of a lecherous rake. She reminds me of my former employer, Mrs. Underwood.”
“The lady’s sexual proclivities aside, the fact that she hired us to find the Medusa would seem to settle the question of whether or not she might have been involved in the theft.”
“So it would appear.”
“Come now, Lavinia, you saw her face when she returned from checking to see if the bracelet was missing. It was obvious that until that moment she had no notion that it was gone.”
“I suppose it’s possible that she is a very fine actress.” Lavinia leaned her head back against the cushion. “But I’m inclined to agree with you. My intuition tells me that she was not pretending her response. She truly was stunned by the loss of the bracelet.”
“Yes.” Tobias wandered over to the window and stood looking out into the small garden. “Now all we have to do is find the bloody Medusa and the killer and we can collect fees from a number of different clients. I must admit, I was not at all enthused about this case at the start, but it is beginning to show some potential for profit at last.”
“What do you suggest we do next?”
“Mrs. Rushton believes that she has the only key to the safe in Banks’s dressing room, but she did not take up residence in the household until a few months ago. It’s quite possible that the servants know more than she realizes. Some of them would have had access to those keys for years.”