“Nevertheless,” Tobias said, “that is all we are prepared to offer. Take it or leave it.”

“Damn yer eyes, March, can’t ye see there’s more profit in this for all of us if we keep the heir out of it?”

“Unfortunately, we’ve got our professional reputations to consider,” Tobias said. “Can’t have gossip going around that March and Lake are in the habit of taking advantage of heirs. Not good for business.”

“Humph.” Mr. Nightingale rapped his walking stick on the ground a couple of times. “Very well, if that’s your only offer, I’ll accept it. Mind ye, though, if the Medusa falls into me hands from some other source, our arrangement no longer stands. I won’t owe ye or Banks’s heir a penny.”

He turned away without another word and made to move off into the shadows, one foot dragging heavily.

“I understand,” Tobias said quietly to his back. “But if matters transpire in that fashion, do not be surprised if the heir hires us to recover her stolen bracelet. In which event, we would know precisely where to look.”

Mr. Nightingale halted and looked back over his hunched shoulder. “Is that a threat, March?”

“Consider it more in the nature of a bit of professional advice,” Tobias said softly.

“Bah. I’ll give ye some advice in return. If ye and your lady hope to make your fortunes in the investigation business, ye’d best develop a more practical attitude toward matters of a financial nature.”

Nightingale slouched off around the hedge without waiting for a response.

There was a short silence. When he was certain they were alone again, Tobias took Lavinia’s arm and started toward the bright lights of the ballroom.

“There is something I have been meaning to tell you,” Lavinia said quietly.

“A shudder of dread passes through me whenever you say those words, madam.”

“It is about Mrs. Rushton, Banks’s heir.”

“What about her?”

“I suspect that she may be involved in this in some manner.”

He stopped and turned so that he could examine her face in the glow that spilled from the ballroom windows. “What the devil are you talking about?”

“I may have neglected to mention that after we got Banks’s name from Tredlow this afternoon, Emeline and I called at the Banks mansion.”

“Yes, you certainly did neglect to mention that little tidbit,” he said evenly. “Why?”

She made a face. “If you must know, I was saving it for a surprise.”

“Allow me to inform you, Lavinia,” he said, aware of a painful tightness in his jaw, “that there is nothing I hate more than a surprise in the course of an investigation.”

“Yes, well, it was only a small one,” she muttered. “I suppose I wanted to impress you. Or maybe simply make a point.”

“What the devil is your point?”

Irritation flared in her eyes. “My point is that you are forever assuming the role of instructor and expert in our partnership. Always going off to consult your private connections. Connections, I might add, that you refuse to introduce to me.”

“Damn it, Lavinia-”

“I wanted to demonstrate that I was perfectly capable of conducting my share of an investigation.”

He said nothing.

“You need not look at me like that, Tobias. We are equals in this partnership, and I have every right to pursue my own inquiries when the opportunities present themselves.”

“Bloody hell.”

“Calling at the Banks mansion was a perfectly logical thing to do. After all, Mrs. Rushton might be a suspect.”

“A suspect? Mrs. Rushton?”

“You are the one who has pointed out on more than one occasion that heirs sometimes grow impatient.” Triumph blazed in her eyes. “Furthermore, if she is not a suspect, she may well be a potential client. After all, as a victim of theft, she has a great interest in recovering the Medusa. She may be persuaded to pay us a fee to find it for her.”

He could not quarrel with her logic, he thought. But that did nothing to improve his temper.

“Did you speak to Mrs. Rushton?” he asked.

“No. She was out for the afternoon.”

“I see.” He relaxed slightly.

“Taking her weekly mesmeric treatment,” Lavinia added very deliberately. “It seems the lady suffers from delicate nerves.”

He could see that she was extremely pleased with herself. “The news that Mrs. Rushton is taking treatments from a mesmerist is your big surprise?”

Her delight faded to a disgruntled expression. “You must admit that it is a striking connection.”

“Lavinia, half of London takes mesmeric treatments for nerves or rheumatism.”

“Not half.” She glared. “You must admit that there is more than a mere hint of a coincidence here. Our case involves a dead woman who was intimately associated with the practice of mesmerism, and now we have a possible suspect who takes mesmeric treatments. I intend to investigate Mrs. Rushton more closely.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

He gripped the edge of the terrace wall while he contemplated the possibilities.

“I will accompany you,” he said finally.

“Thank you, but that is not necessary.” She gave a disdainful little sniff. “I can handle this by myself.”

“I have no doubt of that, madam.” He smiled coldly. “But I cannot resist the opportunity to watch you at work. Perhaps you are right. I may have been overlooking your contributions to this partnership. It is time I paid attention to see if I can learn a few things from you.”

Lavinia and Tobias were ushered into Lord Banks’s hushed, heavily draped drawing room shortly after two the following afternoon.

The interior of the mansion was even more depressing than the exterior, Lavinia thought. The colors were muddy and dark; the items of furniture, large, heavy, and old-fashioned.

A severe-looking woman of indeterminate years sat reading a book near the window. She was dressed in somber brown bombazine. A handsome, decorative chatelaine, with several keys attached, hung from a cord at her waist. Her hair was pulled back in a tight knot.

“Good afternoon,” Mrs. Rushton said in uninviting tones.

She put down her book and peered first at Lavinia, with a distinct lack of interest. But when she switched her attention to Tobias, her expression brightened immediately.

Rather like a cat that has just spotted a bird in the garden, Lavinia thought.

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Lavinia said more coldly than she had intended. “We will try not to take too much of your time, but we feel certain you will be interested in what we have to say.”

“Please, sit down.” Mrs. Rushton smiled very warmly at Tobias as she motioned her guests to the brown sofa.

Lavinia seated herself, but Tobias went to take up his favored position at the nearest window, putting what little light seeped into the room behind him, as was his habit.

“I shall come straight to the point,” Lavinia said. “My associate, Mr. March, and I are in the business of conducting private inquiries.”

That information succeeded in distracting Mrs. Rushton briefly from Tobias. She blinked a couple of times at Lavinia. “I don’t understand. I thought Bow Street Runners handled that sort of thing.”

“We are employed by a more exclusive sort of clientele than that which patronizes Bow Street,” Lavinia said.

“I see.” Mrs. Rushton looked blank.

“Persons of quality who insist upon the utmost discretion come to us,” Lavinia added by way of clarification.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tobias’s mouth twitch in that very annoying fashion that made her want to grind her teeth. She paid no attention. It was important to establish the proper impression upon a potential client. She understood such things, even if he did not.

“Indeed.” Mrs. Rushton’s attention drifted back toward Tobias. “How interesting.”