Georgie gaped. The woman knew her nameandthat she wrote under the pseudonym G. T. Arlington? “But how did you—”
She waved a gloved hand in an elegant gesture of dismissal. “Howis not important. Allow me to reassure you, however: Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you.” Georgina certainly hoped the woman spoke the truth, as there was not anything she could do to stop her talking, and keeping the public from knowing G.T. Arlington and Lady Georgina Belfry were one and the same was essential to her continued success. At least, that was the assumption both she and her publisher operated under, and neither was inclined to test the theory.
“As it happens,” Georgina went on, “I am an admirer of yours, as well.”
“Oh?” The widow cocked her head.
“Indeed. The information you provided my friends Mrs. Gwen Devereux and Lady Amelia Culver proved not only accurate, but invaluable. Without your assistance, I daresay neither would be in the position she is—happily married.”
The widow spread her ams. “May I assume that is why you’ve come to see me, Lady Belfry? You wish to procure a husband? You might have made an appointment and saved yourself the trouble of disguising yourself as a man and risking discovery—and scandal.”
“No,” Georgie said with, perhaps, a bit too much vehemence. She made a concerted effort to compose herself and started again. “That is to say, no, I do not seek a husband. As for why I did not make an appointment, I fear time is of the essence. What I need is information and I am happy to pay for it.”
“I see.” Mrs. Dove-Lyon moved toward the curtains and tugged a velvet pull cord discreetly tucked under the folds of fabric. “Let us sit and enjoy a cup of tea while we discuss the particulars.”
They made their way toward the small seating area, each taking one of the armchairs. Before they’d fully settled, the door to the chamber opened and a woman entered, pushing a tea cart before her. Like Georgina, she was garbed in male attire. Unlike Georgina’s suit, however, which had belonged to her late brother, and had been fit rather loosely so as to conceal her too-noticeable curves, the servant’s garments hugged her body, not disguising her femininity in the least.
Mrs. Dove-Lyon poured two cups of steaming Ceylon tea, its smoky fragrance scenting the air. “Help yourself to milk and sugar. Now, how may I be of assistance?”
Georgina took her tea, black. She sipped and allowed the piping hot beverage to moisten her parched throat before replying. “I am not at all sure you can, but I had nowhere else to turn. I am concerned about my late brother’s closest friend from childhood. He and Drake, my late brother, purchased their commissions at the same time, some two years ago, then departed for the continent swiftly thereafter. My dear brother died in battle a year ago, whereas his friend—”
“His friend?” The widow cut in. “May I ask this friend’s name?”
Georgina’s face heated in an instant. She sipped her tea again and set the cup in its saucer, keeping her eyes on her task. “Lord Theodore Arlington.”
To Georgina’s thinking, the nameArlingtonhung in the air between them like a resounding clang of metal on metal, thanks to the woman’s uncanny knowledge of her pseudonym, G.T. Arlington. ButGeorgina could not waste time worrying over what conclusion Mrs. Dove-Lyon might draw. Not with anxiety over Teddy’s welfare, or lack thereof, eating a hole through her stomach.
The widow set her cup and saucer aside, steepled her gloved fingers, and spoke. “Lord Theodore, ‘Teddy,’ Arlington, Viscount of Helmsley, future Viscount of Ainsworth. Recently retired from the military at the rank of Major. Much lauded for his heroics on the battlefield.”
Georgina lifted her chin and stared at the black netting as if she could see through to the woman’s eyes. “Excellent. You know precisely of whom I speak. As you are undoubtedly aware, then, he returned home three weeks ago, today. Being that the season is in full swing, I had expected to cross paths with him by now, at some soiree or other, or at one of the parks, or even the theatre.” Georgina, never one for excessive socializing, was quite exhausted by her monumental efforts to see him, all of which had proved fruitless.
On multiple occasions, she had seen the beautiful Lady Catherine on the arm of Teddy’s cousin, Jonathan. In each instance, she’d hovered near them in the hopes of catching sight of Teddy, to no avail. When she could stand the suspense no longer, she approached them and asked after his whereabouts.
Catherine had raised her wispy brows in a look both elegant and haughty, as if she were a queen glimpsing a dirty street urchin, begging for a coin. “Teddy? You mean Lord Arlington, don’t you, Lady Belfry? As it happens, you just missed him.”
The woman had issued a blatant lie. Why? Unfortunately, Georgina could not demand an answer without making a scene.
Suppressing the vexing memory, she went on. “I have seen neither hide nor hair of him, and that strikes me as very odd. Prior to his deployment, Teddy…er…Lord Arlingtonwas always the consummate man-about-town.”
The Black Widow poured more tea and Georgina felt her composureslipping. “You know of whom I speak, Mrs. Dove-Lyon. Do you know how he fares? Have you heard if he is well? You made mention of his heroics, but there’s too often a high price for those. Please, I’ll pay. If you know anything—”
Her words cut off when the woman raised her gloved hand. “I have some knowledge. Very limited, I’m afraid, and I must warn you: You might find what I tell you distressing.”
Her heart began to race and nausea rose up in her, causing her mouth to water like she might cast her cups. She swallowed hard. “What do you know?”
The gambling den proprietress’s lips flattened in a grim line. “He came home damaged.”
“Damaged?” Georgina repeated. “In what way?” Had he lost a limb? An eye? Had he contracted some horrible illness?
“I do not have the specifics. I know only that the damage is not of a purely physical nature and that the family has decided his issues are better treated elsewhere.”
Indignation bubbled up inside her. “Elsewhere? What the devil does that mean?”
The widow seemed to fix Georgina with a steady eye. “His parents have decided to send him to a madhouse.”
Chapter Two
