Late For The Wedding

Twenty-Seven

Emeline and Priscilla walked together to the entrance of the park where they had arranged to meet Anthony and Dominic. Their parasols were raised against the late sun. After a short discussion they had elected to forgo their bonnets so as not to conceal the full glory of their new hair arrangements.

“Dear heaven, I can still feel my pulse,” Emeline said. “I wonder if my heart will ever slow to a normal rate.”

“I am shaky myself Priscilla made a face. “Every time I looked in the mirror, the only thing I could see were those scissors in his hand.

“I kept thinking about all the people he has likely killed.”

“I, for one, will never look at another hairdresser in quite the same way again.”

“Neither will I. It is really most unfortunate that Mr. Pierce is a murderer, though,” Priscilla said wryly. “I will be forever in his debt.

“In the course of one afternoon, he has changed my entire life by convincing Mama that I do not appear at my best in pink.”

Emeline surveyed the new turquoise walking dress. “He was quite right. You do look excellent in stronger colors.”

“Thank you.” Priscilla spun her parasol. “It turned into a rather exciting day, after all, did it not? I believe we dealt with Mr. Pierce quite cleverly. Do you think that we were born for the stage?”

“Never suggest such a scandalous career to your mama. She would faint dead away. But, yes, I do think we rose to meet the crisis rather nicely. You were especially brilliant.”

“You did quite well yourself. Pierce may not believe that Mr. March and Mrs. Lake will entirely abandon their inquiries because of a lack of a client, but I am certain that he left with the impression that they have made very little progress in their investigations.”

A tiny shudder went through Emeline. “I trust that is the case.

Wait until I tell them what happened at Lady Wortham’s today.

“They will not believe that we found ourselves confronted with their suspect.”

“He obviously set up the appointment with Mama in hopes of learning something about the situation from me. He must have been delighted when he arrived and found you at my house.” She brightened. “Here come Anthony and Dominic. I must tell you, I am almost as astonished by your news that they are half-brothers as I was when I saw Mr. Pierce standing in the front hall.”

“I suppose the connection explains some of the friction between them.” She watched Anthony and Dominic come toward them across the park. “I hope they have been able to put aside their differences now that the truth is out in the open.”

Priscilla tightened her grip on her parasol. “Emeline,” she said with a certain studied casualness, “do you think Mr. Hood will like my new gown and headdress?”

“Priscilla, you look spectacular. Mr. Hood will no doubt fall down and worship at your altar, just as Pierce predicted.”

Priscilla made a little face. “I would rather he showed me how to use his microscope.”

Anthony and Dominic were almost upon them. Emeline realized that they were both moving with long, purposeful strides, not the casual saunter that was the hallmark of fashionable gentlemen. She was even more startled by their attire. They were certainly not dressed for an afternoon promenade in the park. Their boots lacked the gloss of a recent polish, and their comfortably cut coats reminded her of the sort of fashions favored by Mr. March. Even their cravats appeared to have been donned in haste. Neither man had bothered to tie an intricate or stylish knot.

“Something is amiss,” Emeline announced.

Anthony and Dominic came to a halt in front of them.

“What the devil are you two doing here?” Anthony demanded without so much as a polite inclination of his head. His hat was tilted low over his eyes, giving him a sinister air. “Are you both mad?”

“I beg your pardon?” Emeline was incensed at the uncivil greeting.

“If you will recall, the four of us made arrangements to meet here today.”

“That was before we learned that you two spent the afternoon with a murderer,” Dominic growled. His hat was also slanted across his brow at a menacing angle.

“You know of my appointment with Mr. Pierce?” Priscilla asked.

“Tobias and Mrs. Lake discovered a note of it when they searched his lodgings.” Anthony glanced from Priscilla to Emeline and back again. Are you both all right?”

“Yes, of course we’re all right,” Emeline said evenly. “What is more to the point, we believe we quieted any suspicions Mr. Pierce might have had by letting him know that the investigation was not going well.”

Priscilla frowned. “Why are you both dressed so oddly?”

“Mr. March did not allow us much time to prepare for a social call,”

Dominic said rather dryly. “He was most insistent that we find you two immediately and see you safely back to Number Seven Claremont Lane. Mrs. Lake wishes to speak with you both immediately. Then we are to escort you directly home, Miss Priscilla.”

“Tobias does not want either of you out and about on your own now that Pierce has taken an interest in you,” Anthony added.

“For pity’s sake,” Emeline grumbled. We are both quite safe, I assure you. Pierce will have no more use for us now that he’s got the information he wanted.”

“Yes, well, that is precisely the point, isn’t it?” Anthony shot back.

There was a rather sharp edge on his words, Emeline thought.

But before she could muster a crisp retort, he took her arm very firmly and hauled her toward the gate.

“I hardly think that we are in any danger,” Priscilla said quickly.

“The man is a murderer.” Dominic took her elbow. “In any event, Tony and I do not have time to waste promenading through the park today. We have work to do.”

“What sort of work?” Emeline demanded, skipping a little to keep up with Anthony’s long strides.

“We are to keep Pierce under observation from sunset to sunrise,”

Anthony said. “We have some preparations to make, so we must get you two home.”

She had had enough of this, Emeline thought. “Kindly do not treat us as though we are a pair of silly little girls who cannot be trusted out on our own. I would remind you that Priscilla and I dealt with a murderer today. We are not incompetent.”

“Quite right,” Priscilla said just as forcefully.

Anthony turned his head to scowl at Emeline. The rays of the late-afternoon sun angled beneath the canted brim of his hat, giving her an unshadowed view of his features for the first time.

“Your eye.” She came to an abrupt halt, forcing him to stop too.

“And your lip. You’ve been hurt. What on earth happened to you, Tony?”

Priscilla stopped just as suddenly and swung around to peer very closely at Dominic’s slightly averted features. “There is a dark bruise on your jaw, sir. Dear heaven, did the murderer attack you last night? How did it happen? Why weren’t we told?”

“Damnation.” Dominic grimaced, winced, and then touched his jaw. “I assure you, it was not Pierce who was responsible for this.”

“Certainly not.” Anthony reddened. “Devil take it, the man’s a hairdresser!

“And also a professional murderer, if Mr. March and Aunt Lavinia are correct in their conclusions,” Emeline pointed out. “But if it was not Mr. Pierce who did this to you two, who was it?”

Anthony exchanged an unreadable glance with Dominic. Then he shrugged.

“It was quite dark in the street outside Pierce’s lodgings last night,” he said. “I accidentally collided with the edge of a stone doorway.”

“I see,” Emeline said. “Doorways can be extremely hazardous.”

Priscilla gave Dominic a searching look. “And you, sir? Did you suffer a similar misfortune?”

“Stumbled on the step,” Dominic muttered. “Struck the railing.”