Page 18 of A Whisper and a Curse
“I’m not sure that will prove thattheyare frauds,” Tilda said gently.
Hadrian paused at the bottom of the stairs and turned toward her. “You believe me, don’t you?”
“Of course. I have never doubted your visions.” Her eyes met his, and the trust within them settled him. “Are you sure your head is all right? You could plead a headache and we could depart—it wouldn’t be untrue.”
“My mother would be disappointed to leave.”
Tilda arched a brow at him. “Then you see that this pleases her, even if it is false? Would it harm her if she thought she was talking to Gabriel, even though she wasn’t?”
Hadrian scowled. “I hate the idea of someone pretending to be my brother. Especially for the purpose of fooling my mother.”
“Even if it makes her feel good?”
“I can’t believe you would think it acceptable for people to be swindled. And there is something shady going on with regard to the fees for these séances. My mother said there was no fee forthe first one she attended and did not say what it would cost to attend another. I didn’t think to ask, for I’d hoped tonight would be her only séance. However, now she must return next week in order to speak with Gabriel. Will they charge her for that? Have they lured her in with a free séance only to ensure she must come back for a fee? Will Mrs. Frost also fail to speak with Gabriel next week, which will require my mother to return a third time?”
Tilda frowned. “I understand you are concerned, but let us not move ahead of the facts we have.”
Hadrian took a deep breath. “My apologies. Since I have seen evidence of their levitation fraud, I am inclined to distrust the mediums and this society entirely.”
“Let us continue to collect evidence. In particular, we need to be able to prove they are deceiving people with regard to communicating with the spirit realm.”
“So I’m to accompany my mother to another séance next week and permit them to perchance fleece her of whatever it may cost?”
Her gaze was warm with understanding. “I’m afraid you must, as it is vital to my investigation. Though you must also realize we will not wait until then to gather more evidence. I would like to visit the other premier medium, Mr. Hawkins, and see what we may learn. Please just wait to deter your mother until we have proof. I would hate for you to cause her upset—you have such a nice relationship.”
Hadrian thought he heard a wistful edge to Tilda’s observation. Perhaps that was due to the estranged relationship between Tilda and her own mother. “I don’t want to upset her either. We should go into dinner. I imagine we are holding it up.”
They started toward the dining room, and Hadrian turned his mind to what Tilda had said—collecting more evidence. “I want to investigate the table in the drawing room, but I don’t suppose I’ll be able to do that tonight.”
“Why don’t we arrange to return another day?” Tilda suggested. “We’ll ask for a consultation with Mrs. Frost. I can distract her, and you can look at the table. I would like to try to ascertain whether she shares your gift. I’m curious how she knew about your brother’s horse.”
“As am I. I don’t know what the letter that my mother gave the medium said. Perhaps he mentioned the horse in it.”
“Along with a description of the forelock?” Tilda’s eyes narrowed. “That is something that someone could have seen.”
“As I am able to do. You think Mrs. Frost touched the letter and perhaps saw a memory of my mother’s that included Angus?” Hadrian shook his head, which still ached. “How many people have this ability?”
“Perhaps three,” Tilda said. “The premier mediums. Or four, since Mallory is also a medium.”
“They train other mediums too. Are they somehow able to recruit people with this ability? I find that exceedingly hard to imagine. I am afraid of anyone finding out about what I can do. Why aren’t they?”
Tilda smiled at him. “You are thinking like an investigator.”
He chuckled and then escorted her into the dining room, where they went to the two remaining seats, which were, fortunately, together. His mother was already seated next to Mrs. Frost at the head of the table, and Mr. Montrose sat on the medium’s other side.
“I’ll speak with Mrs. Frost after dinner to set an appointment for us to return,” Tilda whispered as Hadrian held her chair.
Dinner would have been a tedious affair if not for Tilda’s company. It seemed their friendship was intact following the kiss they should not have shared. Hadrian was glad. He wanted her as a friend, in addition to working with her on investigations.
At one point, he realized he’d missed a detail about the vision he’d seen after accepting the glass from Montrose. He leanedtoward Tilda to tell her. “I saw Montrose in that vision I had when I took the glass from him.”
She turned her head to meet his gaze. “Does that mean it wasn’t his memory?”
“I have to assume so.” When Hadrian experienced a memory, he did so from the perspective of the person to whom the memory belonged. If it had been Montrose’s memory, he would not have seen him sitting next to Mrs. Frost, which was what he’d recalled during dinner.
“Whose memory was it, do you suppose?” Tilda asked.
“I can’t be sure, but it had to be someone who was present at the society headquarters whilst someone else demonstrated how to pretend to levitate.”