Quicksilver

Chapter 26

This isn't working," Nick said.

Charlotte had been about to take a sip of champagne. She paused and peered at him, squinting a little because she had stored her spectacles in the dainty beaded bag that dangled from the waist of her gown. For reasons she was not certain she wished to explore, she had concluded that afternoon that she wanted to look her best tonight. According to the fashion journals, spectacles were not the most attractive evening accessory.

The unfortunate result of her fashion choice was that the reception hall below the small balcony where she and Nick stood was a colorful blur. But this close up she could make out Nick quite plainly. He looked very fine in his evening clothes, she thought. True, she'd had to put her spectacles on in the carriage long enough to make some small adjustments to his appearance. But it had taken only a few minutes to redo the sad knot in his black tie. When she had mentioned, quite discreetly, that the buttons of his satin waistcoat had been fastened in the wrong order, he had immediately rectified the problem.

"What isn't working?" she asked.

"Owen's plan," Nick said. He sounded baffled. "I don't understand. When it comes to this sort of thing, my cousin's schemes invariably work quite well. But this one has certainly come a cropper."

He contemplated the scene below as though it was a perplexing puzzle. Although Charlotte could not make out details, she knew that the balcony, originally designed to conceal the musicians at a formal ball, gave Nick a panoramic view of the hall.

"I was under the impression that your task was to look for the subtle signs that might indicate that someone in the room had developed a pronounced or obsessive interest in Virginia," Charlotte said. "Really, sir, how difficult is that? You're supposed to have a talent for observing small particulars."

"Quite difficult, as it happens, because a number of people in the room appear to have a great interest in Miss Dean. The only people who have not been casting veiled glances at her and my cousin are the servants. There is a great deal of speculation going on down there."

"Speculation about her association with Mr. Sweetwater, yes, I warned Virginia about that. I knew everyone would assume the worst."

"Damnation. Surely they don't suspect that she is helping Owen investigate the murders?"

"No, of course not. It is much worse than that. They think she is involved in an illicit liaison with him."

"Is that all?" Nick looked considerably relieved. "No need to worry, then. I don't see why that sort of gossip should cause Owen any problems. For a moment there, you had me concerned that perhaps his plan was falling apart."

Charlotte gave him a long look.

"Did I say something wrong?" Nick asked.

"We are speaking of the reputation of my dearest friend. Do try not to sound so cavalier, sir."

"I fail to understand how conducting a liaison with Owen would damage Miss Dean's reputation. She is not an eighteen-year-old girl whose family is out to broker a social marriage."

Charlotte said nothing. She just looked at him again.

Sensing that he was on dangerous ground, Nick cleared his throat.

"Miss Dean is obviously a woman of the world," he said, somewhat weakly.

"As am I," Charlotte said. "Are you always this thickheaded, sir?"

He sighed. "When it comes to the nuances of matters such as this, I'm afraid so."

"It was quite rude of you to call attention to the fact that Virginia and I are women of a certain age."

"I never meant to imply that either of you is in your dotage," Nick said hastily. "Merely mature."

"Thank you," Charlotte said. "Allow me to explain the crux of the problem here, sir. While it is true that at her age Virginia is free to indulge in a discreet romantic affair, the difficulty in this instance is that the man everyone thinks she is having that affair with is your cousin."

Nick went blank. "What of it?"

"In case you have not noticed, no one in this hall tonight trusts Owen Sweetwater."

"I see." Nick looked as if he was beginning to comprehend the situation.

"Thanks to his recent hobby of exposing Leybrook practitioners in the press, those connected to the Institute now consider him a serious threat to everyone's career."

"I see," Nick said again.

"It was one thing for people to believe that Virginia was allowing him to study her powers. But now the rumors are going around that she is conducting an affair with him. They will no longer trust her not to betray their secrets to a lover. I fear that when Mr. Sweetwater concludes his investigation, she will no longer be welcome here at the Institute."

"Huh." Nick gave that some thought. "Perhaps she should consider joining Arcane. Come to think of it, both of you ought to join."

"Don't be ridiculous, sir. Arcane has never welcomed those of us who must make a living with our talents."

"They say that the Society is changing rapidly now that Gabriel Jones has assumed the responsibilities of the Master's Chair."

"It remains to be seen if Mr. Jones can reinvent Arcane," Charlotte said. "Even if that is possible, Virginia and I will still be obliged to work for a living. For all practical purposes, that means maintaining an affiliation with the Leybrook Institute. It is not her personal reputation that Virginia is putting in jeopardy by associating intimately with Mr. Sweetwater; it is her career, indeed, her entire future."

"I see," Nick said for the third time. He contemplated the scene below. "I'm afraid the damage in that regard, whatever it proves to be, may have already been done."

Alarmed, Charlotte plucked her spectacles out of her evening bag and pushed them onto her nose. She studied Virginia and Owen. It did not require any degree of paranormal intuition to sense the energy around the pair. Owen stood a little too close to Virginia, just inside the invisible sphere of personal space that a lady always kept in place around her person. There was something both proprietary and protective about his stance. It was as if he were sending a silent message to every other man in the hall, putting them all on notice of his claim on Virginia.

Virginia was in love, whether she knew it or not.

"Damn him," she whispered. She gripped the railing with her gloved fingers. "How dare he do this to my friend?"

Nick went still beside her. She knew that he was looking at her, not at the crowd down below.

"Miss Tate, do try to remember that my cousin established an association with your friend for the sole purpose of discovering the identity of a killer who may well intend to murder her," he said softly. "Owen is attempting to protect Virginia."

Charlotte pulled herself together with an effort of will. "Yes, of course. Forgive me. Sometimes my imagination runs away with my common sense. It may be that I have spent too much time studying the unique properties of the strong energy that is generated between two individuals of talent who are physically attracted to each other."

"What a coincidence." Nick was pleased. "I am very interested in the subject, myself."

"Mr. Sweetwater, really." She could feel the heat in her cheeks. "Are you always this blunt in your speech?"

"I have been told that I have a tendency to speak too directly at times," he admitted, abashed. "My apologies."

"Accepted," she said stiffly.

He cleared his throat. "Right, then, back to the business at hand, eh?"

"That is a very good idea."

"From up here it appears that the only other person in the room who is drawing more attention than Miss Dean and my cousin is that tall man in the center of the hall, the one accompanied by the largebreasted blonde."

"Gilmore Leybrook," Charlotte said. "He is the founder of the Institute. The blonde is his latest assistant, Adriana Walters. Leybrook has had a number of assistants."

Nick appeared deeply intrigued. "Interesting."

"Why do you say that? Because she is quite pretty?"

"Hmm?No." Nick gripped the edge of the railing with both hands. "I find it all very interesting because Leybrook is showing a rather intense interest in Miss Dean. He is moving toward her now. The fact that Owen is by her side does not seem to have put him off in the least."

Charlotte peered over the edge of the railing. "Oh, dear. You're right. Good heavens, surely you don't think that Leybrook has an unhealthy, obsessive interest in her?"

"Yes, I do," Nick said. "And so does Miss Walters."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, Miss Tate, that the danger to your friend is coming from a number of different quarters."