City of Schemes

by Victoria Thompson

  “I don’t know about that, but you’ve certainly gotten more devious since meeting me.”

  “Oh, I’m smarter, too. I can’t believe how much I never knew before. The women at Hunter know everything.”

  Elizabeth doubted that very much, but she wasn’t going to say so. Anna really had changed since she and Elizabeth had first met, and college was only one of the reasons. “I think you were always smart, Anna, but being a society girl never gave you an opportunity to show it.”

  “You’re right about that. Sometimes . . .” Anna’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Are you thinking about David?” Elizabeth guessed, since that was the only time Anna ever wept.

  “I just wish he could see me now.”

  “He’d be very proud of the woman you have become,” Elizabeth said loyally.

  “Do you think so? He’d be surprised, at least.” She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.

  “Pleasantly surprised, I’m sure,” Elizabeth said. “I know Gideon is, and Jake, too. They are both impressed by how far you’ve come. David would be, also, and you should be very proud of yourself, at least.”

  Anna smiled at that. “Then that’s what I’ll be.”

  Elizabeth quickly changed the subject, and she and Anna chatted about possible things they could discuss with Miss Decker until the doorbell rang.

  Elizabeth greeted her visitor and escorted her inside. Miss Decker seemed a bit uncertain, but she allowed Elizabeth to take her coat and joined Anna in the parlor while Elizabeth went to get the tea things. They talked about the winter weather while Elizabeth served them tea and tiny sandwiches and the iced tea cakes she had found at a nearby bakery.

  “I don’t often get invited for tea,” Miss Decker said at last, allowing her skepticism to show.

  “I’m sure you don’t,” Elizabeth said. “I suppose a lot of people actually try to avoid you.”

  Miss Decker’s sardonic smile was her only reply.

  “Miss Miles is rather new to society,” Anna said. “I tried to tell her that most people don’t try to befriend newspaper reporters, but she said she wanted to follow Rosemary Westerly’s example.”

  As Elizabeth had hoped, Miss Decker seemed to know exactly what Anna was talking about. “Miss Westerly is . . . well, she’s rather a special case.”

  “I thought so,” Elizabeth said. “It just seems sensible to befriend reporters, though. If they’re going to write stories about us anyway, why not make as good an impression as possible?”

  “Of course, that’s not why Rosemary befriended you, is it?” Anna said.

  Miss Decker turned to Anna in surprise. “I . . . I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Don’t be coy, Miss Decker.” Anna picked up a sandwich and eyed it critically before taking a bite. She let Miss Decker stew for a long moment while she chewed and swallowed. “We know why Rosemary is so eager to keep you supplied with gossip.”

  “We don’t report gossip,” Miss Decker tried.

  “News, then. Whatever you call it. We know about Rosemary, though.”

  “But you couldn’t,” Miss Decker said in dismay.

  “Why not?” Elizabeth said.

  “Because . . . No one knows.” She didn’t seem certain of that, though.

  “And it wasn’t in the newspaper,” Elizabeth guessed.

  “Something like that would never be on the society page.”

  “Do you think it would be on another page?” Anna asked before taking another bite of her sandwich.

  “Heavens no. No one wants to read about suicide.” Miss Decker instantly realized her mistake and gave a little squeak of distress before covering her mouth.

  Anna, Elizabeth was pleased to note, did not even blink. “You’re right, of course. One hates reading about suicide. So painful for the family. So awkward for Rosemary.”

  “She didn’t . . . It was a terrible mistake,” Miss Decker insisted. “She honestly thought the young lady had behaved . . . indiscreetly.”

  “Did she now?” Elizabeth said. “How can you be sure?”

  “Because she was so upset when . . . when it happened. She was practically hysterical. I . . . Well, I actually felt sorry for her.”

  How interesting.

  “And I suppose she was desperate for you to keep her name out of it,” Elizabeth said. “Did she actually beg or just bargain?”

  Miss Decker stared at Elizabeth in surprise. “A . . . a little of both.”

  “And we know what the bargain was, don’t we?” Anna said with complete confidence, although they were still just guessing. “She would keep you supplied with society gossip—”

  “News,” Miss Decker insisted.

  “Society news,” Anna corrected herself, “and you would protect her from disgrace.”

  “But someone found out,” Elizabeth said. “How else to explain the two broken engagements?”

  “I couldn’t possibly say,” Miss Decker’s mouth said, although her eyes spoke volumes.

  “Could you say, Anna?” Elizabeth asked.

  Anna pretended to consider, or maybe she wasn’t pretending. She would know a lot of society gossip just from having lived among those people her entire life. Maybe she could actually piece everything together. “Harvey Urquhart was Rosemary’s first beau,” Anna remembered.

  Elizabeth watched Carrie Decker’s face. She showed no reaction at all. “Were they actually engaged?”

  “Not formally, no. In fact, Logan is her first official fiancé, although her parents had high hopes for the two previous suitors. Rosemary had just made her debut when she took up with Harvey, if I remember correctly. She’s a few years older than I am, so I wasn’t out yet myself.”

  Carrie Decker calmly took a sip of her tea.

  “Why didn’t it work out?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Everyone was very discreet, of course, but we all just assumed he got to know Rosemary better and that scared him off.”

  Carrie Decker didn’t even bother to hide her smirk.

  “And the second one,” Elizabeth prodded.

  “Felix Young,” Anna reported.

  “Not formally engaged, either, I take it,” Elizabeth said.

  Anna glanced at Miss Decker, who watched her expectantly. “No, although Rosemary was hinting rather broadly. She had high expectations. Felix’s family had invited her to a house party at their country house, as I recall.”

  Miss Decker’s eyebrows rose, but she still did not speak. She took a bite of her tea cake instead.

  “There was a terrible accident,” Anna said, all teasing gone from her voice as she obviously remembered this old event with new horror. She must have realized it was much worse than she had ever suspected. “They managed to keep things very quiet, didn’t they?”

  “Money changed hands, I’m told,” Miss Decker said with a trace of bitterness. “Death certificates can be altered so a person can be buried in hallowed ground.”

  “But the Youngs aren’t Catholic,” Anna said, “so it was mainly to protect her reputation.”

  “And the family’s, too,” Miss Decker said.

  “Poor Daisy,” Anna said, her eyes growing moist at the memory.

  “And Rosemary Westerly had told you about Daisy,” Elizabeth said. “About her indiscretion. Did you really report it?”

  “It was a scandal,” Miss Decker defended herself. “A young girl and an old man like that.”

  “Old man?” Anna challenged.

  “He was forty if he was a day, but we weren’t going to print their names. We never use names when it’s a scandal.”

  “And yet everyone always knows who it is, don’t they?” Elizabeth said.

  Miss Decker had no answer for that. To her credit, she looked ashamed.

  “The part I can’t understand is why Ro
semary thought she should expose a young woman who was going to be her sister-in-law,” Elizabeth mused.

  To Elizabeth’s surprise, Carrie Decker’s lips stretched into a mirthless grin. “You must not know Rosemary very well, then. She never gave a thought to the havoc she might wreak on others, or even on herself. She just enjoys causing people pain.”

  “You sound like you know her well,” Elizabeth said.

  “We were at school together, at least until my father died and I had to leave. After we lost all our money and I had to get a job, Rosemary forgot she knew me.”

  “Until she needed to spread some gossip,” Elizabeth said. “That’s why she chose you to tell, isn’t it?”

  Miss Decker’s face twisted with distaste. “She said she came to me because we were friends, but we were never friends. She enjoyed lording it over me, how she was a rich debutante and I was a struggling reporter. I didn’t want to publish the story, because it would destroy the young woman and also just to annoy Rosemary, but she threatened to take it to another newspaper, so my editor told me I had to. Then Daisy . . . died.”

  “And Rosemary came to you in tears and begged you not to tell anyone she gave you the information,” Elizabeth said.

  “And once again, money changed hands. Rosemary’s father paid my publisher, although I’m sure they would both deny it. But I knew the truth about what happened, and Rosemary promised that she would repay me for my silence with a wealth of stories about other people, which helps me keep my job.”

  “But she gives her stories to everyone now,” Anna said. “Do they all know her secret?”

  “I don’t think so. I think she decided she likes the attention, so she started whispering in other people’s ears, and before you know it, she’s the darling of all the gossip columnists.”

  “News,” Anna corrected her, making her blush.

  “I’m curious about why you decided to meet with us today,” Elizabeth said.

  “I thought you might have some more news for me. The things you told me about the earl were wonderful. My editor wants everything I can find out about him.”

  “I will be happy to tell you everything I know,” Elizabeth said quite honestly. “Unfortunately, I haven’t learned anything new since Friday night.”

  “But you’ll tell me first when you hear something?” Miss Decker asked.

  “Oh yes,” Elizabeth promised. She would be happy to.

  Anna could hardly contain herself after Miss Decker had gone. “I always wondered about poor Daisy. They said it was a boating accident.”

  “What happened?”

  “That’s what is so strange. They said she went out in a rowboat alone. What girl does a thing like that?”

  “No girl does a thing like that. Have you ever tried to row a boat?”

  “No, that’s why God gave us men, to do the hard work.”

  “I suppose the boat overturned or something,” Elizabeth said.

  “That was the story. She couldn’t swim and her clothes dragged her down and it was a tragic accident.”

  “What about the scandal? Didn’t people put the two together?”

  “Some probably did, but Miss Decker was right about them using initials in the newspapers. The story could have been about anyone, and after Daisy died, no one wanted to speculate anymore, at least not in public. It was too ghoulish.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “And even if they did talk about it, how would anyone know it was Rosemary who gave Miss Decker the story in the first place?”

  “They wouldn’t, unless Carrie Decker told them.”

  “And she would have nothing to gain and everything to lose by doing that, since she would lose her best source, and others who gave her tips would be nervous that she might expose them as well,” Elizabeth said.

  “From what she said, she might also have lost her job, but she did seem pleased that we had guessed the truth at last.”

  “That you guessed the truth, at least,” Elizabeth said with admiration. “Do you have any idea who the older man might have been?”

  “None, but I was young then. People wouldn’t have talked about such things in front of me.”

  “Gideon might know, or his mother.”

  “I’m not sure what good it would do us to find out,” Anna said. “It’s too late to help Daisy.”

  “I was just thinking we might have an ally if we need one, but even if we can’t find him, we can still get a little revenge for Daisy.”

  “Exactly what do you think Miss Decker can do for us?”

  “Oh, any number of things, but we’ll have to see how our little plans work out. I also had high hopes for the American Protective League, but it seems to have died a rather ignominious death.”

  “What good news!”

  “It would be if I didn’t need them. The Old Man doesn’t think it will be a problem though, because Mr. Devoss has found an equally questionable group who may be able to help.”

  * * *

  —

  I’m so glad you were able to join me today,” Rosemary told Elizabeth. They were once again at Delmonico’s for lunch. This time they had actually planned to encounter the earl, however.

  Or at least Rosemary had planned it. She couldn’t be seen alone with him, though, so she had invited Elizabeth to join her. Anna would probably have classes on a Wednesday afternoon, but Elizabeth suspected Rosemary hadn’t even considered inviting her. Anna was a single woman who might represent competition. Rosemary didn’t know that Anna had absolutely no interest in the earl or any other man. But Elizabeth had already declared herself to be uninterested in the earl, and since Elizabeth and the earl were such good friends, it was only natural they should meet for lunch.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” Elizabeth replied.

  “It was Lord Percy’s idea,” Rosemary said, effectively erasing any goodwill Elizabeth might have felt for her. Fortunately, that wasn’t much.

  Rosemary looked remarkably good in a suit designed in the new military fashion. The tan color flattered her somehow, and her angular frame filled out the suit just the way it was intended to do. Even her hat had a military jauntiness to it, with a sprig of peacock feather to add some feminine flare. Elizabeth had chosen a gray velvet dress so she wouldn’t outshine Rosemary, at least not too much.

  The earl only kept them waiting a few minutes before making his appearance. He wore one of the new trench coats, although his was much fancier than Gideon’s. The earl had added brass buttons bearing some elaborate crest, and gold epaulets shimmered on the shoulders. Today he carried a cane with a gold knob. Or maybe it was only brass. Elizabeth thought he looked ridiculous, but Rosemary seemed impressed.

  He greeted each of them with a kiss on the hand and tipped the maître d’ to give them a good table.

  “What have you been up to, Percy?” Elizabeth asked when the waiter had taken their orders.

  He and Rosemary exchanged a guilty glance, and the color rose in Rosemary’s cheeks. Oh dear, they’d obviously been up to no good!

  “I’ve been seeing the sights and meeting new people,” Percy said. “Rosemary has been kind enough to take me under her wing.”

  “I merely suggested to some of my friends that Percy would make an interesting addition to their guest lists.”

  “But it’s only been a few days since your party,” Elizabeth said in surprise.

  “And I haven’t dined alone a single time since then,” Percy marveled. “Miss Westerly seems to know everyone in the city.”

  Rosemary did like to give that impression.

  “I wonder that Logan is so willing to share you, Rosemary.”

  She gave Elizabeth a tolerant smile. “He doesn’t mind in the slightest, and of course he’s much too busy to squire me around everywhere I need to go. His father has put him to work again, you see.”

  How
convenient that Logan couldn’t accompany his fiancée to events Rosemary didn’t want him attending. Elizabeth turned to Percy. “I suppose Rosemary is introducing you to a lot of eligible young ladies.”

  Rosemary’s smug expression vanished, but the earl merely shrugged. “These things take time, don’t you know? One can’t be expected to find a suitable bride at a single social event.”

  “But surely you’ve met at least one young lady you’d like to see again,” Elizabeth prodded.

  The earl gave Rosemary an appraising look. “Perhaps I have.”

  Rosemary returned his gaze unflinchingly. “I should hope so.”

  Elizabeth needed all her acting skills to pretend she didn’t notice the undercurrent of longing running between her two companions. Who would have imagined that Rosemary would be so easily wooed?

  The waiter arrived with the first course of their lunch. When he had served it and retreated, Elizabeth said, “I saw a friend of yours yesterday, Rosemary.”

  “Really? Who?”

  “Carrie Decker.”

  Luckily, Rosemary didn’t have anything in her mouth because she might have choked. “Where on earth did you encounter her?” she asked when she had regained her composure.

  “She came to see me. She seemed to think I might know something more about the earl here.” Elizabeth gave him a dazzling smile.

  He frowned in return. “Is this a person I have met?”

  “She’s a society reporter for The World,” Elizabeth said before Rosemary could reply. “I don’t know if you have actually met her or not, but she was asking all kinds of questions about you at Rosemary’s party.”

  Percy was not pleased. “Really, I was quite surprised to see my name mentioned in the newspapers. My visit here was supposed to go unnoticed.”

  “Unnoticed by whom?” Elizabeth asked with interest.

  Percy glanced at Rosemary, who was also quite interested in his answer. “I told you when we met here the first time that I’m doing some work for my government.”

  “Even still, unless you’re a spy, I can’t think why you should remain unnoticed,” Elizabeth said.