‘I’m telling you, Belle, the Colonel’s a bloody hermit.’ Edward drained his coffee cup. ‘Where’s Hetty?’ He swore under his breath and then poured himself another. ‘Must I do everything myself around here?’
‘I don’t understand, Eddie. Why is it so important that you meet this man?’
‘A man like the Colonel doesn’t come to an end-of-the-world outpost like Hobart for nothing. He has business here, I’m sure of it. Trouble is, he’s been holed up in his hotel ever since he arrived. Nobody’s seen him. I can’t even reach him on the phone.’
‘Perhaps he’s having a holiday and wants some peace and quiet.’
‘Don’t be so naïve, Belle. He’ll be taking somebody’s calls. There’s a profit to be had here. I wish I knew how to find it.’
‘Let it go, Eddie. It’s not like you need his money.’ Belle finished her tea and wiped her mouth. ‘Our companies are doing perfectly well on their own.’ She stood up and smoothed her skirt. ‘I’m off to work. Will I see you tonight?’
‘I’m staying at the club.’
Belle shot him a swift accusing glance before she swept from the room. To hell with her. He’d long since stopped feeling guilty about Fanny. If he came home, Belle would have gone to bed anyway – gone to her bed, in her wing of the house, where he wasn’t welcome.
Edward took a sip from his hipflask of laudanum, and waited for it to chase the anger away. He’d once seen the concoction as the secret to happiness. Yet the longer he used it, the lesser its stimulus and the greater its side effects. Shaky hands, cloudy thinking, insomnia. His sleep had been peppered lately with nightmarish visions: being buried alive with mummies and skeletons or kissing beautiful girls who transformed into slimy things. Once, half-awake, he’d imagined Fanny was attacking him and had struck her in the face. It was time to wean himself off the drug, he knew that. But not yet. Not today.
Edward jumped as his chauffeur entered the room. His nerves were getting the better of him. ‘Your car is ready, sir.’
‘The Imperial Hotel.’
Maybe a personal visit would coax the Colonel from his hotel room and into a meeting.
Edward shifted from foot to foot. How dare this character keep him waiting so long? He’d been standing at the hotel’s grand reception desk for half an hour, feeling like a fool. Part of him wanted to leave. However, the concierge kept insisting the Colonel would be down soon. Perhaps he was testing Edward’s patience. Or his persistence. A good business partner required both those qualities.
Edward slipped his hand into the pocket of his newly tailored three-button sack coat. Teamed with a contrasting waistcoat, club-collar dress shirt and bowler hat, he epitomised the latest in London fashion. Edward viewed his reflection approvingly in the large gilt-edged wall mirror, just as the concierge nodded towards the stairs. ‘Here’s the Colonel now.’
Buchanan was an imposing figure. Half-a-head taller than Edward again, an erect bearing, impeccably dressed – a most distinguished-looking person, indeed. But it was his eyes that made the biggest impression: piercing, intelligent eyes, the kind that had seen a lot of life. The kind that could see right through a man.
‘Good morning, sir. Welcome to Tasmania.’ Edward extended his hand. The Colonel’s grip was like a vice. ‘I’m Edward Abbott.’
‘I know who you are.’ There was only a faint trace of the clipped Boer accent in his voice. ‘Your reputation precedes you.’
‘In a good way, I hope?’ The Colonel inclined his head. ‘How long do you expect to be in Hobart?’
‘I have not decided.’
‘In that case, Colonel, perhaps you’ll give me the pleasure of your company at my club tonight. Over dinner.’
The answer was a long time coming. ‘Of course, and, please, call me Lucas.’
‘Excellent. Shall I call for you at seven?’
Edward left the lobby with an unfamiliar lightness in his step. From what he knew, Colonel Buchanan had barely stepped outside his hotel room since arriving. Yet now the man wanted to spend an entire evening with him. Was this as strategic a move on the Colonel’s part as it was on his own? Hills End Resources was the largest mining company in Tasmania, the natural choice if Buchanan Diamonds wanted to partner with a local outfit.
Did Lucas have a proposition for him? Perhaps he’d had agents on the ground all along. If so, he’d kept that very quiet. Edward couldn’t think of anybody unusual making enquiries, or stories of mineral exploration teams. No matter, he’d find out soon enough.
Edward grinned at the doorman and tipped his hat on the way out. How long had it been since he’d felt this kind of excited anticipation? His hand hesitated as he reached for the little bottle in his pocket. For once he barely needed it, but his fingers closed on the smooth silver flask of their own accord.