Page 81 of A Devious Secret

“There is a tavern over on the next block. We could get you some food there,” Hawthorne suggested.

“Thank you,” Lavinia said. “I would like that very much.”

Hawthorne put his hand out, indicating that she should go first.

The pavement was too narrow for them to walk side by side so Stephen trailed behind. It was a short distance until they arrived at the tavern. As they stepped inside, it grew silent and the men inside seemed to take that moment to size them up.

Hawthorne seemed unconcerned by the attention they were garnering and went to sit down at an empty table. Once they were all situated, a serving wench walked up to the table and said, “I’m afraid we don’t serve women like her.”

“You will today,” Hawthorne said.

The serving wench frowned. “We have a reputation to uphold.”

Hawthorne removed three guineas from his waistcoat pocket and placed them on the table. “Bring us whatever is available to eat.”

Indecision crossed the serving wench’s face. “I… uh…” Her voice trailed off before she glanced over her shoulder at a man in the corner. “Just eat quickly and we won’t have a problem,” she said as she grabbed the coins.

Lavinia gave Hawthorne a grateful smile. “That was kind of you to do.”

“May I ask you a few questions?” Hawthorne asked.

“You may,” Lavinia replied.

Hawthorne held her gaze as he asked, “Why did you lie to us about being Colin’s wife?”

Lavinia glanced down at the table. “The boarding house does not rent to single people and Colin paid me to pretend to be his wife.”

“If that is the case, why did you leave the boarding house?” Hawthorne questioned.

“Colin never came back after you came to see me and I didn’t have the funds to pay the rent,” Lavinia explained.

Stephen spoke up. “Did you know that Colin wasn’t his real name?”

Lavinia’s eyes shot up. “I did not,” she replied. “But I had no reason to question it. He paid me real good to stay with him.”

The serving wench approached with a tray and placed it down in front of Hawthorne. “I got you some bread, cheese and meat,” she said. “Is that sufficient?”

“It will be,” Hawthorne replied.

With a disapproving glance at Lavinia, the serving wench ordered, “Just be quick about it.”

Hawthorne pushed the tray towards Lavinia and her eyes lit up. She eagerly reached for the bread and took a large bite.

“Can you tell us anything that might lead us to Colin?” Hawthorne asked.

Lavinia chewed her food thoughtfully. “He would frequent the Glistening Pigeon tavern and would stay out for all hours of the night,” she replied. “I told him it wasn’t safe to be walking on the streets that late at night but he gave me little heed.”

Hawthorne leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Do you know if he was involved with any radical groups?”

“It is quite possible since he had some progressive views,” Lavinia said before she picked up a piece of cheese. “He would go on and on about the war with Napoleon and he seemed to idolize the man.”

Stephen interjected, “Did he ever speak about his time in the Royal Navy?”

Lavinia shook her head. “Not once,” she replied. “He was tight-lipped about where he came from before he met me.”

“Do you know why that was?” Hawthorne asked.

“I just assumed he didn’t want me to know,” Lavinia said. “It ain’t uncommon in my line of work. No man wants to reveal too much to a light-skirt.”