Page 59 of The Thorn and the Rose

“A pink one,” the child said with a nod. “Grandma, may I go to the kitchen and get some biscuits? Cook promised to make me the ones with cherries on.”

Matilda nodded. “Run along, darling. You know the way? Don’t get lost.”

Tilly rolled her eyes. “Of course not,” she said, and hurried off.

“A pink bunny,” Montagu repeated, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry, Father, it could be worse, believe me,” Pip said, patting his father’s shoulder. “She said she’d turn me into a kitten. Be consoled that those are her favourite things at present.”

Montagu snorted and then turned a quizzical look on Thorn, who was doing his best to keep his face impassive when he was seething with worry and guilt and regret. His father turned to his wife, who stood up and took his hand.

“Thorn is having a bad day, my love. Marie is on his mind. Is there nowhere else we can turn? I know there are too many ways to dispose of an unwanted woman, for the law is always on the side of men, but…” His mother paled dramatically, and his father reached for her, pulling her into his arms.

“Matilda? Darling, what is it?”

“An asylum,” Matilda whispered, her hand pressed to her heart. “Oh, Lucian, that’s how you dispose of a troublesome woman without murdering her. You put her in an asylum.”

“We’ve checked the asylums,” Thorn said wearily.

Matilda shook her head. “No, it must be that. What about private sanatoriums? There are small places, not like the big institutions, and I doubt they are regulated so stringently.”

Thorn stared at his mother, hope flickering to life. “Father?”

“It’s possible some of the smaller places were overlooked,” he said carefully. “Especially if they were not registered as asylums.”

“And were you just looking for Miss Fortesque?” Matilda persisted. “It’s quite likely her brother would have used another name, isn’t it? To put you off the track. Perhaps he would have used his name, or his mother’s maiden name, and ought you not look for two women admitted at the same time? For surely her mother would have come to us if not?”

“Mother’s right,” Thorn said, hope flaring to life again. “We were looking for Miss Fortesque and—”

His mother gave a little gasp and clutched at his father’s arm. “Oh, Lucian, don’t you remember that sanatorium in Eastbourne? The fellow who came to see you and wanted your investment? A nasty, oily little man. He said it was a private place, only for unfortunate young women. Once you knew what he had in mind, you sent him away.”

Montagu nodded, frowning. “I do.”

“We must go at once,” Thorn said urgently, wanting to begin immediately as Montagu considered this and gave a nod.

“Pip, order the carriage. Thomas, pack your things, we’re going to London.”

“London?” Thorn protested. “But Mother said Eastbourne—”

“That’s just one such place and your mother is right, we were looking for Miss Fortesque, which means we must return our attention to the asylums too. We can’t go off searching one by one. We need to know every address so we can be methodical this time, and that means talking to Gabriel.”

“Then let us leave at once,” Thorn said, desperate to do something, anything, to find Marie.

3rd May 1849, Premises of the Sons of Hades. London.

Thorn stood back, watching with pity in his eyes as Felix remonstrated with Fred. Poor Fred was so drunk he could hardly focus on the cards he held, never mind follow the game. That was what love did to you when it was taken away. It tore out your heart and filled it with guilt and regret and misery until there was nothing left to do but drown it out.

Fred looked up blearily, squinting up at Felix, who had pushed his chair back and was holding out his hand to help him up.

“Bugger off,” Fred muttered, slapping the offending hand away. “Want to play again.”

“Fred, you’re drunk as an emperor. You can hardly stand, let alone stay awake long enough to play another round,” Felix said. Thorn walked over but Felix caught his eye, shaking his head. He could deal with Fred. It was hardly the first time.

Thorn nodded his understanding and went back to the private rooms at the back of the club. Leo looked up from the ledger he was perusing as he walked in. As usual, Mau was sitting at the corner of the desk. Leo took him everywhere he went, much to everyone’s consternation. The kitten had become a huge cat, and his intent yellow eyes fixed on the ledger, too. It looked for all the world as if he were reading it. Mau looked up, regarding him unblinkingly, before turning back to the ledger. Thorn shivered. The damned cat gave him the creeps.

“Is he here yet?” Thorn demanded for the fifth time in twenty minutes.

Leo rolled his eyes. “Yes, he’s hiding under the desk. For God’s sake, have a drink and stop twitching. He said he’d be here tonight, and he will be. Gabriel is hardly one to go back on his word.”