“We just want to talk to you,” Lavinia said quickly. “And, of course, we’ll pay you for your time.”

“Talk, eh?” Maggie considered that for a moment and then shrugged. “Well, so long as yer willin’ to pay, it don’t make much difference to me. Come on up. First room at the top of the stairs.”

Tobias tried the door. It opened readily. Lavinia peered around his shoulder and saw a narrow hall and a cramped staircase lit by a single, smoky candle set in a wall sconce.

“Try to resist the temptation to overpay her,” Tobias said. “Especially since we will no doubt be using my money.”

“Of course we must use your money. I did not bring any of my own with me tonight. A lady never takes money to a grand ball.”

“Somehow that does not surprise me.”

He ushered her into the hall and followed on her heels, pausing only to shut the door.

Lavinia started up the staircase, Tobias two steps behind her. She was on the fourth tread when she heard the hall door slam open behind her with a jolting crash.

Two men dressed in rough clothing rushed into the hall.

They went directly for Tobias. The light of the wall sconce gleamed evilly on the blades of their knives.

“Tobias. Behind you.”

He did not reply. He was too busy responding to the attack. She saw him grip the banister with one hand and use it to brace himself. He lashed out with one booted foot.

The blow struck home, catching the first man squarely in the chest. The villain sucked in air and staggered back, colliding with his companion.

“Get out of my way, ye bloody fool.” The second man shoved his companion aside and flung himself at Tobias. His arm moved in a short, vicious arc. The blade slashed through the air.

Tobias kicked out again. The second man hissed like a snake and darted backward to avoid the boot. He had to catch himself on the banister.

“Go into Maggie’s room,” Tobias ordered without taking his attention off the two men. “Bolt the door.”

He launched himself toward the closest villain. The two came together with a sickening thud and landed at the foot of the staircase. They rolled across the floor and slammed into the wall.

The door at the top of the stairs banged open. Maggie appeared, the iron candlestick in her hand.

“What’s going on down there?” she demanded in a slurred voice. “See here, I don’t want any trouble.”

Lavinia flung aside the blanket, collected her skirts, and dashed up the stairs to the landing.

“Give me that candlestick.” She yanked it out of Maggie’s hand.

“What are ye doin?” Maggie demanded.

“Oh, for pity’s sake.” Lavinia pulled the dripping tallow candle off the prong and shoved it into Maggie’s fingers.

“Ouch,” Maggie muttered. She held her finger to her mouth. “That burns, it does.”

Lavinia ignored her and flew back down the stairs, the iron candlestick clutched in her right hand.

She could see Tobias and the second villain writhing on the floor of the hall. Light danced on the blade.

The first man heaved himself up into a sitting position at the foot of the stairs. He appeared dazed, but it was obvious that he was recovering rapidly from the stunning blow he had taken from Tobias’s booted foot. He scooped up the knife that had fallen from his hand and gripped one of the banister supports. He started to haul himself to his feet.

He studied the two men locked together in silent, deadly combat on the hall floor. It was clear that he was seeking the right moment to go to his companion’s assistance.

Lavinia raised the iron candlestick aloft, praying that the man at the bottom of the staircase would not look back.

Down below, Tobias and his assailant heaved and rolled violently once more. One of them grunted hoarsely. Lavinia could not tell which man had cried out in pain. Rage and fear flashed through her.

She reached the second step from the bottom and swung the iron candlestick with all of her strength.

At the last instant, the man sensed the threat behind him. He started to turn and put up an arm to protect himself.

But he was too late. The candlestick glanced heavily against the side of his head and struck his shoulder with a jolting force that Lavinia felt through her entire body. The villain staggered back against the wall. The knife clattered on the bottom step.

For a shocked second Lavinia and the man stared at each other. Then she saw the blood flow from the gash on the side of his head.

“Bitch.”

Enraged, he lunged at her with both hands, but his movements were awkward and unsteady.

Lavinia grabbed the banister and used it to lever herself up several steps. She raised the candlestick on high again, preparing to deliver another blow. The man saw the weapon and hesitated, swaying in the light.

Tobias appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looming in the shadows, his face an icy mask. He grasped the first man’s shoulder, spun him around, and slammed a fist into his jaw.

The man yelled, reeled around, and lurched blindly toward the door. The second man had it open and was already outside.

The pair fled into the fog. Their boots rang hollowly on the paving stones for a moment and then they were gone.

Heart pounding, Lavinia examined Tobias from head to toe. His neckcloth had come undone in the scuffle. There was blood on it and on the front of his greatcoat.

“You’re bleeding.” She picked up her skirts and hurried down the steps.

“The blood isn’t mine.” With a gesture of distaste he snagged the trailing end of the cravat and tossed it aside. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She stopped on the step above him and touched his face anxiously. “Are you certain you’re not hurt?”

“Quite certain.” He frowned. “I told you to bolt yourself in Maggie’s room.”

“Those two men were trying to kill you. Surely you didn’t expect me to just wait quietly in another room while they went about their business. I would remind you yet again, sir, that we are partners in this venture.”

“Damn it, Lavinia, you could have been seriously injured.”

Maggie chuckled above them. “Appeared as how the lady did ye a favor, if ye ask me.”

“I didn’t ask you,” Tobias said.

Maggie cackled.

“I suggest that we conduct this quarrel at some other time,” Lavinia said crisply. “We have business here, in case you have forgotten.”

He rubbed his jaw somewhat gingerly. “I have not forgotten.” He looked up at Maggie. “Do you know those two men?”

Maggie shook her head. “Never saw ‘em before. A couple of footpads that spotted ye in the lane and decided to follow ye into the hall, I expect.” She gestured grandly toward the open door behind her. “Come on up, if yer still in a mood to ask questions.”

“Yes.” Tobias climbed the steps behind Lavinia. “I’m very much in a mood to ask questions.”

They followed Maggie into a dingy little room furnished with a cot, a washstand, and a small trunk. An open bottle of gin stood on a table.

Lavinia handed the iron candlestick back to Maggie and sat down on a stool near the cold hearth. Tobias went to the window and looked down into the lane. She wondered if he was hoping to spot the two men who had attacked him. There was little chance of that, she thought.

“We wish to ask you about a man named Oscar Pelling,” he said without turning around. “We understand that he purchased your services during the past few days.”

“Pelling. That bastard.” Maggie speared the candle on the stick and set it on the table. She lowered her thin frame onto the bench and poured herself a glass of gin. “Aye, I took him on as a client for a time, but never again. Not after what he did the last time.”

“What, precisely, did he do?” Lavinia asked.

“He did this, that’s what.” Maggie turned her head so that her face was fully illuminated by the glow of the candle. “Haven’t been able to work for the past few days because of him.”