Corvus nodded. “I agree. I can tell you that Hastings was genuinely alarmed by both deaths. He definitely perceives some threat to himself. That is why he wanted the guards.”

“When you consider the matter closely,” Louisa said, “Hastings has reason to be afraid. He is a blackmailer, after all. Perhaps he fears that one of his victims tracked down Grantley and Thurlow and will come after him next.”

Corvus nodded. “That is a very reasonable bit of logic, Mrs. Bryce. I would not be at all surprised if that is exactly what he is thinking.”

“It certainly explains Hastings’s fear,” Anthony said. “But I don’t think the killer was any of the blackmail victims. He chose them shrewdly. They were all elderly women who were trying to protect young, vulnerable members of their families.”

Miranda gave him an arch look. “Never underestimate a woman, sir.”

“Believe me, I am not inclined to do so,” Anthony said with some feeling. “But somehow I cannot see these particular ladies having access to the resources that would have been required to track down Grantley and Thurlow. It is also difficult to imagine one of them obtaining a revolver, learning how to shoot it, and then sneaking into the men’s lodgings and killing them.”

Louisa looked at him. “I just thought of something. Perhaps one of the elderly women hired someone to murder Grantley and Thurlow.”

Corvus looked amused. “Hiring a killer to murder two seemingly respectable men is somewhat more complicated than you appear to think, Mrs. Bryce. Trust me when I tell you that inquiries of that nature would have been brought to my attention.”

A little shiver shot down her spine. “I see.”

“I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Stalbridge,” Corvus said slowly. “I doubt that any of the blackmail victims killed Grantley and Thurlow or paid someone else to murder them. The thing is, intelligent blackmailers usually don’t attempt to extort money from victims who might prove dangerous. You must look elsewhere.”

“One more question if you don’t mind,” Anthony said quietly.

Corvus waited politely.

“How many people, aside from you, would have known that both Grantley and Thurlow worked for Hastings?”

Corvus gave that a long moment’s deliberation. “I made it my business to learn as much as possible about Hastings before I did business with him. I was aware of Grantley from the start because he handled the details of the investment consortium. But I knew nothing of Thurlow. If you had not asked Miranda about the possibility of Hastings having other employees and provided a rough description, I doubt I would have ever stumbled onto him. As it was, I had to dig quite deeply to discover that there was some connection between Thurlow and Hastings.”

“In other words,” Anthony said, “the link between Grantley, Thurlow, and Hastings was not common knowledge.”

“No,” Corvus said with grave assurance. “Not common knowledge at all.”

37

A short time later Anthony handed Louisa up into the hired carriage. She sat down, arranged her skirts, and watched him lower himself onto the seat across from her. In the glow of the interior lamp his face was set in forbidding lines.

“What are you thinking?” she asked quietly.

“Whoever murdered Grantley and Thurlow must have known of their connection to Hastings,” he said.

“Yes. Obviously Hastings has concluded that as well because he fears that he is in danger.” She hesitated. “Perhaps the murderer is someone he cheated in a business deal.”

“In which case the killer might well have known about Grantley, but what are the odds he also knew about Thurlow? Even Corvus wasn’t aware of Thurlow’s link to Hastings, and he says he thoroughly researched the man at the start of their business dealings.”

She sighed. “And why kill them anyway? Wouldn’t the person who had been cheated go directly after Hastings?”

“The murder of a gentleman of Hastings’s rank would create a huge sensation. It would be in the press for weeks. Even if the killer managed to make it look like another suicide there would be a great deal of attention paid. He might not want to risk that.”

“True.” She hesitated. “The murders simply make no sense.”

“I’m not so sure of that.” Anthony folded his arms and stretched out his legs. “It strikes me that by killing Grantley and Thurlow, the killer got rid of the two people who knew the most about Hastings’s illicit business arrangements.”

“Hmm.”

He smiled faintly. “What are you thinking?”

“That if I were to set out to destroy a man and not want to take the risk of murdering him, I might consider getting rid of the people he relied on to handle his business affairs.”

“But you would not stop there,” Anthony said softly. “Not if you intended to destroy him. If you are right, Hastings is still very much in danger.”

“All right. Let’s take another approach to this problem,” she said crisply. “How many people would know his business affairs quite intimately and also have a reason to want to destroy him?”

“You mean, aside from myself?” he said dryly.

She flushed. “Well, yes. Aside from you, sir. And aside from the elderly blackmail victims.”

He considered that for a moment. “As you said, perhaps someone he once cheated is out for revenge.”

She should stop right now. If she had any sense she would not say another word, but she could not seem to help herself. Anthony was hungry for answers. She wanted them, too. She had to take the risk.

“Our list of suspects,” she said, choosing her words with great care, “would include only those who were both intimately acquainted with Hastings’s illicit business affairs and those who would also have a reason to want to murder the two men who aided him in his secret activities.”

“Likely a very short list, as you say, but if Clement Corvus could not offer any suggestions for suspects, I doubt that we’ll be able to come up with some.”

“I can think of one,” she said quietly.

“Who?”

“His dead wife.”

38

To her amazement, Anthony did not dismiss the notion out of hand. Instead he regarded her, somberly intrigued.

“What makes you think that Victoria Hastings might be involved in this affair?” he asked neutrally.

“I do not know it for certain, of course,” Louisa said hastily. “It is a vague hunch that has been gradually forming in my mind. I meant to tell you about it when we returned to Arden Square after tea with your family this afternoon, but we got distracted, if you will recall.”

His smile was slow and wicked. “Rest assured, Louisa, I recall every detail of that very delightful distraction.”

She blushed and pressed on valiantly. “I am wondering if perhaps we should investigate the possibility that Victoria Hastings is still alive.”

“Very well. Let us consider your theory. First, assuming that she is alive, why would she murder Grantley and Thurlow?”

“I do not know.” Louisa spread her gloved hands. “But you will admit that she is one of the few people who might have been aware that both men were important to Hastings.”

Anthony was silent for a moment. Then he inclined his head. “Go on. I’m listening.”

She reached into her muff and took out her small notebook. Opening it to the pages headed VH she ran through the few facts that she had jotted down.

“The thing that caught my attention at the start of this affair was that Victoria’s body was never recovered.”

“That is sometimes the case with drownings.”

“Yes, I know, but you will admit that fact does leave open the possibility that she survived.”

“She would have to have been incredibly lucky, and she would have to have known how to swim. Women rarely learn that skill.”