Page 29 of Murder in Disguise (Mary and Bright #5)

“You’re a good man,” Mary said as she followed him. “Don’t forget your domino mask,” she said as she tied hers into place. The golden mesh adorned with sequins matched her gown perfectly.

He nodded. “Perhaps if there is a lull in the ball we’ll have time to delve through the notes.

It’s imperative we solve this case immediately before anyone else is killed.

” At the last second, he snagged his black domino mask from a small occasional table then tied it at the back of his head, making certain he could see through the eye holes.

“Agreed. We shall make the time.”

Once in the drawing room, he made his way through the crush of people, greeting acquaintances as he went. When he found Adelaide, he grinned.

“You are quite beautiful tonight, my dear, so this is the perfect complement for your gown.” As the girl blushed from behind her masquerade mask, he slipped behind her and secured a teardrop-shaped aquamarine suspended on a short silver chain about her neck.

“I hope this night brings you everything you’ve ever dreamed of. ”

“Oh, thank you, Uncle Gabriel. You are an amazing person.” Impulsively, as was her wont, she threw her arms about him and gave him a hug while Mary looked on with a smile. “The necklace is gorgeous.”

“As are you.”

Nearby, Miss Madison, Lady Beatrice, and a couple other friends of Adelaide crowded in, murmuring over the gift and how sweet and gallant Gabriel was to offer it to her. The evening was a bit surreal since everyone wore various masks, which effectively hid their true identities.

It was a bit disconcerting to find himself surrounded with so many young ladies.

“All of you are lovely tonight.” It was probably best to keep the compliments vague, but as he roved his gaze randomly over the group, he wondered if any of them had the capacity to be a killer.

“If you’ll excuse me? I need to open the ball with my wonderful wife.

” Then he took Mary’s arm and led her to an open space in the center of the room while the guests lined the edges.

“You had the look as if you might wish to run for a moment,” she whispered as he urged her into the first steps while the string quartet played a popular waltz.

He snorted. “I did, for I’m not accustomed to being surrounded by young ladies, all of whom were eyeing me as if I were a piece of meat.”

“Though I understand how you feel, I do agree with them,” she said with a smile that promised wicked things for him later.

And he couldn’t wait.

Following their dance, things were quite busy with meeting and greeting and talking and dancing.

Chatter and laughter buzzed through the room.

The scents of powders, perfumes, and pomades filled the air.

Midway through the evening, he kept his word and danced a waltz with Adelaide, who was flushed and fluttering. Clearly, she was in her element.

“Thank you for all you’ve done to sponsor this night, Inspector. You’ll never know how much I appreciate it.” A wash of tears filled the girl’s eyes behind the mask. “So far, it’s been like a fairy tale, and I feel like a princess in a storybook.”

His chest tightened and his heart squeezed from the praise. “You deserve every good thing, my dear. I hope it leads you to the path of your heart.”

Then the waltz was over. Afterward, she was drawn away by a group of friends who wished to go out into the corridor for refreshments and to talk away from the crush.

This presented the perfect opportunity. Quickly, he scanned the room until he located his wife. Once he made his way to her side, he abruptly excused them and put a hand around the upper portion of her arm. “Adelaide is busy. We should use this time to compare notes. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Right. I think we can probably manage a quarter of an hour.”

“That should be all we need. We’ll return by the end of the next set.”

Upstairs in their suite, it took next to no time to find their respective notebooks. After they removed their masks, Gabriel flipped through his leatherbound book. “I don’t recall writing down anything about clocks or a clockmaker.”

Mary did the same. “I don’t either, but then, we’ve interviewed many people and have been distracted with the deaths.

” Page after page was gone through and glanced over, before she tapped an entry.

“Ah, here we go. Early on in the investigation—I’m not quite sure it had started yet at that point—Adelaide had casually talked about some of her friends.

I was bored and thought it might prove useful later. ”

“And?” Every muscle in his body was tight with anxiety.

She showed him the entry. “It seems that Miss Madison’s father is indeed a clock maker, and he also repairs them. Has a small shop somewhere in Mayfair.”

He frowned. “How the devil did she gain access to ton events?”

“Perhaps she was sponsored, or perhaps her mother’s people are related to someone in the beau monde . Even if she does appear a bit on the shabby side. Adelaide also mentioned lending her clothing and the services of her maid.”

“Damn. Could it be as easy as her wanting what the others had?” Then he shook his head. “That is incredibly weak as a motive.”

Mary shrugged. “People have been killed for much less, though.”

“True.”

“Wait for me in your study. I’m going back into the drawing room to try and draw the girls away, hopefully by telling Miss Madison that you wish to see her.

” She met his gaze. “The less notice, the better. If I invent a compelling excuse, I’m sure that both Adelaide and Theresa will come post haste. ”

“Good idea.”

Then Mary grinned. “Theresa might come with alacrity, especially if she’s taken a personal fancy to you and knows you are waiting to talk with her.”

“Bite your tongue, love.” Was that what the notes had meant when they’d said to notice her? A chill went through his body. “We might be far off the mark. I’ve barely spoken two sentences to her during all the times she’s visited the house.”

“That matters not when the heart is involved.” She laid a hand on his arm, gave it a squeeze. “Young people of that age are often confused and misled when strong emotions are involved. Couple that with abject jealousy or envy? And it has the makings for disaster.”

A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. “But for a young woman to murder in such a way merely for misplaced affection? I don’t even have anything to do with the rest of Adelaide’s friends,” he added as they left the bedroom suite.

“How can say what is happening inside another’s head? Sometimes it’s a lonely place, even if they are surrounded by friends. There might be more at play here” She touched his hand as they parted on the second level landing. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Gabriel continued to the floor below and into his study.

When a few moments passed and he was still alone, he sat in his leather chair behind his desk.

The noise and joviality from the ball upstairs drifted to his ears.

When another quarter of an hour passed and there was no sign of Mary, Adelaide, or even Miss Madison, knots of worry pulled in his gut.

Where the devil are they?

After waiting another ten minutes for grace, Gabriel left the study to dash up to the second level. He strode into the drawing room but couldn’t immediately locate his wife or Adelaide. In fact, both were simply gone.

With a rising tide of hot panic in his chest, he pulled random guests aside and asked if they’d seen either Mrs. Bright or Miss Swanson recently.

Everyone he talked with said they hadn’t.

Asking after Miss Madison proved the same results, though a man said he saw her exiting the drawing room twenty minutes prior, he assumed for the ladies retiring room.

Everything seemed to rush in on him while he stood at the side of the drawing room, studying the guests. Whispers began to swirl through the air as everyone realized that he wasn’t merely searching for his family for the purposes of the ball.

Then Major Kourier came over and rested a hand to Gabriel’s shoulder.

“What has occurred? Honestly, you look green about the gills.” He was soon joined by Miss Ives, who was dressed in a vibrant gown of turquoise satin.

They both removed their masks, and the major dumped them on the silver tray of a passing footman.

“Mary and Adelaide are missing, as is the person we suspect of murdering three young women.” Anger and horror alternately twisted through his chest. “Where the hell are they?”

The major exchanged a speaking glance with Miss Ives, who gave him a nod of encouragement. “Would you like help in searching the house and garden? If we all split up, we can cover more ground in less time.”

A modicum of relief went down his spine. “Yes, please. I could kick myself for not having someone monitor Miss Madison, but my goal was protecting Adelaide.”

Not much good it had done.

“Because you didn’t truly suspect her; you only wished to question her more deeply.” Major Kourier met his gaze. “Now is not the time to despair; we simply don’t have enough information to form theories or decisions.”

“You’re right.” Gabriel nodded. Some of the panic faded in the face of determination. “I’ll check the third level. Miss Ives, if you could pop into the ladies’ retiring room? Felix, go by the downstairs parlor and back garden. We will meet you in the entry hall.”

“Very well.” The major nodded. To Miss Ives, he said, “Be careful.”

Never had Gabriel bounded upstairs as fast as he had in that moment.

There were four rooms on the third floor, but none of them had the ladies spirited away behind those doors.

On a whim, he went up into the attic level, but the maids’ rooms were empty.

The schoolroom and adjoining rooms were occupied by his sleeping children and the nursery maid, who’d told him no one had gone in or out since Miss Alexander went down to attend the ball.

Hells bells, he hadn’t even recognized the governess in the crush in the drawing room.

Heartsick, he went down a floor, toured through the dining room and butler’s pantry. On the way, any servant he came across, he asked if they’d seen Mary or Adelaide. The answers were always negative, not since the ball had opened.

Back on the ground floor, he went through his study and library in case the ladies had somehow missed them in the commotion. They, of course, weren’t there. By the time he arrived in the entry hall, Miss Ives was waiting for him with the news that the ladies’ retiring room had been empty.

“Thank you for helping.” The urge to retch grew strong, but he shoved it down. Now was not the time.

Then the major returned. In his hand, he held a folded piece of paper. “No sign of them in the garden, though I did startle a couple kissing in what they thought was shadowy privacy.” He chuckled as he gave Gabriel the paper. “Found this tied to the rear gate, though.”

“Thank you.” Upon unfolding the paper, he read the missive then was forced to read it again, for he couldn’t believe the words.

You are losing your edge, Inspector. Too many distractions?

Since you have still not taken notice of me or wished to play my game, I will make you see me this time.

I have your precious Adelaide as well as your wife, more’s the pity.

If you want them back, you’ll come find me.

Tick tock. Time is slipping by, and if you can’t figure out my location, it will be too late for dear Mary and her niece.

Another failure on your part, Inspector, and the end of your career, I think. How the papers will adore that.

“Damn it all to hell.” With rage climbing through his chest, he handed the note to the major. “How dare she think to kidnap them? I’ll be dead and buried before I allow that woman to harm one hair on either Mary’s or Adelaide’s head. I’m going after them.”

“I don’t blame you.” Major Kourier gave Miss Ives the note. When she read it, her face paled. “Where to go, though? We have no idea of where she’s taken them.”

Gabriel grunted. “I’ll wager my whole career on the fact she’s gone to her father’s clock shop. That’s probably where she kept the girls and then killed them. Perhaps a back room or an unused room above the shop.” Easy enough to have a conveyance waiting in an alley to carry away a body…

Damn, how could we have missed that?

“That makes sense. The couple I interrupted said that they saw a woman fitting Mary’s description being led into a closed carriage.”

“What?”

“They said she was acting quite inebriated, listing as she walked, supported by two young women, but the couple couldn’t see the girls’ faces.”

Adrenaline combined with dread in Gabriel’s chest. “Mary would never imbibe so much that she was rendered drunk.” He shook his head. “She must have been drugged.”

The major frowned. “Then why not drug Miss Swanson as well?”

Bloody hell.

“That must have been how Miss Madison coerced Adelaide to go with her. Render Mary groggy, issue a death threat, and then once the woman had them both in the carriage, there was no escape.”

Miss Ives nodded. “She could have also had a pistol or a knife. Adelaide wouldn’t have tried to fight if she was worried over her aunt’s health.”

“Damn it all to hell.” Was Mary all right? Would she survive long enough to keep Adelaide safe? And if not, would he lose them both? Icy fingers of fear played his spine. “I have to find them.”

“Promise you won’t despair prematurely. The ladies are both quite intelligent. You need your focus so they can survive.” Major Kourier stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “Are you going to wander aimlessly through Mayfair’s business district searching for a clock shop?”

“No. I’m going to talk with some of Adelaide’s friends in the hopes that they’ve heard Miss Madison mention where she either lives or where her father works.

” He met the major’s gaze. “Go out to Bow Street. Speak with your contact. Tell them that you need to bring a couple of men back with you. I’ll leave the name of the shop with Collins, my butler. This is a matter of delicate urgency.”

Kourier nodded. “I will. Good luck. I’ll assist when I arrive. And Bright?”

“Yes?”

“We will find them in time.” Nothing but honesty shone is his eyes.

“Thank you. It’s good to have you assisting.

” With his chest aching, Gabriel yanked open the door to the cloak room then withdrew his top hat and greatcoat.

“I can’t lose them, Felix. I just can’t.

” Then he once more bounded up the stairs, intent to reach the drawing room and question as many of the young ladies as he could find.