“Which means,” Belle said, “she must have a very good reason for putting him aside.”
“Which I think Ashworth might be able to tell us about. Oh, and before I forget, Ashworth and Eli met the truth seeker and auditor at Tullamarine this afternoon.”
I frowned. “They’re not going to have time to record what happened to me. Not before the meeting tonight.”
“No, but they can bear witness to said meeting as part of the information gathering process.”
“Neither my father nor Clayton will admit anything in their presence.”
“Which is why they will be recording the conversation from a safe distance.”
“We’ll all be recording the damn conversation,” Belle commented.
Monty glanced briefly over his shoulder. “I think it likely they’ll demand all phones turned off and placed on a table—especially given how cautious they’ve been to date.”
“Which means they may also pat us down for listening devices.”
“They may well, but they won’t find it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“That, my dear cousin, will soon be revealed.”
I rolled my eyes. “You fail when it comes to being all edgy and mysterious.”
“Well, there goes one means of attracting my true love.”
Belle snorted, and Monty’s grin grew. I shook my head and said, “Is it actually legal to record a conversation without informing all parties involved?”
“I did check, and here in Victoria the answer is yes, just as long as the person who is secretly recording the conversation is one party of that conversation.”
I frowned. “But they’ll be elsewhere—”
“In this case, you’re the person recording it, as you’ve requested their help to sort out this situation.”
“Are they sure that will hold up in court?”
“Certain of it.” He pulled into the driveway of a cream-colored, Victorian-style double-story building and parked around the back. “This way, ladies.”
He jumped out and led us into the beautiful old building. After speaking briefly to the waitress who came to meet us, we were taken into what looked like an old Regency parlor. Maelle would have been very at ease in this place.
Belle and Monty ordered a meal and coffee. I stuck with tea and a bag of plain potato chips; anything else would have been dangerous given the uneasiness in my stomach. The drinks and the food arrived promptly, and we talked about everything other than the meeting that was now less than two hours away.
Just after seven, the door opened. Ashworth and Eli stepped into the room, followed by two women—one who looked barely out of her teens, the other in her mid-fifties.
Ashworth strode over to me and wrapped me in a big bear hug. “How’re you holding up, lass?”
I smiled into his chest. “Better now that you and Eli are here.”
“Wouldn’t miss this confrontation for the world.” He pulled back, then turned around and motioned to the two women. “I’d like you to meet Jenna Jones and Ruby Harrison, our truth seeker and auditor respectively.”
I walked over to shake their hands. Jenna was the younger of the two, and obviously had some Sarr blood in her. Her skin was brown, her eyes gray, and her hair every bit as thick and lush as Belle’s. Power surged as our hands met, but it was a mix of both magic and psychic energy. Ruby had strawberry-blonde hair—suggesting there was only a distant connection to one of the royal lines—bright blue eyes, and a gorgeously Rubenesque figure. Her grip held the same mix of psychic and magical energy.
“Thank you both for coming here today.”
Ruby’s voice, like her quick smile, was brisk and businesslike. “If Clayton Marlowe and your father are indeed complicit in arranging the marriage of an unwilling and drugged minor, then they must be brought to justice. The testimony of both yourself and your familiar, as well as the conversation we record tonight, will play a major part in the decision whether to take them to court or not.”
I frowned. “If it’s against the law, surely they must be charged.”
“It depends entirely on the evidence, which we’ve not heard as yet.” She flashed another quick smile. “Fear not, I’ve seen cases in court that have started with far less than what we already have here. Now, let’s get you prepared.”
She placed her briefcase on the table and pulled out a folder. The preparation involved me signing a formal request for their help, reading a pamphlet on truth seeking—what it involved and what the risks were—and then signing a permission form.
When that was done, she took a small silver jewelry box out of her briefcase and opened it up. Inside was an oval-shaped opal pendant about the size of my thumb. She lifted it by the chain and motioned me to turn around. I did, ducking down slightly so that she could place it easily around my neck. The back of the stone was metal and felt cold against my skin.
“The electronics are under the pendant’s stone,” she said. “You activate it by pressing the small button on the rear. We’ll monitor, and can remotely deactivate if necessary.”
“Why would you need to deactivate it?” Belle said. “Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of the thing?”
“There’ve been some situations in the past where the suspects have swept the general area with a bug finder. While there’s been no indication that either man has made inquiries for such a device, it’s better for our case and for you if we proceed cautiously.”
“Them finding the device wouldn’t jeopardize the overall case, though,” Ashworth commented.
Ruby glanced at him. “No, but it would make them aware that the Society is watching them, and that could make them react in unforeseen—and unwanted—ways.”
“Given who we’re dealing with, it’s likely he already knows,” Eli said. “I very much suspect him reacting in unforeseen ways is already on the cards.”
His words hung ominously in the air. I briefly closed my eyes and fought to keep calm. Me becoming a messy bundle of nerves and fear was exactly what Clayton wanted; if we were to have
