I sat across from him, my boots on the floor, my stockinged feet propped across his knee as we shared what we each learned with our inquiries. He was presently rubbing my right foot after my adventures with Lily at Sussex Square.
Upon my arrival, she had immediately challenged me to a duel with weapons from the Sword Room. It contained an impressive collection of rapiers, swords, shields, and a claymore or two, not to mention other assorted daggers, pikes, and several flint lock pistols and other weapons acquired by generations of Montgomerys.
In the interest of preserving the room, we had taken the challenge out onto the green. Needless to say, I was not appropriately dressed for the challenge, with a long skirt and inappropriate footwear.
But who might be when unexpectedly attacked, I rationalized, as I carried on with the duel, much to the complaint of my feet afterward. My consolation was that I had won the challenge.
“Do ye know the woman?” Brodie asked with a doubtful expression.
Admittedly, I did not usually associate with enterprising “ladies of the night,” other than a previous case. However…
“Most inventive,” I replied.
“Her name or her profession?” he asked with a sip of Old Lodge whisky.
Cheeky fellow. I would have commented on that, except I did not want to interrupt his attention which was now on my left foot.
“Lady Dumont is a character in a somewhat risqué novel that was written several years ago.”
“A novel?”
“Not the sort that I write. I prefer murder.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” he replied as he gently massaged my toes that had suffered somewhat from the afternoon duel.
“She was a notorious character who contributed to the demise of Lord Wimberley, another character in the novel. Itwas quite difficult to obtain a copy since it was banned for a while.”
“Ye prevailed of course.”
“A friend managed to acquire it and passed it to me.”
“A friend?”
Not that he believed it for a moment.
“And just how did the man meet his end?”
I gave him a very long look with a smile. He did have the reputation for being quite clever at figuring things out.
“I’ll have to remember that as well.” He reached across and took my glass from me.
“No more for ye, if I’m to live through the night.”
I laughed, yet there was another matter that I had learned of that afternoon.
“Lily mentioned that she spoke to you about returning to Edinburgh the other evening, rather than leaving for Paris after the new year.”
She had spoken of it to me but hadn’t shared what his response was. I was aware that she looked to him as a sort of father figure, with their similar backgrounds and experience in Edinburgh.
“She does seem to value your thoughts on important matters. What did you tell her?”
He proceeded to massage my toes. “That it was not for me to say,” he replied. “I am not a good example.”
“You and Munro are perfect examples. You’ve come from the same place and some of the same circumstances,” I pointed out. “And there have been times when she and I have had those sorts of discussions, and she looks at me as if…”
“As if, what?” he replied.
“She reminds me too much of me, headstrong, fearless at times, and…”
