Surrender (47 page)

 
You would have been much too quick

for him."

 
You flatter me. I fear the simple truth

is that I was lucky." He took her arm

again and resumed guiding her back to the

house.
 
The footpad was of no particular

consequence, unless one considers the

damage done to my coat. But it is a

rather interesting coincidence."

 
What is? And how can you say the

attack on you was of no consequence?

It seems to me it could have had very

alarming consequences."

 
Yes, but the interesting part is the

coincidence of each of us having a rather

narrow escape just before you discovered

those objects with
 
W" inscribed on them."

She was stunned into a rare silence.

Lucas could almost hear her mind working

feverishly.
 
What do you make of such

coincidences?"

 
To
 
be
 
honest,
 
I
 
do
 
not
 
know
 
what

to make of them. There probably isn't

anything at all to be made of them. I

will admit it had occurred to me that

the footpad might have been hired by

Edge worth."

 
Edgeworth. Oh, yes, him. Because of

his embarrassing loss at cards? Do you

think he would have stooped to that sort

of vengeance just because he lost money

to you?"

Lucas reflected on his last conversation

with Edgeworth.
 
There was a bit more bad

blood between us than just the gaming

table scene. But even if he resorted to such

tactics, it still fails to explain the object you

discovered in the conservatory."

She frowned.
 
No. Nor does it tie in with

the carriage incident, although I suppose

that if that had been a deliberate attack

also, we might have been wrong in thinking

I was the intended victim."

 
You think I was the target?" He was

surprised by her insight and took a minute

to think about it.
 
I'm not sure.
 
Tis

possible. We were not standing very far

apart on the street when it happened."

 
Edgeworth again?"

Lucas chewed on that. On the night of

the carriage incident he and Edgeworth

had not yet had their confrontation over

Vicky's honor. But there was still the

matter of the gaming loss and Edgeworth

might have begun to realize his reputation

was declining in the clubs. And, of course,

there was always that bit of bad business in

the past that would forever stand between

them."

 
Possible," Lucas said finally.

 
But what could either of those attacks

have to do with my discovering the scarf

and the snuffbox?"

 
Do you know anyone whose name

begins with W?"

 
No. I mean, yes, of course. Several

people. As I said, none of them had lost

either item."

She rushed on, telling him about all the

people whose name began with
 
W and

how her aunt had talked to them all

about the missing items, but Lucas was

not listening.

His attention had been caught and

held by the strange note in her voice

when she had first answered the direct

question. Once before quite recently he

had heard that hesitation, detected that

slight distance, as if she did not want to

get too close to the question. He reflected

for another instant and then he had it. He

had heard it the night she described her

nightmare.

   
and she also checked with Lady

Wibberly, who takes an inordinate amount

of snuff. Lord Wilkins, too, I believe.

He wears scarves. And then we asked

Waterson, but to no avail."

 
Vicky."

 
One can never be certain Lord Waterson

remembers things all that well, however.

It is entirely possible he lost both items

and doesn't recall it. Always has his mind

on higher things like meteorology, you

know. He has built the most impressive

instrument for measuring rainfall."

 
Victoria."

 
As I said, what with my aunt's long list

of acquaintances, it is possible we missed

someone."

 
Vicky, darling, please hush for a minute.

I want to ask you a very particular question

and I would be very grateful if you gave me

a direct answer." He stopped, obliging her

to halt also. Then he turned her toward

him and caught hold of her shoulders.

 
Yes, Lucas?"

 
Vicky, is there someone whose name

begins with
 
W whom you do not like?

Someone who frightens you or whom

you feel you cannot trust? Someone who,

perhaps, makes you exceedingly anxious?"

 
No," she said instantly.

He smiled slightly at the obvious lie.
 
Try

again with your answer, my sweet. And

don't be afraid to tell me the truth. I'm

your midnight companion in adventure,

remember? You can tell me things you

would tell no one else."

Lucas, please, do not press me like this."

He urged her close, pushing her face into

his shirt. Her amber cloak swirled around

his legs.
 
Tell me, Vicky."

Her shoulders were stiff, her body

unyielding.
 
You do not understand."

 
Try me."

 
Lucas, he's dead."

Lucas frowned into her soft hair, hearing

the desperation in that simple statement.

He flipped through the information Jessica

Atherton had given him before he began

to stalk his heiress. It took him less

than a couple of seconds to hit upon a

name: Samuel Whitlock.
 
Are we, by any

chance," he asked gently,
 
talking about

your stepfather?"

She jerked her head back, making a

visible effort to pull herself together.
 
I

told you it was impossible. He is dead

and buried."

 
But you did not like him very much,

did you?"

Her eyes glittered in the moonlight.
 
I

hated him for what he did to my mother

and for what he would have done to me if

he'd gotten the chance. My mother saved

me from that lecherous bastard by sending

me to live with my aunt for most of my

life. But she could not save herself. In the

end, he killed her."

 
You believe your stepfather killed your

mother?"

Lucas's voice sounded amazingly calm,

Victoria thought. It was the sort of voice

in which he might have asked if she would

care for a glass of sherry before dinner. As

he spoke he draped an arm around her

shoulder and resumed walking toward the

house.

 
Yes. Yes, I do, although I have never

said as much to anyone except my aunt."

Victoria felt the heavy weight around her

shoulders and was oddly reassured. He

was so very strong, she thought fleetingly.

Comfortingly so.

She was not certain why Lucas's arm

around her had such a soothing effect,

but she didn't question it just then. She

was too busy reminding herself to be very

careful about what she said next. She had

already blurted out a great deal more than

she had ever intended.

 
What does your aunt think?"

Victoria clutched at the edges of her

cloak.
 
That
 
tis very possible. She knows

the sort of man he was. A cruel drunkard

who lacked any shred of decency. She

did point out that if he murdered her, it

would be interesting to know why Samuel

Whitlock waited so many years to do it.

Why did he not simply get it over and

done soon after he married my mother

and had access to her fortune?"

 
There may have been no real reason

to kill her in the early years," Lucas

said reflectively, as though working out

a curious puzzle in his mind.
 
After all,

as you said, he did have access to her

money. Why should he risk hanging for

murder?"

Victoria sighed.
 
That was Aunt Cleo's

point. My mother not only sent me to live

with my aunt, she frequently came to stay

with us for weeks, sometimes months at a

time. After she realized what sort of man

she had married, she spent as little time

with him as possible. When he got drunk

he got violent."

 
In other words, in addition to turning

her money over to him, she obligingly

stayed out of his way. So why kill her

after all those years?" Lucas asked.

 
Perhaps he simply got tired of her,"

Victoria said tightly.
 
Perhaps he got

especially angry at her one day and lost

his temper. He had a terrifying temper.

When he lost it, he lost his self-control

completely. He was like a madman."

/

Unlike Lucas, she thought fleetingly, who

was always controlled, even when he was

angry.

 
Your mother died in a riding accident,

I believe?"

 
Yes. Near his house in the country.

She had gone there to entertain his friends

that weekend. She had been staying with

Aunt Cleo and me for several weeks prior

to that, as usual, but Whitlock ordered

her to return for a few days to do her

duty as a wife, as he put it. My mother

was very beautiful, very charming, An

excellent hostess, in fact, and Whitlock

often used her to impress his friends,"

Victoria explained.

 
A riding accident sounds more like a

planned murder, not one done in the heat

of anger."

Victoria shrugged.
 
You may be right. I

only know he did it."

 
How do you know that?"