“Well,” Rita repeated. “The boys have a new case.”
“Which they wish us to remain out of,” Vi said righteously. She sniffed and then lied, “I’m not curious.”
“Neither am I,” Rita countered with her own easy lie. “Not at all.”
Their gazes met and they laughed in unison.
“We’ll have to find our own way into trouble,” Rita suggested. “Like last time.”
Vi’s snort made her cough, and she cough-laughed until tears were rolling down her face, and she needed to correct her powder and lipstick again. When she finally gathered herself, she asked, “Did we hear from Oscar about what the treasure was?”
“So much money,” Rita replied. “Just so much money. That old man lived in near penury rather than luxuriate just to keep what he had from those he should have loved.”
“I suppose he was determined to take what he had with him. Did he prepay for the bank box?”
“For over a hundred years.” Rita shook her head. “The fool. The least he could do is ensure that a charity received the money. But he was too horrible for that too.”
“Speaking of luxuriating—” Vi turned as Kate opened the door.
Kate looked between the two of them, lifted her brow at the mischief on their faces. “Hargreaves is here. Isolde is going to Lila’s, so we just need to gather them from Lila’s house, and we’ve a reservation for lunch.”
“Perfect,” Vi announced and adjusted her coat. She found Victor in the hall with a twin on each hip. “Darling, Victor. I’m leaving the dogs with you.”
Vivi started to cry and Vi covered Kate’s ears, placed a kiss on each niece’s cheek, leaving behind a perfect red kiss mark, and then dragged their mother out. Kate looked back at the door time and again until Vi said, “It’s good for Victor to have them with Nanny Jane.”
Vi had no idea if that was accurate, but Kate needed to hear it and it was easy enough to tell her.
Chapter 2
Beatrice was in the office when Violet knocked on the door. Vi’s business manager didn’t look up at the noise, and Vi wasn’t surprised given the furious typing. The clanging of the keys sounded much like when Violet was in the middle of writing quite an intense scene in one of her books.
Vi entered, placing the cup of tea she’d brought for Beatrice on the desk, and then took a seat across from her friend, sipping her coffee. She drank it quietly, watching as Beatrice’s nose scrunched. Vi leaned back, having to admit that Beatrice was excellent at what she did. She was fully invested in whatever tirade she was writing.
When she finally pulled the paper from the typewriter and turned to place it on the desk, she gasped, clutching her chest. “Vi!”
Vi grinned wickedly and then nodded to the tea.
“Oh! Oh—” Beatrice took a deep breath in and shuddered. “Oh, my. You nearly scared the life from me.”
Vi sipped innocently from her coffee while Beatrice gathered herself, and then they discussed business for several minutes before Vi suggested that Smith come to dinner in the coming days. When they ate at home, Beatrice was always invited, as she had a set of rooms in the house along with this office. In addition to managing Vi’s business interests, Beatrice looked after the house when Vi and Jack weren’t in residence.
“How long are you here for?” Beatrice’s love and attention to her tea made Vi laugh.
She had to think back to the question once she’d stopped. “We haven’t really decided. Perhaps we’ll go home for the holidays. Or perhaps, we’ll go somewhere. Jack said something about Christmas in Spain. He also wants to go for the running of the bulls.”
Beatrice paused and then asked, “Why?”
Vi shook her head. She couldn’t imagine anything less desirable than the running of the bulls in Barcelona, but she’d learned from when she was very young that the males of the species often enjoyed things that the more practical females found absurd.
“Smith will come to dinner if he’s not working,” Beatrice said and then shook her head, jerking her gaze towards the door, so Violet followed it.
“Speak of the devil,” Vi said, finding Smith leaning in the doorway.
“Were you offering food?” Smith asked easily. He crossed to Beatrice, placing a soft kiss against her lips before taking the seat next to her, so the two of them were behind the desk while Vi was in the visitor’s seat. She grinned at the move and saw absolutely nothing on Smith’s face. The man was as enigmatic and unreadable as always.
“I was,” Vi said. “Food, drinks, a cigar if you must.”
“I think I must,” Smith said as agreeably as he could. “I was coming to see if I could persuade Beatrice to help with a case.”
“You cannot,” Beatrice said firmly. “Vi’s man of business has sent me a whole slew of things I have to reply to. I will be overwhelmed for the next few days.”
Was that the merest trace of irritation on Smith’s face, Vi wondered? She was so busy trying to decide, it took her too long to realize he’d turned those angel’s eyes to her. The man was, indisputably, the most handsome man Violet had ever seen. He was as beautiful as an angel, which always made the devilish turn of his mind more surprising.
“What about it, Vi?”
“What about what?” Vi asked.
His slow grin made her shiver, and she knew that she was getting sucked into trouble that would make Jack want to wring her neck. “Just a little help.”
“I have plans with Rita today,” Vi tried lamely. She was bored enough that she could be convinced.
“I don’t know, Vi—” Beatrice started and Smith shot her a look.
“If you can do it, she can do it.”
“You’re going to get her into trouble,” Beatrice told him.
“I would never get you into trouble.”
“Me,” Beatrice countered with emphasis.
“I won’t get Vi in trouble,” Smith said easily. “Jack would murder me slowly and
