The Mesmerist (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 3) Read online

  The Adventures of

  Xavier & Vic

  –

  Book 3

  The Mesmerist

  By

  Liza O’Connor

  ∞

  Cases Solved:

  The Servant Serves a Deadly Cup of Tea

  The Magical Accruing Interest

  The Mesmerizing Mrs. Meyers

  The Bank Robbery of Mammoth Proportions

  All rights reserved.

  Any reproduction of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, electronic copying, or recording is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

  In other words: if you buy this book anywhere other than Amazon, it’s a pirated copy. Please support Authors instead of Pirates, who often carry viruses.

  We are much nicer.

  All characters in this book come from the imagination of the author and while some are inspired by real historic people, the characters are fictitious and the product of Liza O’Connor’s strange mind.

  Table of Contents

  All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  A Grammatical Note:

  Strange Facts from the Victorian Era that Liza uses in her fictional story:

  1) The Real First Minister of England, Earl of Roseberry:

  2) Mesmerism and The Real Pierre Janet:

  3) The Magicians Herrmann:

  4) Prince Edward’s Mistresses:

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Other books by Liza O’Connor

  HISTORICAL

  The Adventures of Xavier & Vic

  Untamed & Unabashed

  CONTEMPORARY

  A Long Road to Love Series

  White Oak Mafia Series

  Requires Rescue Series

  Ghost Lover

  SCIENCE FICTION

  The Multiverse Series

  Artificial Intelligence Series

  A Grammatical Note:

  When it comes to punctuation for period and comma usage in dialog, I use the British logical punctuation rule, rather than the illogical American rule established centuries ago when we had shoddy printing press and our fragile punctuation marks needed protection whenever possible. We have long ago discarded the presses. It is past time for us to discard the punctuation rule and return to logic. I wish to move this transition along by doing my small part in the effort.

  Since my story is decidedly in England, I use the British inclusion of the letter ‘s’ to words such as ‘towards’ and ‘backwards’. (By the way, the prior sentence ends in the British logical punctuation rule.) I do know the American standard should be ‘toward’ and backward’, however, my characters do not wish to speak in American standard, nor will I write their actions in such.

  Just be glad I’m not changing ‘color’ to ‘colour’.

  Here’s something else you might like to know: 34 stones is approximately 400lbs. (That is Tub’s weight.)

  Strange Facts from the Victorian Era that Liza uses in her fictional story:

  1) The Real First Minister of England, Earl of Roseberry:

  There truly was an Earl of Roseberry who was First (Prime) Minister in 1894.

  He actually did have three goals: to win a Derby, marry a wealthy woman, and become First Minister before the age of 47.

  And he did achieve them all.

  However, all other personality traits, conversations, and actions I have given my First Minister character come from my imagination. The same can be said for my Queen Victoria character.

  2) Mesmerism and The Real Pierre Janet:

  Dr. Pierre Janet was a hypnotist but is also considered to be one of the three founding fathers of psychology.

  The extraordinary claims of hypnosis from a distance that David relays in the book are truly from Dr. Pierre Janet as he describes certain case studies in his dissertation. However, given all the extraordinary work he did, modern biographers tend to ignore his unbelievable claims of hypnosis from afar and discuss his multitude of findings that have stood the test of time. I could only find two sources that still mentions hypnosis from afar, and while one source lacks some credibility, it provides more detail in accordance to the translated papers of Pierre that used to be available on the web. However, it then moves to religious conclusions and those are not Janet’s. The other source is highly abbreviated and only mentions one of the nineteen women out of twenty-five they successfully hypnotized from afar.

  One last note: in my book, my character Pierre’s conversations with Xavier and love entanglements with the twin Mesmerists are entirely from my imagination.

  3) The Magicians Herrmann:

  This extended family of magicians from France did exist. And one did fall in love with an actress and run off with her to America.

  However I made up the jewels she failed to return to her prior beau. And of course, my fictitious characters were not related to the actual Herrmann Magicians, because fictitious people are…well…fictitious.

  4) Prince Edward’s Mistresses:

  In my story, I have a beautiful woman escorted by royal guards to attend Janet’s lecture. Xavier suspects she might be the Mesmerist.

  Chief Inspector Stone assures him he’s wrong and says she is Prince Edward’s latest mistress. I chose Prince Edward to have the mistress, because quite honestly, he had so many that Xavier could have easily stopped caring about his dalliances, thus explaining why he didn’t know who the woman was.

  The real Prince Edward, was known for his constant and public affairs with as many as fifty-five women, ranging from high society to prostitutes including: the actress Lillie Langtree, the future mother of Winston Churchill, the Countess of Warwick, the actress Sara Bernhardt, the noblewoman Lady Susan Vane-Tempest, singer Hortense Schneider, the prostitute La Barucci, and the humanitarian Agnes Keyser to name a few.

  The Queen and Prince Albert detested his immoral lifestyle, but to be fair, since he was not allowed to join the Army nor become involved with governmental affairs, he had to do something, thus, he took on a life of leisure. He would tour and attend public events much like modern royals do. He was considered the arbiter of men’s fashion and took great care in his appearance, even as his girth widened. He also supported the arts, and even the transition to automobiles.

  The Queen unfairly blamed Prince Edward for killing his father and she was determined to outlive her eldest son, so he could never be king. The truth is her husband, Prince Albert had been dying long before he felt the need to travel out in the dead of winter and scold his son about his plethora of mistresses. (Doctors now believe Prince Albert had Crohn’s disease.)

  Once the Queen died (1901), Edward finally became king, and proved to be a most popular and beloved King. Clearly, his people did not mind all his affairs and scandals half so much as the Queen had.

  Blurb

  Vic has become a full partner of Xavier Thorn’s Private Inquiries, yet trouble threatens their pe
rsonal and business relationship as facts from the past come back to haunt Xavier. Worse yet, a formidable foe returns and proves to be more than Xavier can handle. Fortunately, with his amazing partner and a growing staff, they are ready to take on any problem that comes their way. If only their clients were more forthcoming with the facts!

  Chapter 1

  London, England September 1894

  Vic woke the moment Xavier slipped from their bed. She rolled to her back and ran her hands through her short blonde hair. “It’s still dark outside.”

  Xavier turned on the gas lamp by his dresser, illuminating his tall, sinewy form. “I am all too aware of the time.” The grumpy petulance in his voice indicated whatever assignment called him out did not rate higher than his sleep...or their normal morning wakeup routine.

  The later she greatly enjoyed. Her partner might be fourteen years her senior, but he easily matched her in stamina and desire.

  After splashing water on his dark hair, he briskly combed the wayward strands into submission. Once done, he opened the closet and glared in outrage. “Victor, you have appropriated more than your share of the closet again.”

  “That’s because my share should be half, not a quarter. In fact, since you care nothing about clothes and I’m a ‘fashionable young gentleman,’ I should have more than half.”

  He snared a collection of her silk shirts and tossed them upon the bed. He followed with an armful of her suits.

  Bolting up in fury, Vic glared at him. “Stop mangling my clothes!

  “It appears I have no choice if I am to locate my desired apparel.”

  While she might love her annoying curmudgeon, times like this, she wanted to strangle him. “I put a suit on the hook for you. Why must you burrow in the back of the closet at all?”

  He pulled out a somber black tuxedo with a crimson silk vest. “Because I require this one.”

  Vic studied the garment in shock. Where the bloody hell had that come from? In their year and a half together, she had never seen this suit. Even odder, the design was the latest fashion. It could not have resided in the closet for more than a few weeks at most. “That is very fine. When did you buy it?”

  “You’re the detective in training; tell me.”

  Resentment flooded her mood and made her surly. “I rescued you when the whole of Scotland Yard could not. You should give me my due. I am not only a detective, but a highly skilled one at that.”

  A faint smile came to his lips as his black eyes narrowed. His large, hawkish nose gave him the appearance of a bird of prey, ready to swoop. “Then answer my question. How long has this suit been here?”

  Thinking back, she recalled a finger smudge residing on the sleeve of her supposedly clean shirt last week. When returning to the closet to retrieve another shirt, she had tripped on a stool that for some reason lurked halfway in the door.

  Now those oddities finally made sense. “Last Monday.”

  Xavier’s eyebrows rose a half inch. “Ha! I was not even here last Monday.”

  “But you did not put the suit in the closet. If you had, it wouldn’t have taken you so long to find the garment. Nor would you have required a stool to manhandle my shirts.”

  “What on earth are you going on about? There is no stool in this room.”

  “There isn’t now, but there was last Monday.”

  His brow furrowed. “And what the blazes does that have to do with my suit?”

  “Nothing if Li’l Pete wasn’t so adamant that all messages and deliveries fall in his work domain.”

  “Refrain from calling him ‘little,’ if you please. He is trying to overcome that hindrance.”

  Pete was their youngest employee, nine years old, and small for his age. Hell, she had been taller when she was six. But Pete was a determined little fellow with a double helping of character. He’d also been destined for a short life until the good pirate Jacko introduced him to Xavier.

  Realizing her impossible partner still awaited her solution, she returned to the mystery at hand.

  A glance at the legs of Xavier’s suit-pants told her Pete hadn’t worked alone to retrieve Xavier’s suit. Had he done so, the pants would be covered in mud, given the torrid rain they had Sunday night.

  Tubs must have accompanied Pete to the tailor and then carried the suit for the boy. Seven foot tall and sturdy as a rock, their largest employee could easily hold the suit above the muddy walkways, and no one on Earth could knock him down. He was thirty-four stone of solid muscle.

  Xavier arched his right brow in challenge. “So you are saying I sent a three-foot boy to retrieve the most costly suit I have ever purchased in my life?”

  She chuckled at the annoyance in his voice. Xavier hated ‘wasting’ money on clothes. The purchase had to have killed him. She imagined it cost him nearly a hundred pounds.

  “No. You sent Mr. Tubs along to assist in the retrieval. However, I believe once the garment was safely brought upstairs, Pete insisted on securing the suit in your closet, which explains the dirty handprint on one of my shirts and the stool I tripped over.”

  Xavier checked the white silk shirt he had just donned. “Damn! Is there dirt on mine?”

  Vic climbed out of bed and checked his shirt by sliding her hands up his back and over his strong arms, enjoying the moment. “Your shirt is fine.” She then knelt down and brushed the dust off his trousers.

  “Damnation!” he snapped when he noticed her action.

  She looked up at her angry partner and caressed the back of his leg to sooth him. “The faint dusting is gone now.” Standing, she slapped away his hands mauling his shirt and took charge of tying his necktie. He might have been wearing gentlemen’s suits twice as long as she had, but he still couldn’t fashion a decent tie.

  A smile came to her lips as he allowed her to fuss with his neck wear. He had no patience for such nonsense.

  After she assisted him into his silk vest and then his fine tuxedo jacket, she met his dark eyes, still intense with outrage at the possibility his new suit had been soiled. Her heart swelled with love. “See how good I’ve been? I didn’t yell at you for abusing my clothes and I have not interrogated you on where you might be going dressed to the nines at five in the morning.”

  The anger faded from his eyes as he stroked her cheek with his long fingers. “Thank you. If I could tell you, I would.”

  She refused to allow his touch of affection to distract her from her point. “Tell the First Minister you are not ready to return to service on your own. Either I am allowed to assist you, or you must decline the task.”

  His eyes flared with outrage. “Victor, don’t be ridiculous!”

  Feeling anything but ridiculous, Vic gripped the lapels of his very fine tuxedo. “I am serious, Xavier. Your last assignment for the government almost got you killed. Either I am allowed to help, or I will follow you about so I know you are safe.”

  He opened his mouth, probably to bellow and rave, but she silenced him with two fingers pressed against his lips. “We made a promise to each other. You owe me this. You were nearly dead when I found you this spring. I won’t allow that to happen again.” Had the situation been reversed and he had rescued her from certain death, he would never let her out of his sight again. Hell, the one time she had taunted a murderer, he banned her from the office until the man hanged. He had to understand his love was no greater than hers. Neither could live without the other.

  His arms encircled and crushed her to his chest. “Damn it, pup, I do not like ultimatums.” His tone was soft and full of love, even as he voiced his complaint.

  “Nor I,” she whispered against his chest, fear constricting her voice. His pulse had been barely detectable the day she located him in a tenement building, minutes from death. “But I would not survive without you.”

  He pushed her back and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I can make no promises.”

  While she didn’t like his answer, she appreciated his refusal to lie to her. But it hurt all the sa
me. He clearly loved his country more than her. “Do your best, then.”

  Vic focused on the mound of wrinkled shirts on the bed and returned them to the closet, refusing to look at him so he wouldn’t see her pain. If the situation were reversed, no one, not even the Queen would come before Xavier.

  A click of the door told her the moment he left the room. She abandoned the clothes and collapsed on the bed, grabbing Xavier’s pillow to hug. His musky scent filled her senses and strengthened her resolve. She could not give on this point.

  Never once had she regretted her decision to live life as a young man, rather than a girl. As a man, she’d been able to attend Oxford, become the guardian of her younger sister Claire, and work for Xavier Thorn, the finest investigator in London. The only mar in her otherwise perfect world was the First Minister of Parliament, who seemed set upon getting Xavier killed by sending him on dangerous assignments to protect the crown.

  She did not object to her partner serving his country, only to him serving without her assistance. Xavier Thorn performed better when she was with him. And vice-versa. They complimented and enhanced each other’s skills. Isolating him for reasons of secrecy was foolish, and as of now, it had to stop.

  Either they accepted her at his side, or Parliament could find someone else to track and uncover the countless spies embedded in England. Vic would not risk her beloved partner again.

  ***

  Xavier entered the First Minister’s carriage and nodded at the earl. While the man had taken the reins from Gladstone six months prior, he was no stranger to foreign intrigue, having held the position of foreign secretary for many years.

  “Thorn, you’re looking especially dapper,” the earl remarked as he fluffed out his own necktie.

  “That was your instruction was it not, Archibald?”

  The man’s owlish, round eyes focused on him. “Yes. And I appreciate you attending to your appearance, despite your self-proclaimed poverty.”

  Xavier chose to ignore his comment. As a young man, Archibald declared he had three goals in life: win the Derby, marry an heiress, and become First Minister. At forty-seven years of age, he had achieved all of his goals, making him the most arrogant and intolerable man in all of London.