Chapter 20
Victoria lingered over her tea, in the same round room she’d shared with Inspector McDuff. Back when she hadn’t expected anyone to be able to interfere with her in such a way. She stirred her cooled drink, staring into the cloudy cup without seeing it.
The frustrating man with his maddening questions hadn’t simply intruded into her life. She was having trouble keeping him off of her mind.
“Victoria,” her mother called from the entry. “You have a letter by courier!”
She sighed, wondering if she could manage to sneak past her mother without being seen. Probably nothing more than another lovesick missive from her father’s latest idea of the perfect son-in-law, a loathsome man nearly twice Victoria’s age. Bertrand wasn’t the least bit put off by her best efforts at a disgusting
