A Dance in Blood Velvet Read Free

was nothing for it but the truth.
    “Is your name Charlotte Millward?”
    She stiffened visibly as he spoke. “No. I never use that name.”
    “Then do you use the name Neville, or von Wultendorf?”
    The look in her eyes showed he was not mistaken. How was it possible for her sweet face to fill him with such unease?
    “You had better tell me who in hell you are,” she said.
    John Milner reached into his pocket and took out the letter. He hadn’t sealed the envelope because he’d intended to write more after this encounter. With a resigned sigh he passed her the top page. Still kneeling, she replaced the poker in its stand and read aloud, her voice soft and puzzled,
Dear David,
    Wonderful news at last! I am ninety-nine per cent certain that I’ve found your sister. Can’t claim brilliant detective work, just hard slog. I located her through a mixture of educated guesswork and luck.
    No joy in Vienna; as we thought, the chap wouldn’t be so obvious as to go back to his hometown. Still, I had a feeling he wouldn’t stray far. I tried Prague, Budapesth, Rome. You said he claimed to have been a cellist, and that they both liked music, so I’ve been to concerts until the damned stuff is coming out of my ears. Finally, in Switzerland, eureka! Concert in Berne last week, I saw a girl in the foyer who was the image of the photograph you gave me. Your description of her companion clinched it; striking fellow, had all the ladies turning their heads. It was remarkably easy to get talking to them. No apparent attempt at hiding their identities; they gave no surname, very little personal information -hence the tiny doubt - but they openly called each other Karl and Charlotte and gave the impression they lived in the locality.
    So, to answer your first question, yes, they are still together. Your sister is charming. So is the man, though I confess he’s also oddly unnerving. Difficult to explain, but I now understand why you warned me to be careful. However, your sister showed no fear of him. Seemed quite the perfect couple. That might not be what you hoped to hear, but it may at least set your mind at rest.
    I dared not appear too pushy in case they grew suspicious, but as we parted, I invited them to an opera this coming Saturday. Charlotte expressed interest. Karl said he’d be otherwise occupied, yet seemed happy for Charlotte to be escorted by me - a man they’d only just met! Odd. Still, fingers crossed she’ll turn up and I’ll have more to share with you.
    While I know you didn’t intend to tell -
    Charlotte stopped. She’d reached the bottom of the page. “Where is the rest?”
    Milner waved the second page uneasily. “I was going to finish after I’d spoken to you.”
    She looked stunned, and he was desperately sorry he’d distressed her so much. God, if only things were different and I could draw her down onto the Persian carpet... But her face was like ice.
    “I can’t believe it. I thought David had accepted this and let me go. Why - why would he hire a stranger to look for me?”
    “I’m not a stranger. I’ve known your brother for years. I was with his regiment in the War. Afterwards, through a set of circumstances I won’t bore you with, I became a private detective; nothing glamorous, just finding errant spouses, hanging around boarding houses in Brighton for evidence in adultery cases - you know the sort of thing?”
    “No, I don’t,” Charlotte said thinly. “What in God’s name did David tell you about me?”
    “He got in touch out of the blue last year. He said that you’d left your husband - well, it would be eighteen months ago by now - and run off with another man whom he didn’t seem to think at all suitable. He wanted me to find you.”
    “Why? To bring me back? He knows that’s impossible.” She leaned anxiously towards him, making his heart leap. “Is there news of my family? Bad news?”
    “None that I know of. Your father isn’t well, but I gather you knew that when