part0020

A walk and a breath of fresh air went a long way toward restoring Evie’s optimism. The authorities would get to the bottom of this… whatever this was.

Hearing her name called out, she turned to see Tom striding toward her. Evie watched him, taking the sight of him in. Her breath stalled for a moment until she gave a brisk shake of her head and snapped herself out of the stupor.

“You disappeared.” His face looked rather stern.

When he reached her, Evie noticed him looking at her as if he were making sure not a hair on her had been…

“I needed to clear my head. Meaning, I couldn’t stand to listen to another word, so I stepped out for a moment.”

Tom appeared to relax, but his expression remained serious. “Next time, you might want to let me know.”

“Why? Did you come close to raising the alarm?”

“I wouldn’t joke about it.” As he spoke, he looked around.

Evie smiled. “I think you’ll find only birds, rabbits and foxes are out and about today.”

He didn’t appear to appreciate the remark. His attention remained on their surroundings. Had he only come out to perform his bodyguard duties? She’d been enjoying their easy-going exchanges and, while she knew most people would find it inappropriate, she wanted to think they could continue on this path.

“Tell me about your interview with the Sergeant. Did it go well?” she asked.

Tom nodded. “I found it quite straightforward. He seemed to be eager to stick to facts and somewhat relieved when I complied.”

Evie shrugged. “That would have been easy enough to do if his questions required yes or no answers.”

He studied her for a moment. “You seem to speak your mind. Did you do that at your interview?”

“I might have but only because the Sergeant seemed intent on reaching conclusions about me. Sometimes, it’s best to get everything out into the open.” She lifted her chin a notch. “So, were you at all helpful?”

“He will look into the incident on the road. But he wouldn’t say if the two were related.”

“They must be.” Which meant… She had a target on her back.

He nodded. “Yes, I agree.”

“What about Miss Wainscot? Did he mention her at all?”

That meant the Dowager had been telling tales. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had fun at Evie’s expense. “Has the Dowager Duchess left?” Evie asked.

“No, she’s staying on for luncheon.”

“Fabulous.” Evie’s tone lacked all enthusiasm, which said a great deal about how she felt. She always enjoyed the Dowager’s teasing. Not so much today. “I’ve been thinking, I’d like to go into the village and see Anna.”

“The girl who works at Marceline’s Salon de Beaute?”

“Yes.” Evie couldn’t help smiling.

“Did I say it wrong?” Tom asked.

“No, as a matter of fact, you were spot on. I just… I never thought I’d hear those words spoken by you.”

He gave a small nod of understanding. “I think I am what you might call a quick study.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed. How did you pick up that particular trait?” she wondered out loud.

“I used necessity as a driving force. In the past, I’ve had to adjust to different circumstances…” He stopped, almost as if he’d realized he’d said too much.

He’d already hinted at having done a similar job, working as a bodyguard. As curious as she felt, Evie decided against pushing him for more information and assumed he would tell her more in his own good time. “Will you drive me into the village?”

His eyebrows rose. “You’re actually asking me?”

Evie cleared her throat. “Tom, after luncheon, I’d like you to drive me to the village.”

Tom glanced at her but didn’t say anything. When they reached the gates to the estate, he stopped to watch for traffic, even though they were unlikely to encounter anyone, at least not until they reached the main road leading into the village .

“A dog?” he asked, his voice carrying a hint of humor.

Evie brightened. “Yes. I’m not sure why I haven’t thought of it before.”

“Have you ever owned a dog?”

“No. My mother is allergic. Now… Well, if she visits, I suppose I could keep Henry in another room.”

“You don’t care for the name?” Evie asked. “How about Chester?”

“You might want to wait until you actually get a dog before bestowing a name on it.”

“True. I suppose there is much to consider. I will make inquiries. Perhaps someone has a litter.” She suddenly felt excited at the prospect. Clapping her hands, she added, “Oh, this could happen sooner than expected.”

Tom chuckled. “Have you been thinking about it for a while?”

“No, the idea came to me now.” Evie scanned the road and surrounding countryside. “If you must know, I’m trying to avoid feeling overly concerned about being out and about in a roadster, no less.”

He gave a nod of understanding. “Do you normally distract yourself by making big life decisions?”

“I probably do, but I haven’t noticed it until now.” Evie decided to remain silent until they reached the village. Since she had used the idea of getting a dog to distract her from worrying too much about another possible attempt on her life, she now kept her mind engaged on trying to figure out what type of dog breed she would choose. “The more I think about it, the more I realize I will have to give it a great deal of thought.”

They drove right up to Marceline’s Salon de Beaute, along the way attracting the attention of everyone strolling around.

Holding the car door open for her, Tom asked, “Are you still thinking about getting a dog?”

“You might want to consider acquiring a guard dog,” he suggested.

“Oh, I was actually thinking of something small I could pamper and carry around with me in a small basket or in my arms.”

“So, rather than have the dog work for you, you wish to become a servant to your little master?”

Evie gave him an impish smile. “Or I could have you carry it.”

Tom’s expression firmed. Evie imagined he wanted to hide the dismay he felt. As they entered the salon, Evie couldn’t help widening her smile. “I can already picture you with a cute little Pug. I hear the Prince of Wales is fond of them. If I ever meet him in person, we’ll have something in common to talk about. ”

“Lady Woodridge,” Anna greeted her.

Evie turned her attention to Anna and studied her expression. She didn’t appear to be concerned about Evie’s arrival. In fact, Anna’s gaze shifted from one display to the next, probably trying to work out which one she would bring to Evie’s attention first.

Without turning, Evie knew the precise moment when Tom came to stand a step behind her.

Anna’s gaze shifted to Tom and stayed on him. Her eyes widened with appreciation and her lips curved just a little further.

“Anna, this is Mr. Tom Winchester.”

Anna gave him a small nod. Eventually, she wrenched her eyes away from him. “How may I help you today, milady?”

“I wish to inquire about the appointment I made.”

Anna’s smile wavered. “Was there a problem with it, milady? I had the impression Miss Wainscot had been quite pleased with the service.”

Strange, Evie thought. Anna hadn’t expressed any surprise. “I hope it didn’t cause an inconvenience for you. After all, I made the appointment for myself and then I took the liberty of offering it to someone else.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine, milady. In fact, we were very glad to be able to offer Miss Wainscot the service. I don’t believe she has ever been here before. There is no better advertising than a happy customer referring another one to our salon.”

Either Anna knew how to keep a poker face or she had no idea of Miss Wainscot’s current state of misery.

“So, she was pleased with the service,” Evie mused.

“Oh, yes. In fact, she took away one of our products to maintain her beauty treatment.” Anna looked over her shoulder and then back at Evie. “I shouldn’t really be saying this, but we are trained to encourage our customers to try new products.”

“What sort of product did she purchase?” Evie asked.

Anna smiled brightly. “A facial treatment, milady. It’s a facial cream to maintain the skin looking youthful and vibrant.”

Evie didn’t wish to dispute the unethical promotion of a product that didn’t really serve a purpose as, in her opinion, Miss Wainscot still had vibrant youth in her favor and would hardly need to reap the benefits of an expensive product to maintain her youthful glow.

Anna brought out her appointment book. “She was so pleased, she made another booking for herself in a month’s time.”

“How long does the treatment last for?” Tom asked.

“About an hour, sometimes longer. We never hurry our customers as the treatment is very relaxing. In fact, we encourage them to relax for a while after it is finished.”

Long enough for something toxic to take effect, Evie thought. “I hope you don’t find this odd. May I ask who provided the treatment?”

Anna blushed slightly. Leaning in, she whispered, “The regular girl called in sick so I had to do it myself.”

“Is it a complex procedure?” Tom asked.

“Not at all but it does require expertise. It involves facial massages… techniques developed in Paris. We are fully trained. These products have been scientifically produced to provide exacting results,” Anna explained, her tone sounding like a recitation she had learned by rote.

“What are some of the ingredients used?” Tom asked.

“There are some natural herbs and fragrances such as lavender, pine bark and water lilies.”

“And do you prepare it yourself?” Tom asked.

Anna gave a swift shake of her head. “Oh, no. The cream comes in a sealed container to maintain its freshness and purity.”

Sensing Tom’s skepticism, Evie said, “Thank you, Anna. You have been most helpful.”

As they strode out, Tom said, “You seemed to be satisfied with her responses and quite convinced of her innocence.”

“Why shouldn’t I be. Miss Wainscot left the premises a happy client.”

“Out of curiosity, have you subjected yourself to these treatments?”

Evie lifted her chin slightly. “As a matter of fact, yes I have.”

The edge of his eyes crinkled slightly. “And do you know what they put on your face?”

Evie tried to keep her voice light. “Of course, I do.”

Tom stopped by the car and crossed his arms. “Tell me what the main ingredient is.”

She didn’t hesitate to say, “Lanolin.”

He tilted his head in thought. “It sounds sufficiently scientific.”

Evie tried not to smile. “It comes from sheep.”

“If I tell you, will you promise not to mock the gullibility of women?”

His eyebrows curved upward. “Will I have reason to mock you?”

Evie gave it some thought. After hearing so much about the rise in success of the beauty industry, she had become intrigued. By 1915, Helena Rubinstein had set up her beauty salon in New York and when Evie had returned to America in 1918, she had made a point of meeting her. During the course of the conversation, she had delved into the process involved in making some of the products, absorbing as much information as she could in order to make a sound decision. At the time, she had been keen to invest in something other than the usual railways, shipping and stocks.

Tom held her gaze for a long moment before saying, “You put wool grease on your face.”

“Of course not.” She could not have sounded more shocked. “The raw ingredient is processed and blended with other essential and highly beneficial ingredients.”

To his credit, Tom managed to keep a straight face.

Sighing, Evie looked around her. They now needed to speak with Miss Wainscot, but that could prove problematic.

The Dowager Duchess might have made up part of her story, embellishing it for the sake of entertainment, but Evie thought there might be some truth to it. In which case, she would be the last person Lady Wainscot wished to see.

“Well, we have managed to cross someone off our list, the one we have yet to put together,” Evie said. “I only hope the guilty party doesn’t beat us to it by taking action again before we’ve had the opportunity to identify them. That would be highly ungracious.”

Tom barely contained his laughter. “Are you now trying to lighten the mood by being amusing?”

She wanted to say it always worked for the Dowager. Why shouldn’t it work for her too? Sliding into the passenger seat, Evie stared straight ahead. “To quote the Dowager, the day manners become superfluous is the day society loses all meaning.”

Tom took his place behind the wheel. Appearing to hesitate, he turned to Evie. “Did the Dowager Duchess really say that?”