Page 90 of A Whisper and a Curse

Tilda pressed her lips together and looked out the window. She had no right to think she should be involved in Hadrian’s life. They were friends, but he didn’t owe her anything, nor should she expect it. Especially after she’d made it clear to him that she wasn’t interested in a more intimate association.

More and more, she began to wonder if shewasinterested.

Why was she bothering to think about that? There was no point. Love and marriage were not things she aspired to achieve. She could not be an independent woman and a private investigator if she married. Especially if she married an earl.

Not that he would ever ask. The distance between their stations was far too great.

She realized that by firmly establishing their connection as professional colleagues and friends, she would not be privy to certain things, including his family, even if Tilda was working for his mother. She couldn’t help thinking that the kiss had changed things irrevocably, if only because it had demanded they setboundaries. And now that they were in place, Tilda perhaps felt regret.

Hadrian didn’t respond to her offer. Indeed, he said nothing until the coach stopped at her house.

“Good luck with your mother.” Tilda summoned a smile. “I’m sure all will turn out well.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Tilda. I appreciate you more than you can realize.”

As Tilda left the coach, she told herself not to think too long or too hard on what Hadrian had said. They had a lovely friendship and an excellent working partnership. And that was enough.

Peverell, Hadrian’s mother’s butler, directed him to his mother’s sitting room, which adjoined her bedchamber on the first floor. Hadrian had rarely visited that space, and he couldn’t help thinking she’d chosen to receive him there because it would put him off-kilter.

Or it could be that was just where she was, and there was no ulterior motive.

Hadrian shook his head before he walked in to confront his mother. He’d been angry for over a week—as long as he’d known that his mother wanted to contact Gabriel. His anger wasn’t just about his mother being cheated by the spiritualism society. He now recognized the anger as what he’d felt after learning of Gabriel’s death. And he had anger on top of that anger because he’d thought he’d resolved those feelings, and yet here they were resurfacing. All because his mother had decided to see a medium.

He was angry with her for stirring up his grief.

Exhaling, Hadrian worked to push the rage and sadness away. He’d done it before, and he could do it again.

“Hadrian, why are you loitering outside the doorway?” his mother called from the sitting room.

“Apologies, Mama,” he said as he walked inside. He smiled and that felt better.

“I wasn’t expecting you today,” the dowager countess said from the table where she was drinking tea. “I did receive your note about poor Mr. Hawkins. Would you like tea?”

“No, thank you.” Hadrian moved to sit opposite her at the table. “Did you send a response to my note? I’ve been out most of the day.”

“I did not.” She sipped her tea.

“Did you, by chance, send me an invitation to tonight’s séance?” he asked benignly, though his pulse was moving swiftly.

She set her cup down with a faint grimace. “I did not. I only spoke with Mrs. Griswold this morning.”

“You spoke with her?”

“Yes, she called to offer her services for a séance this evening. She knew I’d been to one last week with Mrs. Frost and that I’d wanted to attend another.” His mother shrugged as if planning to attend a séance where the previous medium she’d seen had been murdered was a regular occurrence. “Honestly, I was eager to say yes. Mrs. Griswold was very charming. I have an excellent feeling about her.”

Hadrian took a deep breath lest he say something rash. “Mama, Tilda explained to you how the mediums use trickery during their séances.”

“Yes, but I don’t care about that. I only care that they can speak to the dead, and I believe they can.”

Instead of asking why she’d bothered to hire Tilda, he smoothed his palm along his thigh as he chose his words. “We’vefound no proof they can do that. We have, however, found proof that they have blackmailed people.”

His mother’s eyes rounded. “That’s … horrible. How did you find out?”

“In the course of our investigation,” he replied. “I do not want you to fall victim to Mallory’s extortion.”

“Mallory, you say? Well, I am seeing Mrs. Griswold. Furthermore, how they could possibly blackmail me?” She blinked at him. “There is nothing I would pay to keep secret.”

Hadrian wanted to reply that his father had kept secrets. But he’d no idea how much his mother knew. They’d never discussed his father’s transgressions, and he didn’t want to start doing so now. Furthermore, he’d have to explain how Mallory had learned those secrets. This was becoming a massive problem—he could not fully expose how Mallory committed his crimes without sharing the man’s supernatural ability. And if he did, he had to think Mallory would point his finger right back at Hadrian.