Late for the Wedding Read Free

thought. He
    raised the little skull to the light again. The death's-head stared
    back at him with its empty eye sockets, taunting him with its
    macabre grin.   We must also consider the possibility that this was
    intended as an announcement of some sort."
      What do you mean?"
    He weighed the ring in the palm of his hand. You are one of the
    very small number of people who would comprehend the significance of this ring, because you are one of the few who knew that
    Zachary Elland styled himself the Memento-Mori Man and used
    such rings as his signature. I wonder if this is some new villain's
    way of telling us that he plans to take up Zachary's professional
    mantle."
    You mean there might be another murderer out there who seeks
    to emulate the Memento-Mori Man? What a terrible thought." She
    paused.   But if that were true, it would have been far more logical
    for him to leave his calling card with you, not me. You were the one
    who hunted Zachary down."
      For all I know there will be a ring waiting for me when I return
    to Town," he said quietly.   I set off very early this morning. Perhaps
    he delivered this ring to you first, and by the time he got to my
    house I was gone."
    She swung around and took a step toward him, anxiety clear in
    her eyes.   Tobias, whoever left that ring has something dreadful in
    mind. If you are right and this is a calling card, we are dealing with
    a new Memento-Mori Man. You must find him before someone is
    murdered."
     
    Two
     
    Lavinia heard a door open as she reached the bottom of the shaowed staircase. Midway along the stone corridor, a wedge of
    candlelight appeared. A gentleman moved stealthily out of the
    bed chamber and started toward her.
    Yet more traffic. This was not the first time she had been obliged
    to pop into a closet or hurry around a corner in the past few
    minutes. The passageways of Beaumont Castle were as busy as a
    London street tonight. All the comings and goings between
    bed chambers would have been amusing if not for the fact that she
    herself was attempting to make her way to a clandestine
    rendezvous.
    It was her own fault, she reminded herself. Tobias had suggested
    that he visit her in her bed chamber after the house quieted down for
    the night. It would have been an excellent plan, if she had been
    allowed to remain in the spacious, comfortable room that she had
    been given when she and Tobias arrived this afternoon. But earlier
    this evening, for reasons that remained quite unclear, she had been
    moved to a very small bed chamber.
    She had taken one look at the cot in her new room and realized
    that it would be extremely uncomfortable for two people, especially
    when one of them was a man endowed with very fine shoulders. She
    had informed Tobias that she would come to his room instead, never
    imagining for a moment that the task would be so difficult to carry
    out without drawing attention to herself.
    She was well aware that most of the guests were not unduly
    concerned with the prospect of being spotted navigating between
    bed chambers. It was understood that these sorts of goings-on were
    to be ignored by passersby. Such was the way of the world when one
    moved in elevated social circles, she reminded herself.
    But she had a feeling that it would not be good for business for a
    lady who made her living conducting discreet, private inquiries to
    be seen behaving in a very indiscreet manner. One had to consider
    the possibility that some of the elegant people who had been invited
    to the Beaumont estate this week might prove to be future clients.
    She was suddenly very glad that she'd had the foresight to bring
    along the silver half-mask, sword, and shield that she'd worn to the
    costume ball in her guise as Minerva.
    Raising the mask to conceal her features, she stepped into the
    deep pool of darkness behind the stairs.
    The gentleman with the candle never noticed her. He was too
    intent on reaching his destination. When he started up the