Page 28 of Garden of Lies

Amused, Slater cleared his throat. “Mr.Griffith, if you don’t mind—”

Griffith pulled himself together. “Right, sir, the carriage.”

He tipped his cap to Matty and headed toward the door. Matty’s gaze lingered on him until he disappeared into the hall.

Ursula retrieved her hat and gloves. Slater took her arm. She stiffened briefly but she did not pull away. He had been right about the tension radiating from her. He could feel it now that he was touching her, a small electrical current shivering throughout her body.

He started to steer her toward the door.

“Ursula, wait,” Matty said. Her chair scraped as she got to her feet. “You forgot your satchel. You’ll need your notebook and pencils if you are to assist Mr. Roxton today.”

Ursula stopped. “Yes, of course, thank you, Matty.”

Smiling, Matty collected the satchel from Ursula’s desk. She winked when she handed it to Ursula.

“Enjoy the museum,” she said with a knowing look at Slater. “I’m sure the antiquities will be fascinating.”

Ursula looked quite blank. Slater steered her out into the hall. He waited until they were seated in the carriage and headed toward the museum before he spoke.

“Am I mistaken, or were Miss Bingham and Griffith looking at each other as if they were both interested in something a good deal more personal than the new typewriter?” he asked.

Ursula was momentarily bewildered. “What are you talking about?”

“Never mind,” he said. He searched for another neutral topic and abandoned the effort. He had never been much good at idle conversation. The experience on Fever Island and the career that he had pursued afterward had not improved his social skills. “What the devil is wrong with you, Ursula?”

“People keep asking me that. I am perfectly fit.” She gripped the handle of her satchel very tightly. “Why don’t you tell me the real reason you asked me to accompany you to the museum?”

“As a matter of fact, there are two reasons,” he said. “The first is that I wished to talk to you in private. I have some news.”

That got her attention. She watched him intently through her veil. “You have discovered something about Anne’s death?”

“I cannot say, not yet. But I have learned something about Fulbrook which may or may not prove useful.”

“As it happens, I started transcribing some of Anne’s notes last night and I, too, discovered something but it is rather baffling. Before we exchange details, you had better tell me the second reason we are off to visit a museum at such an early hour.”

“I thought touring the new exhibition of antiquities together would enhance the impression that our association is personal, not just professional.”

She absorbed that. “I see. Why do you think that is wise?”

“Because based on what I learned last night it’s possible this investigation may take a dangerous turn. If anyone is watching you, I want that person to be well aware that you have a friend who would be in a position to cause a great deal of trouble should anything happen to you.”

She stared at him. “You’re serious.”

“Very. Damn it, Ursula, what the devil did you discover last night that has rattled your nerves? I did not think there was anything that could do that.”

She tightened her gloved hands on the satchel positioned on her lap. “I came across a reference to a perfume shop in Anne’s notebook. There was an address. It struck me as odd.”

He waited. It was the truth, he concluded. But not all of it. When she did not add anything else, he tried another question.

“Was Anne Clifton fond of perfumes?” he asked.

“Oh, yes. That is not the point. It was just strange to find the address written down in the same notebook as Lady Fulbrook’s poems. Tell me, what is your news?”

She was changing the subject a little too quickly, he decided. But this was not the time to press her. The carriage clattered to a halt in front of the museum. Slater reached for the door handle.

“I’m afraid my news falls into the same category as yours—odd and unusual but perhaps no more enlightening,” he said. “I will explain once we are inside.”

THIRTEEN

---