Chapter Thirty-Eight

T he Right Honorable Miss Bernice Namath

I stared straight ahead while carriages and other people rushed by me on the busy street. My conversation with Moran rolled around in my head, and I didn’t even bother to stop the tears from falling. He had no idea my heart was broken. Or perhaps he didn’t care. He had told me who he was when I first met him, and I hadn’t taken him seriously. Of course, the man I had come to know was nothing like the man he pretended to be.

“Birdie, wait up,” Eloise called from behind me. I slowed my steps and blinked back tears. She reached my side, the apron she wore for work still protecting her grey skirt. The serviceable waist-length frogged coat had frayed sleeves. Nobody would even guess by the looks of it that she was a baron’s daughter.

“Eloise. I thought you had to work today.” I didn’t want to cry, except it was hard not to. He had promised me nothing nor made a single commitment toward me. Yet I yearned to be with him even now. I had thought myself capable of having an affair without involving my emotions like men do. Apparently, I miscalculated.

Her brow shooting up, she skimmed my face and laid her hand on my arm. “I am between shifts. What are you doing away from the office?”

The loaded question was nearly my undoing, and I tried my best to gain control over my roiling emotions before attempting to answer. “I was released from my position.”

“What? Oh my goodness, what happened? I thought things were going well.”

“They were, but something happened today, and I am afraid our secret might be out.” The panic I experienced earlier returned, fear quickening my steps once more. We turned onto Milk Street, and I halted mid-stride. Two constables stood at the front door of the boarding house. Alarm shot through me, and I longed to flee until the taller one locked eyes with me. The instinct to run in the opposite direction nearly overcame me, but that would simply give them incentive to use brutality. “Eloise, I think it might behoove you to leave. Go to the school and get our sisters. I will take care of this.”

“No, I am not leaving you. We are in this together,” Eloise’s shaking voice gave away her own panic.

I wanted to argue further, except the shorter man with the rounded belly began to walk in our direction. His accomplice, a tall, thin man, followed in his wake.

“Fine, but don’t say anything.” I squared my shoulders and waited for his approach. Today had been fraught with drama, and I had a horrible suspicion it was about to get much worse. “Let me do all the talking.”

“Miss Namath?” the thin man asked, glancing from me to Eloise. My sister seemed to shrink at the scrutiny, and I wanted to shield her from further upset. It was my fault we were in this situation, and up to me to extricate us.

My feet leaden, I could answer in the affirmative or simply pretend I wasn’t who they thought I was. Putting off the inevitable wasn’t a wise course. “May I ask who is inquiring?”

“My name is Inspector Jinx, and this is my associate, Diggory.” The lanky constable was older, with sallow skin and cold brown eyes. I instantly disliked him and feared him in the same breath.

“May I ask what this is in regard to?” The jitteriness in my hands wouldn’t stop, and my knees shook. I stood my ground, chin up when I wanted to melt into a puddle.

His gaze flickered to Eloise before he turned his attention back to me. “Should we go inside and talk?”

“You will understand if I say no. I don’t truly know who you are. Therefore, I would rather have our discussion out here.” At least I’d have the opportunity to scream if they weren’t legitimate officers. Brown’s threat rattled me and I sensed that this call had something to do with that.

“Then you might wish to dismiss your servant. What I have to ask doesn’t concern her,” Diggory said, staring down his rather wide nose at me. Redness spreading across the bridge hinted at a fondness for spirits.

He thought Eloise was a servant and not my sister. I wanted to look at her but I kept my gaze locked with his. His ignorance would prove beneficial in shielding her from trouble. “She can stay.”

Hands on his hips, Diggory exhaled a long breath and nodded. “Fine. We are here to ask about your father, Baron Namath. It would seem nobody has seen him for a while.”

A soft gasp sounded from Eloise, echoing my own internal reaction. It required all my willpower not to react in a similar fashion. I had to keep a cool head and not let my upset lead me astray. I fought the bile rising in my throat and forced a smile. “That is because my father is taking the waters in Greece.”

“Can you provide proof that he is in Greece?” Jinx rocked back on his heels, jutting out his jaw in a bullish fashion.

“I have postcards from him postmarked from Greece.” I was glad to have saved the ones my father had sent us when he and my stepmother had been in Greece on holiday.

“Can I see them?” he asked.

If I said yes, he’d have an excuse to enter my flat.

“I will fetch them for you Miss,” Eloise said, moving past me. She kept her head down, a stray strand of hair blowing in the winter breeze.

I flashed her a grateful smile. “They are in the small wooden box on my vanity.

“Yes, Miss Namath.” she bobbed a curtsy and rushed inside.

I sent up a prayer of thanks that my sister had smarts. “Which station are you from? I don’t recall hearing your names. You see, I have a good friend in the Met. His name is Inspector Ashton. Have you heard of him?”

Brow furrowed, Jinx shook his head. “We are Mayfair. That’s where the disappearance happened.”

“As he hasn’t disappeared, that isn’t accurate.” If Brown hadn’t threatened me, I would be perplexed by their interest. His cryptic parting words made me suspicious and with good reason. What his end game was still haunted me. My romps with Ash and Moran were pleasant and despite my fallout with Moran, I still desired him. Brown was repulsive in many ways, most especially in his insistence that I allow him to bed me. I shuddered at the very idea.

“We haven’t established that fact yet.” Diggory settled his hands on his hips.

“Don’t you think I would report my father missing if that were indeed the case?” I had to maintain a clear head and sound reasonable when I wanted to give in to the hysteria.

“Why are you living in a boarding house on Milk Street in Cheapside?” he asked.

“Because my father rented out our house to pay for his stay in Greece, hence the reason I found employment.” Like Ash, the man asked tough questions. Luckily, I had rehearsed this scenario a hundred times in my head.

“You want me to believe that he left you and your sisters, booted you from your home, and went to Greece?” Jinx released an unconvincing laugh.

“He isn’t a very good father.” I issued a silent apology to my father. No matter his flaws, he had been a good father. He simply hadn’t been good with money. I had to be convincing and allowed some of my upset with him to come out in my tone. “Forgive me for sounding like an ungrateful daughter. His health needs took precedence over our needs.”

Eloise exited the front door, her head down. She held out the box of keepsakes I had collected over the years. “For you, Miss Namath.”

“I’ll take that,” Diggory said, snatching it out of her hands. Eloise gasped, a flash of defiance in her gaze before she lowered her head once more. Her years of being subservient to doctors at the hospital had stripped the pride from her and it pained me to see her acting the part so well.

Diggory flipped open the lid and took out the postcards, inspecting each one and the message written on the back of them. He handed them to Jinx before closing the box. When he didn’t hand it back over, I panicked for a moment. All of my treasures were in that box, keepsakes from my mother.

“I will take this for evidence,” he said.

“Will I get it back? The trinkets aren’t worth much, but they hold sentimental value.” My voice came out reedy and unsure. All of this was suspect and I could hardly wait for this to be over so I could seek out Ash and talk to him about what happened.

“In due time.” Diggory looked down his nose at me. “We will check your story.”

“I understand.” I wanted to run, but I stood my ground. “Is that all you need from me?”

“For now.” Jinx shared a telling look with Diggory. “We need to investigate the allegations.”

Before they left, I needed to try one thing to see if I could trick them into confirming that it was Brown. “Can you give me your address? I will need to gain guidance from my pastor, Reverend Brown. Because of his kindness to me today, I have seen the error of my ways and quit my employment with Mr. Moran.”

Diggory’s brow shot up, a smirk forming on his thin lips. “He is a very persuasive man.”

“He is indeed.” I tried not to snort in disgust. “Is there anything else? It is getting cold outside and I must see to supper for my sisters.”

“Of course, we will need to talk with Brown to verify the truth of your statement.” Jinx tipped his hat, his interested stare locked on Eloise’s still bent head.

“Good afternoon constables.” I touched Eloise on the arm before going to the front door, pleased that my legs still knew how to work. She followed close behind, the soft click of the door a welcome relief. I put my fingers to my lips and motioned for us to go upstairs. With a nod, she indicated I precede her.

Once on our flat’s landing, I turned to look at her. Worry lined her eyes. Tears fell from my own. Eloise pulled me into her embrace. “What was that all about?” she asked.

“It is a long and complicated story, one I don’t have time to tell. You and our sisters need to leave.” I pulled myself from her embrace and wiped at my tears. Eloise and I had discussed Brown and the threat of his organization to Moran. “It isn’t safe for you. Brown is after me and he will use whatever means possible to seek retribution for me denying his attentions.”

Her eyes widened and I exhaled a shaky breath. “I know you want answers, but there isn’t time. Go pick up the girls and take them to a hotel. It will cut into our budget, but Moran is giving me six months’ worth of wages.”

“Why?” She continued to hold me back. “I know you are panicked, but you just can’t say cryptic things and expect me not to have questions.”

“I know it isn’t fair, but I am truly frightened for you all.” I clutched at her hands, unable to articulate my terror. If I could only turn to Moran, but he had spurned me. Ash hadn’t, however. If I sought him out, I would have to admit to an actual crime. I cringed merely thinking about it. “I would feel better if you were somewhere safe. If I can’t join you, seek out Inspector Ashton.”

“We can’t involve the police. Sally has a small flat nearby. I will take the girls there until you can meet us.” She rattled off the directions. Arms crossed, she rubbed at her sleeves.

“The police are involved whether we wish for them to be or not. We can trust Ash.” I had to get past her well-intentioned reluctance. Eloise was practical in most matters but she’d developed distrust of authority figures and with good reason. By the stubborn tilt of her chin, trying to convince her Ash was different might be an uphill battle, one I didn’t have time to fight. “The weather is turning bad and I don’t want you to be stranded in the snow. Just think about what I said. You can trust Ash.”

“I will consider it as a last resort.” Biting her bottom lip, she pulled me into a hug, her arms tight and full of fear. “Be careful, sister.”

“I will.” I watched her leave, her footsteps soft on the wooden floors. Once I heard the front door close, I went into the flat. The emptiness weighed heavily on me. Brown had been true to his threat and now I might be caught out. I strode to the decanter, unstopped it, and drank straight from the cheap crystal. Moran had offered to pay for a guard until the tension with Brown died down, but I think he underestimated Brown, as had I. I caught sight of myself in a small mirror over the fireplace, my face pale in the scratched surface. I was a lady and because of my lineage, I had some protections but not much.

The constables wouldn't have approached me if I were a man like Moran. Of course, if I were a man, I would be the baron. Instead, I was unemployed, heartbroken, and about to be on the run from the law simply because I was born a woman.