Adrien closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them I saw a glimpse of raw emotion there. Luc was trusting him with the most precious things he possessed – his sons – and the gesture clearly meant a great deal. ‘Thank you. The twins are a reminder of life at its most innocent and I need that.’
Chapter Six
‘What now?’ I asked Luc as we came downstairs after taking our midday meal with the boys. ‘How about tackling the mysterious mistress?’
‘I am not certain she is actually mysterious and, by the sound of it, she does not fit our picture of a careful, controlled killer.’
‘But she is female – well, I assume she is – and the note did refer to a woman. Perhaps the killer was a rival for her affections.’
‘I have to admit, the prospect of getting out of the Square for an hour or so is tempting. If I have to assume a serious expression for one more official who is attempting to look as though they understand what has happened here, I may say something unfortunate.’
‘Are they really clueless?’
Luc snorted at the expression. ‘Not Sir William, obviously. Thank you, Wilkins.’ He took the tall hat the butler handed him. ‘Please send Miss Lawrence’s maid down with her bonnet and pelisse.’ He leant a shoulder against the panelling while we waited. ‘But the doctor appears to have no curiosity about the weapon, the constable is a dolt and the Coroner has delusions of grandeur and clearly resents both Sir William – whom he cannot ignore – and me, whom he can. Coroners have a great deal of power,’ he added when I looked surprised.
My wardrobe had acquired a very fetching summer pelisse of pale blue silk since I had last visited. I assumed I had Lady Radcliffe to thank for that, but when I said so, Luc shook his head. ‘No, I ordered you some fresh items for the summer.’
‘The modistes are going to assume you have a mistress.’
‘I have,’ he said with a grin, that turned into a grimace when I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. ‘Ough. You do not want me to lose my reputation as a dashing rake, do you?’
It was my turn to snort. I thought him exceedingly dashing, but I was not going to stroke his ego by telling him so – I would rather show him later, in private.
We made our way around the Square, along King Street, pa
st Almack’s and through the narrow section that was Little King Street into St James’s Street. We waited for a gap in the traffic to cross. There were island refuges in the middle of the street, reputedly the first in London, added as an aid for inebriated gentlemen as they staggered from one exclusive club to another, but even so, it was a busy thoroughfare.
Little St James’s was just a little way downhill and led off towards Green Park and the splendour of Spencer House.
‘I went on a tour of Spencer House once,’ I told Luc as we made our way along, looking out for the address Adrien had given us. ‘It was lavish.’
‘A tour? How on earth – Ah, here we are.’ He stopped in front of a shiny black front door. ‘Very respectable.’
Our knock was answered by a maid in a pert cap and a very clean apron who informed us that Madame Vaillant was in, but she did not know whether she was receiving. Would we care to take seats in the hall while she took up Luc’s card?
We thanked her and sat down. Luc immediately shot to his feet again as a very lovely female came down the stairs. She favoured us with a thorough examination from under long lashes, dismissed me, then let her gaze linger on Luc as she passed. I suspected that she managed to assess his income and inside leg measurement all in one practised glance. Her walking dress was gorgeous, her hat was fabulous and her shoes, parasol and reticule made me want to drool. She gave Luc the very faintest of smiles, then tripped off through the front door.
‘A highly finished piece of nature,’ he remarked. ‘This is clearly a house full of them.’
‘A brothel?’ I asked in a whisper.
He shook his head. ‘No, these will be independent ladies, coming together for a little mutual protection, I imagine. It enables them to maintain excellent lodgings in a highly fashionable area and share the costs of housekeeper, maids and cook. I wager there are occasional upsets if one tries to poach another’s cher ami.’
‘I had imagined their male friends would set them up in their own houses,’ I said.
‘That is the hope of all of them, no doubt,’ Luc agreed. ‘But it is an expensive undertaking. Not that I would know,’ he added, clearly expecting the elbow again.
‘Madame will receive you.’ The maid came as far as the half-landing, and we followed her up to the next floor. She tapped on a door, opened it and gestured for us to enter.
I deliberately stayed behind Luc, which meant I was able to observe the full effect of La Vaillant as she sighted a new prospect.
‘Lord Radcliffe! But how delightful!’ She came forward, all heaving lace and fluttering satin ribbons, more or less securing what I suppose was best described as a negligee. It screamed expensive seduction and I backed away even more as the wave of perfume hit me. It wasn’t that she had overdone it – in fact it was quite subtle – but it was so sensual and heady that it made me think of silken sheets. ‘You have come for a little conversation, perhaps?’ Her smile made it clear that talking was not at all what she expected Luc to want.
Then she saw me and the mood changed. The smile was still there, but somehow the lace and ribbons stopped fluttering, her eyes lost that hot, heavy look and her voice, its purr. ‘Mademoiselle?’
My clothes were too good and too restrained for her to imagine that I was a maidservant, or one of her sisterhood, for that matter. ‘Cassandra Lawrence,’ I said, smiling my best Now we’re all going to be reasonable about this, aren’t we? smile that I had perfected for those tricky moments on patrol when too much drink has been taken and the appearance of a Special Constable can tip the balance one way or another. ‘Thank you so much for seeing us.’ I let the smile fade into an expression of solemnity and watched her face grow wary. ‘I am afraid we have bad news about a… friend of yours.’
‘Who?’ she demanded imperiously.