As if sensing her turbulent thoughts, Hudson placed a calming hand on her elbow. The gesture was reassuring, and the physical connection to him was precisely what she needed. The tenderness those hands had shown her could not be denied.
“When Mrs. Ainsley told you she required a key, did you not think it odd?” Hudson asked. “Surely if I had asked her to join me there, I would have either accompanied her or made certain she could access the rooms until I joined her.”
Mr. Seward’s fingers were moving at his sides, as if he itched to correct the angle of yet another box or bottle on the shelves. “I will admit that I did not question it. The lady was amiable and quite lovely to look upon. I fetched Mr. Cowling’s key ring and allowed her to go inside.”
Quite lovely, Mr. Seward had said. And those words were like pinpricks to her heart. A thousand of them, all at once.
Of course Mrs. Ainsley would have been beautiful if she had been a former lover of Hudson’s. He was so wonderfully handsome. Elysande, by comparison, was a dowdy bluestocking who spent more time aiding her father’s inventions than doing what other ladies of an age with her did.
Hudson gave her elbow a reassuring squeeze as he addressed Mr. Seward. “After you allowed her entrance to the rooms, what happened next?”
“She thanked me.” The apprentice’s cheeks went redder still, and he turned his stare to the floor, shuffling his feet.
“Howdid she thank you?” Elysande asked, sensing there was more to the story.
“She…I…” The young man’s gaze flitted wildly between Hudson and herself as he attempted to produce an answer.
“She?” Hudson prompted.
“She kissed me,” Mr. Seward admitted on a rush. “It was improper, and I should not have allowed it. But she was giggling like a girl, and she saidthank you, sir, and then she kissed me quickly and closed the door.”
It sounded to Elysande quite plainly that Mrs. Ainsley had been in her cups. She had gone to Hudson’s rooms uninvited, managed to gain entrance, and had charmed the young Mr. Seward in the process. But what had happened afterward? For the first time, it occurred to her that perhaps Mr. Seward had harmed her, and Elysande’s blood ran cold.
“What did you do after she closed the door, Mr. Seward?” Hudson asked, his tone authoritative and yet calm all at once.
The younger man raised his head, and Elysande noted for the first time just how blue his eyes were. Or perhaps it was merely the flush in his cheeks that made her aware. Either way, a shiver passed over her as it occurred to her that, aside from Mrs. Ainsley’s killer, the man before her was the last who had ever seen or spoken with her.
Unless Mr. Sewardwasher killer. Was he? She had to admit that, despite Mr. Seward’s amiable demeanor, he could be guilty. At this point, anyone could.
“I returned here to finish my work,” Mr. Seward said.
“And how long did you remain?” Hudson asked quickly.
“Another quarter hour, perhaps one half hour,” the other man answered, frowning. “I had not consulted my pocket watch. But the time was not long. I had almost completed my work for the day when I first ventured out to aid the lady.”
“At what time did you leave the shop for the evening, Mr. Seward?” her husband asked next.
Elysande found herself mesmerized by Hudson. By the manner in which he could maintain his composure, speak so calmly and politely, smile at Mr. Seward in an encouraging fashion, quite as if they were friends. By the speed of his nimble mind. By so much. It was as if she were seeing him for the first time.
Seward fidgeted some more. “I told Chief Inspector O’Rourke I reckon it was ten o’clock.”
“Ten o’clock,” Hudson repeated. “You are certain?”
Elysande watched him closely, sensing there was something more underlying his words.
The apprentice swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his long throat. “Yes. I consulted my watch just before I locked the shop and left for the evening.”
“Did you hear anything else untoward? Any screams, thumps, or cries? Voices? Anything from the floor above which would have led you to believe that Mrs. Ainsley was in danger?”
“I heard a man’s voice,” Mr. Seward said. “Nothing else.”
Hudson was completely concentrated upon the other man now, his gaze fixed and focused. “Nothing else. You are certain?”
“Yes. I am certain.”
Hudson inclined his head. “Thank you, Mr. Seward. This interview has proven most enlightening.”
The younger man bowed again, and when he straightened, Elysande detected the undeniable sheen of perspiration on his brow. He was sweating, and yet the day was cool. Heavens, it was cold. She was still wearing her wrap and hat, and yet in the heatless room, Mr. Seward was perspiring as if it were the height of summer.
