addled her brains and she had lost her memory.
Yes, that must be it. William had hit upon an explanation he could live with—one he could spread amongst his employees to help save face.
Except women with memory loss did not possess the wits to hire rooms or pawn rings. Damn it, what had he done to disgust her so much? Eva was his life, his reason d’être . The grimy depths he had been forced to plummet, some of the actions he had had to take to make something of himself, seemed worthwhile when he had Eva beside him. Everything he had striven to achieve was for her benefit. Making Eva look upon him with respect, restoring her to her rightful place within society’s ranks, was what drove him. He had never had a clear idea of what went on inside his wife’s lovely head, which sometimes infuriated him, especially when she looked upon him with ill-disguised contempt. Even so, it had never occurred to him that she despised him so much that she would be prepared to live it this rat-infested hellhole rather than in comfort with him.
“This is it,” Stoneleigh said when the carriage rattled to a halt and was immediately surrounded by a bunch of urchins.
“Are you sure?” William asked dubiously. The row of tumbledown buildings with peeling paint and crumbling steps looked even grimmer than William had anticipated. His Eva would never stoop so low.
“This is it,” Stoneleigh repeated.
The driver cracked his whip and the urchins scattered. William alighted from the carriage, sniffed the putrid air and almost gagged. A young crossing sweeper stepped forward, apparently the person who had identified Eva. William showed him a miniature of his wife that had been painted the year before and the man nodded.
“That’s her.” He sounded absolutely certain. “I saw her not two hours ago.”
William flipped the lad a coin. He doffed his cap and scampered off.
“It’s this way.” Stoneleigh led the way into a dilapidated house that smelled of boiled cabbage, and worse.
“Lord have mercy,” William muttered beneath his breath, trying not to breathe as he climbed the rickety stairs.
Stoneleigh pushed opened the door to a tiny room and stood back to let William in first. A woman in a grimy gown entered behind him, presumably the owner of the premises, a calculating expression in her eye as she sized William up.
“Did you rent this room to this lady?” William again produced the miniature of Eva.
The woman screwed up her eyes and took her time to think about it. “It looks like her. Pale she was, but well-spoken and polite.”
The woman’s words forced William to face the truth. Only Eva would consider it necessary to be polite to such a woman.
“Did she occupy this room alone?”
The woman pushed out her scrawny chest. “I don’t hold with no funny business here. This is a respectable house.”
“Is it indeed?” William cast a scathing look around the room. “What time did she go out this morning?”
“I have no idea.” But the avaricious look in her eye told a different story.
William reached into his waistcoat pocket and tossed a half-sovereign her way. “Nine-thirty,” she said promptly. “She asked me the best place to hire a handsome cab and I directed her to Mitre Square.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No, sir, and I didn’t ask.”
“What was she wearing?”
The woman described the same gown Eva had been wearing on the morning she disappeared.
“You can leave us,” William told her, satisfied she knew nothing more.
“How is it that my wife wasn’t recognised before now, given she only had that one gown to wear?” William asked. “It’s way too fine for this district.”
Stoneleigh opened a rickety closet, inside which hung a garment in a dull grey that looked fit only to polish William’s carriage with.
“I reckon there’s your answer,” Stoneleigh replied.
“So, she was going somewhere today that required her only good gown.” William rubbed his chin,
Yes, that must be it. William had hit upon an explanation he could live with—one he could spread amongst his employees to help save face.
Except women with memory loss did not possess the wits to hire rooms or pawn rings. Damn it, what had he done to disgust her so much? Eva was his life, his reason d’être . The grimy depths he had been forced to plummet, some of the actions he had had to take to make something of himself, seemed worthwhile when he had Eva beside him. Everything he had striven to achieve was for her benefit. Making Eva look upon him with respect, restoring her to her rightful place within society’s ranks, was what drove him. He had never had a clear idea of what went on inside his wife’s lovely head, which sometimes infuriated him, especially when she looked upon him with ill-disguised contempt. Even so, it had never occurred to him that she despised him so much that she would be prepared to live it this rat-infested hellhole rather than in comfort with him.
“This is it,” Stoneleigh said when the carriage rattled to a halt and was immediately surrounded by a bunch of urchins.
“Are you sure?” William asked dubiously. The row of tumbledown buildings with peeling paint and crumbling steps looked even grimmer than William had anticipated. His Eva would never stoop so low.
“This is it,” Stoneleigh repeated.
The driver cracked his whip and the urchins scattered. William alighted from the carriage, sniffed the putrid air and almost gagged. A young crossing sweeper stepped forward, apparently the person who had identified Eva. William showed him a miniature of his wife that had been painted the year before and the man nodded.
“That’s her.” He sounded absolutely certain. “I saw her not two hours ago.”
William flipped the lad a coin. He doffed his cap and scampered off.
“It’s this way.” Stoneleigh led the way into a dilapidated house that smelled of boiled cabbage, and worse.
“Lord have mercy,” William muttered beneath his breath, trying not to breathe as he climbed the rickety stairs.
Stoneleigh pushed opened the door to a tiny room and stood back to let William in first. A woman in a grimy gown entered behind him, presumably the owner of the premises, a calculating expression in her eye as she sized William up.
“Did you rent this room to this lady?” William again produced the miniature of Eva.
The woman screwed up her eyes and took her time to think about it. “It looks like her. Pale she was, but well-spoken and polite.”
The woman’s words forced William to face the truth. Only Eva would consider it necessary to be polite to such a woman.
“Did she occupy this room alone?”
The woman pushed out her scrawny chest. “I don’t hold with no funny business here. This is a respectable house.”
“Is it indeed?” William cast a scathing look around the room. “What time did she go out this morning?”
“I have no idea.” But the avaricious look in her eye told a different story.
William reached into his waistcoat pocket and tossed a half-sovereign her way. “Nine-thirty,” she said promptly. “She asked me the best place to hire a handsome cab and I directed her to Mitre Square.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No, sir, and I didn’t ask.”
“What was she wearing?”
The woman described the same gown Eva had been wearing on the morning she disappeared.
“You can leave us,” William told her, satisfied she knew nothing more.
“How is it that my wife wasn’t recognised before now, given she only had that one gown to wear?” William asked. “It’s way too fine for this district.”
Stoneleigh opened a rickety closet, inside which hung a garment in a dull grey that looked fit only to polish William’s carriage with.
“I reckon there’s your answer,” Stoneleigh replied.
“So, she was going somewhere today that required her only good gown.” William rubbed his chin,
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