City of Secrets

City of Secrets by Elisabeth Kidd Page B

Book: City of Secrets by Elisabeth Kidd Read Free Book Online
Authors: Elisabeth Kidd
Tags: Historical Romance/Mystery
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of Jockey Club members talking blood lines, and, as they walked on, fathers of families and younger bloods calling to one another across the stands about this or that horse’s chances in the next running.
    “I spotted our quarry in the crowd by the oval,” Laurence told Maddie. “We should meet him if we go on this way.”
    “How very efficient you are, Mr. Fox.”
    “One sees many things through the camera lens,” he replied, patting her arm with his hand in an avuncular way that made her laugh.
    They exchanged small talk as they strolled across the green, as if making for the refreshment stand, although they were in fact gradually edging toward the fence separating the grass in front of the stands from the track. Maddie was trying to guess which of the men standing around the fence might be Kropotkin when, still with no more effort than any accidental encounter might require, Laurence raised his hat to a gentleman nearby and said, “Mr. Kropotkin. How do you do, sir?”
    A large man with gold-rimmed spectacles and a bushy brown beard turned toward them, his preoccupied frown changing to a genial smile as he raised his hat to Laurence. He smiled even more broadly when he looked at Maddie, and he made a little bow to her. Maddie felt herself stiffen, but the contrast between Kropotkin’s manner and what she had expected was so great that he disarmed her considerably even before he spoke. She had to force herself to remember that this was a dangerous man—the more so, no doubt, for his geniality.
    “Mr. Fox,” he said. “Well met, indeed, young gentleman. Are you here at Newmarket in your professional capacity? You do not have your machine by you.”
    He spoke with only a slight accent that did not sound to Maddie particularly Russian, but Peter Kropotkin had lived in London since he fled arrest nearly thirteen years before in his native Russia for his anarchist activities. She did not know whether it was his life in the tranquil English countryside or merely a clever adaptation on his part, but he seemed far more the geographer he had been earlier in his career than any kind of revolutionary. Indeed, he might have passed for a village schoolmaster, except for the traces of his aristocratic heritage that lingered in his posture and his speech. He had been born a prince, after all.
    “Mrs. Malcolm, may I make Mr. Peter Kropotkin known to you? Sir, this is my American friend, Mrs. Edward Malcolm, of St. Louis.”
    Kropotkin bowed and took Maddie’s hand to bestow a light kiss on her glove, in the Continental manner, before professing himself pleased to make her acquaintance.
    “St. Louis is, I believe, in the state of Missouri and on the banks of your great Mississippi River, is that not correct, Mrs. Malcolm? I regret I have never visited America, but naturally, like all envious Europeans, I have made a fascinated study of it.”
    “You shame me, sir,” Maddie said. “I fear we Americans are much less knowledgeable about your country.”
    “But I have several countries, dear lady. Surely your ignorance is not quite that broad?”
    “Perhaps you will be good enough to tell me about them.”
    Mr. Fox took this hint and excused himself to go and collect Maddie’s winnings. Kropotkin took Maddie’s arm in his own to continue strolling in the direction she had been going.
    After a moment, she said, “I must make a confession, sir. I asked Mr. Fox to introduce us, so that I might ask a favor of you. I hope you are not offended?”
    “Not at all, dear lady. Nothing would please me more than to be of assistance if I can be.”
    Maddie hesitated briefly, then explained in as businesslike a way as she could about her search for Teddy and her belief that he might have become involved with an anarchist group. She did her best not to seem to condemn such an involvement on Teddy’s part and to appear open-minded about, if not actually ignorant of, anarchism in general. Kropotkin seemed to understand her hesitation

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