Page 29 of A Whisper and a Curse (Raven & Wren #3)

H adrian practically snatched the letter from her. He quickly scanned the scrawled message.

Dear Miss Wren,

You must stop asking questions and nosing about in matters that do not concern you. If you do not, you may find yourself hanging from a staircase.

The offensive note was not signed.

A fury unlike Hadrian had ever known rose inside him. If the author of the message had been present, Hadrian would have torn him apart. How dare they threaten Tilda!

Holding the paper, he managed to pull one of his gloves off. He touched the note, practically crumpling it in his eagerness to see or feel anything . But there was nothing. What good was his bloody curse if it didn’t work when he needed it most?

“You look quite angry,” Tilda said, pulling him from his haze of rage.

“I am more than furious.”

Tilda wordlessly inclined her head toward the paper in his grip.

Hadrian realized what she was asking—whether he’d seen anything. He gave his head a slight shake before swinging around to face Vaughn. “Who delivered this?”

The butler’s features were creased, his eyes dark with worry. “A boy of about nine or ten. He thrust it at me and ran off.”

Wiping his hand over his mouth, lest he start swearing aloud, Hadrian looked back to Tilda. “We must find who sent this.”

Tilda met his gaze. “You are very upset.”

“Aren’t you?”

“I think it is unlikely someone will be able to poison me with prussic acid and hang me from the staircase. Unlike the other two victims, I have a full household. Now more than ever,” she added with a smile that struck Hadrian as inappropriate. How could she make jests at a time like this?

And yet, she had a point. It did seem unlikely that the Levitation Killer would get to her here. “Then perhaps you should stay here at home until the killer is caught.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “You just said we have to find who sent this. I can’t do that from home.”

Hell, he wasn’t being entirely rational. How could he be when one of the people he cared most about had been threatened? He took a deep breath.

He did care deeply for her. Which was why he would ensure nothing happened to her. He pinned her with a heavy stare. “Will you promise to only leave here with me?”

“That is excessive. I do have errands, and I take walks. I also escort my grandmother to various places.”

“Then allow me to give you a footman to be here and escort you when necessary.” Hadrian already knew who he would assign the task. Brian was the burliest member of his household.

She hesitated a moment as she studied him. “You’re going to insist, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Still, he held his breath, waiting to see if she would argue.

“All right,” she said on an exhale. “We should take this letter to Teague.”

Hadrian was relieved she capitulated so easily. “We should. Immediately.” He started toward the door.

Tilda lifted her hand. “Wait.” She turned to Vaughn. “I don’t want to alarm my grandmother. Please do not tell her about the note.”

Vaughn nodded. “I understand. What will you tell her about the footman? She will notice a new addition to the household.”

Pursing her lips, Tilda looked to Hadrian. “I don’t want to worry her.”

“Tell her I am being overly cautious since we are investigating the murders,” Hadrian said.

“You don’t need to inform her that there has been an explicit threat against you.

” If Hadrian ever had the chance, he would dearly love to put his fist in the killer’s face—at the very least. He struggled to agree with putting some criminals to death, but in this instance, he may feel differently.

What was happening with him? The depth of emotion he felt about this was … shocking.

“That is a reasonable plan, thank you,” Tilda said to Hadrian before looking toward Vaughn. The butler inclined his head in response. “Please tell Grandmama we’ve gone back out.”

They took their leave and strode quickly to the coach. Hadrian informed Leach they were returning to Scotland Yard, and after that, they’d be going to his house.

When they were settled in the coach, Tilda arched a brow at Hadrian. “Why are we going to Ravenhurst House?”

“So I can assign a footman to you as soon as possible.”

“I see.” Her brow pleated. “You are most concerned.”

“And you are not as concerned as you should be. Someone has threatened your life.” Hadrian’s fury was calming slightly, but he was still angrier than he’d been in some time.

“I am taking this seriously,” she said. “I agree that we must solve these crimes as quickly as possible.” She fell silent a moment.

“What are you thinking?” Hadrian asked.

“That the Levitation Killer is threatening me because I am investigating the murders. Perhaps we are close to discovering their identity.” Her gaze snapped to his. “ We. What if you have already received a threat at Ravenhurst House?”

“I suppose we’ll find out after we finish with Teague.”

“Now who is the one who does not appear concerned?” she asked with a hint of exasperation.

“I am not going to worry about it until I know it’s happened.”

“How reasonable of you,” Tilda said before frowning. “It is disappointing that you didn’t see anything when you touched the letter.”

“It’s bloody infuriating,” Hadrian spat. “What is the point of this curse if it can’t help me when I need it?” He again considered that meeting someone who shared the same ability might actually be helpful.

When they arrived at Scotland Yard, Teague was just leaving. He was on his way home, in fact. But as soon as Tilda showed him the letter, he returned to his office, inviting them to join him.

Teague read the letter again as they sat down where they’d been just a short while earlier. “I’ll need to keep this as evidence. This is a crime of breaking the peace.”

“It pales next to murder,” Tilda said.

Hadrian gave her a dark look. “It could end in murder.”

“I’ll dispatch a constable to watch your house.” He met Hadrian’s gaze, and Hadrian gave him a slight, appreciative nod.

“That isn’t necessary,” Tilda replied. “Hadrian is already going to assign me a footman.”

Teague cast another look at Hadrian. “Whilst I appreciate Ravenhurst’s gesture, a footman is not a constable. We will keep Miss Wren safe—you have my word.”

Hadrian didn’t doubt the man’s intent. Still, he might decide to send Brian anyway.

“We called on Eldred earlier,” Tilda said, diverting the topic. “He did not tell us what he did twenty years ago to be blackmailed, but based on things he said, I would guess he and a colleague stole some things from someone.”

Hadrian wasn’t sure if she would reveal that information to Teague since they had no proof aside from his vision.

That was the drawback of the things he saw that helped them.

On their own, they weren’t evidence. The visions could only direct them to hopefully find the evidence they needed to prove someone’s guilt.

“Thank you for sharing that information, though I’m not sure it helps us in any way.” Teague exhaled with disappointment.

“No, I don’t believe it does,” Tilda said apologetically. “Hadrian and I are traveling to Swindon tomorrow to interview Roger Grenville. Perhaps we will learn something useful.”

Teague’s brows shot up. “Are you? I don’t have enough men to send someone,” he said bitterly. “Nor can I accompany you. It is Sunday, and if I don’t spend a good portion of the day with my family, my wife will likely consign me to sleep here.” He gestured to the room at large.

“We will conduct a thorough interview and let you know if we learn anything important,” Tilda said.

“That sounds as though you are conducting investigative work for the Metropolitan Police.” Hadrian sent Teague an expectant look.

“It does,” Teague said with regret. “However, I cannot ask you to do that. I would be grateful if you shared what you learn, but I cannot compensate you for your work. What I can do is continue to share information with you in return. In fact, your mention of Swindon has reminded me that we learned the spiritualism society headquarters is leased by Captain Owen Vale of Swindon. I won’t ask you to call on him on behalf of the police.

” His tone indicated he very much hoped they would.

“Do you have any other information to share?” Tilda asked hopefully.

“I have a list of the society’s founding members.” Teague stood and went to his desk, where he fetched a piece of parchment. He handed it to Tilda. “You can’t keep that, however.”

“I’ll just copy the names down.” She removed her notebook from her reticule and began writing quickly. “Do you know who leased the other properties where the society’s mediums lived?” She glanced at Hadrian. “The Duchess of Chester leased Ward’s house, correct?”

Teague answered. “Yes. And Lysander Mallory signed the lease for Mrs. Frost’s house.”

“Interesting that he leased that property but not the headquarters,” Hadrian observed. “What about Hawkins’s house?”

“We don’t know that yet, but we’ll find out on Monday, I hope,” Teague said.

“I’m not sure any of that is helpful. I have my constables interviewing people who have attended séances given by the society’s mediums, but it is taking a great deal of time.

So far, there has been nothing notable, such as blackmail, but I will keep you apprised. ”

Tilda closed her notebook and handed the list back to Teague. “I appreciate that.”

“A few people have declined to speak to the constables,” Teague said with a frown. “Notably, Her Grace, the Duchess of Chester.”

“Would you like me to call on her?” Hadrian offered. “We saw her at the séance last night, and I believe she would receive us.”

“That would be helpful, thank you.” Teague wiped his hand over his face. “Once again, I am treating you as members of the police, and I cannot do that. You must do as you think best, my lord.”

“As a member of the House of Lords, I am invested in the safety of our citizens. I will call on the duchess and ask her about the séances she’s attended.”