Page 25 of Lord Trafford's Folly
Giacomo Casanova
AUGUST 29, 1821
Julius and Audrey left by the mews after dawn. A relaxing afternoon playing cards had given him the rest he needed to feel more himself, and Audrey had revealed herself to be a competitive player. She had kept painstaking record of the complicated piquet scores, reading them aloud with an earnest expression at regular intervals.
Noticing that she was quick to laugh, he had used this to his advantage by peppering their discussion with amusing anecdotes until he had succeeded in distracting her sufficientlyto play the winning hand. Then they had discussed whether they should examine the street for watchers but agreed they lacked the manpower to do anything effective. Best to assume the worst and use the entrance to the alley behind the house as Audrey had done the day of the attack.
Exhaustion had claimed him shortly after, and he had fallen asleep just after dinner, which he supposed was fortunate because of their plans to rise early.
This morning, he was dressed in an overcoat, clean work boots, and a battered hat pulled down low to disguise his distinctive hair. Patrick had dug them up the day before from the room where the grooms slept, along with a hat and coat for Audrey, before heading out to purchase her a pair of lad’s work boots. She swam in her bulky men’s clothing, but Julius was relieved to have her covered up to maintain his focus on their objective. She must have found a way to flatten her breasts because she truly appeared to be a lad in his teens under all that gear.
Julius felt considerably stronger than the day before, although Audrey had cautioned him that they must take it easy. His knife wound still throbbed, but Audrey assured him she was satisfied with the healing process under way. With a full day of rest, and several meals in his belly, he had woken up this morning feeling almost normal.
They carefully left the neighborhood, even changing their gaits until they reached one of the main roads. Julius hailed a hackney, and soon they were on their way to watch the vicarage where Stone resided.
“This is exciting,” his companion proclaimed, peering around at the streets as they drove by. “Perhaps we could visit a coffeehouse?”
Julius grinned. “Men certainly have access to far more places, but a coffeehouse? That is the top of your list?”
Audrey smiled back, her eyes glistening when she turned to answer him. “Papa loved to visit coffeehouses. I am at a loss why we never thought to dress me as a boy so I could join him in one.”
This brought back the memory of seeing her earlier that morning in trousers and a shirt, accompanied by a rush of impassioned heat that shivered down his spine at the thought of divesting the garments from her full figure. Over the last two days, it had come to light that Audrey possessed an adventuress spirit which sent his thoughts in a lascivious direction—specifically, a wedding night between the sheets to uncover just how bold she might be before she returned to Stirling to pursue her goal of practicing the healing arts.
“Perhaps we will have an opportunity to visit one. Perhaps we shall visit other domains of men.”
Audrey’s face lit up, evidently elated at the possibility. He wondered where he might take her. Tattersall’s to witness the horse auctions? Perhaps a dancing hall to watch a show? Sharing these activities with her was unexpectedly intriguing. To watch her seeing them for the first time.
Soon they disembarked on the vicar’s street. It was a block from the church where Stone presided. Of all the suspects on the list, this was the one whom Julius considered least likely. From his prior investigations over the past few weeks, Julius had been unable to learn anything of note about Stone. He was well-liked by his parishioners; he had been serving the Church of England for nearly thirty years, and most of his days appeared to be filled with good works. If anything, he seemed reluctant to one day inherit the title from his older brother.
However, in his prior attempts to uncover something incriminating, Julius had not known for certain that the killer was one of the three men on the list. Now that he did, he had a renewed interest in covering this ground again with the benefitof his new perspective. There was a one in three chance Stone was their killer, and knowing that might bring to light something Julius had not observed in his previous attempts.
To his genuine amusement, Julius peered around the street to confirm that one of his favorite coffeehouses was right on the corner.
“Et voilà!” He waved in presentation. Audrey turned to see what he was gesturing at, a grin of delight lighting her features.
“Truly?”
“I propose we sit in the window and watch Stone’s home from within.”
Audrey clapped her hands, skipping in the direction before realizing she was in disguise. Clearing her throat in a husky voice, she slowed to her interpretation of a masculine swagger. Julius chuckled, keeping pace with her with ease. His legs were longer, after all.
Entering the dim interior, Julius breathed in the rich aroma of coffee with joy. He noted the window seat was occupied and the tables half occupied despite the early hour, but he was determined to allow Audrey her first visit to a house of coffee. Musing for a moment that he could not simply use his status to convince the two clerks sitting at the window table, Julius considered his options.
Approaching the two studious men who must have stopped here on their way to work, Julius sidled up to stand right over them in an intimidating stance.
“Would you fellows mind if me brother an’ me sit ’ere? We’re to meet someone ou’side, but they ain’t shown yet so we must ’ave a clear view.”
The men, dressed in the neat but boring attire of cleric work, looked up at him with startled expressions. Taking in Julius’s height and rough garments, a trace of fear crossed their featuresbefore both men rose with haste. “That is fine, sir. We were just done.”
Throwing coin onto the table next to their half full mugs, the two men made a hasty exit. Julius turned to find Audrey staring at him in amazement.
“Do you always get what you want?” She kept her voice low and husky to avoid attracting attention to her femininity.
Julius shrugged. “Almost always.”
They took their seats in the booth, Julius ensuring he had a clear view down the street to Stone’s door.
“You possess many faces, Julius.” Audrey’s low comment implied she was not certain if this revelation should impress or disgust her.
