"Lady Mansfield," Virginia said.
Helen, Lady Mansfield, turned to face her. "Thank you for seeing me, Miss Dean. I apologize for the intrusion. But I am quite desperate, and I have nowhere else to turn."
"Lady Mansfield, I really don't think we have anything to discuss."
"Please, I wish only to ask you a simple question. If you will be so kind as to answer it, I assure you I will not linger under your roof a moment longer than necessary."
The thing that had always struck Virginia as inexplicable was the fact that Helen was a remarkably beautiful woman. Blond-haired and blue-eyed, she was endowed with a classic profile and a fine figure, enhanced by the latest fashions. She was one of those women who drew the eye. At the age of eighteen, when she had married her much older husband, she must have been breathtaking, Virginia thought. She had also been a great heiress, a fact that always enhanced a bride's charm.
With such a wife gracing his home and his arm when he went out into society, what had possessed Lord Mansfield to continue his longstanding, illicit relationship with a lowly glass-reader? Virginia wondered. It was not as if her mother had been a dashing actress or a much younger or more beautiful woman. Yet the relationship that Mansfield had begun with her mother years before his marriage to Helen had endured.
On those rare occasions when she allowed herself to sink into a dark mood and brood for a time on just how very much alone she was in the world, she summoned up the shards of memories of her childhood. When she did so, she took some comfort from knowing that Mansfield had loved her and her mother. One's parents were always great mysteries, she reflected.
She started to speak the little speech she had rehearsed on the short trip down the hall.There has been a mistake, Lady Mansfield. I am not receiving visitors this morning. I'm sure you will understand. But one look at the pleading expression in Helen's blue eyes caused the words to evaporate from her mind. She had seen that same look in the eyes of too many clients who came to her, seeking answers.
"What was it you wanted to know, madam?" she heard herself say instead.
"I am well aware that this is difficult for you, Miss Dean," Helen said. "Surely you realize that I find it equally uncomfortable. I would not have come here today if there had been any other course of action open to me."
I'm going to regret this,Virginia thought. But there was nothing else to be done. Helen was clearly in considerable anguish. Nothing short of desperation would have brought her here today.
"Please sit down," Virginia said. She motioned to one of the two dainty chairs that bracketed the unlit fireplace.
"Thank you."
Helen sank gracefully onto the chair, arranging the elegant folds of her expensive blue day gown with small, practiced movements of her gloved fingers.
Virginia took the matching chair and twitched the skirts of her plain copper-brown housedress into position.
"I realize that you have no reason to help me," Helen said. "But I am hoping you will feel some degree of compassion for me in my hour of need."
"Perhaps if you would get to the point, madam?"
"Yes, of course. My daughter, Elizabeth, has disappeared."
In spite of everything, Virginia felt herself grow cold. "You believe she is dead?"
Helen's eyes widened in shock. "God forbid." She pulled herself together. "I meant that she has vanished from her home. She ran away sometime this morning. She told no one where she was going. No one saw her leave. I will come straight to the point, Miss Dean. Is she hiding here with you?"
Virginia was so taken aback by the question that for a moment she could not think clearly.
"Good heavens, no," she finally blurted.
"Please do not lie to me. I must know the truth. I have been absolutely frantic since I discovered that she was missing."
"Why would she come here? She does not even know that I exist."
"I'm afraid that is no longer true." Helen's hands tightened into a knot on her elegant lap. "She learned recently that you are her half-sister."
Virginia went quite still. "I see. How did that come about?"
"Perhaps it was inevitable. I told myself that no one would remember the old gossip. But there are always some who never forget ancient scandals."
"Yes," Virginia said.
"When Elizabeth came to me a few days ago, demanding answers, my first thought was that you had sought her out to tell her the truth. But I later learned that she got the story from a friend who had overheard her mother and another woman gossiping about the old tale. It seems the other woman was a client of yours." Helen looked down at her hands and then raised her eyes. "She remarked on the family resemblance."
"I am sorry," Virginia said gently. "I realize how upsetting this is. But I give you my word Elizabeth is not staying here with me. You may search the house, if you like."
Helen closed her eyes in anguish. When she opened them again, she looked more frightened than ever. "That will not be necessary. I can see that you are telling me the truth. I admit that I had pinned all of my hopes on finding her here. But if she is not in this house, where can she be?"
"I'm sorry," Virginia said again. "Perhaps Elizabeth is staying with a friend?"
"No, I'm certain that is not the case. I made a few discreet inquiries before I came here."
"I still do not understand why you believe she would have come to me."
"She is extremely curious about you. She has questions, you see. Questions I cannot answer."
"What sort of questions?"
Helen's mouth tightened. "My husband claimed to have some psychical powers. He said he could see shimmering currents of energy around people. He said the colors and hues of the wavelengths told him a great deal about the person. Indeed, he was always very good at predicting how others would act, and he had a knack for knowing when someone was lying. But I never believed he actually possessed paranormal abilities. However, when Elizabeth turned thirteen this year, she told me that she could perceive strange lights around other people."
"She inherited her father's aura-reading talent."
"For months I have tried to tell her that it was her imagination. I took her to our country house for a month. I thought the fresh air and daily walks would distract her."
"But she continued to see auras," Virginia said.
"Yes. When we returned to London last month I told her that she must not discuss the visions she has with anyone because people would think she was mentally unbalanced. That sort of chatter can ruin a young lady in society."
"Yes, of course," Virginia said evenly.
"After that lecture, she stopped talking about auras; at least she did not speak of them to me. But she has begun to take a great interest in all things paranormal. When I let her know that I was concerned, she informed me that the paranormal was all the rage and that her friends were very much intrigued by it. She made it sound as if attending seances and demonstrations of psychical talent were simply fashionable activities for young ladies."
"For many young ladies, that is true," Virginia said. "But Elizabeth is attempting to comprehend and accept her own talent. Surely you can understand that she does not want to believe that there is something wrong with her. She is seeking answers that will assure her she is not mentally unbalanced."
"I realize that." Helen tightened her gloved hands. "Learning that she has a half-sister who claims to possess paranormal talents, indeed a sister who makes her living with her abilities, was the final straw. I am convinced that she has set out to find you."
"I would have said that she could not possibly know my address. But since you are obviously aware of it, I suppose she might have discovered it, too."
"I have been aware of your address for some time," Helen said. "But I did not tell Elizabeth."