An Earl Out of Time (Time Into Time) - Page 51

‘I will see what I can establish, my lord.’ Garrick made a note on a scrap of paper.

‘And I want to talk to him,’ I said. ‘Is that possible?’

‘It is if we can get you a voucher for Almack’s,’ Lucian said. ‘I must see what I can do. I have two days to charm a few Patronesses before the next assembly.’ He stood up and pinned the heading Wraxall to the board. ‘Not that we have the slightest evidence other than a motive for wishing her ill.’

‘As for anyone else,’ I said, getting back to my tea party talks and trying not to get over-excited about the prospect of Almack’s, ‘They all agreed that de Forrest is inclined to touch too much – I noticed that – but no-one accused him of anything more. But what did surprise me was that Arabella is Cottingham’s step-sister. I hadn’t realised that.’

‘Why yes.’ Lucian seemed surprised that I even thought it worth mentioning. ‘That is why her surname is Trenton and his is Felbrigg.’

‘As no-one told me his family name and we’ve been talking about him as Cottingham, it is hardly surprising I didn’t know,’ I pointed out rather acidly.

Lucian shrugged. ‘It is the same thing as being her brother, effectively. Certainly that is the view of the church and the law. It makes no difference to his legal position as her trustee and guardian, for example.’

‘Some of the friends thought she was frightened of him. Not physically, but of his strictness and of his displeasure.’

Again, none of them appeared to find that strange. It was, I reminded myself, an age where a man was legally allowed to beat his wife provided the rod he used was no thicker than his thumb. I could not believe that Lucian, James, Garrick or Sir Clement would ever strike a woman, but it was clear that they accepted Cottingham’s dominance over his step-sister as perfectly reasonable.

I got up and amended the notes under Cottingham’s name to say ‘Stepbrother’, then sat down feeling utterly depressed that was all the progress we had made. When I looked around the table the men appeared as low as I was. Sir Clement had his face buried in his hands, Garrick’s fists were clenched on the table, James tossed a coin from right to left while he scowled at it and Lucian sat with his long, elegant hands spread either side of a sheet of notes as though daring it to make a move.

Garrick had a battered old silver ring on his wedding ring finger. I wondered if he was a widower and chided myself for not noticing before and taking an interest. The other three all had signet rings on their left little fingers.

‘The abductor wore a ring on his right hand,’ I said, thinking out loud. ‘Is that usual?’

They all looked down at their own hands. ‘No,’ James said. ‘At least, not so much now. Father used to wear several, two or three on each hand, do you remember, Luc? But these days men dress more simply and fists full of rings appear somewhat vulgar. No-one wears many. Wedding ring, a signet or some old family piece…’

‘Lord de Forrest wears a ring on his right hand.’ I closed my eyes, trying to remember it. ‘I am sure it is gold. He patted my hand in a rather too familiar way the other evening and he knocked my knuckles with it. I didn’t pay much attention, but I am sure it wasn’t an antique. It was quite bright and shiny with a dark red stone.’

‘So he does,’ James agreed after a moment’s thought. ‘But there have to be other men who do as well. It is clutching at straws.’

‘We have not identified any other men who are associated with Arabella,’ I pointed out. ‘Her stepbrother, de Forrest, Welney, Sir Clement and now Wraxall. Her friends are all intelligent and observant and they all gossip and share things between themselves. They are worried about Arabella and I am sure they would have mentioned anyone they had the slightest suspicion of. Obviously we have eliminated Sir Clement, and Welney seems highly unlikely to me. That leaves Cottingham – who appears very worried and is being kind to her maid in the expectation of getting Arabella back – or de Forrest, or an elaborate and cunning plot by Wraxall. Or an unknown lunatic.’

They nodded slowly in what looked like reluctant agreement.

‘I suppose there haven’t been any other mysterious disappearances, have there? We aren’t missing some serial sex offender snatching young ladies?’

‘No,’ Lucian said. ‘London must contain several, I have no doubt, but they have no need to risk snatching gentlewomen while the place is thronged with vulnerable women who no-one would miss.’

I remembered the body of the battered young woman in the morgue and repressed a shudder.

‘Arabella is not at home and de Forrest has rooms that are not much bigger than mine. If he has got an abducted woman in those his valet is in on it and probably his landlord as well,’ James observed.

‘Garrick?’ Lucian looked at his valet.

‘I will check immediately, my lord.’ He got up and went out.

‘We look like a week of wet Wednesdays,’ James observed. ‘We need cheering up. Cassie, what do you want to do?’

The thought of doing something for pleasure took me by surprise. There was the chance of Almack’s, but that must wait until Wednesday evening when the assemblies were held. I had driven through the City… ‘Vauxhall,’ I said. ‘Or Astley’s Amphitheatre. Or shopping.’

James reached for the copy of the Times that lay folded on a small table beside him and spread it out. He ran his finger down the advertisements on the front page. ‘Looks like a good show at Astley’s the day after tomorrow – that new tightrope dancer. Vauxhall has fireworks tonight. What about that?’

‘Oh, yes please. May we go, Lucian? All of us – you too, Sir Clement,’ I added when he looked dubious. ‘We need to clear our minds and do something completely different and if you are seen out and enjoying yourself in company that will help with the rumours that you have Arabella hidden away somewhere.’

‘Very well.’ I suspected he was humouring me, or simply being polite to me as Lucian’s foreign cousin, but I didn’t care. We were all too close to this puzzle and getting jaded. Tonight we were going out and having fun.

‘By water or by the bridge?’ James asked.

‘By water, please. And may we be rowed underneath Westminster Bridge so we can try the famous echo?’ I asked.

Tags: Louise Allen Science Fiction
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