March.”
Tobias did not say a word, but his gaze was disconcertingly steady. Belatedly, she thought about their last case, the one she had privately titled the Affair of the Mad Mesmerist in her journal.
She cleared her throat. “Yes, well, there may have been one or two unfortunate incidents along the way over the years, but they were accidents, as it were.”
“Accidents,” Tobias repeated neutrally.
“No,
not
accidents,” she corrected instantly. “Desperate acts of great bravery required to save the lives of others such as myself. Most definitely not cold-blooded murder. There is a vast difference, Tobias.” She drew a breath. “Now, then, enough of that subject. Tell me where Aspasia Gray fits into this affair.”
“Aspasia?” He frowned. “Did I not explain?”
“No, sir, you did not.”
“She was Zachary’s lover.”
“Elland’s lover. I see. That explains a few things, I suppose.”
“They met in the spring before Waterloo. Aspasia conceived a great passion for Elland, and he appeared equally enthralled by her. They made plans to wed. When Zachary returned to his work as a spy that summer, he used Aspasia’s entrée in Society to obtain access to certain wealthy people. We believe that in addition to using the introductions to gather intelligence, he also took advantage of those opportunities to acquire some of his private clients.”
“Dear heaven.”
“One evening Aspasia stumbled onto the truth about how Elland made his living. In her horror, she fled from him. I have often wondered if the real reason he put the pistol to his head that night was not because I was closing in on him but because he had lost the woman he loved.”
“I find it rather difficult to believe that a killer would have such a romantic sensibility,” she muttered.
“The odd thing is that, in his own way, Elland’s nature was both dramatic and romantic. He reminded me of an artist or poet who lusts after any experience that will provide him with the highest peaks of emotion and sensation.”
“Without regard to the price he must pay?”
“Elland never counted the cost. He lived for the next thrill.”
“What did Aspasia do after she learned he had taken his own life?”
“She was utterly distraught. It is the only time I have ever seen her in such a state. Elland was the only man she had ever truly loved, and she was inconsolable. It was not just the fact that he had taken his own life that wounded her so deeply.”
“It was that she had loved him and not seen the truth of his nature?”
“Yes. Aspasia is a woman of the world, as I’m sure you have guessed. She considered herself too intelligent and too strong-minded to be deceived in matters of love. Zachary’s deception shook her to the core.”
She told herself that she ought to feel some sympathy for Aspasia, but every time she thought about how she had discovered the other woman with her arms around Tobias’s neck, she found it impossible to summon up much pity.
Nevertheless, she had to admit, learning that one’s lover was a professional killer who took such a degree of satisfaction in his work that he marked it with his personal signature was enough to give any woman, even Cleopatra, a bad case of nerves.
“I collect that you feel a sense of obligation in all this,” she said. “And Mrs. Gray is no doubt playing on that sensibility. Does she blame you for starting Elland down the path that led to his personal destruction?”
“She did not say as much aloud, but, yes, I suspect she does.”
“Rubbish,” she said again, very harshly this time. “Absolute rubbish.”
“I think she also feels a measure of guilt, because she was the one who helped him achieve the connections in Society that led to certain murders.”
Lavinia sighed. “What a sad tale.”
He opened his hand once more so that the candlelight flared on the small skull and crossbones. “And now it would seem that someone is determined to retell
Tobias did not say a word, but his gaze was disconcertingly steady. Belatedly, she thought about their last case, the one she had privately titled the Affair of the Mad Mesmerist in her journal.
She cleared her throat. “Yes, well, there may have been one or two unfortunate incidents along the way over the years, but they were accidents, as it were.”
“Accidents,” Tobias repeated neutrally.
“No,
not
accidents,” she corrected instantly. “Desperate acts of great bravery required to save the lives of others such as myself. Most definitely not cold-blooded murder. There is a vast difference, Tobias.” She drew a breath. “Now, then, enough of that subject. Tell me where Aspasia Gray fits into this affair.”
“Aspasia?” He frowned. “Did I not explain?”
“No, sir, you did not.”
“She was Zachary’s lover.”
“Elland’s lover. I see. That explains a few things, I suppose.”
“They met in the spring before Waterloo. Aspasia conceived a great passion for Elland, and he appeared equally enthralled by her. They made plans to wed. When Zachary returned to his work as a spy that summer, he used Aspasia’s entrée in Society to obtain access to certain wealthy people. We believe that in addition to using the introductions to gather intelligence, he also took advantage of those opportunities to acquire some of his private clients.”
“Dear heaven.”
“One evening Aspasia stumbled onto the truth about how Elland made his living. In her horror, she fled from him. I have often wondered if the real reason he put the pistol to his head that night was not because I was closing in on him but because he had lost the woman he loved.”
“I find it rather difficult to believe that a killer would have such a romantic sensibility,” she muttered.
“The odd thing is that, in his own way, Elland’s nature was both dramatic and romantic. He reminded me of an artist or poet who lusts after any experience that will provide him with the highest peaks of emotion and sensation.”
“Without regard to the price he must pay?”
“Elland never counted the cost. He lived for the next thrill.”
“What did Aspasia do after she learned he had taken his own life?”
“She was utterly distraught. It is the only time I have ever seen her in such a state. Elland was the only man she had ever truly loved, and she was inconsolable. It was not just the fact that he had taken his own life that wounded her so deeply.”
“It was that she had loved him and not seen the truth of his nature?”
“Yes. Aspasia is a woman of the world, as I’m sure you have guessed. She considered herself too intelligent and too strong-minded to be deceived in matters of love. Zachary’s deception shook her to the core.”
She told herself that she ought to feel some sympathy for Aspasia, but every time she thought about how she had discovered the other woman with her arms around Tobias’s neck, she found it impossible to summon up much pity.
Nevertheless, she had to admit, learning that one’s lover was a professional killer who took such a degree of satisfaction in his work that he marked it with his personal signature was enough to give any woman, even Cleopatra, a bad case of nerves.
“I collect that you feel a sense of obligation in all this,” she said. “And Mrs. Gray is no doubt playing on that sensibility. Does she blame you for starting Elland down the path that led to his personal destruction?”
“She did not say as much aloud, but, yes, I suspect she does.”
“Rubbish,” she said again, very harshly this time. “Absolute rubbish.”
“I think she also feels a measure of guilt, because she was the one who helped him achieve the connections in Society that led to certain murders.”
Lavinia sighed. “What a sad tale.”
He opened his hand once more so that the candlelight flared on the small skull and crossbones. “And now it would seem that someone is determined to retell
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