“Did this man speak to you?” Valentine said in the compassionate tone of a constable questioning a victim. “Did you notice an accent? Was he a gentleman or a man from a poorer part of town?”
“He said he was waiting for Miss Kendall.” Bernice spoke in her usual timid tone. The girl tugged on her white cap—an action that seemed to settle her nerves. “I called for Mrs Stagg, and that’s when … that’s when—” Bernice whimpered.
“That’s when he drew his sword from his walking stick and chased us into the broom cupboard. He told us if he saw us again he’d cut out our tongues and eat them for dinner.”
Valentine’s eyes grew wide. He covered his mouth with his hand for a moment. “Did the cane have a silver top? Was he dressed in a brown fitted coat with a raised collar?”
Ava frowned. He spoke as if he knew the man. Equally, something about the description resonated with her, too.
Mrs Stagg blinked rapidly. “Yes, he had beady black eyes and bushy black brows. When he looked at you, it was as if he could reach right into your chest and rip out your heart.”
Bernice’s shoulders shook with a silent sob. “Rip your heart right out,” she repeated.
“I swear he made me feel giddy just by looking at him,” Mrs Stagg added.
The icy hand of fear settled on Ava’s shoulders. She shuddered as a bitter chill swept through her body. Every hair at her nape stood to attention. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was as if the devil knew what she was about to ask and had stolen her voice.
“Did he speak with an accent?” Valentine said, repeating his earlier question.
Bernice shook her head. “None that you’d recognise.”
“Even when he threatened to end our lives,” Mrs Stagg added, “he spoke in that soft, slow way that made my head spin.”
Good Lord!
They spoke of Mr Cassiel. Ava was convinced of it.
What need did the mystic have for entering her home?
“Except when he spoke to the lady,” Bernice said. “Then he barked orders as if his life depended on her doing as he asked.”
“The lady?” Valentine frowned. “There were two of them?”
Mrs Stagg handed Twitchett her empty cup as if seeking a refill. “We never saw the lady. The fiend locked us in the broom cupboard before she arrived. Then they went rummaging through the house.”
The last comment dragged Ava out of a state of shock. Twitchett’s words echoed in her head. He had mentioned her bedchamber. Heavens. She had all night to question Mrs Stagg.
Without comment or further thought, she hurried from the room. Somehow, she made it to the top of the stairs though her legs trembled so violently she had no idea how she remained on her feet.
Ava burst into her bedchamber.
The sight hit her like a hard punch to the gut.
Part of her wished that Twitchett hadn’t lit the lamp. She stumbled back and gripped the doorframe. She heard the heavy thud of someone mounting the stairs. Valentine came behind her. His strong hands settled on her upper arms, and she leant back against him for support.
The room lay in utter disarray.
It looked like a fierce storm had blown through the place and whipped up a frenzy. Every item she owned lay strewn about the floor—dresses, undergarments, the entire
contents of the armoire. The drawers on her dressing table had been emptied and discarded with equal negligence. There wasn’t a sheet or blanket left on the bed. A trail of white feathers led to the slashed pillows in the corner.
It was all Ava could do to breathe.
Valentine’s arm came around her shoulders and across her chest so that she remained locked in his embrace. Not since her parents’ deaths had she felt so secure, so protected. With Valentine, there was a closeness that went far deeper than friendship or adoration, deeper than a lust for carnal pleasures.
“I know how distressing this is,” he said in the tender voice that made her want to kiss him until her troubles melted away. “Clothes and furniture can be replaced.” He paused. “But what about your jewellery?”
Ava closed her eyes for a moment, imagined lifting the boards to find the space beneath empty. “I pray the intruder did not discover my hidden treasure trove.” She took hold of Valentine’s arm. “Come, help me clear the mess so I may examine the boards.”