Page 7 of A Case of Possession
“And Eadweard’s not like Tom,” Leonora went on. “I don’t suppose I could love him if he was. He’s—he’s righteous. Do you know what I mean? He doesn’t lie. He has high standards and lives by them. He would never let me down, never do a dishonest thing.”
“You’re right. He’s not like Tom.”
“No.” Leo grinned reminiscently. “Tom was the most lawless man I ever knew. He always said he never let a friend down—”
“But sometimes people didn’t know they weren’t friends any more until it was too late.”
“Hah! Yes. And, I loved Tom, but I’m older now and I’ve been alone for so long and…Eadweard’s a truly good man, and I respect that. I don’t suppose you know what I mean about righteousness, but—”
“An honesty that’s basically untouchable. Someone who will break before he bows. There’s a sort of purity to it. Yes, I know the appeal.”
“Well,” Leo said. “That’s the problem.”
“Blaydon does know about Hart, doesn’t he?”
“Of course. That is, I haven’t gone into too much detail. He thinks Tom was a scoundrel just for eloping with me, so I certainly wouldn’t tell him about his business dealings.”
“And what does he think about Ahl?”
“I haven’t told him.”
Crane digested that for a moment. “You haven’t told your fiancé about your second husband.”
“No.”
“You have told him youhada second husband?”
“No.”
“Because…”
“Because I slept with Ahl before we married, and I married him while I was drunk, and when he hit me, I had him beaten half to death and thrown on a ship to nowhere, and then I divorced him in his absence. And every single part of that would revolt Eadweard, and even if I didn’t tell him any of it…” She took a deep breath. “He doesn’t approve of divorce. Not for the best reasons, conducted in the best way.”
Crane wasn’t entirely convinced that Leonora’s divorce was legal at all, done as it had been by a few words from a friendly and inebriated magistrate. “Leo, are you sure this engagement is a good idea?”
“Yes. He doesn’t have to know. It was a mistake, it’s done with.”
“Alright. So why are you worried about the announcement in the papers? Either Ahl is out of your life or he’s not. You haven’t heard from him, have you?”
“No, no.” Leo sounded dismissive, but there was a thin line of worry between her brows. “No. He’s not the trouble.”
“So what is?”
Leonora looked away, and the truth dawned on Crane like the morning of an execution.
“Leo, have you by any chance had a visit from Theodore Rackham recently?”
She spun back to face him. “How did you— Oh God, not you too?”
“He came to see me yesterday.”
“Oh, damn him. The little shit.” Leonora bit her lip, worry in her eyes. “You have to be careful, Lucien, this ridiculous country will put you in prison without a thought. What are you going to do? Have you paid him?”
“Have I hell. I told him to fuck off. I always said I’d leave this damned island in a heartbeat rather than submit to blackmail. And I would…”
Leo looked narrowly at him. “But?”
Crane sighed. “But someone else is involved.”
