We returned to the library to reassess the investigation and plan our next moves. Gabe telephoned his house to give instructions to Murray and invite Willie to join us. We were going to need her help. Gabe and Alex had decided to observe Thurlow the money lender.
When we heard the front door open we thought it was her. Unfortunately, it was Lady Stanhope. There was a collective groan when Professor Nash escorted her upstairs to the first floor reading nook where we sat.
“I’ll fetch the tea,” Professor Nash said.
She waved a hand in his general direction, dismissing him.
I rose and offered to assist him, but he declined. “I’m sure Lady Stanhope would like to speak to you about her books,” he said.
I wasn’t so sure she even knew I was in the room.
She gazed up at the mezzanine walkway hugging the bookshelves above our heads, and the arched window spanning the full height of the room. Light streamed through and shone on the golden accents of the ornate ceiling. “This space reminds me of our library at the country house.” She inspected the globe on the desk before sitting on one of the chocolate brown armchairs. “It’s my husband’s domain, of course. I never venture into it. The decoration is not to my taste but he refuses to change it.” She indicated the globe. “Was that made by a mapmaker magician?”
“I don’t know,” Gabe said. “Are you here about the murder? I’m afraid we can’t divulge details about an ongoing investigation.”
“I don’t care about that. Although I do care about my untitled book.” She nodded at Honoria’s bound manuscript in my lap. It was the closest she’d come to acknowledging my presence. “May I have it back?”
“We’d like to keep it for the duration of the investigation.”
“How long will that be?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that.”
“Mr. Glass, as much as I would like to help the police find the bookbinder’s murderer, I would like even more to have my book back. It belongs with me, in my collection, along with the other books I purchased. Need I remind you I paid a lot of money for them?”
“The books are evidence. We need to hold onto at least one for the time being. We’ll take good care of it.”
“I see.” Lady Stanhope didn’t look as irritated as I thought she might. Her hands, gloved in black lace, smoothed her black silk and lace skirt. “Do you have the time, Mr. Glass?”
He glanced at a clock on one of the bookshelves. She was perfectly capable of seeing it herself from where she sat. “You always ask me the time. Is there a reason?”
Her hands stilled. She laughed softly. “Am I that obvious? I hoped to see you look at your watch again, but instead you chose the clock. Is it one of your mother’s?”
“Probably.”
“Is it for sale?”
“Lady Stanhope, we’ve been through this.” His tone was politely chiding, but the edge of steel was there if one was tuned into his voice. “My mother’s timepieces are not for sale.”
“What if I offer you that book in exchange for one? I don’t mean for a few more days, I mean forever. You can keep it here in the library, if you like, or sell it. I don’t mind. I have four others at home.”
“Very generous of you,” Alex said with a sardonic smile.
“Mr. Glass?”
“My mother’s things are not for sale or exchange.” Gabe indicated the book in my lap. “You can have it back after the investigation is finished. It’s evidence and should remain in police custody for the duration. You’re lucky we’re holding onto just one. My superiors wanted us to hold all five, but I talked them down to one.”
Whether she believed him or not, it was hard to tell. She simply continued to smile that false smile of hers. “If not one of Lady Rycroft’s watches, what about one of yours?”
Gabe had been matching her smile with his own, but it now slipped off. “Pardon?”
“Not your pocket watch you wear all the time, of course. I know it has sentimental value. But what about another? You would have worn a wristwatch when you served. Will you exchange that for the book?”
“No.”
“Another, then? Something with fewer memories, that you can live without? It must be something you’ve worked on, though. Something you’ve pulled apart and put back together with your own hands.”
Gabe frowned. “I don’t understand. I’m not a watchmaker magician. Why do you want something of mine? It won’t contain magic.”
Her lips curved with a knowing smile.
A sense of dread echoed within me. Did she know? She couldn’t possibly. So few people knew about Gabe’s ability, all of them trustworthy. She must suspect, however, just like the journalists and Mr. Jakes…and the kidnapper.
Gabe shook his head. “I’m not a magician, Lady Stanhope. I assure you.”
“Then why not exchange one of your old timepieces for the book? A magical item for a non-magical one…it’s more than fair.”
Her insistence didn’t make sense, until I remembered that she liked to purchase items from magicians before they were even aware of their skill. It allowed her to buy them cheaply. I suspected the real value to her was in being the one to boast about discovering a new magician. It’s what she’d done with the artist magician during the Royal Academy’s exhibition. That fellow now felt indebted to her for informing him of his magical abilities and thereby increasing the value of his paintings. By all accounts, Lady Stanhope made sure everyone knew she’d discovered him and insisted he accompany her to parties to talk about her influence on his career.
I thrust the book at her. “Take it. We no longer need it.”
“Sylvia,” Gabe said. “Not yet.”
I placed it on her lap. Disappointment weighed heavily as I stepped back. It might be the last time I saw it.
Lady Stanhope opened the book to the first page then flipped to the end. “Perhaps we can make an exchange another time, Mr. Glass. When you’re alone.” She rose. “Did you discover who made the paper?”
“Why?” Alex asked. “So you can find out if he knows he’s a magician, and if he doesn’t, you can buy up all his stock before informing him?”
She sniffed. I thought she wouldn’t deign to answer him, but she proved me wrong. “Of course not. The man who made this paper has probably passed away. The bookbinder told me the books came into his possession years ago.” She inspected the cover, caressing the green leather with the palm of her hand. “I wonder if he had children.”
No one responded. From our own research, we’d discovered a manufacturer of paper in London operated by the Peterson siblings, both paper magicians. I’d forgotten about them. We’d been too busy to return to their factory after not finding them there on our first visit. Without the book, we could no longer ask them to touch the pages and feel if they held paper magic.
Oh dear. No wonder Gabe hadn’t wanted to give it back to Lady Stanhope. By doing so, I’d just hindered the investigation.
I eyed the book in Lady Stanhope’s hand. Perhaps if I begged…
“Anyone home?” came Willie’s shout from downstairs. A moment later she appeared at the top of the staircase with Daisy. She took one look at Lady Stanhope, screwed up her nose, and said, “What are you doing here?”
“Put away your pistols, Lady Farnsworth, I was just leaving.”
Willie indicated the way to the stairs with an exaggerated sweep of her hand. As Lady Stanhope passed, she frowned. “Why did you give her back the book? We might need it.”
I didn’t admit that it was my fault. I felt guilty enough; I didn’t need one of Willie’s lectures as well.
Daisy glided up to me with the elegance of a swan and planted a kiss on my cheek. “All this fuss over magician made paper. Perhaps I should buy a few pages for my novel. It might make the writing process easier.”
“I don’t think that’s how writing novels works,” I said wryly.
“Paper infused with a spell is expensive,” Gabe said with a nod in the direction Lady Stanhope had gone with the book. “Magician made without a spell is more affordable.”
Alex grunted. “She can afford it.” He frowned at Daisy. “What novel?”
Willie threw herself onto the empty sofa, stretching out her legs across the seat. “She’s writing a romantic story about a couple lost in the Arabian desert. They start out hating each other and end up falling in love.”
Alex laughed. “Have you ever been to the Arabian desert, Daisy?”
She bristled. “No. I haven’t been in love either, but that won’t stop me using my imagination to write the story. That’s what writers do.” She tapped her forehead. “They make it up.”
She went to help Professor Nash as he arrived carrying a tray with tea things. He seemed unsurprised that Lady Stanhope had already left, and he greeted the new arrivals with enthusiasm. He passed the tray to Daisy and went to fetch more teacups from his kitchen.
Gabe sliced up the cake while Daisy poured. “I thought you were going to be an actress.”
“Didn’t Sylvia tell you I’ve changed my mind? I thought you two were inseparable these days.”
“That doesn’t mean they talk about you,” Alex said.
She deliberately spilled tea over the side of the teacup, filling the saucer. She handed it to him with a tight smile. “Don’t drop any on the carpet.”
“Inseparable?” Willie glared at Gabe as he tried to pass her a plate.
“Because of the investigation,” he assured her with a pointed nod at the plate he still held.
She shifted her glare to me then back again before accepting the plate. “You left without me this morning.”
“You weren’t there. The investigation can’t be delayed because you had a liaison with an old flame.”
“It wasn’t an old flame,” she mumbled into the teacup. “It was his son.”
Alex choked on his tea. “How old is he?”
“Old enough.”
“But—”
“Leave her alone,” Daisy snapped. She turned to Willie and saluted her with her teacup. “Good for you. I hope I have as much fun when I’m your age.”
Alex looked from one to the other. “If I mentioned your age, you’d scold me, but when she does it, you accept it with a smile.”
“It’s all in the tone and intention,” Daisy said with a haughty jut of her chin. “Isn’t that right, Willie?”
“You bet it is, Daisy. You boys should take a leaf out of her book. You too, Sylvia.”
I bristled. “I’ve never mentioned your age.”
Willie merely humphed. “So how’re you going to get the Petersons to verify if the paper in those books contains magic if you don’t have a book to show them?”
I nibbled my slice of lemon cake, regretting my hasty act. If I’d not said anything, Gabe might have been able to convince Lady Stanhope to leave it with us without any conditions attached. He was a master at the art of persuasion.
“We’re fairly certain the book contains paper that has had a spell cast on it,” he said. “We know it’s definitely not the leather cover, and considering silver is rare, it’s unlikely to be that.”
“Fairly certain?” Willie shook her head. “That ain’t good enough and you know it, Gabe. Besides, if John Folgate made the silver then it’s likely the corner protectors contain magic.”
I leaned back with a sigh. She was right. We needed to get the book back from Lady Stanhope. I just wish I knew how.
Willie had an idea. Explaining it required setting down her teacup and saucer and putting up her hands in defense. “Before you say no, hear me out.”
“No,” both Alex and Gabe said together.
Professor Nash returned with the extra cups. He peered over his spectacles at us as he set them on the table. “What have I missed?”
Daisy picked up the teapot and poured. “Lady Stanhope won’t loan her new books to anyone, and they need to show one to a paper magician to find out if it holds magic. Willie has thought of a way to get one back, but the men think her plan won’t work without even listening to it.” She passed a cup to Gabe but addressed Alex. “I think it’s sexist to automatically assume a woman can’t come up with a good plan.”
Alex put his cup in the saucer with a loud clank. “Let me ask you a moral question, Daisy. What do you think about theft?”
“It’s illegal.” She gasped. “Willie? You were going to suggest stealing one of the books?”
Willie lifted a shoulder in a shrug as she sipped.
“How?”
“The usual way,” Alex said. “Breaking and entering.”
“Willie?”
Willie nodded. “He’s right.”
Gabe showed no surprise. “Let’s make one thing clear, Willie. You are not breaking into Lady Stanhope’s house.”
“Why not? I’m good at it.”
Daisy gasped again. “You’ve done it before?”
“’Course. I’m an expert. Never once been caught.”
Alex snorted. “You have, you’ve just never been charged. It was convenient having a husband who was a detective inspector. Sometimes I think you just married him so he could keep you out of prison.”
“That ain’t true. I loved Jasper. My first husband,” Willie told Daisy and me. “He was a fine man. Real smart, and kind too. Don’t know what he saw in me.”
Alex chuckled into his teacup.
Gabe didn’t find anything about the conversation amusing. “You are not breaking into anyone’s house, Willie. Just because you did it a couple of times years ago does not mean it was a good idea then, and it’s definitely not a good idea now.” He put up his finger to ward off her protests. “That has nothing to do with your ability or age, and everything to do with it being illegal.”
“First of all, I wouldn’t get caught. Second, if I did, Lady Stanhope wouldn’t call the police. She wants you to like her, and having your favorite cousin arrested ain’t no way to go about making friends. Third, if she did press charges, Cyclops would get me off.”
“You can’t ask him to jeopardize his career for you.”
“I wouldn’t jeopardize it. They love him at Scotland Yard. He’s got the commissioner eating out of his hand.”
I listened to their banter but took no part in it. The cogs in my mind started to turn, and by the time Willie had finished explaining the reasons why we should steal back the book, I’d made up my mind.
I’d go with her. It was my fault the book was back in Lady Stanhope’s possession, after all.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Willie said. “I’m older than both of you so you got to respect me.”
“Ha!” Alex scoffed. “So you mention your age when it’s convenient for you.”
Before she could dig herself into a hole that resulted in Gabe and Alex keeping a close eye on her overnight, I winked at her. She closed her mouth and blinked rapidly at me.
Time to change the subject. “Thurlow the money lender,” I said. “We need to find him. Alex, you say you don’t know where he lives.”
He dusted cake crumbs off his fingers onto the plate and set it down on the table. “I telephoned my father before, and he says they don’t have an address for him. He also said that Thurlow is trying to become legitimate. Or at least appear as though he’s turning legitimate. He’s a licensed bookmaker.”
Willie snorted. “A legitimate bookie? Is your father becoming stupid as well as fat?”
“Why can’t a bookmaker be legitimate?” Daisy asked. “I saw them all the time when I went to the country races with my family. Surely if they were operating illegally, they wouldn’t be allowed on the premises.”
“Many have illegal side operations,” Gabe told her. “They run a legitimate book at the race meeting and either have an illegitimate one off-site or a money lending service, like Thurlow. Without catching them in the act, the police can do nothing about it. It’s been a problem for years.”
Daisy looked a little dumbstruck by the news. “I laid my own bets when I was old enough to go to the races with my parents. My father used to give me a little money to place on a horse. The bookies were always nice to me. One even gave me a sweet.”
“Your naivety is charming,” Willie said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “Don’t you agree, Alex?”
Alex gave her an unreadable glare.
“The Epsom Derby is tomorrow,” she went on. “Real big occasion it is, and it’s popular with toffs. There’ll be plenty of money for the bookies.”
Gabe nodded. “We’ll go and watch Thurlow. Just the three of us. Sorry, Sylvia, but Thurlow might be dangerous. He’ll certainly be unpredictable and clever. He has to be to have gone this long without being arrested.” He gave me an apologetic smile.
I smiled back and told him it was all right. And it was. I was already planning to do one thing he wouldn’t approve of in the next twenty-four hours. I had no intention of doing two.
They discussed how to go about observing Thurlow unobtrusively. Given the race meeting was a key one on the social calendar, they decided the best way to blend in was to dress in formal attire.
Willie refused to wear a dress, however. “The last time I wore one, it almost killed me.” Not even Gabe or Alex knew the story behind that statement, but she wouldn’t elaborate. “I’ll wear a tailcoat and trousers.”
It remained to be seen if they’d let her in.
I needed to get Willie on her own before they left, but it was she who sought me out after I emerged from the privy in Professor Nash’s flat. She caught my arm and pulled me into one of the aisles between the bookshelves.
“Why’d you wink at me?” she hissed.
I glanced along the aisle to make sure no one was nearby. “I want to come with you tonight.”
“Where?”
“To Lady Stanhope’s. You are still planning to break in and steal back the book, aren’t you?”
“I don’t need help. I can do it alone.”
“Don’t you need someone to keep watch? I could alert you to anyone approaching.”
It must have been on her mind, because she didn’t immediately dismiss the idea. “Gabe won’t like it.”
“Don’t tell him.”
Her gaze narrowed. “I don’t like lying to him.”
“I don’t like it either. But it’s my fault the book is in her possession. I want to make amends for my mistake.”
She ran her thumb over her lower lip as she considered my proposal. “All right, you can come. But you’ve got to do as I say. Understood?”
I nodded. “How will we get in?”
We both turned as Gabe called our names, looking for us.
Willie lowered her voice. “Leave the details up to me. Meet me outside your boarding house at three. Wear black.” She left me between the stacks and cheerfully greeted Gabe.
How could she be so calm? My heart beat with the chaotic rhythm of a drum in a jazz band. I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to compose myself before joining Gabe and the others. As Willie said, he wouldn’t like me breaking into Lady Stanhope’s house.
That’s why I had no intention of him finding out.