Page 55 of A Whisper at Midnight

Hadrian blinked. “Indeed? I found her attractive.”

“She is,” Tilda replied in agreement. “At least in my estimation.”

“But she is not a she,” Hadrian said despite visual evidence to the contrary. She certainly looked like a woman.

“Teague did say the Cock and Hen catered to a variety of tastes.” Tilda kept her voice low and looked toward the doorway. “I wonder if Massey will be dressed as a woman.”

Hadrian tried to imagine that and found he could. “I daresay he would also be attractive. Now I am wondering how I might look in a gown.”

Tilda surveyed him, her eyes moving over him from his boots to his hat. Heat pricked through him under the heady weight of her perusal. She looked abruptly away from him and took several steps toward the center of the room as her gaze movedaround the space. He wondered if she’d felt the same blistering warmth.

A moment later, Massey entered the room. He eyed them both with considerable wariness. “How did you find me here?”

Tilda faced him. “Detective Inspector Teague told us.”

Massey’s face lost a bit of color. “What else did he tell you?”

“That this is where you spend your evenings off,” Tilda replied. “However, we are not here to trouble you about that. We have come to speak with you about Martha Farrow. You are aware she has died?”

The valet moved to the nearest seat—a chair with a red-and-orange floral pattern—and sank down as he covered his mouth.

Hadrian felt a surge of sympathy for the young man, as it seemed he had not known.

“I’m sorry,” Tilda said, moving closer to Massey and perching on a chair near his. “I should have revealed that information in a more sensitive manner.” She glanced up at Hadrian with a light grimace.

Joining them in the seating area, Hadrian sat in a third chair and angled himself toward Massey. “Please take all the time you need to acclimate yourself to this news. We understand from Beryl—Mrs. Chambers—that you and Miss Farrow were friends.”

Massey pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his eyes. “We were. She was …” He cut himself off before saying whatever he’d meant to. He lifted his gaze to look at each of them. “Is that why the inquest was postponed? I went to the pub as I was summoned to do but learned it would take place on Monday instead.”

“We aren’t sure why it was delayed,” Tilda said. “We learned of Miss Farrow’s death just this morning when we arrived at the Chambers’ house.”

“I haven’t gone there today.” Massey wiped his nose. “I fetched some belongings yesterday. I didn’t think I should remain there now that my employer is gone.”

“But you could, I’m sure,” Hadrian said. “Why would you think you needed to leave?”

“Mrs. Chambers doesn’t care for me, and the feeling is mutual.” Massey’s lips pursed but he blinked the expression away before regarding them intently. “How did Martha die?”

“She fell over the railing at the house where she was lodging in Spitalfields,” Tilda said gently. “Did you visit her there recently?”

Massey’s gaze turned wary once more.

Tilda clasped her hands in her lap. “We know you did. We also know that Martha was expecting a child.”

Nodding, Massey dabbed the handkerchief to his eyes once more.

“Was your employer the babe’s father?” Tilda asked.

Massey sucked in a breath. “How did you know?”

Tilda exchanged a brief look with Hadrian. They could not reveal his visions, of course. “I wasn’t certain, but I appreciate you confirming that,” she said with a soft smile. “Do you know why she resigned her post?”

“You already know the answer to that,” Massey said. “She was with child. She couldn’t stay there.”

Hadrian thought of the visions he’d had, particularly of how the woman who’d received the brooch from Louis Chambers had felt. Martha Farrow was likely that woman, and she’d felt as though she’d been wronged. “But was leaving entirely her decision?”

“No,” Massey whispered. “She didn’t want to lose her position, which meant she couldn’t have the babe. She asked Mr. Chambers for money to take care of it, but he said he wouldn’t help her and that she had to leave. She refused, so he gave herone of Mrs. Chambers’ brooches and told her to sell it. He also offered to give her a reference.”

Hadrian wondered why Martha hadn’t sold the brooch.