“Oh, how very exciting for him.”
“I have strong hopes for the young man. He’s incredibly bright and very insightful. I daresay, within a year, I will be forced to make him my partner or he’ll leave and open his own office.”
“And then we would have two Sherlock Holmes.”
Xavier’s muscles tightened at her words. He had already told the damnable woman during her first visit Sherlock Holmes was a fictitious character who bore no resemblance to him at all. He hated it when clients thought themselves clever. “Yes, and imagine how confusing it would be.” He rapped his pencil on the edge of his desk. What is taking Vic so damn long? Unless he has never made tea and hasn’t a clue, but surely he can figure out something so simple.
Victor returned carrying a silver tray burdened with a large assortment of bowls, cups, and saucers. Where the bloody hell did he find a serving set? In the past, all the secretaries had brought a single cup of tea.
Mrs. Wimple seemed to appreciate all the tomfoolery and complimented Victor on his fine manners.
***
“Mr. Holmes was telling me you are an Oxford man.”
Vic smiled with amusement at Xavier being called “Mr. Holmes”. “I am indeed, ma’am.” Vic smiled at Xavier. “And you, Mr. Holmes, how do you wish your tea?”
Xavier’s eyes narrowed. “Guess.”
Vic handed him a plain tea, then removed the service tray and returned with pencil and paper to take notes. To her surprise, Xavier waited for her to sit before beginning.
“I’ve decided to place Victor in charge of your case, Mrs. Wimple.”
That made no sense. She’d nearly burnt down his place of business. Hardly a reason to promote her to investigator. Without a doubt he was up to something.
“Since he has not read my notes from the first meeting, we are going to start at the beginning, as if you have never been here before. I would like you to tell him all pertinent facts, but bear in mind, if you lie to him, he cannot help you.”
“Lie? Why would I lie?”
“I sincerely hope you will not, but you lied to me. You wasted my time in our last interview and I’ve no patience left. Therefore, I am going to sit quietly and enjoy my tea while Victor conducts his interview. If he manages to do what I could not, I will allow him to continue to learn this business. However, if he cannot pull the truth from you, I will fire him for incompetence and it will be on your head, Mrs. Wimple.”
“But that’s not fair,” she protested.
Vic couldn’t agree more. True her actions had almost scarred Xavier for life and burnt down his business, but he had given her his word she would not be fired for three months. She was barely into her second day. She studied her cranky employer, trying to make sense of his turnabout. He showed no anger, only annoyance, all aimed at Mrs. Wimple.
Xavier set his cup on his desk and leaned forward. “I’m sorry, but it’s your punishment for wasting my time with lies and half-truths.”
“But I didn’t lie. My husband is truly missing.”
He slapped the desk with his open palm, creating a minor explosion, causing both Vic and Mrs. Wimple to nearly spill their teas. “Your husband has been missing for eighteen months, Mrs. Wimple. Eighteen months! You led me to believe he had just gone missing. I knew during our interview your answers were less than reliable, however, upon investigation, I was astounded by the magnitude.”
The woman cringed under his tirade. “I’m sorry I misled you.”
“No, madam, you are sorry I’ve called you out on the lie. Now I am most put out with you. Fortunately for you, you have Mr. Hamilton.” He waved his hand in Vic’s direction. “He is most anxious to hear the truth and help you find your husband.”
Because this woman had lied to Xavier, Vic got her first case. She refrained from smiling, given the abuse poor Mrs. Wimple had just endured. But all the same, she thought it a grand turnabout.
Xavier’s eyes narrowed. “That is if you truly wish to locate your spouse.”
“I do,” Mrs. Wimple assured him.
Xavier took his tea and turned his chair so he now stared out the window, his way of telling Mrs. Wimple he was no longer the man to whom she should speak.
Chapter 9
Vic felt great sympathy for the lady, but Xavier was correct. If the woman did not tell them the truth, how could they ever help her? She pondered how she could succeed where Xavier had not? She had no clue how an interview should be done, but Xavier did and the technique had failed with Mrs. Wimple. Perhaps a gentler approach would make the woman open up.
Setting down her cup, she made eye contact and gave the lady a small sympathetic smile. “How can we help you?”
“I have to find my husband,” she declared, most earnestly.
“Can you tell me why it has become urgent to do so?”
“His mother, Lady Catherine Wimple, holds the purse strings. She has grown weary of my excuse he is traveling abroad and now demands Edward contact her immediately or she’ll cut us both off.”
“And this is your only income?”
“Yes. I should have put money back for a rainy day, but I didn’t. I am sorry to say I have spent rather lavishly on parties and gowns and, while my bills are not in arrears, the sum she sends just barely covers them.”
“Have you cut back since you received this warning from your mother-in law?”
Mrs. Wimple sighed. “No, I was so confident Mr. Holmes would find him.”
“Not even Mr. Thorn can help you if the clues he receives are false. It is very important you tell us the truth, even if it embarrasses you. We will not judge. I see you are in a dire strait, and we only wish to help you find your husband so you can recover.”
Mrs. Wimple took a deep breath. “Well, I best be honest about it all. I don’t actually want Edward back. I don’t even want to speak to him. I just want him to write his mother and tell her he is somewhere doing who-cares-what so she will continue to send me money.”
“Thank you for your clarification. Exactly when was the last time you saw your husband?”
“Last February…not this last February, but the one prior.”
“That would be twenty months ago.”
“I kept it a secret for a while, I was so ashamed…”
“Ashamed or angry? For you sound angry.”
“I was angry. He left me!”
“Do you know why?”
“Not at all. I was a good wife. He should not have done so. Nevertheless, he did, and I hate him for it. There, you have the truth now. I hate him for…”
“For what exactly?” Vic leaned forward.
“For not wanting me,” she admitted. Her voice was so soft Vic could barely hear her.
“Did he have a mistress?”
Mrs. Wimple shook her head with certainty.
Vic could read the repugnance in the lady’s face. Whatever Edward had done was, in Mrs. Wimple’s mind, worse than having a mistress. She tested the waters with her intuition. “But he did have a lover…?”
Mrs. Wimple burst into tears and nodded her head. Now they had the truth. Edward had left her for a man. Vic stood up, gave Mrs. Wimple a handkerchief then knelt beside her. “The fault is not yours, Mrs. Wimple. Some people are born different.”
“But why did he marry me in the first place?”
“Perhaps he didn’t want to be different, or perhaps he wanted children.”
“Well, if he wanted children, he should have done something to have them,” she cried. “He never did. Not once!”
“I’m so sorry. He was very wrong to marry you if he never intended to try.”
“He was! He was very wrong!”
She could only imagine the empty life Mrs. Wimple led. And while Vic’s would be little better, the difference between the two was substantial. Vic had willingly chosen her life, but Mrs. Wimple had been deceived. Knowing Xavier would have no patience for their current commiseration, she gently pushed to get back on track. “What happened in February?
”
“I walked in on them. My God, you cannot imagine!”
“Did you know the man he was with?”
“Of course I knew him. Ollie was his best friend. The two were inseparable.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “What is Ollie’s last name?”
“Simpson. You will not tell this to anyone?”
“Of course not. These interviews are as sacred as a confession to a priest,” Vic assured her.
Xavier interrupted them. “Unless you killed him, Mrs. Wimple. In which case you should leave now before you say more.”
“I did not kill him,” the woman insisted, focusing on Vic.
She patted the woman’s hand. “I believe you, for you would not have asked Mr. Thorn to find your husband if you had. So, let us return to finding Mr. Wimple. How soon did he disappear after the night you walked in on them?”
“The next day.”
“Did he speak to you before he left?”
“Yes. He said he was sorry, but he couldn’t help who he was. I asked him why he married me and…” Mrs. Wimple started to cry.
“What did he say?”
“He said because I was the woman he wanted to be. He meant this as a compliment. It made me so angry to discover the reason I had to live such a miserable life was because he admired me and wanted to be me.”
“Do you have any pictures of Mr. Wimple?”
“No, I destroyed them.”
“Why?”
“Because, when I would look at them all I saw was a parody of me. I had not seen it before, but after he confessed, I realized my husband had spent great effort to make himself into my image. He wore his hair long, and the color matched mine. Our preferences for fabrics were the same; even our weights were similar. He’d made himself into a distorted version of me.”
“I know this is hard, but talking about it will probably help you. I speak from experience. It’s not healthy to have such anger inside you with no way to release it. Now, when your husband left, did he say where he was going?”
“He didn’t say where, but I had the feeling it was to another country.”
“Why?”
“He said something about going where he would fit in, and that is certainly not in England.”
“And his friend Ollie, did he disappear as well?”
“No, but I wish he would, for the sight of him causes me great pain but, unfortunately, he has gone nowhere.”
“Is Ollie married?”
“No, he, at least, had the courtesy not to drag some poor innocent into his depraved lifestyle.”
“When you saw Ollie after Edward disappeared, did he seem depressed?”
“He seemed embarrassed, but I don’t recall him being depressed. I don’t know. Perhaps he was, and I just didn’t want to see it.”
“Have you received any contact from your husband at all since he left?”
Mrs. Wimple sighed and her face twisted in anger.
“Mrs. Wimple, please tell me about this communication. It’s important. When, and in what form, did it come?”
“It came by post. The envelope had no return address and inside there was a single sentence: Mary, take a lover and move on with your life. You cannot imagine how I felt. Had he delivered the message in person, I would have killed him.”
“Why?”
“Because…because the message was actually take Charles as your lover and I had just refused Charles. It broke my heart to do so, but at least I knew I had done the proper and honorable thing, and then to have my husband send me a message, to encourage me to drag myself down into the sewer where he lives, to taunt me…”
“Perhaps he only wanted you to be happy.”
“I’ve no doubt he intended as much. However, it’s not possible for me to be happy. I am married to a husband who has disappeared. In society’s eyes, I am neither married, nor unmarried. The reason I spend a fortune on parties is so I will have parties to attend. No one is in need of ambiguous ladies.”
“When was this letter received?”
“Last month.”
“And your mother-in-law’s letter came this month?”
“Yes, I expect she’s heard whispers about Charles and me. She may believe I’ve killed her son.” She glanced at Xavier. “I didn’t, but it appears I must make Edward contact his mother to convince certain people of my innocence.” She turned and focused on Vic. “Has this been of any help?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Vic patted her hand. “It is highly probable we can find your husband with the clues you have provided. When we do find him, precisely what do you want him to do?”
“I told you before…”
“Yes, but I felt it was simply a first response to the question. You have options. You could ask him to contact his mother and continue your current lives, or you could ask him for an annulment with a settlement so that you could make a better life for yourself.”
“An annulment…after five years of marriage?”
“You never consummated it.”
“But I could never admit that…”
“Not even to a priest?”
Mrs. Wimple sniffled and gave the matter some thought. “Contact me when you find him, and I will let you know at that time what I wish to have done.”
With great dignity, the woman walked to the door before glancing at Xavier. “Mr. Thorn, you could learn a thing or two from your apprentice.” With her head held high, she walked out.
When Vic returned from seeing Mrs. Wimple out, Xavier remained at the window.
He sighed. “She’s right. You handled her most artfully.”
“I wasn’t trying to be artful,” Vic said. “My sympathy was quite sincere.”
“I know. I was almost weeping from so much compassion and sincerity in the room.”
“And now you wish to blow it all away with a big gust of ill temper.”
“Well, I have to regain order. I cannot be seen crying like an infant,” he chided. “So, is it your intention to go to this Ollie Simpson, ask him for his lover’s address, and hope he will provide it?”
“While that might work, it is also possible he will refuse and then refrain from visiting Edward for some time. Therefore, I believe it would be wiser to follow Ollie and see where he goes.”
Xavier stared at her for several moments.
“You disagree?”
“No, you are exactly correct. I am only wondering what, besides lighting a stove and balancing a ledger, I am going to teach you. There is little with your logical and deductive skills I can improve.”
Vic smiled. “That is a very grand compliment coming from you ‘Mr. Holmes’,” she teased.
“Out of my office, you scamp!” he ordered. “And if you are not caught up with your work by ten, consider yourself fired!”
“You cannot fire me,” Vic reminded him as she closed his door behind her.
“The hell I can’t!” he bellowed from inside.
Chapter 10
Xavier sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was amazed at his good fortune. He would have thought it impossible to find a person who enticed him in all ways: mentally, emotionally, and physically. Given his requirements, he supposed it only natural his lover would be male. Where would he ever find a woman so intelligent, logical, and emotionally secure? No, this was for the better. What would he do with a wife? He lived for his work—something a wife could never share—but Victor could, and not just as a secretary. He envisioned a day in the future when Victor could be his partner in every way. He could not lose such a rare chance to find love for he’d never have such an opportunity at happiness again.
At ten o’clock, he stepped from his office to see how his future partner fared. Victor appeared to be re-creating the posting book from the profit and expense ledger.
“There were discrepancies, so I am choosing to believe your numbers,” Victor said.
“How condescendingly kind of you.” He watched his pup smile in response. “When is the next appointment?”<
br />
“Tomorrow at ten.”
“Excellent. It allows me time to stalk Mr. Ollie Simpson. Oh, wait…someone forgot to ask for an address.”
Victor grimaced and hit his head with the palm of his hand.
“Never mind, I will only waste an hour or two going to the courthouse and getting his location. Fortunately for you, I’ve no appointments and can manage the task.”
“Will you come back here after you’ve obtained it?”
“I will return at six. If you are finished with your work, I will take you to dinner, and we will stalk dear Ollie together.”
Vic rewarded him with a smile that pierced Xavier’s heart.
“Don’t rush your work, for you’ll spend more time hunting errors than it would have taken you to do it right in the first place.”
“I’ve already learned that.”
“Once again, it seems I have nothing to teach you.”
“Sir, will you be taking Davy?”
“I intended to. Why? Did you have some pressing need for him?”
“Well, you are almost out of tea, and perhaps you are accustomed to eating nothing all day, but I am growing faint with hunger and will have perished long before my promised meal this evening. Also, if I’m going to spend the evening stalking Mr. Simpson, I need to let Gregory and Claire know so they won’t worry about me.”
“My God, you are troublesome!” He sighed. “Very well, you may have Davy, and I shall wear out my shoes filling in the information it would have taken you but a second to obtain.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask her. I will do better next time.”
“I have no doubt.”
Xavier stepped out of his office. Davy and the carriage stood ready to leave. “Change of plans. Victor needs you more than I just now.” He reached into his pocket and handed the driver several pound notes. “Hopefully that will be enough to cover whatever the imp plans to acquire.”
“I think he’s a cut above the others, sir. I’m bettin’ this one will work out.”
“He might at that. How many drivers did I have before you?”
The Troublesome Apprentice (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 1) Page 6