Page 28 of A Whisper and a Curse (Raven & Wren #3)

“I am not a patron.” Hadrian twisted his lips into a brief smirk. “I gravely doubt their ability to move objects or levitate, let alone speak with the dead.”

Eldred slapped his palm on the arm of his chair. “You’re wrong about that last one. They absolutely can speak with the dead.”

“How are you so certain?” Tilda asked.

“Because I was blackmailed by someone who knew something that no one could know,” he declared with outrage.

Settling back in his chair, he continued in a more measured tone.

“I received a letter the week before last about something that happened twenty years ago. The only other person who knew of it died nearly ten years ago. There is absolutely no way anyone could have known what to write in that letter unless they spoke with a dead man. That means Ward had to have been the blackmailer.”

“You think Ward communicated with this dead person who knew your secret?” Hadrian asked.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Eldred insisted.

“My former colleague is dead, and he would not have told anyone what we did. The consequences would have been far too great. Even if he decided to unburden himself on his deathbed, why wouldn’t anything have come of it until now—nearly a decade after his demise?

” Eldred shook his head firmly. “The only explanation is that Ward is behind the blackmail.”

“Is it not at all possible that your colleague confided in someone?” If no one possessed the same power as Hadrian, or one similar, there would have to be another explanation.

Perhaps they needed to determine if the society made inquiries about the people for whom they conducted seances.

Tilda could envision someone like herself working for the society in order to collect information about people that could be used in séances.

“I would be shocked if he did,” Eldred replied firmly. “And again, why wouldn’t the truth have surfaced before now?”

“Can you tell us about the séance you attended?” Tilda asked.

“There were two. My sister heard about the society and wanted to contact our mother. She’d died a few months earlier and my sister … well, she missed her terribly. I agreed to attend a séance with her, even though I suspected it was merely a performance.”

“That was kind of you,” Hadrian said.

“At Ward’s request, my sister brought a cameo that had belonged to my mother.

He said that having an item associated with the person we were trying to contact helped the spirit find us.

However, our mother did not appear at that first séance.

I was certain it was a swindle, except they did not charge a fee.

” He pursed his lips. “Of course, they did for the second time, which they insisted would be successful. I didn’t want to return, but my sister was so upset that I could not refuse her.

“Ward asked me to also bring something. He hoped two items would allow our mother to hear my sister’s call.

My sister brought several things, whilst I brought a silver dish that I’d given to our mother many years ago.

Ward contacted our mother, and she spoke through him.

It was most disconcerting. However, I was convinced she was speaking.

She said she’d cherished that dish more than anything.

It was how she knew I’d become a success.

” His face flushed, and Tilda presumed he was feeling a rush of emotion for his departed mother.

“That is very sweet,” Tilda said softly. “Pardon my question, but did Ward touch you or your sister before or during the séance?”

Eldred shrugged. “I shook the man’s hand when we arrived.”

“Did you or your sister sit next to him?” Hadrian asked.

“No, there was a man between Ward and my sister.”

Tilda wondered if that was Montrose. She and Hadrian exchanged a quick glance before she asked, “Do you recall his name or what he looked like?”

Eldred’s brow creased as he thought for a moment. “I don’t remember his name, but he was Scottish. He had red hair and a red mustache to go with his nearly unintelligible accent.”

That didn’t sound like Montrose at all.

“Why didn’t you attend a third séance?” Tilda imagined Ward would have invited them, especially if Eldred’s sister was so eager to speak with their mother.

“My sister wanted to, but I refused to pay to continue, and she does not have the funds. She understood. Then, after several weeks went by, I received a letter extorting me to pay two hundred pounds to a grocer in Bedfordbury or a damaging event from my past would be exposed.”

“Exposed to whom?” Hadrian asked. “The police?”

“The letter was not explicit. I didn’t care because I could not imagine what proof the blackmailer would have. What he referred to happened twenty years ago, and there were no witnesses to it except myself and my deceased colleague.”

“So you assume that Ward somehow received information from this dead person and used it to blackmail you. That seems rather skeptical, doesn’t it?” Hadrian mused.

“I tell you that is precisely what happened! That silver dish … it was part of that … event from the past. I have to think Ward used it to contact my deceased colleague.” Eldred scowled. “I should not have brought it. You see, Ward had to be the blackmailer.”

“That is why you confronted him,” Tilda said. “Why did you choose to do it during a séance?”

“I didn’t actually. That was a coincidence.”

Hadrian frowned at the man. “Why did you threaten Ward?”

“Because the man was despicable. I told him so. I said if he didn’t leave me alone, I would make sure everyone knew he was a fraud and that his levitation was an exceedingly poor parlor trick.”

“Did you see him levitate?” Tilda asked.

Eldred nodded. “At the first séance. It looked horribly fake to me.”

“You believe he can speak to the dead, but not that he could levitate?” Hadrian sounded dubious.

“I can see the levitation with my own eyes.” Eldred jabbed his finger toward his face. “The man did not appear to be floating so much as standing on his toes or something. But I cannot explain how he knew about my past.” He spoke vehemently and now took deep breaths to calm himself.

“You did not pay the blackmail to the grocer?” Tilda asked.

“No. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction.

Who would they tell and how would they prove anything?

I waited to see if I would receive a second letter, but I did not.

Then Ward was murdered, and I assumed he was behind it.

I have to think he was blackmailing others, and someone wasn’t going to let him get away with it. ”

“You mean someone killed him,” Hadrian said.

“It certainly wasn’t me,” Eldred declared sharply. “I will tell you what I already told the police. I was in Bath when Ward was killed. And when that other medium was murdered too.”

Tilda found Eldred credible despite his agitation. “Why didn’t you report the extortion to the police?”

“That is a difficult crime to prosecute and is often ignored.” Eldred cleared his throat. “And I preferred to let the matter die, as it were.”

“You want your past to stay a secret,” Hadrian said. “I confess I’m surprised you wanted to attend a séance to speak with the spirit realm if you had matters with a deceased person that you wished to keep secret. That seems risky.”

“I didn’t think the medium would contact anyone in the spirit realm other than my mother.” Angry furrows creased his brow. “It wasn’t at all fair that he would communicate with someone else.”

Tilda wholeheartedly agreed, of course. Hadrian sent her a look that told her he knew what she was thinking. She gave him a subtle nod toward the doorway to indicate she was ready to leave.

“Thank you, Mr. Eldred, you’ve been most helpful,” Hadrian said.

Tilda rose as Hadrian did the same. Eldred also stood, and Hadrian withdrew his glove to shake the man’s hand, just as he’d told Tilda he would.

They left and Tilda hastened to the coach, waiting until they were inside to speak about what had just occurred.

Hadrian didn’t wait for her question. “You’re hoping I might have seen what happened twenty years ago that prompted the blackmail.

” He smiled. “You are in luck because I believe that is what I saw. The vision included a man wearing a very outmoded costume—it could have been twenty years ago—who was likely Eldred’s colleague.

I was experiencing Eldred’s memory, and I saw him take a silver dish and slip it into his coat.

The other man tucked something else into his coat, but I didn’t quite catch what it was.

It seemed clear to me that they were stealing things. ”

“That would be worthy of blackmail, I should think.” Tilda pulled the small notebook from her reticule and spent several minutes scratching out notes. “This was a very helpful errand, thank you.”

They arrived at Tilda’s grandmother’s house, and Hadrian departed the coach with Tilda to walk her to the door. “Should we visit the grocer in Bedfordbury?” he asked.

“I’m not sure since Teague didn’t have any luck doing so. However, it would be helpful if we could somehow connect the grocer with the spiritualism society. It may be worth a visit. But that will have to wait, as tomorrow we travel to Swindon. Did you already purchase the tickets?”

“I did.”

Vaughn opened the door and greeted them. “Welcome home, Miss Wren. A letter was delivered for you a short while ago.” He gestured toward the small table in the entrance hall.

She glanced at the letter and saw the bold address: Miss Wren . Something about the flourish of the W pricked her curiosity. She plucked up the missive and quickly opened it.

Her flesh went cold, and the hair on her neck rose. Handing the note to Hadrian, she said, “I think the Levitation Killer wants to kill me next.”