Page 75 of Mesmerized

“Do you think—how did she die?” Olivia asked.

“I’ve no idea. There are no marks upon her. No blood. No sign that she was strangled. But her face!”

“I know. She looked...”

“As if she were terrified. Poor greedy fool.”

“Do you think that Madame Valenskaya did that to her?”

Stephen sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, shoving his hands into his hair. “Since she is missing, she would seem to be the likely candidate.”

“But if Madame Valenskaya killed her for the money, why wouldn’t she have taken it?” Olivia wondered. “And why was Pamela here? Was she—” Olivia paused, trying to think of a delicate way to phrase her questions.

“Stealing the Martyrs’ treasure?” Stephen suggested bluntly. “I can think of no other reason for her to be there, with the casket lying beside her. She has complained more than once that her widow’s jointure was scarcely enough to live on. Roderick left her well provided for, but for a woman like Pamela, that was not enough. She was bitter that because she had not borne an heir, she no longer had any hold on the estate. She had proved often enough that she was mercenary, yet still it makes my mind reel to think she would stoop to this.”

“Perhaps it was Madame Valenskaya who was stealing it. Perhaps Pamela just happened upon her and—”

Stephen cast her a quizzical look. “There is no need to try to whiten her misdeeds. I know the sort of woman Pamela was better than anyone.”

“But how did she get into the room to get it? Either of them?”

“Perhaps Roderick told Pamela. He was besotted enough to have done anything she wanted, at least when they were first married. I don’t know if he came to realize her true nature before his death.”

“But if that were true, she could have taken it any time. Why choose now, with a houseful of people about?”

“She might have feared I would relent and give it to Madame Valenskaya’s ‘restless spirits.’ Or perhaps she just finally realized that she had no hope of seducing me into marrying her and regaining the money and estate she had lost by Roderick’s death.”

“Oh.” Olivia could think of nothing to say to that. She could not deny a spurt of elation at the knowledge that Stephen had not been tempted by Pamela, but it shamed her, too, that she could be thinking of such a thing when the woman lay dead only a few yards away from her.

Stephen clenched his jaw, then stood up, his face determined. “I think it’s time we got a few answers.”

He opened the door and beckoned for Rafe to come inside. “Thank God you are here,” he told him. “I’m going to need you.”

“What is it? The Valenskaya woman?”

“No. Pamela. And she is dead.”

“What?” Rafe stared at him blankly, and Stephen led him to the secret room. He stared for a moment, then turned back to Stephen. “What are you going to do?”

“Send for the constable, for one thing. The doctor will be here soon to look in on Mr. Babington, anyway. He is the coroner, too, so he can examine her. In the meantime, I intend to talk to Miss Valenskaya. I need you to stay here and guard the door, if you will.”

“I’ll make sure no one gets in,” Rafe assured him.

The three of them went back into the hall, Rafe closing the door after himself and positioning himself squarely across it. Irina moved forward tensely.

“What is it? Have you found my mother?”

“I need to talk to you,” Stephen said, avoiding her question. He glanced at his sister and Olivia’s great-uncle, who was also standing there. “Rafe will explain to you. Come, Miss Valenskaya.”

Stephen took her by the arm and almost forcibly led her away, taking her down the stairs and to the drawing room where his mother sat. Irina peppered him with questions as they went, which he did not answer. Irina grew more agitated by the moment, and Olivia felt a little sorry for her. It seemed cruel not to tell her that he had not found her mother dead, at least, but she felt sure that Stephen wanted to keep the woman’s nerves on edge in the hopes that she would be more likely to break down and tell them the truth.

By the time he ushered Irina into the formal drawing room, Irina’s fingers were dug into her skirt, and she was fairly shrieking, “Why won’t you tell me what happened?”

“Your mother was not there, Miss Valenskaya.”

“Then what—”

“Stephen, what on earth is going on?” Lady St. Leger asked, rising from her seat.