The Pursuit of Lucy Banning (27 page)

“Please, Miss Lucy, trust me. Henry would be in danger if his father finds us. I can’t let that happen.”

“Does anyone know where you are? Your own family?”

Charlotte shook her head. “I can’t risk it. For Henry’s sake.”

“We’d better keep walking so we don’t arouse suspicion,” Lucy said, glancing around and resuming movement. “Of course I would never knowingly do anything to endanger you and Henry, but I may have done so already.”

Charlotte sucked in her breath. “What do you mean?”

“Last night. Daniel followed me. When you weren’t in the house this morning, he figured out it was you I’d gone to see.”

“Does he know—”

Lucy shook her head. “No, he doesn’t know about the baby. And he doesn’t know whose house that is. But he knows where it is now, and he knows you were there.”

“If he follows me—”

Lucy nodded. “He’s sure to discover Henry. I’m so sorry. I only meant to help you last night, and look what I’ve done.”

Charlotte shuddered. “I can’t bear the thought of staying away from my son, not after last night. What if Daniel approaches Mrs. Given directly?”

“We’ll figure something out,” Lucy assured her, “but we both must be very careful. Daniel is used to getting what he wants.”

Charlotte turned and looked Lucy in the eye. “Do you think he has anything to do with Mr. Edwards leaving so abruptly?”

Lucy shrugged. “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t put it past him.”

As the two women slipped into an obscure milliner’s shop, Daniel noticed and smiled at his good fortune. Like last night, he hadn’t even been following Lucy this time, and merely stumbled on her subterfuge in action. Nevertheless she confirmed his suspicion that something was going on with that maid. He was going to get to the bottom of things. Suddenly he decided not to catch the train to Riverside but to go to dinner at the Bannings’.

 30 

A
lone in the house, just the way he liked it. He hadn’t had the pleasure for quite some time, but Thursday afternoon turned out perfectly. Flora was at her ladies’ reading group, Leo was working long hours, Lucy was at her harebrained philosophy class. Penard had practically posted guard on Samuel’s study since the return of his missing items, but Daniel saw the butler leave the premises twenty minutes ago. None of the family was home for luncheon, which meant the staff was feeling relaxed. Mrs. Fletcher and two of the maids would have their feet up somewhere in the servants’ quarters while they did handwork. Charlotte, he knew, had the afternoon off, and he was pretty sure he knew now where she disappeared to every week. Perhaps next week he would surprise her, but today he was content to be alone in Samuel’s study.

Daniel sat in the supple leather chair and soaked up the surroundings. He had loved this room since the day the Bannings moved into this house. The rich wood of the partners desk, the first editions collection, the charcoal drawings in tasteful frames, the matching fountain pens in their brass stand. Not everything in the room was valuable, but it was all sentimental. Samuel kept such interesting mementos of his contact with clients. Nearly every item in the room carried a story Daniel could tell as well as Samuel himself.

He ran his fingers through his hair, then laid one hand on top of the neat stack of papers on the lower right corner of the desk. With the other, he stood his briefcase on the desk and opened it.

Lucy was looking forward to a hushed house and a midafternoon respite. It would have been more convenient to learn that her Thursday afternoon class had been canceled before she got all the way down to the university, but at least Archie had not yet disappeared with the carriage. Now that her class attendance was no longer secret, she was free to use one of the family carriages at her convenience—and if she did not, her mother would accuse her of using the streetcar. The week had been stressful, and Lucy intended simply to go to the lecture and come right back home, so she had arranged for Archie to drive her. Generally Archie did not stray far, and Lucy was back in the carriage within ten minutes of discovering the lecture would not happen.

Drained by the week thus far, Lucy had no complaint about a reprieve from class. After staying up all Sunday night with Henry and pressing through Monday, Lucy had fallen prey to exhaustion at last on Monday night. In her waking hours, however, she was still unsettled knowing Daniel had seen her at Mrs. Given’s house. Daniel had not reappeared at the Banning home since Monday evening, when he targeted her with several barbs meant for the others to perceive as humor. Lucy had once thought she knew him so well, yet in the last few weeks Daniel had become erratic to the point she could no longer predict his movements. Every tidbit of conversation with her family became of interest to her. Perhaps someone had seen or spoken to Daniel or knew something she did not know of his activities.

Charlotte was off the rest of the day, of course, since it was Thursday. Lucy had pressed some coins into Charlotte’s hand with strict instructions that if anything was wrong—anything at all—she was to send a cabbie with a message. Lucy looked forward to hearing a good report on Henry’s health at the end of the day. For now, though, she was grateful simply to have some extra time with no demands.

Archie let her off in the front of the house, opened the front door for her, then proceeded with the horse to the carriage house. Lucy went directly into the parlor, where she sank into the settee and let her head fall back. If she could just have twenty minutes, perhaps she could manage the stairs. After a moment, she removed her hat and unbuttoned the tweed jacket she wore over a blouse and skirt.

Her head rolled toward the door when she heard a sound she could not quite identify. Was that someone shuffling papers? A scratching noise? Shuffling steps? She listened again. The distinct sound of a book dropping emanated from her father’s study down the hall, but why should anyone be in there? Surely her father had not come home early twice in the same week.

Lucy closed her eyes again.

Definitely someone was in the study. Penard perhaps?

Lucy leaned forward, then finally stood up and crossed the room. She was certainly not going to sit there pondering a mystery when all she had to do was step down the hall and look through a doorway in her own home to solve it.

“Daniel!” she said, surprised a moment later. “I wasn’t expecting you here.” She had the vague impression he’d been sitting in her father’s chair. His leather briefcase with brass corner mounts stood open on the desk.

Daniel casually closed his briefcase. “Your father and I were supposed to meet,” he said. “He has a client seeking investment advice and thought perhaps I could help.”

“Father usually holds that sort of meeting at his office.” Lucy guardedly moved around the desk. Was that book with the red binding out of place? “He didn’t mention anything at breakfast.”

Daniel shrugged. “I telephoned him at the office this morning. I suggested perhaps this would be more convenient, but apparently he was not able to get away after all.”

“He’s rather particular about these things.”

“Miscommunication happens to everyone.” Daniel smiled at Lucy—that smile she had stopped trusting a long time ago.

“I’m sure he’ll be sorry he missed you.” She smiled back.

“We’ll reschedule. No harm done.”

“Perhaps I could offer you some refreshment.” Before Daniel could respond, she pushed the annunciator button behind her father’s desk. “Mr. Jules and I will have some refreshment in the parlor,” she said when Mrs. Fletcher answered.

“Yes, Miss Lucy,” came the answer. “I’ll send Bessie with the tea cart.”

Lucy lifted her shoulders and smiled brightly. “Let’s go to the parlor. I believe Mrs. Fletcher has been baking today. No doubt Bessie will bring us some delightful pastries.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have time.”

“Maybe Father will turn up if you wait a few more minutes,” Lucy suggested.

“It’s already well past the appointed hour, so that seems doubtful.” He stepped toward the hall.

Lucy fell in step with him to try another tack. “Daniel, perhaps we can talk about the other night.”

“Is there something you wish to confess?” he asked.

“No, of course not,” she answered quickly. “I knew Charlotte had gone to see . . . a friend . . . and when I learned she hadn’t come home, I simply thought I’d see if I could help.”

“Are you sure it’s appropriate to get involved in the servants’ private lives?”

“Of course I don’t mean to intrude,” Lucy said, “but Charlotte had expressed some concern for her friend and it weighed heavily on my mind.”

“She shouldn’t be troubling you. You’re fraternizing entirely too much with the staff. No doubt it comes from involving yourself with the urchins at St. Andrew’s.”

Lucy flared. “Never mind. I thought perhaps you would understand, but I see I was mistaken.”

They stood in the foyer, glaring at one another.

“Will you take tea in the parlor, miss?” Bessie asked, pushing the rolling tea cart across the marble floor.

“I won’t be staying,” Daniel announced, and he went out the front door.

“Miss?” Bessie queried.

“I’m sorry to have troubled you,” Lucy mumbled. “I guess I don’t need the cart after all.”

Bessie wheeled the cart around to return to the kitchen, leaving Lucy sighing. She knew no more about Daniel’s activities in the last three days than when she stumbled on him in the study.

But what was he doing in the study in the first place?

The answer came just before eight o’clock. Lucy dressed for dinner and waited in the parlor with her mother and her brothers as usual. Samuel stormed down the hall from his study.

“What the blazes happened to my drawing?” he demanded.

Lucy was instantly alert. “What drawing?” she asked.

Leo said, “I thought you got all your things back weeks ago.”

“I had a new pen and ink drawing on the front of a card,” Samuel bellowed. “It was a gift from someone on the Expo board of directors to show the work of one of the artists who will be exhibited.”

“Calm down, Samuel.” Flora stood and took his arm. “We’ll sort it out.”

“No, we won’t,” he said through gritted teeth. “You know perfectly well that my other missing items turned up under suspicious circumstances. It was not my imagination.”

“That’s true,” Flora agreed, “but perhaps if we stay calm we can retrace your steps and determine the last time you saw the card.”

“I saw it this morning,” Samuel insisted. “I just received it a few days ago, and only this morning I laid it on my desk. Now it’s gone.”

“So it disappeared today?” Lucy asked.

“Yes! I want to know what happened to it!”

“Father,” Lucy said, “my class was canceled today and I came home early. I found Daniel in your office.”

“What was he doing in there?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “He said he was expecting you for a meeting.”

“Nonsense.”

“So you didn’t have a meeting scheduled with Daniel today? He didn’t telephone you this morning to arrange it?”

“Didn’t I just say that was nonsense? Clearly he was mistaken.”

“Daniel is rarely mistaken,” Lucy mused. “But he
was
in your office this afternoon. Perhaps he found your drawing.”

Samuel looked at his daughter as if she had suggested walking on the moon. “You suspect Daniel?”

“I’m only saying he was in your office today. Alone.”

Leo jumped in. “You have to admit it’s possible, Father.”

“I can’t believe it,” Samuel said. “Why would Daniel take an ink drawing?”

“Why would anyone take anything from your study?” Lucy pressed. “Only a few weeks ago the finger was pointing at me. Surely you don’t believe that.”

Samuel’s silence was disconcerting.

“Father,” Leo said, “you can’t seriously think Lucy took your things.”

“Lucy’s behavior has been odd the last few months in many aspects,” Samuel remarked. “University classes, breaking her engagement, all that time at the orphanage.”