Page 63 of Lady Audacious
‘The laboratory in the cellar at Fox’s Reach,’ Reuben asked. ‘What was it used for?’
‘What laboratory?’ Peabody shook his head. ‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’
‘Come,’ Reuben said, taking Odile’s arm. ‘I will return you to Amberley. There is nothing more to be achieved here.’
‘Odile, I am so very sorry. I wish I had been a better brother to you.’ He touched her shoulder but she shook his hand off. ‘You must understand that I was torn. My wife, she has very…strong views and—’
‘And you are not master of your own household,’ Reuben finished for him, thinking him a shallow, miserable excuse for a man, and one whom he would dearly love to put in his place. He clenched his fists but otherwise restrained himself, for Odile’s sake.
‘How did you find me so quickly?’ Peabody asked.
Reuben explained. ‘We found a partial address that referred to these premises, but we are less clear why we found it where we did. Presumably, if you were still at university at the time, you were not established here.’
Peabody shook his head. ‘One of the pharmacists we supplied leased these premises. I assume the letter that Smythe destroyed was an order. The man established here retired at about the time I intended to set up shop. He had built up a regular supply of customers and so…’ He spread his hands and left the sentence unfinished.
‘I see,’ Reuben replied.
‘You will come and visit us?’ Peabody asked, almost pleading with Odile. ‘I would have come to Fox’s Reach but you beat me to it by tracking me down here. I am so very glad that you did. Primrose and the children would love to make your acquaintance, I am absolutely sure of it.’
Reuben wasn’t so sure of any such thing, and he could see that Odile shared that view. She inclined her head towards her brother, and without saying a word made her way sedately down the narrow staircase. Reuben followed close behind her, able to see that she was holding her emotions in check by sheer force of will.
They walked through the shop, where all conversation ceased and everyone turned to stare at them. Custom had no doubt been improved by the presence of Reuben’s carriage immediately outside and the drama unfolding above stairs, even though they were ignorant of the particulars. Reuben’s coachman opened the door, let down the step and Reuben helped Odile inside. This time he sat beside her and slid a comforting arm around her shoulders.
It was all it took. As the carriage moved off, so Odile’s tears flowed like a river in full flood and continued for so long that Reuben began to think that they would never dry up.
Chapter Eighteen
Odile cried until her lungs ached and her eyes were reduced to painful slits. She couldn’t seem to stop and was appalled when she realised that she was actually crying all over Reuben, who either didn’t mind or was too polite to say that he did. She hadn’t once cried from self-pity or loneliness, not once in the past eleven years when she had often felt that her life had no meaning. A combination of her recent discoveries and Reuben’s compassion had opened the floodgates for the second time since leaving London.
‘Sorry,’ she said, gulping as she removed the side of her face from Reuben’s shoulder and accepted the handkerchief that he handed to her.
‘You have nothing to apologise for,’ he replied, slowly removing his arm from around her shoulders. Odile missed its comforting presence and wished it back again. ‘You have had the most terrible shock.’
‘Youdidn’t seem surprised by what Mr Peabody, I can hardly bring myself to think of him as my brother, just told us.’ Her anguish was replaced with an urgent need to laugh. Unable to hold it in, she laughed until tears once more streamed down her face.
‘What is it?’ he asked, looking vaguely alarmed, as well he might, probably thinking that she had run completely mad.
‘Primrose Peabody,’ she managed to stutter, falling into helpless fits of laughter once again. ‘And she persuaded my brother to change his name so that she could keep it.’
Reuben started to laugh as well, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed through his chest. ‘She sounds formidable,’ he managed to say in between guffaws of laughter.
‘I’m sure they deserve one another,’ Odile suggested when she finally managed to regain a degree of composure.
‘As to not being surprised by Peabody’s account, once he’d revealed his identity, I took into consideration all the poisonous plants you found at Fox’s Reach and pieced it together.’ Reuben turned to face her and took her hand, his dark eyes shimmering with intensity. ‘I believe what he said about your parents. Their intentions were good and they were taken advantage of by a man who saw an opportunity to exploit their talent. Wild young men with more money than sense areoften on the lookout for new ways to push boundaries. He was right about that as well.’
‘But someone died…’
‘I suspect that Smythe was making his own version of the ointments. That was what he did in the cellar in complete secrecy and why he lived such a reclusive life. He didn’t want to invite suspicion. Your brother said Smythe had an interest in botany and he probably thought that if he made the ointments himself then he need not share the profits with your parents.’
She twitched her nose. ‘Possibly. He sounds like a vile individual.’ She frowned. ‘But that does not explain why…’
‘Why your brother abandoned you.’ His voice softened as he leaned closer, almost close enough for their faces to touch. Close enough for him to kiss her. But he did not, and Odile’s disappointment was profound. Now, of all times, she could use the distraction. ‘He probably intended to, but I am left with the impression that he married a strong-willed woman who is happy to enjoy the fruits of your parents’ labours but reluctant to invite competition for her husband’s affections into her house. Did you notice how many ladies frequented his establishment? Ladies who were middle aged or older?’
‘Actually, no I did not. I was somewhat distracted.’
‘Well I did, and I also noticed a large array of cosmetic products lining the shelves. I’m willing to wager that your brother is following your parents’ example and manufacturing his own miracle cures that purport to hold back the ravages of time.’
Odile waved the possibility aside. ‘That is nothing new. Arsenic is a common addition to ladies’ face powders.’
