Don't Look Back Read Free Page A

opportunity to exercise his powers of logic and deductive reasoning. He finds the business of being my assistant quite stimulating. Is that not correct, sir?"
    "Indeed," Tobias said. "In fact, I think it is safe to say that our association has afforded me some of the most stimulating exercise I've had in years, Mrs. Lake."
    Lavinia slitted her eyes in silent warning. He smiled, satisfied, and ate one of the tiny currant-jam pastries Mrs. Chilton had placed on the tea tray. Mrs. Chilton did wonders with currants, he reflected.
    "This is all quite fascinating." Celeste examined Tobias over the rim of her teacup. "And just what is the nature of your particular expertise, Mr. March?"
    "Mr. March is very good at ferreting out information from certain sources that are not readily available to me," Lavinia said before Tobias could respond. "A gentleman is free to make inquiries in certain places where a lady would not be welcomed, if you see what I mean."
    Understanding lit Howard's expression. "What an extraordinary arrangement. I take it this new line has proven more lucrative than your old one, Lavinia?"
    "It can be quite profitable." Lavinia paused delicately. "On occasion. But I must admit that in terms of financial remuneration it is a trifle unpredictable."
    "I see." Howard looked concerned again.
    "But enough about my new career," she said briskly. "Tell me, when do you expect to begin giving therapeutic treatments at your new address, Howard?"
    "It will take at least a month or more to make all the final arrangements regarding the furnishings," he said. "Then, too, I must put the word out in the proper quarters to the effect that I will be accepting clients and that I am interested only in the more unusual afflictions of the nerves. If one is not careful, one can find oneself overwhelmed with ladies seeking therapy for female hysteria, and as I mentioned, I do not want to spend my time treating such a mundane disorder."
    "I see." Lavinia fixed him with an expression of surprisingly keen interest. "Will you be placing advertisements in the newspapers? I have been considering doing that myself."
    Tobias paused in mid-munch and lowered the remains of the currant pastry. "What the devil? You never mentioned any such scheme to me."
    "Never mind." She waved away his inquiry with a small sweep of her hand. "I will explain the details later. It is just a notion that I have been toying with lately."
    "Toy with something else," he advised. He popped the last bit of pastry into his mouth.
    Lavinia shot him a repressive glare.
    He pretended not to notice.
    Howard cleared his throat. "In truth, I probably will not put notices in the papers because I fear it will only attract the usual assortment of ordinary clients with ordinary nervous problems."
    "Yes, I suppose there is some risk of that." Lavinia looked pensive. "Nevertheless, business is business."
    The conversation veered off into the arcane and the highly technical aspects of mesmerism. Tobias wandered back to the window and listened to the lively discourse, but he took no part in it.
    He had serious misgivings about the entire business of mesmerism. The truth was, until he encountered Lavinia, he had been convinced that the results of the French inquiries into the subject were correct. The investigations had been led by such esteemed scientists as Dr. Franklin and Lavoisier. The conclusions were simple and straightforward: There was no such thing as animal magnetism and therefore mesmerism had no scientific basis. The practice was nothing short of fraud.
    He had readily accepted the proposition that the ability to induce a deep trance was a charlatan's act suited only for entertaining the gullible. At most he would have conceded that a skilled mesmerist might possibly be able to exert influence over certain weak-minded individuals, but that only made the business all the more suspect in his opinion.
    Nevertheless, there was no denying that the public interest in mesmerism was