“Quite right,” one of the others said. “The Dean woman could well be a fraud. The charlatans in that field are very clever. And since none of us is a glasslight-talent, we cannot be certain that we, ourselves, were not deceived.”
But Owen had known with every fiber of his being that Virginia Dean possessed a true talent. The shadows in her eyes told him that she had witnessed death many times over. He knew those shadows well. He saw similar ghosts in his own eyes every time he looked into a mirror.
He turned down another hallway, Virginia and Becky at his heels.
“I admire your fortitude, Miss Dean,” he said. “And that of Miss Becky, as well. You have both been through a great deal tonight. Many people, male or female, would have been thoroughly rattled by now.”
“Never fear, Mr. Sweetwater,” Virginia said. “Becky and I will indulge ourselves in a bracing case of shattered nerves at a more convenient time, won’t we, Becky?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Becky said. “Right now I just want to get out of this place.”
“My sentiments precisely,” Virginia said. “Becky, are you certain you can’t recall anything after getting into the man’s carriage earlier today?”
“No, ma’am.” Becky hesitated. “Just that the gentleman seemed so handsome and so charming. And the flowers. I remember those as well.”
“What flowers?”
“I’m not sure, but I think I smelled something sickeningly sweet, like dying roses.”
“Chloroform,” Virginia said grimly. “You were drugged, Becky. That is why you don’t remember what happened to you.”
Owen opened the door at the top of the stairs and ushered them into the old drying shed.
“Please do not mistake me, sir, ma’am,” Becky said. “I am truly grateful to both of you. But I don’t understand how the two of you managed to find me tonight. How did you know where I was?”
“Mr. Sweetwater is an investigator,” Virginia said. “A sort of private inquiry agent. Finding people is what he does. Isn’t that right, sir?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Owen said.
“Oh, I see.” Becky’s expression cleared. “I’ve never met a private inquiry agent. It sounds a very interesting profession.”
“It has its moments,” Owen said.
He opened the door, heightened his senses and looked out into the night-shrouded gardens. Nothing moved in the fogbound darkness. The walled grounds that surrounded the mansion were as eerily silent as they had been earlier, when he had arrived. The mansion also appeared deserted. No light glowed in any of the windows.
He led the women out of the shed.
Behind him, Becky spoke quietly to Virginia.
“Are you Mr. Sweetwater’s assistant, ma’am?” she asked.
“No,” Virginia said firmly. “I do not work for Mr. Sweetwater.”
“Ah, then you are his mistress,” Becky said, speaking with the wisdom of the streets. “I thought so. It must be very exciting to be the mistress of a private inquiry agent.”
Owen winced and braced himself for the thunderstorm he knew was about to light up the garden. But to his amazement, Virginia did not lose her temper. She kept her voice polite, almost gentle. One would never know that she had just been grievously insulted.
“No, Becky,” she said. “I do not have any sort of personal or intimate relationship with Mr. Sweetwater.”
“I don’t understand,” Becky said. “If you don’t work for him and if you’re not his mistress, why are you out here with him in the middle of the night?”
“I was at loose ends this evening,” Virginia said. “I thought it might be amusing to go out on an adventure with a private inquiry agent.”
“I expect it was thrilling,” Becky said.
“Yes, indeed,” Virginia said.
Owen glanced back over his shoulder. “Thrilling, was it, Miss Dean?”
“Perhaps that is not the perfect word,” Virginia said.
He got them through the garden gate and down the alley to the waiting carriage. The figure on the box stirred and looked down.
“I see you found not one but two ladies, Uncle Owen,” Matt said. “A good night’s work.”
“There was a bit of luck involved, but everyone is safe.” Owen opened the door of the cab. “We are going to drop our guests off at their respective addresses.”
“Aye, sir,” Matt said.
Virginia drew Owen aside while Becky got into the vehicle.
“We will take Becky to the charity house in Elm Street,” she said quietly. “She will be well taken care of there tonight. The woman who operates the house will give Becky a clean bed, a good meal, and offer her a way off the streets.”
“I know the place,” Owen said. He smiled. “Are you aware that it has recently come under the auspices of the Arcane Society?”
“Arcane is operating a refuge for young prostitutes?” Disbelief rang in Virginia’s voice. “I don’t believe it. When did the Society develop an interest in charity?”
“I’m told it is the modern era, Miss Dean. The world is changing, and so is the Arcane Society.”
“Hah. I sincerely doubt that lot of arrogant, hidebound old alchemists is capable of change.”
She turned and went up the steps and into the cab. He climbed in behind the women, put the clockwork weapon on the floor of the vehicle, sat down and closed the door. The carriage rattled forward down the lane.
Becky frowned at the clockwork device. “Is that a toy?”
“No,” Owen said. “It is an automaton, a clockwork curiosity. Someone evidently left it behind. Thought I’d salvage it.”
“Oh,” Becky said. “It is very pretty.”
“Yes,” he said.
She lost interest immediately and sank back into the corner of the seat with a small sigh. “Do you think the handsome man in the carriage will try to find me? He will no doubt be very angry when he discovers that I am gone. He knows the corner where I conduct my business.”
“I promise you that you will never see him again,” Virginia said. She touched the girl’s hand. “You are safe.”
THREE
They delivered Becky into the warmth and welcome of the Elm Street charity house’s matron, Mrs. Mallory. Becky seemed bewildered, but the prospect of a hot meal and a safe bed persuaded her to tolerate the situation, at least for the night.
“Whether or not she accepts the offer of going off to the charityhouse school for girls, where she can learn a respectable trade, like typewriting or telegraphy, will be up to her,” Virginia said when she got back into the carriage. “But Mrs. Mallory is very skilled at encouraging the girls to enter the school.”
Owen sat down on the opposite seat.
“You are a strong believer in education for the girls of the streets?” he said.
The carriage rolled forward.
“It is the only hope for a woman alone in the world,” Virginia said.
“You speak from experience?”
“I was orphaned at the age of thirteen. If my father had not left me a small inheritance that ensured that my boarding school fees were paid until I was seventeen, I would very likely have wound up on the streets like young Becky.”
“No,” Owen said. “Not you. With your talent and intelligence you would have found another way to survive.”
She looked out into the darkness. “Who knows? It does seem rather ironic that I am pursuing a career that requires me to work at night.”
“Will there be anyone who will have been concerned about you tonight?” he asked. “Aside from your housekeeper, I mean.”
“No. Actually, I’m surprised Mrs. Crofton was worried. She is new and still learning my unusual routine. I am often out late in the evenings, although rarely this late.”
From the way Virginia spoke he knew that she was not accustomed to the notion of anyone worrying about her or fretting because she was late returning home.
“Why do you work at night?” he asked.
“The energy in the mirrors is usually stronger and more easily read at night. I can work in a heavily draped room if necessary, but I prefer to do my analysis in the evenings. I see things more clearly then.”