Page 122 of Affair

But what could he expect from her? she wondered. There was little she could do in her present circumstances.

Except talk.

Of course. If Baxter had a plan, and she was certain he would not have entered this chamber without one, then he no doubt wished her to distract Morgan Judd while he implemented his scheme.

“Why have you gone to the trouble to bring us here tonight, Mr. Judd?” she demanded in her sharpest tones.

Morgan looked briefly at her. “It is not often that one has the opportunity to engage in conversation with people who can appreciate one’s abilities.”

“Rubbish. Surely you are not so vain that you felt you must drag us here merely to boast.”

“You misjudge him, my dear,” Baxter said. “Morgan’s vanity knows no bounds. But that is not why he kidnapped us, is it, Morgan?”

“As pleasant as it is to be among those who have the intellect to grasp the greatness of my plans,” Morgan said, “I must confess, there was another reason why I went to the trouble of bringing you here tonight.”

“We got too close, too quickly, did we not?” Baxter’s smile was fleeting. “You want to know how we managed the trick.”

“Very succinctly put, St. Ives. I thought that getting rid of the Heskett woman would most likely be the end of it. But as one can never be positive about such things, I set someone to watch her house. I knew from my man’s description that it was you who searched the premises that night. And when I learned that you had become intimately involved with Miss Arkendale, I realized that she must have been the woman who accompanied you.”

Baxter nodded. “Your man told you that we had taken something from Drusilla Heskett’s house.”

“A book of some sort, he said. He told me that the lady was the one who had carried it away and that she appeared to be very much in command of the situation.” Morgan made a rasping sound that was no doubt meant to be a laugh. “I could not believe he had got it right but I decided to search her house in any case.”

“You took the sketchbook,” Charlotte accused.

“When I saw that there was nothing incriminating in it, I again dared to hope that that would be the end of things.” Morgan shook his head. “But the two of you continued your alliance.”

“Which you tried to destroy first by sending Juliana Post to Charlotte with a pack of lies and then by giving her the note warning her that I could not be trusted.”

Morgan shrugged. “Obviously neither attempt shook her trust in you. I must congratulate you, St. Ives. I would never have guessed that you could summon up the degree of charm that it requires to induce such touching loyalty in a woman. Who would have thought you the romantic sort?”

Baxter ignored him. “Why in God’s name did you find it necessary to murder Drusilla Heskett?”

“I’m afraid that Mrs. Heskett was quite indiscriminate in her choice of paramours. She formed a very short liaison with a man in whom I had been obliged to place a certain amount of trust. I do try to avoid telling anyone my most closely kept secrets, but sometimes it cannot be helped. One cannot do everything for oneself, after all. One needs one’s man-of-affairs.”

Charlotte was astonished. “Mrs. Heskett had a liaison with your man-of-affairs?”

“From all accounts, she tended to be quite democratic in such matters. In any event, my man apparently got drunk one evening and showed her one of my medallions. He told her that he knew a great deal about me and that he was biding his time. When I had acquired the power and wealth I sought, he intended to blackmail me. I believe he went so far as to assure her that he was an excellent candidate for marriage because his future expectations were very favorable.”

“Mr. Charles Dill,” Charlotte whispered. “He was one of her suitors.”

“Indeed.”

“I did not recommend him,” Charlotte said. “My own man-of-affairs said that Mr. Dill was inclined toward unscrupulous dealings.”

“He was correct,” Morgan said dryly. “But, then, I require that in a man-of-affairs.”

“How did you learn that Mr. Dill had confided in Mrs. Heskett?” Charlotte asked.

Morgan arched one black brow. “I make it a habit to periodically place those who are closest to me into a trance. I question them regarding their loyalty. They recall nothing of the interrogation afterward, of course.”

“When you discovered that Mr. Dill intended to betray you and had said something of his plans to Mrs. Heskett, you decided to murder both of them,” Baxter said from the windows.

“It was the only logical course of action,” Morgan explained. “Getting rid of Dill was a simple matter. I added more potent incense to the brazier after I had finished questioning him. He never came out of the trance. When his body was discovered two days later, it was assumed he’d had a heart seizure.”

“Then you set out to murder Mrs. Heskett,” Charlotte said. “You made two attempts on her life and when those failed, you went to her house and shot her in cold blood.”

“It’s not always convenient to use the incense and the mesmerism,” Morgan said. “And I do feel it’s prudent to change one’s methods from time to time. Predictability is not a virtue.”

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