Chapter Twenty-One
Despite what seemed like a surprise to Charlotte, Elliot had given a lot of thought to his proposal. It obviously appeared to her that it had sprung from their lovemaking last night. Admittedly, that had been the catalyst for his proposal, but his thoughts had wandered in the direction of her as his wife for a while. He was still unsure about her hiding something from him, but the more he’d come to know her, the more he was certain nothing nefarious could ever be attached to her.
In other words, she was no Annabelle.
“Marriage?” The shock on her face looked as if he had proposed they run naked through the streets together.
“Yes. Marriage. Based on what happened here last night,” he waved his hand at the two of them, “I think we are certainly compatible. We have been working together for several weeks, and have gotten along just fine.”
“I hadn’t planned on ever marrying again.”
He frowned. “Why not? Isn’t that what most women want? Husband, home, children?’
She shifted and sat up so she leaned against the headboard, and regarded him. “The primary reason women desire the married state is because there are very few opportunities for them to provide for themselves. I worked for a bank before I married Mr. Pennyworth, and believe me, it was not a pleasant undertaking.”
Easing himself up, trying to hold his arm steady, he joined her, leaning against the headboard. “Why is that?”
“Women are not respected in the workplace. I must have been asked two or three times every day why I was not married, and busy raising children. I was accused of depriving some man of his livelihood. In fact, when Mr. Fenster hired me, he told me in no uncertain terms that the only reason I got the job was because no man had applied for it up until then, and he needed someone right away, since the man I was replacing had died.”
“Yet, you did marry.”
She gazed off into the room. “I married Mr. Pennyworth because he was charming, and at that point I had no reason to eschew marriage.”
“But you do now?”
“Not to dishonor the dead, but my husband was a bit foolish.” She gave him a wistful smile. “He worked hard at his law practice, but every hour not spent at his office was filled with games of chance, races, visiting his club, and accepting stupid wagers.” She shook her head. “Aside from Mr. Talbot—and I never understood why they favored each other—Gabriel’s friends were of a silly nature, also. It was one of their wagers that cost him his life.”
Sensing her reluctance to continue, he covered her hand with his. “You have done a fine job of dodging my question, sweeting. Will you marry me?”
A light scratch on the door drew their attention, and he swore Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. “That is Bridget. I will send her away, and then you must go back to your room before she returns.”
Charlotte quickly pulled on her dressing gown and padded to the door and opened it, her body blocking Bridget’s view of the bed. “I am feeling a bit lazy this morning. Can you please bring me a tray? I shall return to bed.”
“Yes, of course.” The girl hurried away, and Charlotte turned back to him.
“You must leave now.”
He gathered his clothes and hurriedly dressed himself. As he reached the door, he turned back to where Charlotte sat on the edge of her bed. “I will expect an answer…this morning.” With those words, he gave her a slight kiss on her lips and left the room to return to the bedchamber he’d been occupying.
With Charlotte having a tray in her room and not joining him for breakfast, he was left alone in the dining room, contemplating the night before, his proposal to Charlotte this morning, and her reluctance to accept.
When she hadn’t appeared from behind closed doors by mid-morning, he gathered up the papers he’d been working on and stuffed them into a satchel. He had to visit one of his clients regarding some legal work. He caught Thomas at the door and reminded him that any packages delivered should not be presented to Mrs. Pennyworth, until his return. She was not to open anything without him present. He also reminded the footman that he should attempt to stop any delivery person and hold him until Elliot returned.
Feeling as though he’d covered everything, he caught the omnibus to the business district where his client’s offices were located. The day was chilly, a certain reminder that winter was on its way. He pulled his coat tighter around him as he left the vehicle and walked the two blocks to Mr. Granger’s office.
He had his head down against the wind that threatened to blow him off his feet when he glanced up at the jewelry store across the street. The door to the shop opened, and Mr. Talbot stepped out. Every time Elliot saw the man, he became more suspicious. He waited until Talbot had rounded the corner, and then switching directions, Elliot crossed the street and entered the jewelry shop.
An elderly man stood behind the counter and glanced up when Elliot closed the door. Two women stood at the end of the counter, examining watches. He approached the man. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, my good man. How may I assist you?” Despite the wrinkles, the man’s bright smile brought youth to his face.
“I am interested in purchasing a bracelet. One with diamonds. Do you have such a thing?”
The man’s eyes lit up at the possibility of selling an expensive piece of jewelry. “Yes, indeed I do. Excuse me for a moment.” He ambled to the opposite end of the counter from where the women stood and removed a velvet tray that he placed on the counter in front of him. He pulled back a black linen cloth to reveal three bracelets. “These are my finest pieces.”
Elliot studied them. “But none of them are what I am looking for. I was hoping to find a bracelet similar to one the man who just left had shown me. It was gold, with rubies and diamonds imbedded. He said he had purchased it here.”
Elliot watched the man as he considered for a minute. “Oh, yes. Mr. Talbot. He did purchase a lovely bracelet, just like the one you described.” His smile faded. “I’m afraid that was the only gold diamond and ruby bracelet I had. I am expecting more in my next shipment, but that won’t be for another month.”
Yes!
“Thank you for your time, anyway, sir. I will continue to search.” Elliot left the shop lighthearted. Between the spiders, Talbot being left-handed, and now this new bit of information that Talbot had purchased the bracelet, it was plain he was their man. Why he would leave the horrible packages for her was still a puzzle. The only reason that made sense at all was his previous consideration that Talbot intended to frighten Charlotte into believing she was not safe living alone, and he would have eventually stepped in to offer his hand in marriage.
Whatever the man’s reasoning had been, Elliot intended to take care of the legal matters he needed to deal with, and then make a visit to Mr. Talbot’s home.
…
Charlotte spent the first few hours of the day practically hiding in her bedchamber. After breaking her fast with the tray of toast, coddled eggs, and tea that Bridget had brought her, she had a hot bath in her newly installed bathing room.
While she soaked in the tub, easing the soreness between her legs due to the unfamiliar activity, she thought long and hard on Elliot’s proposal.
Marriage.
True, her experience with marriage had been short and sweet, but dare she take the chance to again place her heart in danger? Elliot had such a perilous job, it terrified her.
While Gabriel had been charming and a bit of a daredevil, Elliot was more solid and steady. She doubted she would have to worry about him staying out all night playing cards, or recklessly racing around Hyde Park in a carriage. But with him, she had other worries, if she were to place her trust, her life—and most of all—her heart, into his hands.
He could be killed on one of his assignments—much like he was almost killed helping her. Another concern was her reluctance to share her problem with him on the Lord Barton matter. Would he become her champion, and confront Barton? Or would he assume she had been guilty as charged?
Feeling the beginning of a headache coming on, and tying herself into knots over the issue of marriage, and, in particular, marriage to Elliot, she stepped out of the tub and rang for Bridget to assist her with dressing.
Once dried, dressed, and ready for the day, she left her room and went in search of Elliot, only to find he had left the house earlier and had still not returned.
She was just sitting down to luncheon when Elliot strode through the door, a bright smile on his face. “I believe we have our man.”
“Really?” Her heart thudded at his announcement, and she waved to the chair across from her. Thomas quickly set a place for Elliot as she regarded him with excitement. “Tell me who, and why, and…” Unable to form a coherent sentence with the idea of this all coming to an end, instead, she passed him the plate of warm bread that Thomas had just placed on the table. His words, along with the fragrance from the bread, and the lovely scent from the fish stew, brought her a sense of comfort and peace she hadn’t felt in weeks.
Elliot spread butter on his bread as he spoke. “I just happened to be passing by a jewelry store on Bond Street and saw Mr. Talbot coming out of the shop.”
“Mr. Talbot!” Her stomach knotted at hearing her old friend’s name. She shook her head. “I’m sorry for my outburst. I am quite distressed.”
“On a hunch, I went into the store and spoke with the owner. I asked about purchasing a diamond bracelet, and told him the gentleman who had just left his shop had showed me one. The shop owner knew Mr. Talbot by name, and said that yes, he had bought a diamond and ruby bracelet from him a few weeks ago.”
All the breath left her lungs, and she collapsed back onto her chair. “I am so surprised to hear this.” She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. Was the end of the torture worth the pain she felt at Mr. Talbot’s betrayal? “What did you do?”
“Nothing yet. I am sure Talbot is our man, but since I have no concrete evidence, I must think of a way I can get him to confess. Up until I had been attacked, and then shot at, no crime had been committed, so there had been no reason to alert the authorities. Things have changed now, so we must have absolute proof, or a confession, in order to call in Scotland Yard.”
She shook her head, still reeling with the idea of Mr. Talbot leaving such disgusting and terrifying things on her doorstep. “Where do the flowers fit in?”
“I don’t know. But if his mind is so disturbed as to leave dead animals on your doorstep, then who knows how the flowers fit in?” He shrugged. “I admit I am at a loss to explain human behavior. Word at Scotland Yard is that the so-called Jack the Ripper is a doctor or surgeon. Who would ever think someone with that sort of an education and brain would suddenly begin to attack prostitutes?”
“It is a sad world we live in.” Her appetite gone, Charlotte pushed the dish of stew away from her, pulling her cup of tea forward with shaky hands.
…
“Have you thought over my proposal?” In all the excitement of narrowing down the tiny list of suspects to just one, and planning how to bring the matter to an end, Elliot had pushed the idea of marriage to the back of his mind. Now sitting here with Charlotte, it emerged as an important issue to be settled.
Charlotte raised her chin. “Yes, I have thought it over, and I do not see why we should marry merely because we…” She flushed.
He grinned and covered her hand with his. “Made love?”
“Yes. I am no longer a maiden. We are adults, neither of us have made a commitment to anyone else, so there is no reason to assume that we must therefore rush into marriage.”
“So then, you wish to have an affair?”
She gave him a brief nod, looking far too determined for his liking. He realized he did very much want to marry Charlotte. She was smart, beautiful, graceful, and everything he ever wanted in a wife. She would be a wonderful mother to any children they had. Which brought him to another point. “Suppose there is a child?”
Charlotte reared back as if she’d been slapped. “A child?”
“Yes, those little people who have a nasty habit of appearing about nine months after a couple spend time together doing what we did last night.”
She sighed. “I am well aware of that. But I was married to Gabriel and never conceived. And,” she added, “you took precautions.”
“You were certainly not married long enough to consider yourself barren, and yes, even though I withdrew, that method is not foolproof. Many children have made an appearance after coitus interruptus.” He chuckled. “That is another new term to add to your growing vocabulary.”
Proposing marriage had seemed the gentlemanly thing to do when he’d suggested it this morning, but now after careful consideration, he truly did want to marry her. “So, we are at a stalemate. Should I assume from your comments that you are rejecting my offer of marriage?”
She turned from his regard and chewed her lip. “Marriage is a big step.” She picked up her teacup and sipped. “What are your plans as far as Mr. Talbot is concerned? Shouldn’t we be discussing that? I am quite anxious to put this all behind me.”
It was apparent she was not going to give him an answer straight away, but she hadn’t flat out rejected him, either. He would bide his time, and concentrate on clearing up the Talbot matter before he pushed her. But now that his mind was made up, push her he would. Tenacity had always been one of his strong points.
“I will visit with the man tomorrow. I’m not exactly sure just yet how I will approach him. Sometimes the correct procedure is for one to see what a suspect has to say for himself before making accusations.”
“I would like to go with you.”
“No. Absolutely not.” That was not something on which he needed to think about.
“Why not? If he has betrayed my friendship in this manner, I want to be there to see him admit it.”
“Sweetheart, have you forgotten this man arranged for me to be beat up, and then shot? He is much too dangerous. You will stay right here, and I will report back to you the minute I am through with him.”
…
The next afternoon, Elliot signed the final piece of correspondence Mr. Gleason had sent over, and laid down his pen. With his thumb and index finger, he rubbed his eyes, forming in his mind how he intended to begin the conversation with Talbot.
Given the injuries he’d already received from the man’s henchman, he pulled open the middle drawer in his desk and removed his pistol. Thank goodness his injury had been on his left side. Although he’d removed the sling, his arm and hand were still a bit sore and stiff. Assured that the gun was loaded, he tucked it into the side pocket of his jacket.
He double-checked the direction Charlotte had given him, which she’d copied from her invitation list. Just as he rose to leave, Charlotte entered the library.
“Are you ready to go, then?”
“Yes.”
She gripped her middle and looked out the window. “I wish you would bring someone from Scotland Yard with you.”
He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She leaned into his warmth. “Please remember I am a trained officer of the law, and I am carrying my gun.”
She turned in his arms and viewed him with fearful eyes.
“I will be fine. Soon this will all be over, and you can go back to your peaceful life.”
“He is dangerous. You’ve said so yourself.” She leaned back and searched his face. “And, based on what he’s been doing to me, he is not mentally balanced.”
Elliot tapped the edge of her pert nose. “He is not dangerous. He hired someone who is dangerous. I am willing to wager Talbot does not expect me to show up at his house. The cretin he hired will not be there to act as his lackey.”
Did all this worry stem from feelings she had for him? Feelings that he might use in the future to get her to marry him? Reluctantly, he pulled away from her. “I must go.”
They walked together to the door, where she offered him a stiff goodbye. He handed Thomas the letters with instructions to see them posted, then turned to Charlotte. Although Thomas stood only a few feet from them, he pulled Charlotte into his arms, and kissed her with all the longing he felt.
The weather outside was cold, a blustery wind kicking up dust as he left the omnibus and headed to Talbot’s townhouse. As he approached the front door of the direction written on the paper, a servant stood on the steps, draping the door with a length of black fabric.
After double-checking to make sure he had the correct address, Elliot bounded up the steps. “Has there been a death?”
The servant turned, his face pale. “Yes, sir. Mr. Talbot has left this earth for his final reward.”