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Gideon didn’t react, didn’t jot down any notes on his pad, merely looked between them and then held Miss Mahoney’s gaze as if in acknowledgement.
“I sensed your pride when you spoke of it,” Electra admitted.
“I am proud of it,” the lady admitted in a near whisper.
“Both Penningtons came to your club?” Gideon finally asked.
“Yes, Percival came first as a guest of Gordon’s. Then later he brought his brother, Lancelot, as a guest. Funny names, I thought. Both named after Arthurian knights. Their mother was whimsical, apparently.”
“You knew them well enough to call them by their given names?”
“Well, yes. I'm quite familiar with all the gentlemen who attend the club. They are vetted quite stringently.”
“But your relationship with Mr. Callister is unique, is it not? He told me he pays for these lodgings at Charlotte Street for you.”
This time the lady’s laughter didn’t stop at a single peal. She chuckled for a good while. “That is a very interesting characterization, but not true. I pay for these accommodations myself, and I own the house on Regent Square.”
Gideon did react to that declaration and immediately bent to his notes, flipping back a page or two. “You own a house on Regent Square? The location of the Rosebud Club?”
Miss Mahoney nodded.
“Did Mr. Callister buy it for you?”
“No.”
“Mr. Pennington?”
She let out a scoff at that. “No, definitely not. Gordon can be generous, but neither of them paid for that house.” She notched up her chin. “I invest my funds and manage them wisely. I own both properties outright.”
Gideon took in that information and didn’t push for more details about how she’d funded those purchases. “And who is D. D. that resides at the Regent Square address?”
The lady hesitated. A protective impulse, Electra sensed. Through her abilities, Electra perceived Miss Mahoney was throwing up a veritable wall.
“I’m not sure who you refer to, Inspector.”
“Dahlia? Does that name ring a bell?”
Miss Mahoney waved her hand. “All the ladies go by floral names. It’s a practice I employ to protect them until they wish to share more about themselves with a gentleman.”
“And who went by Dahlia?”
Miss Mahoney turned her gaze toward the unlit fireplace grate. But Electra noticed her eyes flick up once. To one of the framed photos on the mantel; Electra couldn’t tell which one.
Gideon noticed her attention stray too, and he stood, surprising both of them, to walk over and examine the photographs.
“Is she one of the ladies here?” he asked lightly. “I recognize you in this one with a darker-haired lady at your side.”
“Those are members of my family, Inspector. The D. D. you refer to is… Well, I believe you are talking about Mrs. Devlin.”
Gideon came back and sat again, scribbling down the name in his notes. “And her given name?”
“Demeter. She’s a widow who came to me about a year ago.”
“And she formed a liaison with Percival Pennington?”
“This is the area where we come to topics I must be circumspect about, Inspector. We are treading on matters that may force you, out of a sense of duty, to take actions that I could not bear.”
“My only desire to discover the truth of Mr. Pennington’s murder, Miss Mahoney. The rest does not concern me at this moment in time. I wish for you to be forthright.”
