Chapter 126

Cassandra had begun attending Professor Alistair Bellamy’s lectures often enough that her presence no longer seemed unusual.

She didn’t appear at every lecture, nor did she linger too long after each one. That would have defeated the purpose.

Instead, she chose those open to the public, ones that genuinely interested her, particularly the lessons concerning and allowed several days to pass between visits. When she did attend, she listened with rapt interest and remained briefly afterward to exchange a few words with Bellamy before departing.

It had become a small routine between them.

Professor Bellamy seemed pleased by her interest. Cassandra suspected he enjoyed the attention almost as much as he enjoyed his subject. He was an intelligent man who was clearly proud of the knowledge he acquired over the years and was not entirely immune to the satisfaction that came from having an attentive audience.

Cassandra did not mind.

A little vanity could be useful, especially when she could exploit it.

The lecture that afternoon concerned the structure and functions of the human heart. Bellamy spoke with the confidence of a man who had spent years studying the subject, moving between diagrams and anatomical specimens while explaining the four Chambers and the major vessels.

Every visit gave her another opportunity to become familiar with the institution and it was also the safest way to form a rapport with Professor Bellamy, that way she could get him to lower his guard and be more at ease around her.

A stranger asking questions could attract suspicion. A familiar face rarely did.

When the lecture concluded, both students and casual observers filled out of the auditorium, some continuing their arguments about Bellamy’s theories as they went.

Cassandra remained where she was until the room began to empty.

Today was different from the other times she attended his lectures. Unlike the previous times when she had Sebastian as company, today she attended alone while Sebastian remained waiting outside in the carriage. All part of their plan.

She knew Bellamy would notice eventually that she attended without her usual companion, and she preferred it that way.

Men often became less guarded in the presence of women, especially those they deemed harmless. They rarely considered women capable of posing any real threat to them. Their confidence made them overestimate themselves in nearly every regard while, at the same time, underestimating the women around them.

People were far more likely to expose themselves when they underestimated the person listening.

Cassandra had no intention of doing anything to discourage that habit.

She left the seating area and crossed toward Bellamy, who was gathering several papers from the table at the center of the auditorium.

"Professor Bellamy." She called politely.

He looked behind him and smiled when he caught sight of him.

"Ah! Mrs. Pembroke. I wondered whether you might attend today."

"I would hardly have missed this one." Her smile was pleasant. "I found the lecture very insightful. As always, you have a way of making even the most complicated subjects easy to understand. I found it utterly fascinating."

"I am pleased you found it useful." Bellamy preened, pleased by the compliment. Like so many others, he enjoyed having his ego stroked. "Forgive me, it’s not my intention to pry but I noticed you came along. Where is your brother today?"

"He was indisposed," she replied. "I did not wish to miss the lecture, so I came alone."

Bellamy’s brows lifted. He glanced toward the doors again, as though expecting another person to appear.

"Without a chaperone? Surely there was someone who could have accompanied you." There was a faint note of disapproval in his voice.

Cassandra held his gaze, studying him with enough curiosity to make it seem as though she were genuinely considering his concern.

"I hardly think there is anything within this institution that poses a particular danger to me, Professor." She wrinkled her nose. "Besides, I am in my thirties. I assure you, I am quite capable of attending a lecture without supervision."

Bellamy’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly.

He caught the sharpness in her response and realized he might have overstepped.

"Thirties?" he said, quickly attempting to recover. "You must be drinking from the fountain of youth, Mrs. Pembroke. I would never have guessed you were a day over twenty-five."

"I am flattered, Professor. You are very kind," Cassandra replied, infusing her words with a sweetness she did not feel.

He chuckled, apparently satisfied that he had managed to restore the lightness between them.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment, mild curiosity evident in his expression, before he asked, "And how fares your search for Mr. Whitmore?"

As if on cue, Cassandra allowed her smile to fade. To complete the performance, she lowered her gaze and let her shoulders droop, allowing disappointment to settle visibly across her features. In another life, she might have made a career in the performing arts.

"Poorly, I am afraid," she said, her voice heavy with dejection. "Every time I begin to believe I am getting closer to finding him, something happens to derail the search. It has been one disappointment after another. At times, I begin to wonder whether the entire world is conspiring to keep Mr. Whitmore beyond my reach."

The words were carefully chosen, and Cassandra delivered them with enough weariness to make her frustration sound genuine.

In truth, the search was progressing remarkably well.

She simply had no intention of telling Professor Bellamy that.

He regarded her with sympathy.

"Perhaps there is something I can do," he offered.

Cassandra lifted her gaze, allowing a flicker of hope to appear in her eyes.

"A few of us are gathering later this evening," he continued. "Nothing formal. Just several professors, some of the younger men attached to the Association, and a few physicians. Professor Matthias Holstoke should be there."

Holstoke.

There it was.

The name she had been waiting to hear.

"You remember I told you that he knows Whitmore very well. If you wish to speak with him, I could take you along," Bellamy continued, entirely unaware of where her thoughts had immediately gone.