Chapter Ten

On the ride over to Covent Garden once more, Mary was an emotional mess.

Knowing her first husband's mistress had been pregnant and had then given up her child because she didn't wish to raise it had made her both furious and racked with despair. How was it fair that life would choose to give an undeserving woman a babe and not give the same to a woman who desperately wanted one?

Yes, she had long ago accepted her fate that she would never have a child of her own. Life with Gabriel was perfectly lovely and exciting that she had grown past the longing to have a babe of her own. Now they were parents to eight-year-old Cassandra and though it was trying at times, the potential was there to find fulfillment in that relationship.

"Approaching Covent Garden."

She glanced at Gabriel through the gathering shadows, for the sun would begin setting soon, and it was already gloomy with rain. "Why are we here again?" It had been a long, emotional day.

"To interview the actor Miss Kessler either had a relationship with or was hoping to."

"But wouldn't that run at cross purposes to her new career choice at the spa in Brighton? I mean, if she wished to have a relationship with an actor, how could she be a courtesan there at the same time?"

"That is one thing we shall ask our actor turned poet." There was such fondness in the look he bestowed on her that flutters unexpectedly went through her lower belly. "Will you be all right going into the opera house so soon after the murder?"

"I think so." A sigh escaped her. "I didn't interview Lord Carmichael with you, so I need to do this now." They were a team, a partnership, and she didn't want to disappoint him again.

"You don't have to prove your mettle to me. I'm already hopelessly in love with you."

That prompted a shaky smile on her part. "What have I done in my life to deserve you for the rest of it?"

His grin was this side of cheeky. "Does it matter? You are stuck with me like a barnacle on the side of a ship's hull, and we are going to have such fun together. And as soon as I'm able, I am going to claim your body and—"

The carriage door swung open, and Bob put down the steps, interrupting whatever her husband would have said after that.

It was enough to convince her to exit the vehicle after him. The only constant that never changed was him. "I must say, paying calls on so many people has been exhausted." How could she be expected to function as a lady of the ton now that she'd married the inspector?

"All the more reason to pamper you soon, hmm?" Then he tucked her hand into his crooked elbow and led her toward the Royal Opera House.

"That sounds wonderful." Merely burrowing into his arms would be heaven at this point. Had anyone ever had such a bizarre wedding day?

In the course of winding through the corridors trying to find the backstage areas, they happened to come across none other than the personable but forgettable Mr. Dempsey.

"Ah, Mrs. Tomlinson." Pleasure clung to the surprised greeting as he grinned at Mary. He held a brunette wig in one hand. "Now this would look stunning on you. I do tend to favor brown haired women. My mother had brown hair." He winked and completely disregarded how chilly his reception was from Bright who stood next to her. "By the by, I'm the wig master for the theater. "

"Interesting." But she regarded him as if he were a weird bug she'd come across and couldn't quite identify. "Uh, Mr. Dempsey, this is Inspector Bright."

The men stared at each other as if sizing the other up.

In the silence, Gabriel cleared his throat. "We are looking for a Mr. Taylor. He is apparently an actor and was here last night."

"You must mean Clarence." Mr. Dempsey cocked his head to one side. "I think he's backstage rehearsing lines as the play is about to start. Of course, it's MacBeth again but he is doing the comedy that will follow."

"Thank you." Clearly dismissing him, Gabriel turned to her. "Once we finish with Mr. Taylor, we will need to pack our trunks."

"Why?" She had no idea what he was about.

"We're going away to Brighton for a few days."

"What?" Surprise circled through Mary's chest. "Why?" Had she now been reduced to one-word questions?

"Oh, Brighton!" It seemed the mention of the seaside town sent Mr. Dempsey into the seventh heaven of delight. "I adore Brighton. Go down every summer." His attention went back to her. "For you, I could make an exception and go down again. Brighton in autumn is lovely if it manages not to rain."

"Do stop, Mr. Dempsey. The attention is unseemly." She followed the statement with a frown. "I am married now. Just this morning, in fact."

"Yes, to me." Clear possession made itself known in Gabriel's voice, and she adored it when he acted that way. "I would be careful about what you say from this point forward."

"Ah." The other man's eyebrows went up in surprise. "What might have been." Then he winked at her, which had Bright growling low in his throat. "Happily?" He retreated when her husband took a step toward him. "Well, Mrs. Tomlinson—"

"Bright," Gabriel interrupted.

"Bright," Mr. Dempsey said with a nod but didn't glance at the inspector. "Perhaps I'll run into you again. I have a feeling this won't be our last meeting."

Cold unease coiled through her belly. "Why?"

He touched his temple with his free hand. "Theater folk know these things. If you wish to have a guide for Brighton, I'd be happy to do it. My mother was from there." Briefly, he narrowed his eyes but then his expression went back to jovial. "Or so I have been told."

Bright growled again. Clearly, he was not amused by the antics. "We are investigating the murder of a Miss Kessler who was found last night in one of the corridors. Did you know her?"

Mr. Dempsey screwed up his face. "I don't think I did, but her name sounds familiar." He glanced at Mary. "So that was why you ran into me last night, wasn't it? Was she an actress?"

"No, a prostitute," Mary said in a soft voice.

"Ah." The other man shrugged. "That is nearly the same role, isn't it?" He wiped at a rivulet of perspiration on his forehead. The skin beneath his left eye ticced. "There are rumors of another death that same night only in the gardens."

"Yes." Gabriel's frown was fierce. "We are aware of that."

Mr. Dempsey nodded. "It is not a safe area as it once was, hmm? Women should be mindful in this day and age. Get themselves into trouble far too much and don't wish to live with the consequences."

"Ha!" Mary narrowed her gaze on him. "Or men need to stop themselves from attacking said women, or using them in any way."

He wiped at the sweat at his temple. "If it was even a man who did it. Many people make up this world. Women are capable of murder too."

"Of course they are but—"

"This is ridiculous." Bright drew himself up to his full height. "Where were you last night between seven and eight-thirty, Mr. Dempsey?"

Mary bit back on the urge to huff, for it hadn't occurred to her to question the man since he was at the periphery of the investigation.

The wig master shrugged. "Around?" When Bright glared, he quickly added, "I was in the wings backstage while the play was going on. One never knows when there will be a wig emergency." Again, he held up the wig.

Truly, she thought her new husband would throttle the younger man, but he nodded. "Go fetch Mr. Taylor for us, Mr. Dempsey. Our time is precious."

"Right." The other man nodded as he bounced his gaze between them. "Of course." Then he loped off down the corridor.

"Was that necessary?" she asked of her husband but couldn't help the beginnings of a smile.

"Yes, it was. That little man was trying to flirt with you." Though annoyance shadowed his eyes, there was also intense desire there that left her trembling.

"He is odd, I'll admit, but relatively harmless. Just enthusiastic." She gazed up at him, and awareness once more shivered over her. "Are we truly going to Brighton?"

"We are. I had been thinking about it for the past hour or so, and since we were married this morning, we might as well mix business with pleasure." A slow grin curved his sensual mouth. "If we must investigate this secret spa, we should start our honeymoon here. Additionally, it will make you happy to go away together."

"Oh, it would, but what about Cassandra? I don't wish to leave her, and I don't want Miss Oliver to have the whole authority of her for the length of a trip."

"Not to worry, love. We shall rent a townhouse there for a fortnight and bring both with us. Once the case is solved, you and I can spend time with the girl. As a family on holiday, and we can all enjoy the seaside together."

"Careful, Inspector. Too much more of that and I might do wicked things to you," she said in a barely audible whisper.

Before he could answer, a man came toward them. A slim man with reddish-blond hair and freckles sprinkled over his face. Dressed in costume, Mary couldn't quite place his character.

"I am Mr. Taylor and was told you wished to speak with me?" Each time he spoke, she couldn't stop staring at his mouth, for he wore very dark paint on his lips for the stage.

"Yes." Gabriel nodded and brought forth his ever-present notebook. "I am Inspector Bright, and this is my partner Mrs. Bright." Briefly, he grinned. Perhaps it was a novelty, still, for him to call her that. "We are investigating the murder of a Miss Kessler. How did you know her?"

The other man frowned. "Why do you assume I did?"

Mary huffed. "You'd written her a romantic note, which we found in her reticule."

"Oh." Ruddy color rose up the man's neck. "Yes, well, I did rather fancy her."

"Did she fancy you in return?"

"Unfortunately, she did not, but I continued to try." The light of unrequited love gleamed in his eyes. "I suspected she never thought me good enough, which was saying something since she was no better than a prostitute."

Mary nodded. "You didn't mind what she was?"

"Of course not. Love covers all things and hides all scars."

The simple explanation brought tears to her eyes, for that was the honest truth, and it was a core foundation block to her relationship with the inspector.

Bright scribbled a note on one of his pages. "Did she say why she didn't want your attentions?"

"Not fully. Just that she had a new business venture presented which would give her a better living and that she needed to concentrate on that. "

Her husband's gaze was quite intense as he looked at the younger man. "Where and with whom?"

Mr. Taylor shrugged. "She never said, but she was quite chummy with some nob in the ton . He kept coming ‘round a few times a week hoping to see her while she was in the gardens."

What he didn't say was that Theresa met with clients out there and potentially inside the opera house itself. Since she didn't currently have a protector. "When was the last time you'd seen her around here?"

"About two months ago. She'd said she was leaving for Brighton but would return to London if things didn't work out. After she left me, she met with that same nob."

Mary nodded. "Did they argue?"

"No. In fact, she sucked him off in exchange for coin…showing him some of her… skills."

Oh, dear.

Heat burned in her cheeks as she glanced at Gabriel.

Bright cleared his throat. "Why do you know this?"

Mr. Taylor's face reddened. "Because I watched from a hidden spot behind a hedgerow."

Shocked silence reigned in the corridor where they were. Finally, the inspector asked, "Why?"

The younger man shrugged. "Why not? I have needs, same as any man, and if she wouldn't do those things to me, I could imagine while I took matters in hand."

At the last second, Mary stopped herself from pointing her gaze at the ceiling. She merely shook her head. Sometimes men were just basic creatures that should be looked upon with great askance. Putting the image of the young man getting his rocks off while watching a sex act from her mind, she asked, "Did Miss Kessler and the man have prior knowledge of each other? Had they been in a relationship?"

"I don't think so." Mr. Taylor shook his head. "There wasn't intimate knowledge between them. They talked to each other as if they were strangers, and what they did in the gardens smacked of a business transaction. He was one of those titled lords. Lord Hindsley or some such."

"Interesting, so then he wasn't her former protector." Bright pulled the calling card for the spa from his pocket and showed the other man. "Was he handing out these cards?"

"Yes, that was him!" The actor peered closely at the card before Gabriel put it away. "That's all I know, Inspector. I swear it. I'm sad she's dead, but I had nothing to do with it. You know how it is with women like her. It's a difficult life."

"Indeed, it is. "

Mary waved a hand. "Where were you last night between seven and eight-thirty?"

He frowned. "Where do you think? Here. The comedy started around eight-thirty, and everyone in the first act was due to gather in the wings a half hour prior to curtain."

Which put him in the crime scene's vicinity. She glanced at Gabriel, who frowned.

Bright nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Taylor. You may go." With the shake of his head, he put his notebook and pencil into a pocket of his greatcoat. "It would appear it's imperative that we chase the investigation to Brighton."

"So it seems." Mary hid a yawn behind her hand. "Let's go home, Bright. This has been an exhausting day, and now we need to add packing to the schedule, and I should talk over our plans with Cassandra."

He nodded. "I don't mind telling you that if I come back here, it will be too soon." When his stomach growled so loudly it sounded like a beast, they both chuckled. "And I want my dinner."

"Come, then, Inspector. We can't have your basic needs not being met." While an hour ago she'd hoped that might have included being bedded by him, currently she was far too tired to couple with him, not even for a celebration.

After taking her hand, he led her through the corridors. Every once in a while, the noise from the stage would filter to their ears. "Please know that I will give you the wedding night that you deserve, but it might not be tonight. I'm a bit knackered." He turned his head and met her gaze with a smile that held wicked promise. "I wish to be fully cognizant and energetic when I make love to my wife for the first time."

Flutters went through her heart. "I say it often, but you are quite the romantic, Bright."

He grunted. "That is saying something when faced with a case like this, one that chips away at any sort of romance."

At least she wasn't the only one who felt that way. "It won't always be like this." She hoped so, for she wanted to finally put everything from her past behind her.

There was far too much to look forward to.