Emily would have quarreled with the choice of words; Christina was fashionable, appealing, to men certainly, but not beautiful.
“Indeed,” she said confidentially. “No doubt she will be able to take her pick of offers.”
“I thought at one time she might have married Mr. Ross,” Sophie inclined her head very slightly toward Alan Ross, who was talking earnestly to Euphemia Carlton. “But of course he has never got over poor Helena,” Sophie went on.
Emily’s ear sharpened.
“Helena?” she inquired with a masterly attempt at indifference. “Did some tragedy befall her?”
“She is never spoken of,” Sophie said somewhat inconsequentially.
Emily’s interest grew even keener.
“My dear, how fascinating! By whom is she never spoken of?”
“Why Laetitia Doran, of course.” Sophie opened her eyes wide. “Helena was Laetitia’s only child. Georgiana did not live with her then, naturally.”
“She came-afterward?” Emily pieced it together.
“Yes, to console her.”
“For what?”
“What? Why, when Helena ran away. Eloped-so they say. What an irresponsible and foolish thing to do! And such a shame to her mother.”
“With whom did she elope? Why did she not marry him? Good gracious, was he a servant, or something?”
“Who knows? Nobody ever saw him!”
“What? You cannot mean it?” Emily was incredulous. “Was he so appalling she dared not-oh my gracious! He wasn’t already married, was he?”
Sophie paled.
“Oh dear, I do hope not. How perfectly dreadful! No, I shouldn’t think so. She was very beautiful, Helena, you know. She could have had her choice among-oh, I don’t know how many men. Poor Mr. Ross was quite stricken when she went away.”
“Did he know about it?”
“Of course. She left a letter saying she had run off. And of course those of us with any sense knew perfectly well she had an admirer. Women know that sort of thing. I remember I thought it rather romantic, at the time. I never dreamed it would end so awfully.”
“I don’t see that it is so very dreadful,” Emily replied with a little frown, “if she ran off and married him somewhere else. Perhaps he was someone her mother did not approve of, but who loved her. A trifle silly, I agree; especially if he did not have any money; but not entirely fatal. Romantic loves are a little impractical, when it comes to day to day living, paying the cook and the dressmaker and so on. But if one has good sense, it can be quite bearable. One of my sisters married a considerable degree beneath her, and seems to be disgustingly happy on it. But she is an unusual creature, I will be the first to grant.”
“Is she really happy?” Sophie raised her eyebrows in interested surprise.
“Oh yes,” Emily assured her. “But you and I would find it quite dreadful. Perhaps Helena is like her, but feared her mother’s objections, so simply took the easiest way out.”
Sophie’s face brightened.
“What a delicious thought! Perhaps she is in Italy, married to a fisherman, or a gondolier, or something.”
“Do you have many gondoliers calling in Callander Square?” Emily asked politely.
Sophie stifled a rich giggle, and then looked about her in dismay at her own social gaffe-the spontaneous laughter, not the idiotic question.
“How deliriously refreshing you are, Lady Ashworth,” Sophie said through the fingers over her mouth. “I’m sure I’ve never met anyone so witty.”
Emily felt a withering reply to that rise to her lips, but she merely smiled.
“Poor Mr. Ross,” she said noncommittally. “He must have been very devoted to her. Was it long ago?”
“Oh, it must be well over a year, perhaps closer to two years.”
Emily’s heart sank. Helena Doran had sounded like an excellent possibility as a suspect. With Sophie’s answer she receded into profound unlikelihood. She looked instinctively across the room at Euphemia. There was a man with her whom Emily had not seen before, a man of considerable distinction, perhaps fifty-five or sixty years old.
“Who is that most elegant gentleman with Lady Carlton?” she asked.
Sophie’s eyes followed hers.
“Oh, that’s Sir Robert! Did you not know?”
“No,” Emily shook her head slightly. He must be at least twenty years older than his wife-a most interesting fact. “I think I should be a little in awe of so grand a husband,” she said carefully. “He looks so very-important. He is in the government, is he not?”
“Yes, indeed. You know, I believe I should also. How perceptive you are. You put so excellently into words exactly what was in my mind, had I but known it.”
Emily was hot on the scent.
“I should not think him a great deal of fun,” she pursued.
“No, indeed.” Sophie looked her up and down and moved a little closer. Emily knew a confidence was coming and her blood tingled with excitement. She smiled encouragingly.
“She is very,” Sophie hesitated, “attracted-to Brandy Balantyne. So charming, Brandy. I swear if I were not simply devoted to Freddie, I should be quite in love with him myself!”
Emily took a deep breath, her heart beating in her throat.
“You mean,” she said in wonder, “she is having an affair with Brandy?”
Sophie held up her finger to her lips, but her eyes were dancing. “And she is expecting!” she added. “About the third month!”
THREE
It was three days before Emily could visit Charlotte and report to her on the Friday afternoon party and deliver her astounding news. The weekend was quite out of the question, not only because George had arranged for them several engagements: a day at the races on Saturday, and then dinner with friends, and on Sunday a society wedding in the midafternoon and the inevitable celebration afterward; but also, of course, because Pitt would be at home. Having reached the rank of inspector, he was not required to work at such times unless he were pursuing a most urgent case. The deaths of two babies, probably illegitimate and some servant girl’s, would not fall in that category.
Emily was in no way ashamed of what she was doing, but she preferred that Pitt should remain unaware of it, at least for the time being.
However, by Monday morning she could contain herself no longer, and took the unprecedented step of calling for her carriage at ten o’clock and having herself driven directly to Charlotte’s house.
Charlotte was both incredulous and amused. She opened the door herself, in a plain stuff dress and apron.
“Emily! What in goodness’ name are you doing here?” There was no need to ask if some disaster had brought her, her face was glowing with excitement; indeed Charlotte could not remember having seen such a look of satisfaction on her face since Emily had announced that she was going to marry George Ashworth: not that he had known it at the time, of course.
“I have the most devastating news!” Emily said, almost willing Charlotte out of the way so she could enter. “You will hardly believe it when I tell you.”
Charlotte summed up the nature of her news immediately.
“Detecting agrees with you more than I expected,” she said with wide eyes. “Perhaps
