Today, I am interviewing the
Troublesome Apprentice himself Victor Hamilton.
Aleah: Victor, welcome to my
blog.
Vic: Call me Vic.
Aleah: Of course. Can you
tell me what caused you to decide to live your life as a man instead of young
woman?
Vic: *eyes narrow* Who told
you that?
Aleah: It’s in the blurb Liza
wrote.
Vic: Oh, that can only be
seen by people of 21st century.
Aleah: That is correct.
Vic: Then all is well and I
can answer your question.
Aleah: Excellent. Did you
always want to be a boy?
Vic: No. I was perfectly fine
being a girl when we lived on our farm in Oklahoma. We weren’t homesteaders,
mind you. Father had bought our land outright. It had a reliable water supply
and good soil. Still, there was no end to the work needing done. I was his
little helper and my younger sister Claire helped our mother. I remember out
last summer. The crops had never looked better. Mother fretted we’d never get
it all canned. Papa promised her he’d hire help if she needed it. While our
farm thrived, that was not the case on much of the homestead land. They would be more than happy to help us if
we shared our bounty.
Aleah: And did they?
Vic: The week before we
planned to harvest, dark clouds descended with wild winds and hail the size of
my fist. We ran inside and then to the basement as our roof gave way under the
constant assault. We were all terrified,
and water was rushing in from the first floor. I had never seen my father so
angry. When the storm finally passed we climbed out of basement and stared
silently at destruction before us. Everything was gone or crushed. Not just our
crops…our house was gone as well. Mother burst into tears and father took her
into his arms and held her. Claire burst into tears as well and so I gathered
her in my arms and promised her all would be well.
After my mother steadied,
Father returned to the basement and brought up a knapsack of canned foods and
filled water canisters. He told us we were leaving. We’d never survive the
winter if we stayed.
I looked about for our cart
and horses, but the barn was gone. It was as if God had erased everything we’d
built over the last ten years in just a few hours.
We walked for several days
before we met a man on a wagon who offered to give us a lift to Tulsa. From
there we took a train to New York City, where we boarded a ship headed to
England. Father said his sister Maddy would give us shelter.
Aleah: And did she?
Vic: Yes, but only Claire and
I were alive to receive it.
Aleah: What happened?
Vic: I’m sorry. I’m not ready to talk about it. Perhaps we can talk of something else
Aleah: Of course. Let’s learn
more about the book…
(Note from Liza. This background story of why Vic’s
family left America to return to England was inspired by a true event from my
grandmother’s diary.)
The Adventures of
Xavier & Vic
–
Book
1
The Troublesome Apprentice
By Liza O’Connor
Cases
Solved:
The Key to Aunt Maddy’s Death
The Missing Husband of Mrs. Wimple
The Disappearing Scarlet Nun
The Clever Butcher’s Wife
The Rescue of Lady Anne
While investigating the death of a
friend and client, Maddy Hamilton, Xavier Thorn (reputed to be the greatest
sleuth in England) is greatly impressed with Maddy’s nephew, Victor, and offers
him a job as his secretary. Aware of Xavier’s history of firing secretaries,
Victor garners a promise that for three months he cannot be fired. Vic then
proceeds, in Xavier’s view, to be cheeky and impertinent at every turn.
Xavier endures the impudent pup
because Victor is most skilled in extracting the truth from clients and
intuiting facts with little evidence to assist. As they solve a string of
cases, Xavier discovers a few more important details about his troublesome
apprentice, such as her true gender, and the realization that she has awakened
his long dormant heart.
Vic
knelt down to reduce her height and reached to the sill of the fireplace. “What
if he knocked over the vase when searching the sill, then feared the item might
have been in the vase and had fallen into the embers?”
“A
reasonable possibility. Do you think he recovered what he sought in the ashes?”
“No,
for he continues his search. You can see soot on the coffee table and side
table drawers.” Vic pulled them open to study the contents. Dark smudges marred
the napkins and doilies in the top one. The other, however, was completely
empty. “How odd.”
“What
did the bottom one have in it?”
“Buttons.”
“As
in buttons for dresses?”
“Rather
too bold for a dress, although some had been snipped from coats. Aunt Maddy
collected fanciful buttons.” Vic stared at Xavier’s suit. “The ones on your
vest would have caught her eye. I used to tease her she was part crow, for they
are reputed to have a weakness for gewgaws.”
Pain
filled her heart. She’d never tease Aunt Maddy about anything ever again. She
paused and choked back the tears threatening to fall.
“Were
they valuable?” Xavier’s voice lost its bark.
“Some
had jewels embedded, but nothing one would kill for.” Vic shook her head. “I
don’t think he came for Maddy’s collection, I think he simply couldn’t resist
it once discovered.”
“I
agree. How did you reach your conclusion?”
“Because
he now searches the desk. If he had come for the buttons, he would have left
directly.”
“And
how did you determine he searched the desk last?”
“The
footprints show he went first to the fireplace, and from there we can follow a
trail of soot until we reach the small side table. It is here the soot stops.
Perhaps he took out his handkerchief, wiped his hands, before bundling the
buttons in the cloth. With his hands now clean, he ran them through his hair,
either because he has a nervous tick or perhaps a stray lock had fallen into
his eyes. Intending to search elsewhere, he walked to the door and tried to
open it. In doing so, he left an oily residue from his hand. Finding the
library door locked, he returned to the desk and, using the letter opener,
pried free the center drawer.” Vic opened the desk drawer and frowned at the
chaos. “He certainly searched in here. Aunt Maddy kept a very tidy desk.”
“Can
you tell if anything is missing?”
“Not
in this state. I would have to put everything back in place first.”
“Do
it,” Xavier said. “So far all we know about the object the man sought is it
isn’t paper. Had it been, he would have gone to the desk first.”
“Nor
is it something he expected Aunt Maddy to value greatly, or why would she leave
it on the fire sill or in a table drawer?”
Xavier
stared at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.
Continue on with your work.”
As
Vic put all the objects of the drawer back into their proper places, she
discovered one thing: Xavier Thorn had absolutely no patience.
“How
long could this possibly take?”
“There
are hundreds of items,” Vic explained.
Xavier
exhaled in frustration. “It is good I sent home my driver. He would have died
from pneumonia by now. By the way, your butler has obligated you to provide me
with a carriage home.”
Vic smiled at his declaration.
“I
trust your smile is one of compliance. Are you not done yet?”
“I
will tell you when I’m done,” Vic snapped. “And why are you suddenly so
impatient?”
“Beyond
the drawer, we are done here. I wish to proceed with the investigation!”
Vic
stopped. “Mr. Thorn, I do not expect you to do more than what you have so ably
done today.”
“Are
you firing me?” Xavier asked in outrage.
“I
have not actually hired you. I only wished for your advice, but it was wrong of
me to think you would do this without expecting compensation. Send me your bill
and I will see it is paid.” Vic had no idea how she would do so, given she had
no money.
“Bloody
hell! I will not be brought in and then tossed aside at your whim. Maddy
Hamilton was not just a client, but a friend, and I had every intention of
finding her killer before you invited me here to use me and cast me off like a
dock whore.”
Vic
stopped working on the drawer. Clearly, she had insulted Mr. Thorn, but what
caught her attention was a particular part of his ranting. “You knew she was
killed before we even spoke?”
“Yes.
It is why I wished to speak to you. If you recall, that is what I said when I
introduced myself.”
“How
did you know she’d been murdered?”
Xavier
paused, as if debating whether to answer.
“I
am sorry I insulted you,” Vic offered in hopes of soothing his temper. “It was
not intentional. Please understand, I loved my aunt dearly, and I can either
fall apart over her death or focus on finding her killer. I believe the latter
is more productive. Moreover, I would greatly appreciate your help, but it
appears Aunt Maddy had little money left when she died and, until I find a job,
I cannot afford your services.”
She
paused and met his unnerving glare. “I should have explained my situation from
the first. But before you leave, could you please tell me how you knew she’d
been murdered?”
The Troublesome Apprentice
I’m tired of telling my
proper bio. So you get the improper bio.
Liza O’Connor was raised
by feral cats, which explains a great deal, such as why she has no manners, is
always getting in trouble, and doesn’t behave like a proper author and give you
a proper bio.
She is highly
unpredictable, both in real life and her stories, and presently is writing
humorous romances. Please buy these books, because otherwise, she’ll become
grumpy and write troubled novels instead. They will likely traumatize you.
Mostly humorous books by
Liza:
Saving Casey – Old woman
reincarnates into troubled teen’s body. (Half funny/half traumatizing)
Ghost Lover—Two British brothers fall in love with the same young woman.
Ancestral ghost is called in to fix the situation. There’s a ghost cat too.
(Humorous Contemporary Romance)
A Long Road to Love Series: (Humorous Contemporary odd
Romance)
Don’t Forget
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