not the easiest task in the world. A man
could hardly use the lady's own inheritance
to buy her a diamond necklace.
Lucas rehung his picture with careful
precision, stepped back to admire his
handiwork, and then went over to the
connecting door and knocked. When there
was no answer from within, he frowned and
tried again. He was certain Griggs had said
Victoria was in her bedchamber.
Vicky?"
When there was still no response, he
turned the knob and opened the door to
glance into the room. He saw her at once
seated near the window with the three
letters that had arrived at breakfast on
the little rosewood secretary in front of
her. She turned her head as he walked
into the room. Her smile was wan.
I am sorry, Lucas, but I am not feeling
all that well. I came up here to rest."
An odd tension hummed through him.
It was not unlike the sort of feeling he
had known on the battlefield before the
first shot was fired. You were feeling well
enough at breakfast."
That was before I opened the post."
He relaxed somewhat. I take it you are
still annoyed at being obliged to accept
Jessica's invitation?"
Jessica Atherton is no longer of much
consequence one way or the other."
I am relieved to hear it." He went into
the room and sat down across from her. He
thrust his legs out in front of him, absently
massaging his thigh. What is it, Vicky? I
have seen you in a variety of moods, but
never one quite like this. I swear, madam,
you leave me panting for breath trying to
keep pace with you."
I have never been in quite this position
before and I admit I do not know how
to deal with it. But tis certain something
must be done or I shall go out of my
mind."
You are really not feeling well?" He
grinned. Mayhap you are breeding, after
all, madam. Have you thought of that?"
To be truthful, Lucas, being with child
would be simpler than this business."
She was not carrying his babe after
all. Disappointment shot through him. I
am sorry to hear that. Perhaps you had
better tell me just what is troubling you,
my dear."
She looked down at the papers on her
little desk. When she glanced up again, her
amber eyes were startling in their intensity.
Lucas, do you believe it is possible to
reanimate the dead through the use of
electricity machines?"
Reanimate the dead? Nonsense. I fear
you have been playing too much lately at
being a ghost, Vicky. I have never heard
a single reliable instance in which such an
experiment has been successful."
But we do not know of all the
experiments that have been done, do
we? People all over England are playing
with electricity these days."
Lucas looked doubtful. I am certain that
any successful experiment in reanimation
would have been in all the journals and
newspapers."
Perhaps not, if someone paid the
experimenter to keep quiet about the
results."
He began to realize just how frightened
she was and a cold anger swept through
him. Without asking any more questions,
he reached over and picked up the
sheaf of papers lying on her desk. He
immediately tossed aside Annabella and
Lady Nettleship's notes. A glance at the
pamphlet and clipping was sufficient to
show that they were concerned with missing
bodies and attempts at reanimation.
Interesting, but I see no reports of
successful attempts. Where did you get
these?" He indicated the pamphlet and
clipping.
They were sent to me. They were in the
third envelope that I opened at breakfast.
Along with this." Victoria handed him a
short note.
Lucas scanned it quickly and had to force
himself to keep his rage under tight rein.
Madam: given your interest in intellectual
inquiry the enclosed should intrigue you
greatly. It appears the dead do not always
remain so. Signed W. " He tossed the
note down on the table with a savage little
flick of his hand. Goddamned bastard."
Lucas it is him, it is this W again, the
one who left the scarf and the snuffbox."
Victoria was struggling for her self-control.
Lucas recognized the symptoms of shock
and fear. He made a deliberate effort to
keep his voice calm, much as he would
have if he were dealing with a brave but
frightened young officer on the eve of
combat. Calm yourself, Vicky. This has
gone quite far enough. I will take steps
to find out who is behind this and I will
put a halt to it."
Her beautiful mouth trembled. I know
who is behind it. Samuel Whitlock. The
man who killed my mother. He has come
back, Lucas. Somehow he has returned
from the dead and he is going to kill me
or else drive me to my death the same way
I She broke off and covered her face in
her hands. Oh, my God. Oh, my God."
A I A
Lucas got up and reached down to pull
her into his arms. She stood in the circle of
his sheltering embrace, shaking. Although
his hands moved gently, soothingly on her
slender back, his rage was so cold now
it could have frozen the marrow in his
bones.
The shudders eventually ceased racking
Victoria's body and she slowly disengaged
herself from his grasp and went to her
dressing table for a handkerchief.
You must think I'm a witless little fool
to believe in such things as reanimation of
the dead," she whispered, keeping her back
to him as she dried her eyes.
I think," said Lucas, that you have
been very frightened and that someone
has deliberately set out to accomplish
that goal." He watched her face in the
dressing-table mirror. Who would do such
a thing, Vicky?"
I just told you. Samuel Whitlock."
No, my dear, not Samuel Whitlock.
He's dead. You have been so terrified by
the signature on that note that you have
not been thinking logically."
It has to be him." She whirled around.
Don't you see, Lucas? He is not dead.
Either he did not really die that night at
the bottom of the stairs or else he has
been brought back to life by someone
with an electricity machine. One way or
another he has come back and he is after
me. Whitlock is the only one who could
possibly have any reason for carrying out
this horrible revenge."
Lucas studied her. That brings up an
interesting point. Just what is his reason
for wanting revenge against you?"
Victoria's eyes clouded with an infinite
sadness. Lucas, I cannot tell you. If I did,
you would be filled with such disgust for
me that you would not be able to tolerate
the sight of me."
In spite of himself, he felt his mouth
twitch in a small grin. Having led up to
the grand revelation with a remark such as
that, you most certainly will have to tell
me the whole truth now. If you don't, I
shall expire of curiosity."
This is no joke. Lucas, you have no
idea of what I have done."
He walked over to her and drew her
tense body back against his chest. I assure
you that it is very unlikely you could tell
me anything about yourself that would
make me unable to tolerate the sight of
you. I doubt there is anything to which
you could confess that could compare with
some of the small slices of hell I have seen
on a battlefield. Tell me everything, my
sweet."
Very well, Lucas." Her voice was tragic.
But never say I did not warn you."
I will never say it."
I killed him." She went perfectly still in
his arms, obviously bracing herself for his
shock and disgust. I murdered Samuel
Whitlock."
Hmmm," Lucas murmured. I did rather
wonder about that."
She jerked her head back to stare up at
him. You did? But what made you think
such a thing? I have kept the secret to
myself all these months. Even my aunt
has no notion of what I did."
It was nothing specific that you said or
did. Just a few simple things that made me
mildly curious."
What simple things, for heaven's sake?"
Well, there was the timing of Whitlock's
death so soon after your mother's, and
the fact that you were convinced he had
killed her and would never hang for it.
In addition to those two points, I have
had occasion to get to know you rather
well. Not as well as I would like, I will
admit, but well enough to predict with
some certainty that you would not let your
mother's murder go unavenged."
There was a distinct pause and then
Victoria spoke in a very small voice. You
do not sound particularly upset about this,
my lord."
Lucas considered her words. The only
thing that upsets me is the thought of the
risks you must have taken to get the job
done."
She sighed. I did not actually set out to
kill him, you know. All I wanted from him
was a confession. But I will admit I was
not sorry when I realized he was dead. In
fact, I experienced the most amazing sense
of relief."
I hate to be indelicate, but you did
actually witness his death?"
Victoria buried her face in Lucas's chest.
Oh, yes. I witnessed it. And almost
witnessed my own in the process."
Good God. What happened?"
Tis a long story. Are you quite certain
you want to hear it?"
I assure you I am prepared to listen all
day and all night, if necessary." He eased
her down into her armchair and resumed
the seat across from her. Talk, Vicky. Tell
me everything."
She was twisting the handkerchief in her
lap, but she met his eyes unflinchingly.
You must understand that my stepfather
drank heavily. Sometimes he turned vio
lent. His habits were no secret and I
decided to make use of his weakness."
Strategy," Lucas said approvingly.
She frowned. Yes, well, I could not
think of anything else, you see. I knew
the house well because I had lived there
for a few years before my mother sent me
to my aunt's. It was a huge, old place
with hidden passages and long halls with
unexpected openings into certain rooms.
I used that information to haunt my
stepfather."
You haunted him?"
She blew her nose. Yes."
Amazing."
Really, Lucas, I'm sure you should not
be looking quite so fascinated by all this.
Tis rather reprehensible when you think
about it."
Let's just say I find it intellectually
interesting. What's wrong with that? Surely
no worse than trying to reanimate dead
bodies. Pray, continue, sweetheart."
I arranged to stay with friends who
happened to live in a neighboring house
for a week. Everyone knew I did not
feel comfortable around my stepfather and
these people had been friends of my
mother's, so they were sympathetic to
me. Several times during that week I
slipped out of the house in the middle
of the night and walked through the
woods to my stepfather's house. I wore
the dress in which my mother had been
married and I began haunting Samuel
Whitlock."
You hoped that in his drunken stupors
he would think he was seeing the ghost of
his dead wife?
Victoria nodded. At first he thought he
was having nightmares. Then he began
talking to me. It was eerie, Lucas. He
ordered me to go away and leave him in
peace. Then he told me about how he had
never wanted to marry in the first place
but he had to have the money and why
could I not understand that? He pleaded
with me to leave him alone. Finally, one
night his nerve broke entirely. He came
after me with a knife, saying he would kill
me again and this time he would make
certain of the job."
Lucas shut his eyes for a second, trying
not to think of how close she had come
to her own death. That is when he had
his accident on the stairs?"
Yes. I was fleeing from him down the
hall. I started down the stairs. He was
directly behind me, holding the knife high
in his hand and screaming about how he
was going to kill me. He lost his footing
about a third of the way down and fell all
the way to the bottom."
The servants," Lucas murmured. Where
were they?"
There were only two in the house, an
elderly couple with rooms far removed at
the back. They were in the habit of retiring
early and staying out of their master's way
until morning. The screaming they may
have heard that night was certainly not
the first time they had heard such noises
in that house. They had learned to mind
their own business."
I see. Did you check to see if your
stepfather was truly dead?"
No. I was so frightened that I ran.
Perhaps the fall didn't kill him." She
looked at the newspaper clippings. Lucas,
I do not kn
ow what to believe. Do you
think he might have merely engineered
his burial to haunt me as I once haunted
him?"
It is a possibility."
Victoria chewed her lip. What has he
been doing all these months if he is still
alive?"
Hiding, perhaps? Waiting to see if you
would go to the authorities with your
report?"
He was dead. I know he was dead. I
killed him," she said.
You did not murder him, Vicky. You
tried in a very clever fashion to extract a
confession and you got it. In the process,
you almost got yourself killed, and that
is all there is to the matter," Lucas said
very firmly. As to whether or not he is
actually dead, that remains to be seen.
This business with the pamphlet and the
note certainly indicate there are some loose
ends that need tying up."
Such as who sent me this note and the
pamphlet and clipping."
Yes," Lucas agreed. That is one of
several questions I think we should get
answered as soon as possible. There is
also the little matter of that carriage that
nearly ran you down and the footpad who
assaulted me the night before you found
the snuffbox."
Lucas, this is making my head spin.
I cannot go on like this. I must have
answers."
I could not agree more wholeheartedly.
As I said, there are several questions
that now must be answered as quickly
as possible. I think the best place to
begin is in Town, where this all started."
He smiled. Now we have an excellent
reason to go to London in addition to
the invitation to Lady Atherton's ball,
don't we?"
Victoria gave a weak laugh. Lucas, I
swear you are impossible. Even at a time
like this, you are still plotting to get me
to do precisely as you wish,"
Strategy, my dear. I'm known for it.
Now, while this will no doubt seem
anticlimactic, I have a small surprise for
you. Remember that picture of Strelitzia
reginae?"
Yes, of course. What about it?"
Lucas flashed her an easy grin. The vicar
would like half a dozen more watercolors
on similar subjects for his book on flower
gardening."
The expression of shock on Victoria's
face was extremely gratifying, Lucas thought.
Naturally Lucas had taken her horrendous
revelation as calmly as if she had merely
told him what Cook was preparing for
dinner. What had she expected? Victoria
was still asking herself that question a few
days later as she stood with Annabella and
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