The Wedding Night Affair--An Historical Mystery by L.C. Sharp (books to read as a couple TXT) 📕

He’d just caught sight of the Raven. He was sure of it. An invisible arc of connection had passed between them when he’d met the man’s eyes, mask to mask. He wanted to talk to the man. He wanted to know why that connection existed, what it meant.

The Raven stood by a door.

The man looked away, but Ash had seen him and went in pursuit. Through the door, up a flight of deserted, bare stairs onto a landing, also bare. The painted plaster was falling off the walls in places, leaving the laths in full view.

A man was standing on a landing above him, staring down at him, as if drinking him in.

Ash ripped off his mask. “Now you!” he called up. “Let me see your face!”

He received a throaty laugh in return. “Keep out of my business,” the man said, his voice low and raspy. The sound bounced off the walls, booming unnaturally.

“How is it your business? What do you have to do with this?”

A black feather floated down. If Ash had wanted confirmation of the man’s identity, there it was. This was the Raven. He knew it deep in his soul, the certainty complete.

“He damaged my property, yon lordling. He deserved punishment for that. But I did not do it. I will find out who did.” He coughed.

“Then you know she did not?” Was this man sheltering a vital witness?

“No. But if she did, I do not blame her. You don’t use innocents like that. I sent nobody to him, though I planned to do it.”

Ash didn’t believe him. Why would he?

He wished he knew this building better. He could trap the man, cut off his exit, capture him. The Raven rarely did anything in person, so why did this mean so much to him that he would risk the encounter?

“If you know anything, send me the proof, so that the innocent you speak of does not suffer for it.”

A harsh laugh was the Raven’s only answer. “Everybody suffers. Especially innocents.” He grasped the banister and started up the stairs.

Ash put on a spurt of speed, hurtling up the flight of stairs separating him from his quarry, but by the time he reached it, the hallway was empty and so were the stairs above.

He did a cursory search, but he already knew his quarry had gone. In the dim light, he didn’t notice he’d trodden on something until it grated under his foot. He bent and picked it up. A pin, similar to the one he already owned, pierced through another black feather. A signature.

He picked it up, his mouth twisting. The ladies would lap that up. Well, he did not.

He leaned against the wall and breathed out long and low. A sigh of regret, and one of shock. What did Uppingham mean to this spinner of webs, this shadow in the night? Some people refused to believe in the existence of the Raven. Well he could prove them wrong.

Ash replaced his mask, collected Juliana and hurried her out of the ball. He did not speak until he’d flagged down a passing cab and they’d climbed inside. He pulled off his mask.

“He was taunting me.”

“Who?”

“The Raven.” He gave her a brief description of his encounter.

She gasped. “You’re sure it was him?”

Ash uncurled his hand, revealing the pin he’d just acquired. Base metal and crude, but unmistakable. “He left this for me. Of course I’m not sure, but I know it. Like you know you didn’t kill Uppingham.”

He laughed harshly. A light from a flaming torch set outside a house illuminated her face briefly as they drove past. Lines of stress were graven into her features, creasing the delicate skin between her brows. The light from the red-gold flames caught a curl she’d missed powdering, making it glint like fire.

“What did we discover tonight?”

“That the Raven is mixed up in this business. From what he said, I think he was watching you already, before your marriage. My guess still remains that he wanted to abduct you and hold you to ransom.”

She swallowed. “What else?”

“He knew what we learned tonight, that your late husband was in the habit of abusing females, but before his wedding night, he paid for his pleasures.” He gave a tight, humorless smile. “And he was well known at the House of Correction through Belle. That means we can prove our assertions in court.”

“Are my bruises not enough to convince them?”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no, not entirely. We need corroboration, that he had a life outside society. I will visit the House of Correction in the morning.” Before she could speak, he turned to her. “And no, you cannot come with me, not to that place. Whatever made me bring you tonight, I’ll never know. I could have stayed longer, discovered more.”

He twined his fingers together in a restless gesture, then did it another way.

She watched his hands, but said nothing.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t expect that kind of encounter, and it’s put me on edge. I should not speak to you that way. Indeed, you managed very well. Despite what La Senza said, you were acting the part we agreed on before we arrived.”

“Think nothing of it,” she murmured. “I’m sorry you were confronted in that way.”

“I’m not,” he said, his nerves still tingling. “But it was most unexpected. I knew the Raven was sponsoring the ball tonight, but I didn’t think he would make a personal appearance. I wanted to come here to meet La Senza. I do not know where she lives, or how else to get in touch with her, but I knew she’d be here tonight. She never misses a masquerade ball. If anyone knows what we need, she does, and now she’s aware of it.”

“La Senza. She knew you immediately. Was she your mistress?”

This time his laugh was harder, and went on longer.

“No,” he told her. “She is my sister.”