Social Graces (Victorian Vigilantes Book 5) Read online

  Chichester shrugged, looking uncomfortable, as well he might. ‘It wasn’t just money. The company she kept didn’t meet with my approval. Theatrical types were in and out of her rooms the entire time. Since I was footing the bill for them, I felt I had a right to her exclusive company when I was in town, but Connie insisted that her career came first. She told me that if she wasn’t frequently seen by the right people she would be overlooked when it came time to cast the best parts.’

  ‘Didn’t she have an agent to look after her interests in that regard?’ Olivia asked.

  ‘She did, but she said that being seen was still vital.’

  Olivia tilted her head in a considering fashion. ‘She was likely right about that.’

  A shadow passed through her eyes and Jake knew she must be thinking about her late husband, who personally ensured that the most attractive actresses in his stable were seen frequently, usually clinging to his arm.

  Parker tapped at the door, a timely intervention that saw Olivia snap out of her reverie.

  ‘Lord and Lady Arnold have arrived,’ Parker said.

  Jake looked at his visitor and then at Olivia. He would have to decide, and decide now, if he intended to help Chichester. Somehow he wasn’t surprised when that decision was snatched from his hands.

  ‘If you require our help, Lord Chichester, then you must agree to Lord and Lady Arnold knowing the particulars.’

  ‘Olivia,’ Jake said in a warning tone. ‘We have not yet decided to—’

  ‘Nonsense, Jake, of course we must help Lord Chichester. I am sure that you are already intrigued to know how the murder could have taken place if no one entered Connie’s rooms after his lordship quit them, and only hesitate for my sake. But really, I am hardly going to fall apart because of any similarities to my past situation.’

  Jake threw up his hands. ‘Very well. We will make initial enquiries and see where they lead, but I make no further promises beyond that.’ He would tell Olivia later just how exasperating she could be. But for now he turned his attention to Chichester. ‘Olivia is right,’ he said. ‘Isaac Arnold is, as you know, not only a renowned defence barrister but also one of my closest confidantes and friends.’

  Chichester grunted. ‘You think I might have need of his services.’

  ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Isaac’s wife, as you will also know, once had urgent need of our help, much as you do at this moment. You can rely on their discretion.’

  ‘Very well.’ Chichester produced a handkerchief and wiped his brow with it. ‘I cannot feel any more humiliated than I already do.’

  ‘Your only concern should be proving your innocence, Lord Chichester,’ Olivia reminded him acerbically. ‘There is nothing exceptional about a gentleman in your situation taking a mistress, and no one will judge you for having done so. I can, however, understand your desire to save your wife and family from unnecessary embarrassment.’

  Jake knew when he was beaten and nodded to Parker, who escorted Eva and Isaac into the room.

  ‘Olivia,’ Eva said, embracing her friend. ‘What is…oh, excuse me, I did not realise,’ she added, noticing Chichester and sending Olivia an enquiring look.

  With the introductions made, Jake succinctly outlined Chichester’s problem.

  ‘You had best not speak to the police without legal representation,’ Isaac said, all business. ‘I can’t be of much help to you at present since I am required in court for the rest of the week, but I have a promising junior who will be happy to oblige, if Jake can’t be with you.’

  ‘You refer to Milton, I presume,’ Jake said, aware that Isaac had been impressed by the young man’s intelligence. He was a viscount’s youngest son whom Isaac had been encouraging Jake to include in their circle of vigilantes. This could be just the case for Otto Milton to prove his worth.

  ‘Yes, I do. With your approval I will send a message to Superintendent Dowd at Scotland Yard and suggest that he call upon you at Eton Place at ten in the morning, Chichester. Milton will be there with you. Better to receive the police on your home turf. The superintendent won’t be investigating the case personally but it’s reasonable for a man of your stature to expect the leading investigator to take your statement.’

  ‘Thank you, Arnold,’ Chichester said. ‘I’m sure you know what you’re talking about. Not had any dealings with the police myself, so I place myself in your capable hands.’

  ‘Very well, Isaac. Include Milton by all means.’ Jake returned his attention to Chichester. ‘Where is Sophia Larson now?’

  ‘With her paternal grandmother, a widow who resides in Highgate. Sophia is arranging for her father to be told, but whether he will forgive Connie, even in death, and involve himself in the investigation is open to question.’

  ‘Good heavens,’ Olivia said. ‘I suppose that family resentments ought not to surprise me, given what I have been through myself, but somehow they always do.’

  ‘I shall need to speak with Sophia at the earliest opportunity,’ Jake said. ‘Do you have her address?’

  ‘I do.’ Chichester supplied it from memory and Parker, who had remained in the room, wrote it down.

  ‘Send her a note, asking her to have the goodness to remain there until we can speak with her tomorrow.’

  ‘I will do that.’

  ‘Go home to your son, Chichester,’ Jake said, rising to indicate the interview was at an end. ‘Isaac will arrange for Milton to call upon you first thing tomorrow and be with you when Dowd calls. Milton will advise you on what to say.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Chichester offered Jake his hand, which Jake shook. He repeated the gesture with Isaac and bowed to the ladies. ‘I apologise for intruding upon your evening,’ he said graciously, ‘and for bringing such a disreputable situation to your door.’

  ‘I hope our husbands will between them be able to get to the bottom of matters,’ Olivia replied. ‘I expect they will. They have a happy knack for asking awkward questions of people who would prefer not to answer them, and for not giving up until they extract those answers.’

  ‘I am more relieved than you could possibly know to hear you say so, Lady Torbay. Good evening to you.’

  ‘Well,’ Isaac said, smiling at Jake and Olivia when the four of them were alone. ‘No one can accuse you two of allowing the grass to grow beneath your feet. You have not been back in London for more than five minutes and already you are embroiled in potentially the greatest scandal to hit the capital since—’

  ‘Since my husband was proven to be a traitor?’ Eva suggested, smiling.

  ‘I am your husband, my dear,’ Isaac said, taking her hand and squeezing it. ‘The man whom you were previously married to was not your choice and therefore doesn’t count.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Olivia said. ‘Besides, Eva, my scandal eclipsed yours.’

  ‘I didn’t invite Chichester to seek my help, Isaac.’ Jake glowered at the fire. ‘And I’m not sure that we should offer it.’

  ‘Of course we must, Jake,’ Olivia replied. ‘I realise that the police will think twice before they arrest a man of his standing, but still…if all the evidence points his way, and with such a high profile case, you and I both know that they will eventually have to do so.’

  ‘Perhaps that’s because he is in fact the guilty party,’ Jake replied, refusing to be mollified. ‘He is well known for having a quick temper, dislikes being gainsaid and was clearly passionate about his actress. If Connie did decide to throw him over for a less demanding and more generous lover, I wouldn’t put anything past him.’

  ‘He’s grumpy because he hasn’t had his dinner yet,’ Olivia said, smiling at her husband. ‘I know you don’t like the man, Jake, and I can quite see why. It’s the first time I’ve had the dubious pleasure of meeting him and, given the reason for his call, I don’t suppose he showed himself in his best light.’

  ‘You didn’t take to him either.’ Jake flashed a brief smile. ‘I knew it. The man’s only concern was for his own hide.�
�

  ‘I can relate to that,’ Olivia said quietly. ‘Even so, you are right as always. I didn’t take to him. He has an arrogance about him, an assumption that his word is sufficient and will never be questioned, perhaps because he is unaccustomed to having anything he says disputed. He resented Jake seeking clarification of the circumstances surrounding Connie’s death, although that could have been because I was here and he hoped I would leave the room.’

  ‘Ha!’ Jake cried, rolling his eyes.

  Olivia flashed a mischievous smile. ‘Needless to say, I did not leave. Anyway, he resented having to explain himself, even though he must have realised that by coming here he would have to admit the full story if he wanted Jake to know all the facts. But still, think of his family. Think of the young son he brought up to London with him and actually introduced to his mistress. The youth wouldn’t have known that was who she was, but still…’

  ‘Goodness,’ Eva said. ‘I didn’t take to him either, but it can’t hurt to delve a little deeper, surely?’ She turned to Isaac. ‘Besides, if you and Jake are able to prove his innocence, Lord Chichester will be indebted to you and that will make things a good deal easier for Olivia and me.’

  ‘Quite so,’ Olivia said, in spirited support of her friend’s argument. ‘We are both notorious women, and society doesn’t know what to make of either of us now that we are respectably married. Despite Lord Chichester’s hope that his involvement won’t emerge, we all know that it’s bound to. Such a salacious murder, involving a famous actress and a marquess, cannot be kept from the newspapers. But if you two manage to clear his name, then Chichester will be in your debt.’

  ‘Infuriating woman,’ Jake muttered, sighing. ‘I have agreed to make enquiries, but if I even suspect that Chichester is guilty then he can go to the devil. I will not sully my own name by associating it with that of a murderer.’ He held up a hand to cut off Olivia’s protest. ‘You were not a murderer,’ he said, his voice softening. ‘I knew it from the first.’

  ‘You were one of the few who did.’

  ‘Either way, I shall have Otto Milton call on Chichester in the morning and hold his hand whilst Dowd asks his questions.’ Isaac said, taking Eva’s arm as Parker announced that dinner was served.

  ‘And I shall call upon Miss Sophia Larson at her grandmother’s abode,’ Olivia added as the four of them moved through to the dining room.

  ‘No, Olivia.’ Jake emphatically shook his head. ‘I don’t want you publicly involved with this affair. Not until we know all the facts.’

  ‘Jake, you are being most unreasonable. No harm can come from a quiet word, woman to woman. I expect Sophia is upset and worried, especially if she gets no support from her father, who sounds vindictive. She will likely open up to me and tell me things she might not tell you—or any other man, come to that.’

  ‘No, my love,’ he said firmly as he helped her with her chair. ‘I’m afraid I must insist. Young Milton can go and see her after he’s seen Chichester through his interview.’

  ‘Oh, very well,’ she pouted. ‘What shall you do?’

  ‘I shall go and talk to the porter at Connie’s apartment building and see what he has to say for himself.’

  ‘You are thinking, I suppose,’ Isaac said as he picked up his soup spoon, ‘that it’s impossible for him to be absolutely certain that no one else called upon Connie after Chichester left her.’

  ‘Precisely. He cannot be at his post the entire time. If Chichester is innocent, then the killer need only have waited until the porter left his position by the door and slipped into the building whilst he was gone.’

  ‘Perhaps he bore the marquess a grudge and wanted to implicate him,’ Eva suggested.

  ‘Absolutely. A rival for Connie’s affections. It sounds to me as though she may have enjoyed playing her admirers off against one another. A younger man than Chichester was keen on her, perhaps wanted to marry her, but Connie required Chichester’s patronage in order to open doors that would otherwise have remained closed to her.’ He shrugged. ‘I have no way of knowing. Yet.’

  Jake noticed Olivia and Eva exchange a satisfied smile as course after course came and went and he and Isaac continued to discuss the various possibilities. Both ladies would be aware that neither of their husbands would be able to walk away from such a tantalising investigation now, no matter how much they disliked Chichester.

  Chapter Three

  Otto Milton straightened his frock coat, donned his hat and smiled at Isaac Arnold, his employer and friend.

  ‘Not quite the assignment you expected, I would imagine,’ Isaac said. ‘Even so, I know I can depend upon you to guide Chichester through the interview. Just make sure he only answers the questions the superintendent puts to him and doesn’t volunteer any unnecessary information that could be twisted and used against him. Not that I think he will. He will resent having to explain himself at all. But for pity’s sake, try to make sure he doesn’t lose his temper.’

  ‘You’re asking a lot,’ Otto replied with an amiable grin. ‘But I shall do my humble best.’

  Isaac shot his junior a despairing look. ‘I have yet to see you demonstrate an ounce of humility.’

  ‘Have you? You make me sound positively conceited.’

  ‘Let’s settle for disgustingly self-assured.’

  ‘Well, you have to admit that I wouldn’t make much of a barrister if I didn’t take on a few airs. Besides, I learned everything I know by watching you in action in court.’

  ‘Touché,’ Isaac said, smiling. ‘Anyway, once you’ve finished holding Chichester’s hand, take yourself off to Highgate and speak with Miss Sophia Larson, the deceased’s sister. She and the porter discovered the body, so I imagine the poor girl’s in a bit of a state. The police had a brief word with her yesterday, but I doubt they’ll bother her again.’

  ‘You think she might be able to cast more light upon her sister’s activities? Volunteer the name of an alternative suspect, perhaps?’

  ‘Possibly. She’s the only member of her family who had anything to do with Connie, so if Connie confided in anyone it would have been her.’

  ‘You want to know if there were competitors for Connie’s favours, I presume?’

  ‘Yes, but don’t press the girl. She’s probably still in shock. Just see what sort of impression she makes upon you. I’m sure I can depend upon you for that. Given that your name has been linked with so many young women over the recent past, you must have developed a manner for handling them.’

  ‘Don’t remind me.’ Otto spread his hands. ‘Am I to blame if my mother is determined to marry me off? Why do you suppose I hide myself away here with you in Lincoln’s Inn?’

  ‘And there I was thinking you had a genuine interest in a career in the law.’

  ‘Oh, I shall have to work for a living, make no mistake about that. I shall have to marry eventually too,’ he added gloomily. ‘If only to pacify my mother. She can be terribly determined, and she scares the life out of me when she gets in a temper.’

  Isaac’s expression of sympathy lacked conviction. ‘I cannot imagine you cowering in a corner, hiding from your mother—although I do feel for you. I’m a younger son too, but at least I wasn’t being constantly pressured into marriage.’

  ‘I probably exaggerate. My mother really only wants to see me happy and I’m too obliging to spoil her fun. Anyway, in your case, you knew you’d found the right woman when you met Lady Isaac, you lucky dog! Would that we could all be so fortunate.’

  Isaac glanced at the clock and jumped to his feet. ‘Charming as this discussion is, I shall be late for court if I linger here any longer discussing your romantic aspirations, or lack thereof. Hopefully our paths will cross later today and you can let me know how you got on. Oh, and one more thing.’ Isaac turned back with his hand on the door. ‘Don’t let Chichester bully you. You are there to do him a service for which we are not being recompensed. Don’t hesitate to remind him of that fact if he gets above himself. He needs us a
great deal more than we need him.’

  ‘My mother notwithstanding, I am not in the habit of allowing anyone to bully me,’ Otto replied cordially. ‘Not even you—and you do recompense me, albeit by a miserly amount.’

  Isaac laughed. ‘We get what we deserve in this life, dear boy.’

  Otto laughed too, well aware that he was fortunate to be learning his trade at the hands of a master. He sauntered out into the street and hailed a hansom, which delivered him to Eton Place a good ten minutes before the superintendent was engaged to call upon the marquess.

  He gave his name to the butler who answered the door and was immediately shown into a well-proportioned drawing room.

  ‘His lordship will be with you directly,’ the butler told him before withdrawing.

  Otto barely had an opportunity to take in his surroundings before the door opened again. He glanced in that direction and found it was not the marquess who joined him, but a lad of about fifteen or sixteen.

  ‘Are you here to see my father?’ the youth asked politely.

  ‘If your father is the Marquess of Chichester then yes I am. Otto Milton, barrister at law at your service. Well barrister in training actually, but that doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, wouldn’t you agree?’

  ‘Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr Milton,’ he said, offering his hand. ‘My name is Riley Rochester and I am the marquess’s younger son. How do you find practising law?’

  Otto grinned at the young lad’s somewhat precocious approach. ‘I am Lord Isaac Arnold’s pupil, so it goes without saying that I see a lot of interesting cases. Not that I’m let loose on many of them, but I’m learning a great deal and enjoying myself, for the most part. Are you thinking of taking up a similar line of work when your education is complete?’

  ‘Possibly. In my opinion, it’s beyond time that our legal system, and the police system too for that matter, gave a better account of themselves. Juries are far too biased in favour of the defence, which is all very well if the defendant is guilty, but I think there must be a lot of miscarriages of justice.’