Quick, Amanda - Slightly Shady.txt by Slightly Shady Page B

great sense for you two to work together to resolve this business. I told you that this morning before you left the house to find the address in Hazelton Square." Lavinia glared at both of them. She was trapped and she knew it. Combining forces was only logical. Had she not made precisely the same argument to Joan Dove a short time earlier? She narrowed her eyes at Tobias. "How do we know that we can trust you, Mr. March?" "You don't." Unlike the smile he had bestowed on Emeline, the one he gave her held no warmth, only cool amusement. "Just as I have no way of knowing whether or not I can trust you. But I see no sensible alternative for either of us." Emeline waited expectantly. Lavinia hesitated, hoping for inspiration. None struck. "Bloody hell." She drummed her fingers on the desk. "Bloody hell." "I know precisely how you feel," Tobias said neutrally " 'Frustration' is the word that comes to mind, is it not?" "Indeed, the word 'frustration' does not begin to convey the full depth of my feelings at the moment." She leaned back and gripped the arms of the chair very tightly. "Very well, Sir, as everyone seems to agree that it is the sensible, logical thing to do, I am prepared to explore the possibilities of a partnership." "Excellent." Tobias's eyes gleamed with a triumph he made no attempt to conceal. "It will make matters much simpler and more efficient." "I sincerely doubt that." She sat forward abruptly. "Nevertheless, I shall attempt the experiment. You may go first." " First? " "To show your good faith, of course." She gave him the sweetest smile she could manage under the circumstances. "Tell me what you know of Joan Dove." "Who is Joan Dove?" "Bah. I knew it." Lavinia turned to Emeline. "You see? This is pointless. Mr. March possesses even less information than we do. I fail to comprehend how a partnership with him will benefit me." "Come now, Lavinia. You must give Mr. March a chance." "I just did. He is quite useless." Tobias looked at her with an expression of grave humility. "I like to think I have something to offer to you, Mrs. Lake." She did not trouble to hide her suspicion. "Such as?" "I presumejoan Dove is the identity of the person who lives in Hazelton Square." "A brilliant deduction, sir." Emeline winced at the sarcasm but Tobias appeared undaunted. "I admit I know nothing about her," he said, "but it should not prove too difficult to uncover a fair amount of information in a relatively short time." "How do you intend to do that?" Lavinia asked, unwillingly curious. She still had a lot to learn about this new profession, she reminded herself. "I have a network of informants here in London," Tobias said. "Spies, do you mean?" "No, merely a group of reliable business associates who are willing to sell information when it comes their way." "Sounds like a gang of spies to me." He let that go. " I can make inquiries, but I'm sure you would agree that it would be a waste of time to duplicate your efforts. if you will tell me what you learned today, matters will progress far more quickly." "Our conversation was somewhat limited in nature." Emeline gave a start of surprise. "Lavinia, never say you actually spoke with this Joan Dove?" Lavinia waved a hand in a casual manner. "Well, yes, as it happens, the opportunity presented itself and I took advantage of it." "You assured me that you were only going to locate the resi- dence and watch it for a time to see if you could discover anything useful." Emeline frowned with concern. "You said nothing about introducing yourself to anyone in the house." For the first time, Tobias looked more than irritated. He looked a bit dangerous. "No, Mrs. Lake, until now you did not mention that you actually spoke with Joan Dove." "It was clear to me that she was very likely another one of Holton Felix's blackmail victims." Lavinia could feel Tobias's cold disapproval. She did her best to ignore it. "I decided to strike while the iron was hot, as it were." "But, Aunt Lavinia-"