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Eddie pronounced himself agreeable and the three of them set off for The Dog and Duck where Theo spent an agreeable hour being regaled by Albert’s older brother and his friends. It was true, at first, they had been disbelieving, then frankly stunned, then rather cowed by Eddie’s looming presence. But after a couple of rum punches, they had lapsed into enthusiastic admiration of her performance, and they had been quite the merriest table in the place.

Albert, when not fetching her lemonade, for she turned down the rum punch as she still had an evening performance to deliver, had spent the whole time perched at her side, holding her handbag, and reminding her of the many offices he had performed on her behalf over the years. “Why, it was even me wot bore her love notes to Dabney and his to her, ain’t that right, Miss Theodora? ‘Twas me wot bought your courtship off so to speak.”

“It is true,” she told the table at large, gravely. “Albert is one of my oldest and most trusted friends. If it were not for him, I would not be the performer that sits before you now.”

“Here’s to Albert!” cried one of the young men, raising his mug aloft. “Love’s messenger and Miss Dabney’s champion of hearts!”

Albert had been highly gratified and the episode a huge success. She told Clem of it on their way to the evening performance and he was remarkably quiet in response. “Eddie accompanied you, you say?” was his only comment. “Next time take Sam along with you too.”

“Both of them?” Theo was startled.

“This isn’t The Parthenon,” he replied. “I have twelve doormen, not just Vincent. I can spare two of them to accompany my wife about town when I am not there.”

Theo gave him a sidelong look and lapsed into silence. She could not quite put her finger on it, but something was still not right with Clem. Suddenly, she remembered something that had puzzled her from the Friday night when they had been out with his boxing friends. Could that be the reason he was so off-color? “What was that thing that Nat Jones wanted from you on Friday night?” she asked curiously. “He sent me some beautiful flowers to the concert rooms you know, almost as nice as yours.”

Clem turned his head to look at her. “Noticed that did you? Old Nat’s trying to butter me up, but it won’t do any good. I’m too out of condition for a fight. I haven’t trained in … let me see, it must be eight or nine months.”

“He wanted to sign you up for a boxing match?”

Clem nodded. “They want a money match for the next challenger.”

“Challenger?”

“The Diamond they call him. He’s an American and he’ll be the next to face Ben for the championship. Once he’s got through this next match. They want to drum up a bit more interest in this country first and make a little money off his back.”

“And Nat Jones wants you to fight this Diamond?” Theo asked. “What a strange name. I thought that was what they call beautiful women, diamonds. Is he so very attractive?”

“Not to me. Diamonds are also the hardest natural material known to man,” Clem pointed out. “I think that might be the reason for his moniker.”

Theo was impressed by this fact. “Why does Nat want you to fight him?” she asked. “Are you the next best in England after your friend Ben?”

Clem gave a short laugh. “No, but folks here know my name and I’ve always been able to draw a crowd.” He shot her a sly look and stroked a finger lightly down his jaw. “Maybe on account of this handsome face people want to see me get punched in.”

“It seems a lifetime ago that I said that,” Theo said defensively, shifting in her seat. “I scarcely knew you back then!” He smiled but shook his head, refusing to be drawn on the subject. She was strangely disappointed, for she could not help but suspect that in the past he would have teased her further, whereas tonight he let the subject drop. Why was Clem being so, so … cool with her?

“Clem,” she said impulsively.

“Hmmm?”

“Did it … feel strange to see me dressed as a man, I mean?” she asked, suddenly prey to the strangest fears. Had he finally noticed her distinct lack of feminine charm?

“Strange?”

The hackney cab came to a lurching halt, and turning her head, Theo saw they had arrived at The Eagle. “Never mind,” she mumbled and made a grab for her reticule and umbrella. “I’m just being silly. Forget I said anything.”

TWENTY-FIVE

“Clem?” Dora’s voice startled him out of his thoughts as he sat opposite her two weeks later on the new couches in their sitting room. He looked up enquiringly. “I want to get my hair trimmed again tomorrow but”—she hesitated—“will you be honest with me? Does its short length give you a repulsion of me?”

He stared at her a moment, her words not making any immediate sense. “What did you say?”

“I said—”

“Of course not!” he thundered. “Where the hell would you pick up an idea like that?”

She swallowed and averted her eyes. “I couldn’t really say,” she responded unconvincingly. Then when he narrowed his eyes at her, she added, “Albert said I would catch it if I let the barber take the clippers to the back of my neck.”

“Catch it?”