Tobias said nothing. He just looked at her for a long moment.

“Well?” She frowned. “What is it?”

“I cannot help but notice that you are not rushing to defend Hudson from the charge of theft.”

She sighed and sank deeper into her chair. “You’re certain about the stolen jewelry in Bath?”

“As certain as I can be without proof. But Crackenburne’s information is almost always reliable.”

She picked up her pen and fiddled with it absently while she forced herself to contemplate the facts from a dispassionate distance. “I will admit that if Celeste was such an active thief, it is highly unlikely that Howard did not, at the very least, suspect something.”

“I think it far more probable that he was involved in the thefts.”

“If that is so, why would he take the risk of hiring us?”

“He did not want to hire us. He wanted to hire you. And he did so because the Medusa bracelet is missing and he wants to find it.” Tobias frowned. “In any event, he may not believe that he is taking much of a risk.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it, Lavinia. He didn’t go to Bow Street to find a detective, did he? He came to you, an old acquaintance who remembers him fondly, a dear friend from the past who would never for a moment consider the possibility that he might be guilty of either murder or theft.”

She winced and placed the pen very precisely down on the blotter. “I’m still not convinced. It is entirely possible that there are other explanations for the murder and the theft. Poor Howard.”

“Poor Howard, indeed.” Tobias looked amused. “Just his bloody luck that when he hired you, he got me in the bargain.”

His dark mood did not lift when Tobias walked into his own house a short while later and found Anthony sprawled on a chair in the study. On the table beside his brother-in-law sat three quarters of a cold salmon-and-potato pie, which was rapidly disappearing into Anthony’s mouth.

“I trust you are here because you have some useful information for me.” Tobias went around the corner of his desk and lowered himself into the chair. “Did you find the valet?”

“Not yet.” Anthony swallowed a large bite of the pie and put aside the dish and fork. He regarded the tips of his gleaming boots. “One of the neighbors said Fitch has been spending a lot of time in the hells since he was let go from his post. I’ll try again in the morning.”

“Time is of the essence here, in case you haven’t noticed.” Tobias tapped one finger against the blotter. “I want him found as soon as possible.”

“It’s not that easy. He never seems to go home, and I don’t even know what the man looks like.”

“Use some initiative. Ask one of his acquaintances for a description. Make inquiries of the street boys. Discover which hells he favors. Damnation, Tony, you’re the one who demanded to play assistant detective. I suggest you start practicing your new craft.”

“You know I’ve been busy interviewing the prostitutes who work near the inn where Oscar Pelling is staying.”

Tobias frowned. “Any luck there?”

“No.”

“In other words, you haven’t made any progress at all on either front, have you? I suggest you return to your inquiries. It would no doubt be more productive than helping yourself to the contents of Whitby’s pantry.”

“I just stopped by for a quick bite.” Anthony glared at him morosely from the depths of the chair. “What the devil is the matter with you? Have another one of your lively little quarrels with Mrs. Lake?”

“My relationship with Lavinia is none of your bloody business.”

“Of course it isn’t. I don’t know what came over me.”

Tobias slammed the flat of his hand against the blotter. “I walked into her study a short time ago and found her alone with Hudson.”

“Ah.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing in particular. Just that I now comprehend the reason for your foul temper.” Anthony raised his brows. “You don’t much care for your client, do you?”

“I do not trust the man. He’s a practicing mesmerist who may well have murdered his own wife. I’m certain that he’s hatching some dark scheme that involves Lavinia. And she refuses to see the danger.”

“Want some advice?”

“No, thank you. Your advice on how to charm a lady with compliments has proven a resounding failure.”

Anthony cleared his throat. “Very well, then, how about giving me some advice?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I came here this afternoon because I wanted to consult with an older, wiser man who has had some experience of the world and who can assist me in resolving a particularly confounding problem that I now find myself confronting.”

“Damnation, you gave me your word you would not go into the hells. If you have got yourself into dun territory, you can bloody well finance your own way out.”

“Calm yourself, sir. I haven’t lost any money at the gaming tables. In the event that it has escaped your attention, I’ve been too busy pursuing inquiries for my new employer to spare any time for cards or dice.”

It dawned on Tobias that he had never heard this particular edge in Anthony’s voice.

“What is it?” he asked quietly.

“Emeline.”

“Damn, I was afraid of this.” Tobias leaned back in his chair, stacked the heels of his boots on the corner of the desk, and steepled his fingers. “Something happened yesterday after you left Banks’s mansion, did knot?”

“Of course something bloody well happened. I told you what occurred.” Anthony shot to his feet and started to stalk the room. “Emeline was very nearly run down by that carriage. She could have been hurt. Perhaps seriously.”

“I got the impression she felt that you and the boy were the ones in danger.”

“She was in peril too, but she seemed oblivious of that fact.”

Tobias contemplated his fingertips. “Thought we agreed that the driver’s intention was to deliver a message, not to murder anyone.”

“How the hell can we be sure of anything, least of all the coachman’s intentions?” Anthony’s jaw was so rigid it could have been forged from steel. “I tell you, Tobias, I’d give a fortune to get my hands on the bastard for even five minutes.”

“I understand.”

“I must confess that it wasn’t until I went to bed last night that the full implications of the incident finally struck me. The possibilities kept me awake almost until dawn. I stared at the ceiling and kept thinking about what might have happened.” Anthony waved one hand. “What if the coachman had lost control of his horses? What if Emeline had panicked the way the boy did? What if she had just stood there, frozen, in the path of the vehicle? She would have been trampled.”

“Luckily Miss Emeline appears to share her aunt’s tendency not to panic at awkward moments.”

“When I did manage to fall asleep last night, I had nightmares,” Anthony muttered. “The dreams all involved scenes in which I could not get to Emeline in time to pull her out of the path of a rushing carriage.”

Tobias thought about the occasional nightmares he had experienced since making Lavinia’s acquaintance. “I’ve had a few unpleasant dreams of that sort myself.”

“This morning while you and Mrs. Lake and Mrs. Dove went to consult with Vale, I had a conversation with Emeline. I told her that I thought she should give up this notion of following in her aunt’s footsteps.”

“Did you, indeed?” Tobias took his boots off the corner of his desk and got to his feet. He went to the small table to inspect the remaining portion of the salmon-and-potato pie. “I expect I can hazard a guess as to the nature of her response to your suggestion.”

“She got very angry with me. Refused to even consider my advice. As good as told me that I had no right to make decisions for her or to interfere with her life.”