Dangerous (28 page)

“A nipple, I believe.” He touched it with the tip of his tongue. “Yes, definitely a nipple. And an extraordinarily lovely one, at that.”

“No, not that.” Prudence peered over his lowered head. “That piece of paper on the seat. I must have sat down on it when I got into the carriage a few minutes ago. It looks like a note.”

Sebastian raised his head slightly and glanced at the folded piece of paper. “What the devil?”

He reached out and picked up the note. Then he straightened and held it so that the light from the carriage lamp fell across it. He examined it closely and then he unfolded it. There was a short message scrawled inside.

“I thought so—a note. Someone left it here in the carriage while we were at the ball.” Prudence tugged her bodice
back into place and straightened her spectacles. She gazed at the unfamiliar writing as Sebastian read the message aloud.

Sebastian frowned. “There’s no signature. It was most likely written by one of the shopkeepers we interviewed today.”

“How can you be sure?”

“It’s obviously from someone who does not want us troubling him with further inquiries. The only people we have been questioning are the shopkeepers.”

“Lord Curling’s name is on the list,” Prudence said. “That makes sense, I suppose. We found the button in his wardrobe, after all.”

“Ringcross is dead. Curling wants his death investigated. Both belonged to The Princes of Virtue club.” Sebastian tapped the note absently against his thigh, his expression intent. “I think the next step is to talk to Bloomfield and Oxenham.”

“Do you know them?”

“I have met Oxenham. He’s involved in shipping. Somewhere along the line he managed to marry two heiresses. I heard that both young women died soon after their weddings. One in a carriage accident. One from an overdose of laudanum. That was several years ago.”

Prudence shuddered. She reached for her shawl and wrapped it around herself. “That sounds rather ominous.”

“Yes, it does, doesn’t it?” Sebastian leaned back into the corner of the carriage and eyed Prudence with a thoughtful expression. “I believe I will talk to him first.”

“What about Bloomfield?” Prudence asked.

“I don’t know much about him. Rumor has it he’s a bit mad. He does not frequent the clubs and I have never encountered him in Society.”

“And Curling?”

“We must take this investigation one step at a time,” Sebastian said. “It is not yet obvious what Curling’s role is in all this. Nor do we know the role my cousin is playing.”

Prudence mulled that over for a moment. “According to that note, Oxenham lives on Rowland Street.”

“Yes.” Sebastian paused. “I think I would prefer to visit their homes while they are absent before I talk to them.”

“It occurs to me, my lord,” Prudence said softly, “that as you no longer need to pay a late-night visit to that establishment in Bond Street, you are quite free for the rest of the evening.”

“If one assumes that this list of names is complete, which is a dangerous assumption.” Sebastian regarded her with a hooded gaze. “What are you getting at, my dear?”

Prudence smiled expectantly. “We shall pass near Rowland Street on our way home tonight.”

“No,” Sebastian said immediately. “Don’t think for one moment that I am going to take you on a late-night visit to Oxenham’s home.”

“We could at least drive past his house and see if he is out for the evening,” Prudence said persuasively. “Surely there would be no risk in that, Sebastian.”

“Absolutely not. I am not going to allow you anywhere near his house.”

“We would not need to stop,” Prudence argued. “We could simply determine whether or not he is at home this evening. Then, if you wished to return later we would know if it was safe to do so.”

Sebastian hesitated, obviously torn. “I suppose it would do no harm to drive past his house.”

Prudence hid her smile of satisfaction. “None at all. We
would be merely one more carriage traveling home from a ball. No one would take any notice.”

“Very well.” Sebastian stood up and raised the trapdoor in the top of the carriage.

“Aye, m’lord?” the coachman called down.

“I wish to go home by way of Rowland Street,” Sebastian instructed.

“It’s a bit of a side trip, m’lord.”

“Yes, I know, but I think it will be faster. Less traffic.”

“Aye, m’lord. Whatever you say, sir.”

Sebastian lowered the trapdoor and sat down slowly across from Prudence. “Why do I have the feeling that I am going to regret letting you talk me into this little excursion?”

“I have no notion,” Prudence said lightly. “There is certainly no risk involved.”

“Hmm.”

Prudence chuckled. “You may as well face the truth, Sebastian. You want to do this as much as I do. In some ways we are very much alike, as you keep pointing out to me.”

“A prospect which I find increasingly alarming.” Sebastian extinguished the interior lamps. Then he tugged aside the curtains that concealed the windows and lowered the glass.

Prudence watched curiously, “What are you doing?”

“Making certain of our anonymity while in the neighborhood. The fog is quite heavy now, so there is probably no need to worry that someone will recognize the carriage. Nevertheless, one cannot be too careful.”

Sebastian reached under the seat and pulled out a flat piece of wood that had been painted black. He attached it to two small hooks on the inside of the door and suspended it over the side.

Prudence realized the painted board would cover up the distinctive Angelstone crest. “Very clever, Sebastian.”

“A reasonable precaution.” He sat back in the seat.

Prudence smiled. “And one you have taken before, I collect.”

“Yes.”

She could not see his expression in the deep shadows, but she could hear the current of anticipation in his voice. He was caught up in the excitement of the adventure now, just as she was.

Rowland Street proved to be a remarkably quiet neighborhood. As Sebastian had predicted, there was very little traffic. Prudence gazed out the open window. Through the drifting tendrils of fog she saw that most of the houses were dark.

Sebastian leaned forward. “If the direction given on that note is correct, that will be Oxenham’s house.”

“There are no lights on at all.” Prudence glanced at Sebastian. “I’ll wager no one is home. This would be a perfect opportunity to take a quick look around.”

“The servants are probably at home.” Sebastian was staring at the darkened house with keen interest.

“If so, they are asleep below stairs. They might even have gone out for the evening,” Prudence suggested. “It is not unknown for house staff to take the night off if they are certain their master will not be home until quite late.”

“True.”

“We could instruct the coachman to wait at the corner while we take a short walk down the alley behind Oxenham’s house.”

“Damnation, Prue, I told you I was not going to take you with me when I paid my visit to Oxenham.”

“But who knows when you’ll get another opportunity like this? By the time you take me home and return, Oxenham might very well have come back. You would have to wait until another night.”

Sebastian hesitated. “I suppose I could leave you here in the carriage while I take a quick look at the back of the house.”

“I want to come with you.”

“No. I forbid it.” Sebastian raised the trapdoor and spoke softly to the coachman. “Drive to the end of the street and turn the corner. I shall get out briefly. If anything unusual occurs while I am gone, you are to drive Lady Angelstone home at once. I shall find my own way home.”

“Aye, yer lordship.” The man spoke with the resigned voice of a servant who was accustomed to odd late-night forays and even odder instructions from a very odd master.

Prudence made one last attempt to change Sebastian’s mind. “This is most unfair of you, my lord.”

“It was your idea,” he reminded her. He removed his greatcoat. “Here, you had better take this. I might be gone for some time and I don’t want you taking a chill.”

“But I fully intended to accompany you,” Prudence said as she struggled into the greatcoat.

“I told you at the start that I would not allow it,” he said.

“You wouldn’t even be here now if I hadn’t thought of driving down Rowland Street.”

“You are quite right,” he said as the carriage came to a halt. “Nevertheless, this is as far as you go on this investigation.” He caught her face between his gloved hands and kissed her fiercely.

When he raised his head Prudence straightened her spectacles. She could hardly make out his face in the darkness, but she could definitely feel the controlled excitement in him.

“Sebastian, listen to me.”

“Be reasonable, Prue, you cannot possibly go running about in this fog dressed like that.”

“Do not dare use my gown as an excuse. The truth is, you don’t want me to have any fun. Admit it.”

His teeth flashed briefly in the shadows. “I shall return presently, my dear. Don’t leave the carriage.”

He opened the door, jumped down onto the pavement, and vanished almost instantly into the fog-shrouded night.

“Bloody hell,” Prudence muttered.

A moment later she opened the carriage door.

“Beggin’ yer pardon, ma’am, but where are ye goin’?” the coachman hissed in alarm. “I was instructed to keep an eye on ye. His lordship will have me head if ye don’t stay in the coach.”

“Do not concern yourself,” Prudence whispered reassuringly. “I shall speak to his lordship. He won’t blame you for this.”

“The hell he won’t. Please, ma’am, I beg ye on bended knee. Get back in the coach.”

“Try not to worry. I shall return soon.”

“I’m a dead man,” the coachman said sadly. “Always knew that when he married, his lordship would pick a female as bloody-minded as himself. Serves him right, suppose. But what’s goin’ to happen to me, I ask ye?”

“I shall see to it that your post is secure,” Prudence said softly. “Now I must be off.”

Prudence was grateful for Sebastian’s heavily caped coat as she made her way down the lane behind the row of town houses. She counted garden gates until she found the one that belonged to the house Sebastian had pointed out earlier.

She was not surprised to find the gate unlatched. Sebastian was only a few minutes ahead of her, after all. He had already come this way. What sent a chill of alarm through her was the realization that there was a light in one of the windows on the ground floor at the back of Oxenham’s house.

Someone was home.

Prudence hesitated, wondering why Sebastian had gone on into the garden knowing that the house was occupied. Then she reminded herself that he was perfectly capable of investigating a lady’s bedchamber while the lady herself was downstairs playing hostess to half the
ton
. Nor had he hesitated to explore the upper floor of Curling Castle while Curling’s
guests traipsed about from bedchamber to bedchamber one floor below.

She ought not to be surprised that Sebastian had decided to take a closer look at Oxenham’s house in spite of the light in one window.

Emboldened by the realization that he had already gone ahead, Prudence opened the gate and stepped into the garden. She winced when she found the graveled path. She could feel every tiny pebble through the soles of her soft satin evening slippers.

Midway through the garden Prudence was forced to alter her course slightly due to a high hedge. She stepped around the corner of the prickly foliage and collided with a large, solid masculine chest. Strong arms tightened around her, crushing her face against a familiar shirt.

“Umph.”

“Damn it to hell.” Sebastian’s voice was very soft and very annoyed. “I had a hunch you wouldn’t follow orders. Don’t make a sound, do you understand?”

Prudence nodded her head frantically.

He released her cautiously. Prudence raised her face. She could just barely make out Sebastian’s irritated expression. “What are we going to do?” she asked in a voice that was even softer than his had been.

“You are going to stand right here while I take a closer look. Then we’re going to leave as quickly as possible.”

Sebastian moved away from her. Prudence watched anxiously as he made his way past the darkened windows of the ground floor. She saw his hand move once or twice and realized he was testing the windows to see if any were open.

She held her breath when he approached the one window through which light could be seen. Sebastian flattened himself against the wall and looked into the room from an angle.

He did not move for a long moment. Then he edged closer and studied the room from a slightly different angle.

Something was wrong, Prudence realized. She could
sense it in the way Sebastian was standing. He was staring through the glass now, studying the scene inside very closely. Prudence took a cautious step forward. Sebastian did not notice. He was concentrating on whatever was inside the room.

Prudence watched in amazement as he reached out and opened the window. She darted toward him.

“Stay back,” Sebastian ordered softly as she approached him. “I mean it, Prue. Don’t follow me.”

“What are you doing? You can’t go inside. Someone is obviously home.”

“I know,” Sebastian said quietly. “Oxenham. But I do not believe he will notice that he has a visitor.”

Sebastian swung his leg over the windowsill and dropped lightly into the room.

Shocked in spite of herself at this fresh evidence of Sebastian’s outrageous boldness, Prudence hastened over to the window. She peered inside.

For an instant she could not comprehend what she was seeing. Then the sight registered. Prudence took an instinctive step back in horror.

A man lay sprawled facedown on the carpet. There was blood all over his head and more blood on the carpet beside him.