Page 43 of One Waltz with the Viscount

They strolled down a narrow path that opened out after a few hundred yards in a clearing. Trees surrounded the central space, heavy with blossom, illuminated by lanterns so it glowed and looked as if it were something from a magical realm. A string quartet played softly at one end, and couples danced in the middle under the light of the moon.

Miss Shepherd paused as they stepped into the clearing, looking around her in wonder, clearly forgetting for a moment her resolve to be as direct as possible.

‘It is quite the spectacle, is it not?’

‘It is beautiful,’ she conceded as she took her time looking around. Her eyes lingered on the dancing couples, and he thought he caught a hint of wistfulness there.

He wanted to ask her to dance, but he did not wish to scare her off. Instead he led her to an empty set of chairs laid out close to the dance floor. The hour was still early—the pleasure gardens were not too busy. There were only a few couples on the dance floor and a half dozen more dotted around the edge. As the night went on it would no doubt get much more crowded, as guests ambled through the rest of the pleasure gardens and made their way back here.

‘I have some news,’ he said quietly. ‘I do not wish to get your hopes up, but I spoke to some of the staff at the gentleman’s club. One remembered your sister.’

Miss Shepherd’s whole body tensed as she waited for him to continue.

‘He was the one Selina spoke to?’

‘Yes. He was reluctant to talk to me at first. I think he was worried he would get in trouble for discussing the members. I assured him all I wanted was information.’ He had paid handsomely for those scraps of information, but it was worth it if it led to Miss Shepherd finally finding her sister.

‘What did he say?’

‘As we thought, your sister tried to gain entry to the club a few weeks ago and was quickly thrown out. She was told that admittance was for members only and their guests, but certainly no women. He said she went away that day without too much fuss, but returned a few days later.’

Miss Shepherd reached out and gripped his arm, her fingers surprisingly strong.

‘When she returned she wanted to know who Mr Peterson was. She approached the waiter discreetly, waiting outside until he finished for the day. She told him she would pay if he would just point out Mr Peterson to her.’

‘She paid him?’

‘Yes. He smuggled her in through the back door when it was quiet and pointed Mr Peterson out to her. I gather your sister then waited for Mr Peterson to leave and confronted him in the street.’

‘That fits with what Selina said in her letters.’

‘Yes, it does, doesn’t it.’

‘There’s more?’

‘Apparently your sister came back a third time, a couple of days after she confronted Mr Peterson. She waited for the waiter to finish work again, and this time she asked about Mr Peterson and who he spent his time with at the club.’

‘She was thinking she might identify our father that way, I suppose many people keep the same set of friends throughout their life.’

‘Yes, especially people of aristocratic origins. Our world is very small, and there are only about fifty families that socialise together here in London.’

‘Did the waiter tell her?’

‘From what I gather he was reluctant and refused any more of her money, but then your sister threatened to reveal to his employer that he had accepted money in exchange for information about the clientele. Sharing information about the gentlemen is strictly prohibited.’

‘What did the waiter say?’

‘You are sure you wish to know?’

‘You think this man that was named could be my father?’

‘I think there is a very good chance. He is the right age and has a reputation for being a hard man. I can see he would have been attractive to an impressionable young woman in his youth, but he does have a ruthless streak.’ He grimaced. ‘He is friends with my father, as far as two deadly snakes can be friends.’

Miss Shepherd sat looking into the distance for a moment, her eyes glazed, then she nodded decisively.

‘Yes, I wish to know.’

‘Sir William Kingsley. He was granted a knighthood a few years ago. He’s very wealthy.’