“I will most certainly do so. Thank you for the tip, sir.”
“Damnation. I am wasting my time trying to frighten you, aren’t I?”
“I assure you, I am quite capable of being frightened, Mr. Stalbridge, but in my opinion, there is no substitute for facts regardless of the subject. Obviously, the more one learns about the criminal classes, the better equipped one is to protect oneself. Since you are clearly an expert, I am very grateful for any information you choose to provide.”
“I must give some thought to my tutorial fees.”
“What an excellent notion, sir,” she said, enthusiasm rekindling. “I am quite willing to pay for instruction in such matters. I would find it extremely useful.”
He looked out the window into the night as though seeking answers from some metaphysical source. “Serves me right. I should have known better than to go down that path.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Never mind, Mrs. Bryce. I am talking to myself. You have driven me to it.”
She tapped a gloved forefinger on the cushion. Now that the initial shock of learning that she had been accosted by an armed man was fading, curiosity and excitement sparked. Why did Elwin Hastings feel the need to hire a pair of guards? It was a most intriguing question. Another question followed quickly on the heels of that one.
She looked at Anthony. “How did you learn that Hastings had hired private guards and that they are armed?”
Anthony pulled his attention away from the street scene. “Let’s just say that I pay close attention to Hastings’s affairs.”
“Obviously. Well, what’s done is done. We must move on.”
He seemed amused. “Is that all the thanks I’m going to get for rescuing you?”
She smiled knowingly. “Let us have a bit of honesty here, sir. It was quite convenient for you to make yourself known at that particular moment, was it not?”
“What do you mean?”
“While I had an excellent excuse, we both know it would have been considerably more difficult for you to explain your reason for being in the hall. In fact, it seems to me that you should be thanking me for rescuing you from what would have been an extremely awkward situation.”
She sat back, satisfied that she had turned the tables on him with that bit of logic.
“Remind me to show my gratitude later,” he said. “To return to the subject at hand, I can think of only two reasons why someone would sneak upstairs during a ball. The first and most obvious is to engage in a tryst. Tell me, did you go upstairs to meet Hastings?”
Startled, she could only stare at him in utter horror for a few seconds. Then she shuddered. “No. As if I would ever form a liaison with a man of his vile nature.”
Anthony stilled. “What do you know of him?”
“Among other things, he is a recently wed husband who insults his wife behind her back by patronizing a notorious brothel.”
“How the devil did you discover that?” Anthony said, sounding genuinely intrigued.
She almost laughed. “It never ceases to astonish me that men are always so shocked when they discover that women are not as naïve as they assume. We have our sources of gossip, sir, just as you do.”
“I do not doubt that for a moment. Tell me, if you do not approve of Hastings’s morals, why did you accept an invitation to the ball this evening?”
She hesitated, not ready to confide in him. His aggressive questioning was causing her to have serious second thoughts about the wisdom of seeking his assistance.
“Lady Ashton wished to attend,” she said smoothly. “She asked me to accompany her.”
Anthony gave that a moment’s consideration and then shook his head once. “I’m afraid that version of events lacks the ring of truth.”
The cool accusation sparked her anger. “That is unfortunate, because it is the only version that exists.”
“If you did not go upstairs with the purpose of meeting Hastings, then I must conclude that you went into his bedroom with the intention of taking something.”
She froze. “I do not see why I should answer your questions when you have failed to answer any of mine.”
“Forgive me. Once I set out to satisfy my curiosity, I tend to become obsessive.”
“What a coincidence. So do I.”
“What were you looking for in Hastings’s bedroom?” he said very softly.
Her mouth went dry. Leaving the ball with him had, indeed, been a very bad idea. She could see that quite plainly now.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, sir,” she said.
“You will save both of us a great deal of time and energy if you simply answer the question.”
She raised her chin. “Surely you do not expect me to respond to personal inquiries about my activities. We are barely acquainted, sir.”
“After tonight, the Polite World will assume otherwise.”
His words sent a searing chill through her. He was right. Gossip spread swiftly in Society. While it was safe to say that no one cared much about her, Anthony was a different matter entirely. Wealthy, single gentlemen with excellent bloodlines were always of great interest in elevated circles. In addition, there was the notoriety that still swirled around him due to his fiancée’s suicide. Tomorrow there would most certainly be talk, she thought.
“The gossip will pass quickly,” she said. “Sooner or later you will dance with some other lady, and everyone will forget about me again.”
“You sound quite eager to be rid of me. I am crushed.”
“I am not some silly young girl fresh out of the schoolroom. We both know that you have no personal interest in me. You have been using me for some purpose of your own this past week.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Yes, of course.” She stomped quite ruthlessly on the little spark of wistful hope that had been flickering somewhere inside her. “Kindly credit me with some intelligence, sir. There is no other reason why you would have directed your attentions toward me. I must admit I have been wondering what you were about, but I believe that my questions have been answered tonight.”
“Indeed? And what is that answer?”
“In light of your career as a gentleman-thief, you obviously have your reasons for wanting to attend certain social affairs. It is equally obvious that you find it useful to distract people so that no one notices when you go about your business. For the past week you’ve found Lady Ashton’s poor relation from the country well suited to that purpose, haven’t you?”
“You think I have been using you as camouflage for my criminal pursuits?” he asked, reluctantly fascinated.
She spread her gloved hands wide. “I believe magicians refer to it as misdirection. If people think that the jaded Mr. Stalbridge is amusing himself by seducing a country widow, they will not wonder what else he might be doing.”
“Damnation,” he said, not without admiration. “You really do believe that I am in the habit of helping myself to other people’s valuables.”
“It is the only explanation that makes sense in light of the facts.” She cleared her throat. “May I assume that your evening career explains how the Stalbridge fortunes came to be revived in recent years? Lady Ashton told me that four years ago, before you returned to England, your family was rumored to be flirting with bankruptcy.”
“You think I restored the family finances by taking up a career as a jewel thief?”
“You will admit it is a viable hypothesis.”
“Based on the fact that I asked you to dance on a handful of occasions this past week? No, Mrs. Bryce, I will not allow that it is a reasonable assumption. Your evidence is far too weak.”
“Oh, there is a bit more to it than the dances, sir,” she said coolly.
He did not move. “How much more?”
“I saw you slip away from Lady Hammond’s ballroom the other night. I assumed you had an assignation in the garden, but you went up the back stairs instead.”