Page 73 of A Whisper and a Curse

Hadrian knocked soundly. It was a few moments before the door opened. A woman in a gray gown with a cap perched upon her sable hair perused them.

“Good afternoon, I am Lord Ravenhurst.” Hadrian handed his card to the woman, who was presumably the housekeeper. “And this is my colleague, Miss Wren. We are here to see Captain Vale. Since we have come from London and are due to return later this afternoon, we hope he is able to receive us.”

The housekeeper’s dark brows gathered as she looked at his card. “I see. Please come inside. Wait here.” She indicated they move to a place near the center of the rectangular entrance hall, then she departed through an archway to the right that led into a large staircase hall. She moved past the stairs and turned to the left.

Tilda was looking after the woman and stepped closer to the archway. “That is an interesting room.”

Hadrian looked into the staircase hall and noted a variety of swords and other blades adorning the walls. “An inspiring collection.”

“Inspiring how?” she asked archly. “Unless you’re planning on opening a school for swordsmanship?”

“I suppose that is one use for them,” Hadrian said with a chuckle.

“Why didn’t a butler answer the door?” Tilda asked. “I would expect a house like this to have a butler.” She sent Hadrian a sardonic glance. “I still can’t believewehave a butler.”

“There may be a butler here, but perhaps he couldn’t come to the door for some reason. He may be busy belowstairs. Or it could be that Captain Vale does not employ a butler. Some households run on a smaller complement of retainers. I presume the woman who answered the door is the housekeeper.”

Tilda pivoted to face him. “Is it strange that I asked about the butler?”

Hadrian wasn’t sure how to respond. He did not find it odd, but he could also not ignore the fact that she had asked and that she’d expected him to know the answer. Because of course, he would know how a house like this would run. “I don’t think so. And you are lucky to have a wonderful butler.”

“That we don’t really need,” she said with fleeting smile that lingered in her eyes.

The woman who Hadrian presumed was the housekeeper walked back into the staircase hall and continued toward them. She stopped just on the other side of the archway. “Captain Vale will receive you.”

She led them back the way she’d come, taking them into a cavernous library. A gentleman who bore more than a passing resemblance to Lysander Mallory strode toward them. His hair was not quite as blond as his son’s, but the hooded eyes were the exact same.

“Welcome, my lord, Miss Wren.” The captain gave them a sharp bow that one might expect from someone who’d served in the military.

“Thank you for seeing us,” Hadrian said. “This is a magnificent library.” He looked about the massive room, thinking it was one of the largest libraries he’d ever seen, including the rather substantial one at Ravenswood, Hadrian’s estate in Hampshire.

“My father is to blame. He decided the ballroom would make a much better library, and since he never held a ball, I believe he was right.” Captain Vale smiled. “I confess I’ve added to it since my retirement. I spend a great deal of time here.”

“You’ve a passion for reading?” Tilda asked.

“Shakespeare in particular. I fancy myself an amateur scholar, if there is such a thing,” he added with a smile.

Shakespeare. That could explain why Thaddeus Vale had a favorite Shakespearean character. Hadrian exchanged a look with Tilda.

“Did your son inherit your love of Shakespeare?” Tilda asked.

Captain Vale blinked at her. “Which son?”

“Thaddeus,” Tilda replied. “My apologies, I did not realize you had more than one.”

“Why have you come?” Captain Vale’s brow furrowed. “Do you know Thaddeus? Please tell me he’s all right.” The man blanched. “I knew I should have gone to London after I read about that first murder.”

“We do know Thaddeus.” Tilda spoke gently. “As far we know, he is fine. Indeed, we just saw him yesterday.”

Captain Vale exhaled and wiped his hand over his brow. “Thank goodness. Are you members of his club?”

Hadrian noted the man’s use of the word “club” rather than society.

Tilda clasped her hands before her. “No, we are investigating the murders of two of the mediums in the London Spiritualism Society, which your son founded.”

“You’reinvestigating?” Captain Vale looked at Tilda as he asked the question.

“Yes, I am a private investigator, and Lord Ravenhurst assists me.”