Social Graces

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Quite.’

  ‘I suppose I will have to stop my theatrical insights, since I no longer have a source of reliable gossip,’ she added with a regretful shrug.

  Mr Milton’s other hand caressed the shoulder she had just lifted, burning her skin with his gentle touch.

  ‘Don’t!’ She turned to face him and somehow found herself in his arms. ‘You mistake me for my sister. I don’t know how to play your games, Mr Milton, and I am confused by them.’

  ‘Otto.’ The hand previously touching her waist moved and softly stroked the curve of her face, making her shudder with the awakening of something remarkable. Something that her persistent neighbour had failed to stir whenever he awkwardly attempted to touch her. ‘Since we are working together, you should call me Otto.’

  ‘I am not sure if I can. It seems…well, presumptuous.’

  ‘Not if you do so at my invitation.’

  The hand touching her face roamed to her nape and she was no longer able to disguise the tingling shivers that invaded her body.

  ‘Are you cold?’ he asked with innocent concern in his tone, probably knowing very well that she was anything but. Damn it, he was toying with her! But not for nothing was she Connie’s sister, and she rose to the challenge.

  ‘Cold, Otto?’ She threw him a scorching look. ‘Why, now that you mention it, perhaps I am. I am unaccustomed to appearing for dinner half naked,’ she added, lifting a bare shoulder to demonstrate her point.

  ‘Wench!’

  He tightened his arms around her and briefly touched her lips with his own. ‘You will be the death of me yet,’ he told her, abruptly releasing her when footsteps sounded on the boarded floor immediately outside the drawing room. By the time the door opened he had put a respectable amount of daylight between them. The fact that he was so anxious not to have Olivia or Lord Torbay reach the wrong conclusion about their relationship brought Sophia back to earth with a resounding thud. She had got his message loud and clear and would not be taken in by him for a second time.

  ‘Crisis in the nursery averted,’ Olivia said, entering the room with her husband and seating herself beside the fire. ‘Sorry to have been gone for so long, but Jake took some convincing that Sebastian is merely teething and that it would not be necessary to call out the best doctors in London to minister to our son.’

  ‘Better safe than sorry,’ Lord Torbay replied mildly. ‘Anyway, Parker wanted to speak to me earlier. He has news from the men he set to watch Stoker.’

  ‘What news?’ Sophia asked, not nearly as keenly as she would have if Otto hadn’t confused her with her caresses, the touch of his lips and then his distance. Damn it, she had heeded his warning, was thinking rationally again and he spoiled it all by…well, by doing something that Connie would have laughed off. But much as Sophia admired her sister’s free spirit and casual disregard for the rules, she could not emulate those qualities and had absolutely no idea what to make of Otto’s behaviour.

  ‘Stoker spent a good forty minutes in the local tavern earlier,’ Lord Torbay said. ‘No surprise there. But what did seem unusual was that he met with Lord Chichester’s man.’

  ‘Did he, by gad,’ Otto breathed.

  ‘Words were exchanged but our man couldn’t get close enough to hear what was said. He did however see Chichester’s man hand something to Stoker. It disappeared too quickly into his pocket for him to be sure but we’re fairly certain it must have been money.’

  ‘Why?’ Sophia shared a bewildered glance between her companions. ‘What does this mean? Did he kill Connie and then pay Stoker for…for what? This makes no sense.’ She shook her head in bewilderment, cursing Otto for muddling her thinking. ‘His first reaction when we found Connie’s body was to verbally blame Lord Chichester. If he is covering for him, he would hardly have done that.’

  ‘I can’t answer that question, and don’t want to alert Stoker to his being watched by asking him myself.’ Lord Torbay rubbed his chin in a pensive gesture. ‘Young Riley seems keen to involve himself. Perhaps he can find the answer for us, if you are willing to trust him to remain impartial, Miss Larson. The decision is yours.’

  Sophia sensed everyone in the room watching her. Part of her wanted to tell them that they had lost their senses. Lord Riley might be a different proposition to his father, but he was still his father’s son, and his first thought would be to protect his family’s reputation. If his father was even suspected of being a murderer, it would have catastrophic consequences for them all, not least Lord Riley himself. But at the same time, Lord Torbay seemed to think that the young man could be trusted to do the right thing and Sophia had faith in her host’s judgement. She was also conscious of the honour he had done her by leaving the final decision to her. She hadn’t expected that and so slowly nodded.

  ‘Very well, Lord Torbay,’ she said. ‘I will be guided by you, although I confess that I think it a huge responsibility to place on such young shoulders.’

  ‘Riley Rochester is a remarkable young man,’ Lord Torbay replied. ‘I would not have made the suggestion if I had any doubts about his integrity. If he discovers anything to his father’s detriment his conscience will not permit him to conceal it from me.’

  ‘Then I should like to meet him,’ Sophia said. ‘Perhaps there will be an opportunity.’

  ‘I will arrange it, perhaps for tomorrow evening,’ Olivia said.

  ‘Oh, I did not mean to…’ Sophia’s words trailed off. What had she not meant? To assume she would still be here tomorrow? To assume Olivia would put herself out even more for her sake? ‘Thank you,’ she said, aware of everyone again watching her. ‘You are all being so very kind to me.’

  Chapter Ten

  Since Otto was due to be in the Old Bailey the following morning, Jake agreed to defer their visit to Woodford until the afternoon, aware that Otto was keen to be party to that particular interview. He sent a servant round to Chichester’s residence with a note for Riley, asking him to call upon Jake at his earliest convenience. He wasn’t surprised when the younger man presented himself less than an hour later.

  ‘I was intrigued by your note, so I came at once,’ Riley said, taking the chair that Jake indicated and accepting his offer of coffee.

  ‘Thank you.’ Jake poured for them both from the pot situated on the sideboard. ‘Did your father want to know where you were going so early in the day?’

  ‘Lord no, he’s still in his bed. He seldom rises before noon.’

  Jake nodded, satisfied that Riley wouldn’t find himself facing awkward questions later. He wondered how Chichester managed his affairs if he was so lazy. As a marquess he would have as least as many duties as those which fell to Jake’s lot, and Jake’s interests would soon go to pot if he spent his days wallowing in his bed.

  ‘Have you made progress with the investigation since last night?’ Riley asked. ‘Something you would prefer my father not to know about?’

  Jake took a moment to study his visitor. Riley looked directly back at him, and his composure convinced Jake that his fervent desire to see justice served was genuine. ‘Stoker, the porter at Connie’s apartment house.’

  ‘What of him?’

  ‘Are you aware that your father bought Connie various expensive items of jewellery?’

  Riley chuckled. ‘Mistresses expect such largesse, I’m told. However, the pater is known to have deep pockets and short arms. If he was persuaded to such generous lengths, it either demonstrates the depth of his feelings for Miss Saville, or her ability to keep him enthralled.’

  ‘Miss Larson tells me that a set of earrings were your father’s latest gift to her sister and by far the most expensive. I wonder if your father sensed he was losing control of Connie and so bought her a lavish gift to remind her what she would be giving up if she ended the affair.’ Jake shrugged. ‘Short of asking your father, we shall never know. But my point in mentioning the earrings is that they are missing. My men will attempt to track them down through the local pawnbrokers, but we
cannot think of anyone other than Stoker or the killer who could have taken them.’

  ‘Stoker has access to the apartments?’

  ‘He has a master key and I suspect that he takes the odd look around when the residents are not at home. I’ve had him watched because I suspect him of involvement in Connie’s death. He might have killed her himself, either because he was caught searching her things and would lose his position if she reported him, or because someone paid him to do the deed. I wouldn’t put anything past him. Anyway, my suspicions proved valid when he was seen meeting with your father’s valet last night in a tavern on the corner of Haughton Street.’

  Riley sat upright, looking shocked. ‘Are you absolutely sure it was the pater’s man?’

  ‘Quite sure. My own people knew who he was in the way that servants always do. Are you absolutely sure you want to hear this?’

  ‘Perfectly sure.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Please go on.’

  ‘There’s not much more to tell. I don’t know what was said, but they clearly met by prior arrangement and something passed between them.’

  ‘Money?’

  ‘That is what we assumed. But it subsequently occurred to me that it could have been the earrings.’

  Riley mulled Jake’s suggestion over. ‘Why not all of her jewellery, in that case? Since my father purchased it all, I can easily imagine him believing that it was his property and that it should be returned to him.’

  ‘Miss Larson had seen all the other items, and your father couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t make a fuss if they were missing, inevitably drawing attention to the arrangement between a marquess and an actress.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  ‘But she hadn’t actually seen the earrings, which would make it easier for your father to deny their existence. Or he could pretend they were made of paste if anyone had seen her wearing them.’

  ‘I see.’ Riley nodded, looking troubled. ‘Purchasing gifts for his mistress I can understand, but I should take a very dim view of it if the pater arranged for them to be stolen back again after her murder.’ His expression turned forbidding. ‘You want me to try and discover what business Harper, my father’s valet, had with Stoker?’

  ‘If that’s possible without creating problems for yourself.’

  Riley took a moment to respond. ‘They are very close. Harper has been with the pater for years and is loyal to a fault.’ He sat a little straighter. ‘However, no one in our household imagines I know anything about the situation, even though I have heard every servant whispering about it. Leave it to me. If there is anything to be learned, I will soon find it out.’

  ‘Thank you. By the way, Miss Larson is anxious to meet you.’

  Finally Riley looked surprised. ‘She is aware that you have involved me?’

  ‘I would not have done so without her prior knowledge and agreement. She was worried that your first instinct would be to protect your family’s interests, but I persuaded her that your morals ran deeper than that.’

  ‘Thank you. I shall not shirk my duty, even if I do discover that my father was somehow involved in the murder.’

  ‘I know it. That’s what…’ A tap at the door preceded Parker entering the room. ‘What is it, Parker?’

  ‘Excuse the interruption, but I thought you’d like to know while Lord Riley is still here that we’ve found the earrings.’

  Riley looked relieved. ‘That was quick work,’ he said.

  ‘The thief wasn’t very imaginative. We found them in the second closest pawn shop to Haughton Street.’

  ‘Stoker, I suppose,’ Jake said.

  ‘Actually, no. The pawnbroker is acquainted with the man who pawned them. He’s a regular customer by the name of Robert Tyrell. He lives in the same house as Miss Saville.’

  ‘I know that name.’ Jake’s mind turned to the playhouse bills he had seen at the repertory company with the names of the actors in large letters—Tyrell’s the largest of all. He thought of the strutting leading man throwing his weight about at the rehearsal and his suspicions were confirmed. ‘Felsham’s actor,’ he said slowly. ‘I wasn’t aware that he lived in Connie’s building.’ He turned to face Parker. ‘Have you started interviewing the tenants yet?’

  ‘No, and once I realised where this one lived, I held off. Thought you might want to talk to him yourself.’

  ‘You thought right, Parker, thank you.’

  ‘Does this mean you don’t need my help?’ Riley asked, looking relieved that his father hadn’t stooped to stealing a murdered woman’s jewels.

  ‘I need it more than ever,’ Jake replied. ‘If your father’s valet wasn’t consorting with Stoker regarding Connie’s possessions, then why was he talking to him at all?’

  Riley stood. ‘I will see what I can find out. Please thank Lady Torbay for the invitation to dine and tell her that I shall be delighted.’

  Parker saw Riley out and then returned to Jake’s library.

  ‘I expect Milton will want to accompany you when you interview Tyrell,’ he said.

  ‘No, we’d best do it this morning. Tyrell might have a matinee or rehearsal this afternoon. Besides, the best time to catch theatrical types at home is in the mornings. They are night owls and tend to sleep the mornings away. Except Tyrell will be doing more explaining than sleeping on this particular morning.’ Jake stood. ‘Come along, Parker. I shall let Olivia know what’s what whilst you have the carriage brought round. You’re with me.’

  Jake found Olivia in the morning room, writing a letter.

  ‘Am I interrupting?’

  She turned up her face to receive his kiss and smiled. ‘Not in the least. I hear Riley has already called.’

  Jake perched on the arm of a sofa and updated her. ‘Goodness,’ she said. ‘Yet another suspect by the sound of things. Robert Tyrell was probably worried that he would be upstaged by Connie if she joined the company’s tour.’

  ‘Even so, resorting to murder seems a little extreme.’

  ‘Actors have very fragile egos. I ought to know. I mixed with enough of them when I was married to Marcus, and they drove me demented with their constant demands. Not that I wasn’t grateful to them for occupying so much of Marcus’s time and taking him away from me,’ she added. ‘I am merely stating a fact about their need for attention. Marcus spent half his time settling disputes between them that seemed too ridiculous for words. Either that, or soothing ruffled feathers. Take it from me, Jake. If an actor felt his supremacy was being threatened, there is little or nothing he wouldn’t do to protect his position. Felsham’s Repertory might be a small company, but it sounds as though Tyrell rules supreme and might not take kindly to having that supremacy threatened.’

  ‘Well, my love, Parker and I are just about to go and ask him.’ Jake paused. ‘It seems odd, don’t you think, him and Connie both living in the same house? Your Miss Larson is of the opinion that Chichester could have supplied her with better lodgings. Even so, I should have thought that the rents were a cut above what a struggling actor could afford.’

  Olivia nodded. ‘Perhaps that was why Tyrell turned petty thief. You said he was known to the pawnbroker as a regular customer.’

  ‘That is something else we shall ask about.’ Jake stood when he heard the sound of hooves on the cobbles outside the front door. ‘How shall you occupy your morning?’ he asked.

  ‘Far more agreeably that you, by the sounds of things. I have persuaded Sophia to let me take her shopping.’

  ‘Ha, then I shall not expect to see you again before dinner.’

  ‘Don’t be so unkind.’ Olivia laughed and swatted his arm. ‘Ladies are supposed to take pleasure from shopping. It is expected of us, and I should hate to let the side down.’

  Jake chuckled. ‘Little chance of that.’

  ‘You do me an injustice. This is for Sophia’s benefit. The poor thing has nothing decent to wear whilst she is with us, and that only adds to her insecurities.’

  ‘A situation which you intend to rectify
.’

  ‘Naturally.’ Olivia gave a careless shrug. ‘Besides, it will make her think about something other than her loss for a few hours. I shall make sure of it. She is a lovely young woman and ought to display herself to her best advantage, if only for Otto’s benefit.’

  Jake raised a brow in amusement. ‘Matchmaking, Lady Torbay?’

  ‘Perish the thought.’ She made shooing motions with her hands. ‘Now, be off with you. Your horses will get cold.’

  ‘I shall see you later, my love. Enjoy the shops.’

  ‘Oh, we shall. You may depend upon it.’

  Jake was still laughing when he joined Parker in the carriage.

  Traffic was heavy and it took a while for Jake’s coachman to negotiate his way to Haughton Street. It was mid-morning by the time they arrived. Another man, not Stoker, was at the porter’s desk. His name, Jake discovered, was Morris.

  ‘Mr Stoker is in charge,’ he told Jake. ‘I cover from five in the morning until Mr Stoker comes back on duty, usually just before midday.’

  ‘Is there no one here overnight?’ Jake asked.

  ‘No, sir. The residents all have their own keys to the outer door and we don’t get no visitors after ten. Mr Stoker stays later than that, though, to see those what are already here off the premises.’ Jake doubted whether they all left that early but made no comment about the arrangement. ‘We have artists and theatrical types living here and they keep queer hours.’

  ‘I see. Thank you, Morris. Is Mr Tyrell at home?’

  ‘I would imagine so, sir. He’s in number four, next door to the unfortunate young woman what got killed. I ain’t seen him go out. Come to that, I seldom see him at all on my shift. Bit of a night-bird is Mr Tyrell.’