Limehouse is one of the places Fong might be hiding, Livy thought. Could this painting be a clue to the mastermind’s whereabouts?
“May we take this piece with us, CeCe?” she asked. “It may help us discover what happened to Longmere. We will return it to you afterward.”
“Keep it.” CeCe shuddered, Marg wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. “If the painting ’as something to do with poor Edwin’s death, then I want nothing to do with it.”
29
The next morning, Livy was practicing with her pistol when she received a summons from Charlie. She promptly headed for her mentor’s study, which was a feminine version of the typical male retreat. The wood furnishings were sculpted in flowing elegant lines, the walls papered in raspberry silk. Dressed in a yellow gown, Charlie was seated at her desk, which was carved with exotic birds and flowers. Sunlight glinted off her reading spectacles as she sorted through a pile of correspondence.
“Hello, dear.” Setting down her spectacles, Charlie said, “Have a seat, will you? I apologize for interrupting your training, but I have some news to share.”
Livy plopped into the chair facing the desk. “Have you already identified the location in Longmere’s painting?” she asked eagerly.
“Not yet,” Charlie replied. “Although no one knows the Thames better than the mudlarks, even they will need time to locate the scene. Buildings such as those in the painting are plentiful around the river.”
The mudlarks were urchins who scavenged the Thames for a living. Charlie knew their leader, known as the Prince of Larks, who apparently dealt not only in the sales of scavenged goods but of information. The mudlarks had eyes and ears everywhere, especially in the territories by the water, and Charlie had decided to hire them to scout out the location in Longmere’s painting.
“What is your news then?” Livy asked.
“It concerns Hadleigh.”
Livy sat up straighter. “Tell me.”
“As you know, while you Angels have been interviewing Longmere’s models, Mrs. Peabody, Hawker, and I have divided our time monitoring Edgecombe and his group,” Charlie said. “I’ve been surveilling Bollinger for the past few days. Having ascertained that his habit is to take afternoon tea at Mivart’s, I secured a position as a serving maid there, and yesterday he had a guest. Lady Cherise Foxton.”
A frisson shot through Livy. She’d told Charlie about seeing Foxton with Thorne at Lady Newberry’s ball and her hunch that the widow might have been the lady quarreling with Longmere.
“Lady Foxton is popping up everywhere,” Livy muttered.
“Indeed.” Charlie paused. “Are you aware of her, ahem, history with Hadleigh?”
That they had not discussed.
“I am,” Livy said, her insides churning. “As I understand, it was a short-lived affair.”
“That is my understanding as well,” Charlie said briskly. “Lady Foxton runs with a fast crowd and has a reputation for being a sensation seeker. The fortune her late husband left her provides her with freedom, and she has an uncanny ability to avoid scandal whilst participating in it with, shall we say, remarkable enthusiasm.”
“What was Lady Foxton doing with Viscount Bollinger?” Livy asked.
“From what I could gather, it was a business transaction cloaked as a social one. Bollinger promised Foxton ‘a devilish good time’ this evening. She, in return, slipped him a purse filled with banknotes.”
Livy chewed on her lip. “She is one of the group’s clients?”
“I believe so. They will be meeting tonight at the Hellfire Club, an exclusive establishment catering to debauchery. Foxton was particularly keen when Bollinger mentioned that the newest member of the Horsemen would be in attendance.”
Invisible hands yanked on Livy’s corset strings. Struggling to breathe, she said, “Hadleigh is going to be there?”
Charlie inclined her head.
“Then I have to be there as well,” Livy burst out.
“I thought you might feel that way.” Crossing to Livy, Charlie leaned against the desk’s edge, her daffodil-colored skirts spilling over the panel of flora and fauna. “The Horsemen will be distributing the Devil’s Bliss to their clientele at the Hellfire Club, which could yield critical information about their operation. But I must be frank: because of your personal stake in the situation, I have reservations about taking you.”
“You can trust me,” Livy said at once. “I haven’t let you down yet.”
“No, you have not. You have been a loyal Angel.” Charlie’s look was measuring. “All right, then. No matter what you see tonight—and I warn you, the club is known for its depravity—you must stay disguised. You cannot give yourself away, especially to Hadleigh. It will be a test of your strength and commitment to the case.”
“I will not fail,” Livy said.
Charlie gave an approving nod. “I’ve been impressed by your discretion with Hadleigh.”
“I want to tell him the truth,” Livy admitted. “Vow of secrecy aside, however, I am afraid that he will not understand.”
“You have made the right choice, my dear. He would undoubtedly try to put an end to your work.” Her mentor’s tone was blunt. “In fact, by carrying on with our society’s mission, you are helping him, even though he does not know it.”
Livy hadn’t thought of it in that way before. Ironically, in keeping the truth from Ben, she was better able to aid and protect him. The sooner the Angels could help wrap up the case with Fong, the sooner Ben could stop playing this dangerous game. Then he and she could be together at last.
She cocked her head. “What time do we leave tonight?”
Livy was no wilting violet, yet as she wandered through the Hellfire Club, the debauchery on display gave her a buffle-headed feeling. A few minutes ago, she and Charlie had arrived at the club—inconspicuously housed in a Mayfair mansion at the end of a tree-lined cul-de-sac—and the guards at the door had asked for a secret password. After Charlie provided it, she and Livy were led through a dark passageway into the raucous Bacchanal.
Like many of
