by Wendy Bayne
Father put his hand under her chin raising her head up and she continued, “I know it will look better if Samuel makes the appearance of courting her for a time. But I can’t help feeling that Samuel would do better with her here.” He held her hands and pulled her to her feet and into a hug. “We can have the wedding in three months, that should be enough time to satisfy convention, especially after Aunt Mary spreads the word of how they met.”
Father smiled as he caressed her cheek. “And what story will she be telling people?”
Mother smirked, “The truth more or less…such as they became acquainted on the continent and fell in love. Then they were separated for a time and were reunited here in London, rekindling their romance. Does that meet with your approval, Colin?”
Father let go of her stepping back to look into her eyes. “Whatever you think is best for them, my love. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Emilie about staying here. Let me think on how it can be done without causing a scandal.”
He paused and took a deep breath before saying, “I might as well tell you that I met with Mr Spencer today after dining with the Clarkes. He’s talked to all the witnesses in the park, Lissa seems to be the only one that saw anything clearly, so he has very little to go on. He’s turned to some of his less savoury sources for information and from what he’s been able to glean a former and rather unpleasant colleague of mine might be involved. The man in question is currently in London attached to a French diplomatic delegation so I have to tread carefully…but personally there’s no love lost between us.”
Father was not happy about any of this; he was clenching and unclenching his fists. He returned to his desk tapping his fingers on its surface and appeared deep in thought. No one spoke for a time my mother was still standing when he said, “Lissa, stay here with your mother. I must see Samuel.”
Mother took my hand pulling me to my feet. “No, Colin, we’ll all go. I can’t have you upsetting him and besides Lissa has as much right as anyone to know what’s going on. And she should see that Samuel is alright.”
Father touched his pursed lips with one finger then sighed. “Alright, come then, let’s go see Samuel.”
Dalton was just backing out of Samuel’s room and closing the door as we arrived. He was oblivious to our presence until Father cleared his throat as a warning that we were behind him. He jumped slightly. “Oh, sir, sorry sir!”
Father made to move past him when Dalton said, “The doctor just left so I wouldn’t go in there right now if I were you. Mr Hughes and mademoiselle are talking about what Dr Jefferson had to say about her. She had to threaten to break their engagement if he didn’t rest. She definitely seems to have the measure of him so he’s resting quiet now.”
“Thank you, Dalton, but this can’t wait. Randal Browne is back in England. I’m sure you remember him.” Dalton’s expression didn’t change so he obviously wasn’t surprised. Father waited before continuing, “This doesn’t seem to be news to you, would you care to explain?”
“Ah, no, sir, I think that would be better coming from Mr Hughes. But can it wait, sir? The doctor says that Mr Hughes’ health is delicate.”
“I promise I’ll try not to upset him.” He reached out and patted Dalton on the shoulder, effectively moving him away from the door and at the same time he reached around him to knock on the door.
Emilie answered, she took one look at my father’s face and stood aside, “Perhaps I should leave.” Everyone but me said “No!” She nodded, walking back to stand by the bed and taking Samuel’s hand.
Father made sure that Mother was seated then asked Emilie to take a seat while I stood at the foot of my uncle’s bed holding onto the bed post. Father walked back and forth between the hearth and my mother’s chair with his hands behind his back.
My uncle followed him with his eyes. “For god’s sake, stop pacing, you’re making me sick. Just come out with it, Colin!”
Father stopped to cross his arms. “Did you know that Randal Browne was back in England?”
Samuel went pale as he rubbed his hand across his face. “Yes.”
Father exploded, “And when were you planning on telling me! Have you talked to him?”
Samuel hoisted himself up on his pillows with Emilie’s help. “You weren’t available for consultation! If you care to remember you were riding around the southern coast gathering intelligence while I was preparing to bring your family to London!” Emilie patted his hand and shot my father a stern look.
Father ignored her. “That’s not an answer, Samuel! You’ve not said a word about seeing him since I reached London.”
Samuel was furious, his cheeks were cherry red now and his eyes blazed. I’d seen that look from the General and remembered it all too well. I was holding onto the bed post so tightly that my knuckles had turned white.
When Uncle Samuel responded, it was in a cutting and cold voice, “Well, let me see, Colin, if memory serves me right. When you met us on the road you were anxious to connect with your daughter and then bed your wife; then you left before dawn without a word! And once you were in London? Let me see, oh yes I was bloody well shot!” he was almost screaming now. “And I’ve been restricted to bed while trying not to bleed to death. What else? Oh yes, I’ve been trying to get rid of the bloody toxins caused by alcohol poisoning or addiction, whatever you damn well want to call it. So old man I’m so sorry that I’ve inconvenienced you and you feel out of the loop.” He paused to settled back on his pillows. “Randal Brown is a lying blackguard! I warned you about him in Belgium. But he was a quick fix to a complicated problem that you and Sir Thomas had. I told you then that he would come back, and he did!” He ran a shaking hand through his hair and exhaled. “He sent word to meet him at the Sickle where he spent the entire time ranting at me about us staying out of his business and if we didn’t he’d make us pay. I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, so I sent him off with a flea in his ear. If the old man finds out that he’s still alive there will be hell to pay for both of us. This isn’t just your bloody problem anymore, it’s ours!”
Samuel slumped, he was exhausted now. Father just stood there looking at him tight lipped and white with fury. He relaxed a bit to rub a finger across his forehead then his shoulders slumped forward and in a quiet voice said, “I know, my friend, I shouldn’t have let him go. He should have been just another causality of the war.” Father was gritting his teeth. “So why is he here now? It’s been years and Louisa’s happy with Lady Alford. We both promised him to take care of her and we did. What other business could he mean?”
My uncle sighed with weariness. “Colin, it was never about Louisa. He used her as a pawn to spy for him. I’ve been wondering since his visit if he’s involved with what’s going on along the coast, why else would he threaten us? You’ve crossed him once by putting Louisa with your aunt and not taking her as your mistress. Can we even trust that he hasn’t been in contact with her?”
I watched mother’s expression change from a look of questioning to one of hurt. Father put out his hand to her and she turned to my uncle who was chuckling. “Irene, my dear sweet sister, Colin never had eyes for anyone but you. He never touched Louisa even in the line of duty, neither of us did. She was too enamoured of Randall and too wary and mistrustful of us.” Then he chuckled again. “She was an exceptionally talented thief but a very stupid spy. I can assure you Colin has never been unfaithful to you.” He sighed, squeezing Emilie’s hand. “You were twelve and he was just sixteen when he lost his heart to you and it’s been yours to command ever since.”
My father held out his hand to my mother once again and this time she took them both, rising from her chair and going into his arms. Emilie was watching them with warmth then glanced back at Samuel who raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. Suddenly I felt uncomfortable and started to think about making my escape. My uncle noted my furtive glances at the door, so he sat up and pulled me from the end of his bed into a one arm bear hug then fell back exhausted with his eyes cl
osed.
Father looked at him over my mother’s shoulder. Emilie was leaning over him in concern but when he opened his eyes, grinning at her, he reached up to wrap his hand behind her neck pulling her down for a kiss. I closed my eyes at this point and crossed my arms.
I was finally rescued when Dalton knocked on the door. My father and mother broke apart quickly just as he came in. “Mr Turner, excuse me, sir, but Mr Spencer and an associate are here to see you. Mr Allan has shown them into the library since he felt that most of you would want to sit in on the meeting, it seemed the most appropriate choice; particularly considering the person he brought with him.” Dalton said with the degree of distaste that he usually reserved for the stable muck on my uncle’s boots.
“Thank you, Dalton. Would you let Lady Alford know that Mr Spencer is here?”
“She is already with him, sir.” Then he withdrew.
Emilie plumped up Samuel’s pillows and straightened his sheets. “You need to get some rest.”
Samuel shifted his legs as if to get out of bed. “Oh no, I’m coming with you. I was the one who was shot so I want to hear what this Bow Street Runner has come up with.”
Emilie pushed his legs out of the way and sat down on the bed. “You are going to rest and I’m going stay with you. I’ll read you to sleep. Miss Turner, please pass me a book from the case?” I was puzzled at first as to whom she was addressing then I realised it was me. “I’m afraid that if I get up, your uncle will jump out of bed and I will not be able to restrain him.”
I selected one from the bookcase and as I passed it to her, she looked at the title then clapped her hand over her mouth before showing it to my uncle. The look on his face was priceless, it was a treatise on the Jacobite rebellions, he groaned and closed his eyes. “Go with them, Emilie, and be my eyes and ears. After seeing that title, I think I’m asleep already.” And he pretended to snore. We all laughed and left my uncle in Dalton’s capable hands.
Chapter 11
Not Quite a Gentleman?
We entered the library to find Mr Spencer perusing the titles of my father’s books while his colleague was sat by the fire. With the curtains nearest him drawn on an already a dull day, Mr Spencer’s colleague sat in shadow, even though the fire cast light on him it did not illuminate the shadow across his countenance. He was the antithesis to Mr, Spencer appearing to be a small, wiry fellow that reminded me of a cornered rat with furtive eyes scanning the room while the rest of his body remained totally still. At first glance, he didn’t appear to be much taller than me, but he was almost folded in on himself, so it was difficult to tell. His baggy clothes made him appear rail thin, but you could almost feel the coiled power within him. His eyes kept darting around the room like he was looking for a bolt hole and in a strange contrast his hands were very still and folded in his lap. He had long fingers with short nails that were immaculately clean unlike the rest of his person. He paid no attention to any one while he continued to look about him without turning his head. To my disgust he carried with him the faint odour of rotting vegetables and worse on his worn filthy clothes. His shoes were being held together with odd bits of mismatched leather and rags. But his eyes showed no signs of actual fear, rather they were full of curiosity and intelligence. He finally settled upon studying one subject, me; he looked directly at me and after a bit he tipped his head to the side, nodded then smiled. I admit his smile was at first unnerving until it widened then I saw that he possessed all his teeth and that they were white which was unusual for someone of his class. Then he spoke to me, “Hello, there. You must be the daughter that I’ve heard so much about. You impressed me with how you kept your head when your uncle was shot in the park, I admire that.” His voice was cultured and educated; it held no hint of being an indigent from the East end or of the lower classes. I was astonished, my eyes wide and my mouth opened slightly. Noticing my reaction, “Surprised you, did I? Sorry for that, sometimes gentlemen fall, and I’ve fallen further than most; at least for today at any rate.” He chuckled then shifted his gazed to my father.
Father had been watching him closely and Mr Spencer was watching him watch his colleague. “You know each other, Turner?” Father merely nodded. “Then perhaps I should make the introductions to the ladies. Lady Alford, Mrs Turner, Miss Turner and,” he looked at Emilie, “I’m sorry, miss, but I don’t believe that I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance?”
The rat man stood up, I was shocked to find that his height was equal to my father’s and that he looked remarkable lean and fit. Now that his face was in full light he had lost his rat-like countenance and was overall rather handsome despite the dirt that covered him and that his hair was a tad too long. “That would be Mademoiselle Michaud if I could be so bold.” Then he bowed, “Good day to you ladies, my name is Miles Johnson. Please excuse me if I don’t make the customary obeisance; but when Mr Spencer found me, he wouldn’t allow me the time to attend to my toilet to rid myself of these clothes and this noisome odour.” He sniffed his clothes and grimaced.
Father stepped forward and shook his hand anyway. “Miles, what a surprise! I didn’t know that you were still in London. I thought you had taken yourself off to Edinburgh. Hadn’t London gotten a bit too hot for you?”
The man my father called Miles shrugged. “Edinburgh is a wee bit to provincial for my tastes, Colin, hence why I am still here. So, to stay out of the gaol I’ve been taking the more delicate assignments from this wastrel Spencer who seems to delight in sending me into the most odious places.”
Mr Spencer smiled and laughed. “Why am I not surprised that you know his Lordship.”
Mr Johnson grimaced. “Arthur, old man, please cease calling me his Lordship. My brother would be most distressed to hear you. Even though I am the eldest son and acknowledged by my father I do not merit a title having been born on the wrong side of the blanket,” he finished with a sad smile. He had a very mobile face; in fact, he did not appear at all like the man who had sat before the hearth in the shadows with the light playing across his face.
Everyone was still standing so my father gestured that we should take our seats.
Mr Spencer remained standing until Aunt Mary took a seat then he joined her. “I look forward to hearing the story of how you know Wicker, it must be very interesting.”
Mr Johnson sat up and raised one finger. “Arthur, do you mind using my given name in front of the ladies, Wicker sounds so plebeian.”
Mr Spencer just shook his head chuckling, “Mr Johnson it seems just happened to be in the park the day Mr Hughes was shot. He and his companion decided to rest in the shade. And thus had a very good view of a gentleman near where the shot came from.”
Father was watching Mr Johnson intently. Aunt Mary looked him up and down then shook her head, “Miles! For heaven sakes, can’t you desist from this rakish behaviour! Good lord, you come from a perfectly respectable family. Your father and his wife accepted you as family and, yet you still try to make yourself look dishonourable. I seriously doubt that you intended go through with whatever you had in mind for, was it Miss Carter this time?” Mr Johnson looked amused but kept silent. “You forget, young man. that I knew your mother! She was a fine gentlewoman and if she were here now, she’d box your ears for that stunt. And don’t give me any grief about your birth, I know for a fact that your father would rather you were his heir than Edward. Why do you try the man so?”
Mr Johnson’s countenance had darkened, and he looked hurt. “But I’m not his heir, am I, ma’am. And once my dear papa is gone I will be out on the street as the bastard.” He was angry, yet he controlled his voice so that it sounded almost conversational but dangerous. “I know that Lady Jane accepts me, but Edward isn’t her son either and I’m deeply concerned for what will happen to her when my father is gone. I’m sure that Edward will waste no time in ridding himself of our stepmother and half siblings, let alone me. Pray Lady Alford who is going to care for them then and me without a pot of my own to piss in?”
He coloured slightly when Aunt Mary slapped the arm of her chair. “Miles, really!”
The tension was obvious in his clenched fists, yet his tone was soft when he replied, “Sorry, ma’am, I shouldn’t be taking my ill temper out on you, please excuse my vulgar language. I know what you did for my mother by being her friend and I appreciate it more than I can ever say. I can only hope that Lady Jane’s friends will rally around her when the time comes and not leave her to oblivion. Her parents are dead, and her brother is as useless and selfish as mine.”
He ran his hand over the back of his neck then looked at my father. “Excuse me, Turner, I’m not here to lament about my family.” He took a deep breath and his face relaxed back into a mask of laconic amusement. “So as for the shooting; I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the two men riding away from where the shot came from. One of them was Randal Browne, I haven’t seen him since I was on the continent after university. I was surprised to see him alive since I had heard that you had the job of putting that dog down during the war.” It was interesting watching Mr Johnson, he was bemused but attentive and, in the light, he looked and sounded much younger than my parents.
Father rubbed his hand over his chin. Mr Spencer was watching him closely through narrowed eyes and Mother was biting her lower lip. It was Mr Spencer who finally broke the silence. “Excuse me, Turner, I feel like I’ve come into the middle of a story and if I am going to solve this case, I’d like to know what’s going on.” He pointedly looked around the room at the ladies. “But this may not be something that you want to discuss in front of your family.”
My father looked at all the ladies then sighed. “Spencer, you may have noticed that I treat my family in a rather unconventional manner. I have lost too many years with them to exclude them now. In fact, they all work with me in a sense, since being a married man and a father now affords me avenues of investigation previously closed to me.” Mr Spencer looked askance as he continued, “Just as you make use of the resources at your disposal, so do I. But I trust mine without reservation. Can you say the same?”