The Hanover Square Affair

by Jennifer Ashley

  "Or perhaps the passengers never got into the coach in the first place."

  His mouth hardened. "Who's been telling you things? It's a pack of lies."

  I leaned toward him, the stale steam from my beer engulfing me. I was making guesses, pieced together from what Aimee and the orange girl in the Strand had told me, but I had to try. "Someone paid you to look the other way that day. To drive to the Strand, wait a few minutes, then drive away again. You were to go back to Henrietta Street and claim you didn't know what happened. Perhaps later that night you were paid to return, to fetch the young ladies in earnest this time and drive them to Hanover Square."

  "I never. It's lies, that is."

  "If it is not the truth, it is very close to it."

  Jemmy shoved his glass away from him. Ale slopped onto the pitted and stained tabletop. "Who says it is? You going to take me to the beaks? And tell them what? No one is left to prove it."

  "No," I mused. "Horne is dead; Miss Thornton is gone. Did Mr. Carstairs ask you to go? I wager he did not like the questions people asked when Miss Thornton disappeared. Or perhaps your real employer decided you should quit the house before anyone became suspicious."

  "Don't know what you're talking about. I'm a coachman. I drive coaches for gentry."

  "It must be lucrative," I said steadily, "but difficult, to work for Mr. Denis."

  Jemmy flushed a sudden, sharp red, and his eyes held fear and hate. "Is that why you came, to throw lies in my face? Is that why you got your whore to chum to me?" He shoved Nance from him. "Get out. I don't want you."

  "Aw, Jemmy--"

  "Get out. I don't want to see you, understand?"

  Nance's lip trembled. "Jemmy, I didn't know."

  "Go on. And take your flat with you."

  Nance stared at him in hurt dismay. I rose and took her arm, gently getting her to her feet and leading her away. The red-faced barmaid grinned at me, and I tossed her coins for the ale. She winked and tucked the money into her bodice.

  I led the dejected Nance out of the pub and into the dark streets.

  "Don't mourn him, Nance. I am just as glad you're away from him. I don't like the way he put his hands on you."

  She brightened, though tears glittered on her face. "Are you jealous?"

  "Disgusted, rather."

  She stopped. "You think I am disgusting?"

  "I did not say that."

  "You do think so. That's why you always put me off." Another tear rolled down her nose.

  I took her arm and pulled her to the brick wall of a house, out of the way of traffic. "I'll thank you not to put words in my mouth. I found your coachman disgusting. I do not find you so, and I am happy that you are away from him."

  "Oh." She gave me a long look from under her lashes. "I took a bath. Washed meself all over."

  "Did you?" I asked, bemused.

  "Because you likes girls as bathe themselves. It wasn't fancy soap, but I smell clean. Don't I?"

  She shoved her hand under my nose. I moved it away. "Nance."

  "You don't have to give me money for it. Or for finding Jemmy, because he turned out a bad 'un." She drew her finger down my lapel. "I fancies ya, yer know. That's why I'm always teasing yer."

  I would never make her understand. Her world was not my world, even if the edges collided from time to time. "We had a bargain. Two shillings when you found the coachman for me. Here." I pressed coins into her hand. "Take yourself home for the rest of the night."

  "And get knocked about by me dad for coming back too early? But you don't care tuppence for that."

  "I do."

  "If you did, you'd take me as your own."

  Her brown gaze measured mine. I held it, wishing I could help her--not in the way she wanted, but in a way that would keep her from harm. But a man without money in London is powerless. I looked away.

  "Not tuppence," she said. "I don't care that for your airs. Yer no better than the rest of them. And you lost me Jemmy, too." She squirmed from my grasp and ran off.

  "Wait."

  I could take Nancy to Louisa. Louisa was no fainting flower. She could do something for her, train her, give her a character, find her employment.

  Nance ignored me and kept running. I started after her. A rumbling cart, driven by a madman, swept between us. By the time it had gone, Nance was far from me, darting in and out of clumps of hurrying people. I would never catch her. With my lame leg, I was no match for a young, healthy girl.

  I went home. I'd see her again. Nance's regular haunts were Covent Garden market and the streets around it; our paths would cross soon.

  If I had known then under what circumstance we'd meet again, I'd have gone after her then and there, damn my leg and the London streets. But one does not expect life to be so capricious.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning I returned to Hanover Square. Number 22 looked shut up: curtains drawn, the doorstep unswept. The handsome houses to either side of it radiated disapproval. A murder, and such a murder, occurring between them was not to be borne.

  I had written Grenville to ask who Horne's heir was, and had read the answer in both his letter and the newspaper. Horne's cousin, a man called Mulverton, had arrived in town to bury Horne. I wondered if he would hasten to sell the house, and if he had any knowledge of his cousin's death. I wondered if he was a poor man who would happily send Horne out of the way in order to inherit a fine house in Mayfair and any income that went with it.

  I knocked at the door. No one came. The neighboring houses regarded me in icy silence. I leaned over the railings and peered down at the scullery door. In the darkness, I sensed a movement, although it might only have been a cat.

  I made my way down the stairs, which were slippery with drizzle. I saw no one, but I heard a faint snick, as if a latch had been closed.

  I rapped on the thick scullery door. Here, beneath the street, the odor of fish and slops hung heavily in the damp air.

  The door opened a crack and the frightened eyes of the young footman, John, peered out.

  He released his breath. "Oh, it's you, sir. I thought it were the constables coming back for me."

  "Why should they?"

  John opened the door, and I removed my hat and stepped into the chill kitchen.

  "They might arrest me, too. Maybe Mr. Bremer told them I killed the master."

  "And did you?"

  His eyes rounded. "No!"

  "I do not think Bremer did, either."

  The kitchen table was cluttered with boxes and sacks, bowls and copper spoons, all resting on the grimy flour left behind in the cook's hasty departure.

  "Then why did they arrest him?" John asked, closing the door.

  "Because they had no one else to arrest. Where are the rest of the servants? Why are you still here?"

  He blinked at me, and I realized I'd asked him too many questions at once.

  "The new owner, the master's cousin, came to take possession today. He told me to pack up all the things and have them carted off so he could sell the house. He didn't like Mr. Horne's things."

  I couldn't blame him. The dreary furniture, the bad paintings, and the Egyptian friezes would have grated on me as well.

  I leaned my hip against the kitchen dresser and watched him resume activity at the table. "When did the cousin arrive?"

  "Yesterday, sir."

  "Is he here?"

  "No, sir. He's been and gone."

  "Gone where? Back home? Or does he stay in town?"

  John clanked copper spoons into one of the crates and tossed a platter on top. "He never said. No, a moment, I lie. He said he was taking rooms. In St. James's." He heaved a long sigh. "He wants to sell the house right away. As soon as I'm finished here, I'm out a position. A good one, too."

  I folded my arms. "What about the other maids, Grace and Hetty? Where have they gone?"

  "Dunno, sir. Hetty marched out the morning after the murder was done. Went to stay with her ma, she s
aid. Gracie, I ain't seen."

  "Does Grace have family, or friends she might have gone to?"

  "There's her sister."

  I checked my rising impatience. "Do you know where she lives?"

  "Place near Covent Garden. I took her home once. Street called Rose Lane."

  I felt a dart of irritation. Rose Lane was one over from Grimpen Lane. The girl had been under my nose for days.

  "What about the valet?" I asked.

  John snorted. "Marcel? Gent next door snatched him up, didn't he? Had his eye on Marcel ever since Marcel came here, oh, three months ago. Soon as he heard the master was dead, Marcel lit out and took his new position that very night."

  The gent next door must have made Marcel an unrefusable offer. I wondered, had the valet made all haste to dissociate himself from the crime, or had he simply jumped at the offer of a lucrative position? John was right, good places were hard for servants to find. But if Marcel had anything to do with Horne's death, would he have fled only as far as next door?

  "What is the name of this gent?" I asked.

  "He's a lordship. Lord Berring. A viscount or some such."

  "Right- or left hand?"

  "Sir?"

  "Which house? The right- or left hand house as you face them?"

  John blinked a moment then pointed toward the south wall. Left hand it was.

  "And who is in the right-hand house?"

  John stared a moment, then to my surprise, he broke into a grin. "Gent called Preston. Never home. Son is, though."

  I remembered the very first time I'd stood before number 22, when Thornton had been throwing bricks at it and screaming his grief. The curtain in the window above number 23 had shifted, the person behind it far more interested in what was happening outside than in protecting himself.

  "Who is this son?" I asked.

  John chuckled. "Young Master Philip. He likes a chat, sir, whenever I goes by. Hasn't got many who'll talk to him, poor lad."

  I stored that information away, reflecting that a lad who liked looking out the windows might prove useful.

  "Thank you," I said, and turned to depart.

  "You wouldn't happen to be looking for a footman, would you?" John asked wistfully. "Only I can do all kinds of work. Except garden."

  I shook my head. "If I hear of anything, how may I send you word?"

  "Oh, I'm going back to my ma too. In the Haymarket. She so wanted me to go into service. She thinks I'm a useless lout. Maybe she's right." He stopped a moment. "What happened to the girl, sir? The one called Aimee."

  I raised my brows. "Aimee has gone to live with her aunt."

  John sighed and dropped a bulging sack into the crate. "I told her, if she ever wanted me, all she had to do was send word. She never did."

  I could not feel surprised by this. Likely Aimee wanted to put anything associated with Horne's household far behind her.

  "She needs time to heal," I offered. "When she has rested and mended, perhaps she will remember you."

  I very much doubted it, but he so wanted the crumbs I tossed him.

  John brightened. "That may be, sir. I can wait."

  I wondered for a moment if John had murdered his master in jealousy and anger over Aimee. He was a large and strong young man who could easily have overpowered the smaller Horne and stabbed him in one quick blow.

  My speculation ended there. I could not imagine John calmly waiting for the body to be discovered, and still longer for Aimee to be found. He would have smashed open the wardrobe door and carried her off into the night.

  I said good night and left the kitchen through the scullery. As I closed the door, John tipped an armload of cups into a crate, where they landed with a smash of porcelain. He tossed in a copper pot on top of the lot.

  I climbed back to the street. The rain came down harder, and the low clouds darkened the day. I walked to the left hand house, my shoulders hunched against the wet.

  I did not know Viscount Berring, and calling on him without introduction or appointment, especially with his lofty station, would be extremely bad manners. He'd think me an uncouth lout, but I had to waive etiquette in pursuit of my quest.

  The footman, who looked as though he had a few more thoughts between his ears than did John, took my card, ushered me silently into a reception room, and disappeared.

  This house matched Horne's in layout--a fine staircase on one side of the house, and two grand rooms on the other--but there the similarity ended. Berring had decorated his house with paintings of taste and furnishings of comfort and elegance. I sensed a woman's touch, evident in the embroidered cushions, soft colors, and overall feeling of warmth.

  The footman reappeared and, to my surprise, told me to follow him upstairs.

  High above, on the landing that encircled the very top of the house, a little girl, a slightly older girl, and a woman, clearly their mother, watched me with undisguised curiosity. I saluted them, and the two little girls giggled. The woman gave me a gentle smile.

  An unlooked-for and nearly overwhelming wave of loneliness swept over me. The image of a very small girl, very long ago, filled my vision, and in an instant I was carried back in time. I felt warm sun on my face, saw the flash of gold on my daughter's hair, saw her smile at me, reaching her small hands to mine.

  The chill dark of London rushed back at me. It mocked me, that chill, reminding me of all I'd lost. I quickly looked away and followed the footman to the first-floor hall.

  Viscount Berring received me in a bright room facing the square. He was a middle aged man, slim and upright, with a full head of gray hair. He held out his hand.

  "Captain Lacey? I have heard of you."

  I grasped his hand politely. "I apologize for the intrusion," I said. "It is actually your valet, Marcel, that I have come to see."

  Berring gave me a look of surprise and alarm. "Don't tell me Mr. Grenville sent you to lure him away. I pay the fellow well--he's a topping valet--but I could never offer him the distinguishment he'd get valeting for Mr. Grenville."

  "Grenville is in no need of a valet that I know of. I wished to ask Marcel about his former master, Mr. Horne."

  Berring made a face. "Nasty business, that. My footmen had to bodily evict the newspapermen all that night. Impudent fellows. What have you to do with it?"

  "I am trying to discover who killed him."

  He raised his brows. "Why the devil? Isn't that what the constables and Bow Street are for? Oh, do sit down, there's a good fellow. But you must already know Horne's butler has been arrested. Marcel told me all about it. Nothing more to discover."

  "But I believe Bremer did not kill him. That the murderer has not been found."

  "Good Lord." Berring looked at his sofa cushions as though the murderer might be hiding beneath them. "Are you certain?"

  "Fairly certain," I said. "If I can find another culprit, I can make the magistrates certain."

  "But see here, surely you have no need to muck about in it yourself?"

  I knew what he meant. A gentleman didn't soil his hands chasing criminals or investigating crimes.

  "I'm afraid there is no one else to muck about in it. On the day Horne died, did you happen to note anyone going or coming from his house?"

  He shook his head. "We weren't home that day at all, which is a mercy. We'd journeyed to Windsor to visit my wife's family. Her father has an excellent wine cellar."

  "But you returned that night."

  "Very late. Such a ruckus there was next door. My footman came running back to tell of the murder, and I locked my wife and daughters and myself up tight in this house, I must say."

  "After you sent for Horne's valet."

  Two spots of red stained his cheeks. "Had my eye on the fellow since my own man departed to get married. Marcel's talents were wasted on a man like Horne. I saw no reason not to set him up here at once."

  "But he might have murdered Horne."

  "No, no, no. No question of that. He was away all that day, he told me. Only a
rrived home an hour after we did--and found his master dead. Took my offer there and then."

  For a moment I contemplated that Lord Berring murdered Horne for his valet, then I dismissed the thought. "I wonder if you'd allow me to speak to Marcel myself."

  Berring looked surprised. "Speak to him? He can't tell you more than I have already."

  "Even so, I'd like to ask him a question or two."

  "Very well, I suppose it would do no harm." He rose and tugged the bell pull, his expression bewildered. "Have a drop of port while we wait?"

  Marcel was a tall and slim young Frenchman with a long, thin nose and wide set brown eyes. He regarded me with an air of rigid politeness, his correct bearing betraying only the faintest hint of curiosity.

  "Yes, sir?"

  Berring waved a hand at me. "This is Captain Lacey. He wants to ask you questions."

  Marcel turned forty five degrees and faced me. "Yes, sir?"

  I had hoped to speak to Marcel alone, but Berring handed me a tumbler of port, then settled into the sofa and looked on with interest. I would have to make the best of it.

  "The day your former master died," I began, "you were out."

  "Yes, sir." Marcel's accent was faint, his English precisely pronounced. "I was gone all that day. Arrived home at nine o'clock, and found he had been killed. The staff were most upset."

  "And what did you do?"

  "I went upstairs, packed my bags, and came here. His lordship had kindly offered me a place if I ever left Mr. Horne, and I came here to ask if he still wanted me. He did, and I took up the post immediately."

  "You were quick off the mark."

  Marcel made a gesture of indifference. "Mr. Horne was dead. What could I do?"

  "Did the constables question you?"

  "Indeed. The man, the Runner, was quite rude. Asked me a dozen questions about where I had been and what I had been doing."

  "And what did you tell him?"

  "That my business was my own on my days out. But I had not ever returned to the house, so how could I know what had happened?"

  "You did not return at all that day?"

  "No, sir. I had gone to Hampstead. I was very late returning. I was afraid Mr. Horne would be angry."