‘It is a trifle unruly,’ he agreed.
‘We’re very pleased for you,’ said Charlotte. ‘How did the offer of this post come about?’
‘That’s what I need to tell Mr Skillen. He kept asking me about Joseph – that’s Joseph Rafter.’
Peter leant forward. ‘You know where I can find him?’
‘Yes, we’ll be working alongside each other again. Joseph is employed by Mr Endsleigh as well. He was good enough to put in a word for me. I’m on my way there now.’ She indicated her luggage. ‘That’s why I’ve brought all my belongings.’
‘I’ll come with you.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Mr Skillen, but there’s no need. I can find my way to Regent Street easily. It’s not far.’
‘I just wish to speak to Rafter. His name has come up so often that I’m curious to meet him myself.’
‘Does he know that Mrs van Emden is back in England again?’ asked Charlotte.
‘Yes,’ answered Abigail.
‘How did he react?’
‘Well, it was strange, really. When she lived with us, he always liked Miss Parry, as we knew her. Today,’ she said, ‘he was different. He seemed quite upset that she was back here again.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Since there was to be no rehearsal, a whole day stretched before them and Hannah was set on enjoying every minute of it. She had been in one of the most beautiful cities in England for days yet seen nothing of it. Fear had robbed her of the delights of Bath. All that she’d done was to scurry to and fro like a frightened mouse. Emboldened by the triumph over the manager and by the promised expulsion of Elinor Ingram and another actress, Hannah shook off all her anxieties. Fine weather beckoned them outside, so they began with a leisurely stroll through the streets. They saw masses of people promenading in the morning sunshine.
‘Why are there so many soldiers here?’ she asked.
‘The war is over, my love. They’ve returned to their barracks. That’s why you see so many splendid redcoats.’
‘You’d look wonderful in uniform, Paul.’
‘As it happens, I looked quite superb.’
‘You never told me that you’d served in the army.’
‘It was only for a very short time, Hannah,’ he said. ‘Have you so soon forgotten the time that I posed as the hero of Waterloo?’
‘Of course!’ she exclaimed. ‘You were the Duke of Wellington to the life. I was able to advise you about using greasepaint and moulding a false nose.’
It had been shortly after they’d been drawn together. Peter and Paul foiled a plot to assassinate the Duke at an event in Hyde Park to celebrate the victory at Waterloo. While the real Duke was safely out of the way, his double – Paul Skillen – duped the would-be killers.
‘You are a born actor, Paul.’
‘I prefer to live in the real world.’
As they walked on, she remembered something.
‘Did you tell Mr Teale of your suspicions about Cosgrove?’
‘No, Hannah, and I don’t intend to. At the moment,’ he went on, ‘he’s far too preoccupied to think about anyone but Miss Ingram. In fact, he’s probably trying to mollify her at this very instant.’
‘Elinor will be giving the most animated performance of her life,’ she said, laughing, ‘and Teale is the deserved victim of it.’ She became serious. ‘How will he behave towards me tomorrow?’
‘He’ll treat you as if you were made of delicate porcelain.’
‘Is he a vengeful man?’
‘He’s a very chastened one. I don’t think he’ll ever again try to smuggle his mistress into the cast of a play under false pretences. If anyone will have a grudge against you,’ said Paul, ‘it will be Miss Ingram.’
‘Elinor has always had a grudge against me.’
‘She’ll have an even bigger one now.’
Elinor Ingram was incandescent with fury. Having been promised a role she’d always coveted in a play that would be seen by the high society of Bath, she was instead being told that she was no longer a member of the company. When she recalled the favours she’d had to offer in order to be rewarded with the part of Celia, she started shaking with fury.
‘You used me, Vernon,’ she said, accusingly.
‘I loved you, my darling.’
‘Is this what your love amounts to – summary eviction?’
‘We’ll give out that you were taken ill,’ he suggested.
‘You tried that device for Henrietta Doyle and it failed.’
‘How was I to know that she was a friend of Miss Granville’s? But for a cruel coincidence, my stratagem would have worked.’
They were in the drawing room of the neat little cottage that he’d rented for her, providing her with a cook as well as a servant. It was a cosy nook and they’d spent hours of pleasure in it. Knowing that she had a temper, he’d expected blazing criticism but nothing on the scale he now faced. As he watched her pacing the room like a caged animal, he was dithering with fear. Eventually, she stopped and turned on him with a wild-eyed savagery.
‘I have it!’ she said, snapping her fingers. ‘I have the solution.’
‘What is it?’ he gibbered.
‘Instead of dispensing with me in this disgraceful way, you simply have to get rid of her.’
‘That’s unthinkable!’
‘I find it a quite delicious thought.’
‘I have a contract with Hannah Granville.’
‘You had one with me until minutes ago. Then you tore it up as if it was utterly meaningless.’
‘Miss Granville will be a memorable Rosalind.’
‘I could play the role better, infinitely better. Well,’ she added, ‘it’s true, isn’t it?’ He nodded meekly. ‘What does she have that I don’t?’
‘She has a name.’
‘I have a name as well. It’s Elinor Ingram and it should be given the respect due to it. Give me the chance to play Rosalind and I will eclipse Hannah Granville in every way.’ She folded her arms. ‘That’s my demand, Vernon.’
‘It can never be met, alas.’
‘Why not?’
‘Miss Granville’s reputation will bring people flocking to this theatre night after night. Yours, my darling, has yet to reach those heights. It most certainly will one day. Of that, there’s no doubt. I will assist your career in every way that I can. At the moment, however,’ he said, arms outstretched in a gesture of despair, ‘I have to bow to the wishes of my leading lady. Miss Granville will be taking the role of Rosalind.’
‘And I’ll be supplanted as Celia.’
‘It’s unavoidable, I fear.’
‘All those promises you made were utterly meaningless.’
‘I’ll make it up to you somehow.’
‘Why should I believe a word you say?’
He put his arms around her. ‘Elinor, my darling …’
‘Get out of here,’ she said, pushing him away.
‘You seem to forget that I am paying for this cottage.’
‘GET OUT!’
Ducking the decanter that was hurled at him, Teale decided that it was the moment to beat a retreat.
Having endured the rigours of life in a Wapping tavern, Abigail Saunders was delighted to move to a more sedate environment. When she and Peter called at the house in Regent Street, the servants’ door was opened by a man who was clearly the brother of Nicholas Rafter. Sleek and well-spoken, he lacked the shipwright’s physique and brusque manner, but the similarities were too numerous to ignore. Hearing that Peter wished to speak to him, Rafter first took Abigail off to meet the rest of the domestic staff, then returned alone. He invited Peter into his pantry and offered him a seat. Rafter was polite and respectful.
‘Did you enjoy working for Mr Parry?’ asked Peter.
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Why was that?’
‘He was a decent, fair-minded man.’
‘Why did you leave?’
‘It was impossible for me to stay, sir
. When Mr Parry had financial problems, he sought to reduce the wages of the staff. Had it only affected me, I might have accepted the change of circumstance, but others are involved. I have aged parents who rely on the money I can send them.’
‘With respect,’ said Peter, ‘it can only have been a limited amount. Your brother, Nicholas, must earn a much larger wage as a shipwright. Surely, he was in a better position to support your parents?’
Rafter was surprised. ‘How did you know that I had a brother?’
‘When I was trying to find you, I first made contact with him.’
‘What did he say about me?’
‘To be candid, he was not very flattering. In blunt terms, he gave me to understand that you and he are estranged from one another.’
‘Nick and I haven’t spoken for years.’
‘Why is that?’
‘There are a number of reasons, sir,’ said Rafter. ‘One of them concerns the way that he treats our parents. It’s disgraceful, Mr Skillen. That’s all I’m prepared to say.’
‘Then I won’t pursue the matter,’ said Peter. ‘Your private life is your own affair. All that I’m interested in is your relationship with Mr Parry and his daughter. You knew them both for a number of years.’
‘It was a very happy house until Mrs Parry died.’
‘How did her husband respond to that?’
‘He became even more of a hermit, sir. He’d lock himself in his study and work long hours on his latest project.’
‘What about Miss Parry?’
Rafter paused. ‘Miss Parry was profoundly upset by her mother’s death,’ he said, measuring his words. ‘She was still relatively young, you must remember, and took time to … adapt to the new situation.’
‘Did you like Miss Parry?’
‘I had the greatest respect for her.’
‘That’s not what I asked, Mr Rafter. Since you take such care of your parents, you are obviously a man who believes in duty to your family. There came a point,’ said Peter, ‘when Miss Parry put her own wishes before her sense of duty. For a young woman to defy her father in the way that she did was highly unusual.’
‘It was not my place to comment on the situation, sir.’
‘But you must have had an opinion.’
‘It’s one that carried no weight.’
‘May I know what it is?’
‘I don’t see why you are asking such questions, sir. Time has moved on. What happened between Miss Parry and her father is water under the bridge now.’
‘That’s an appropriate image for a man who once designed a bridge,’ said Peter, amused. ‘As to the point you make, I have to disagree with you. What happened in the past illumines the present. My task, in essence, is to reunite a father and daughter. Do you object to that?’
‘No, I don’t, sir.’
‘I sense that you have reservations.’
‘I’ve come to believe that Mr Parry is no longer alive.’
‘Oh, there’s great doubt on that score.’
Rafter was taken aback. ‘Are you quite sure, sir?’
‘Someone has gone to the trouble of trying to convince Mr Parry’s daughter that her father is dead. I’ve established to my own satisfaction that he is not.’
‘Then where is he?’
‘I’m hoping that you’ll help me find him.’
The trip to Bath had completely shattered Jenny Pye’s expectations. After an uneventful journey, she’d assumed, she would spend most of the time in Hannah’s company, watching the rehearsals, helping her to memorise her role, attending all of Rosalind’s costume fittings and offering support whenever it was needed. Instead, she’d been held at gunpoint by three highwaymen, then – after Paul’s arrival – been able to spend less time alone with Hannah. A practical woman, she was quick to see an advantage. She had relatives living in a village less than ten miles away from the city and had asked for a day off to visit them.
Her cousin and his wife lived on a small farm with their family. They’d always marvelled at Jenny for working in what they believed was a glamorous profession that involved visits to various cities, Paris included, and which gave her the opportunity to rub shoulders with famous people. Jenny didn’t have the heart to disillusion them by describing how lowly a position she held and how unexciting her work sometimes was. She did, however, have a captive audience when talking about the robbery.
It was refreshing to exchange her urban existence for country smells and the noise of animals. The simplicity of farm life had a great appeal to her. When she felt it was time to return to Bath, her cousin insisted on driving Jenny there in a dog cart. He climbed into the vehicle with an old fowling gun over his shoulder. She assured him that there was no danger of an attack by highwaymen, but he insisted that they had to be ready for every eventuality. Ten miles seemed to flash past and she was astounded when she caught her first glimpse of Bath on the horizon.
‘Remind me what this play of yours is called,’ said her cousin.
‘It’s called As You Like It, and it’s a comedy by William Shakespeare.’
‘I’ve heard talk of him afore.’
‘Would you like to see a performance?’ she asked. ‘I’m certain that Miss Granville will be able to get tickets for you at no charge.’
He shook his head. ‘Plays are not for the likes of us, Jenny.’
‘You’d enjoy it.’
‘We don’t belong.’
It was not a complaint, just a bald statement of fact. Content in his isolated village, her cousin was out of place in a city, especially one as grand and imposing as Bath. As soon as they entered it, he was on edge, glancing furtively at the tall buildings, his dog cart dwarfed by the stylish carriages and magnificent coaches that rolled past. From her point of view, Jenny found that her mode of transport was ideal because it gave her a perfect view of everything around her. When she saw Paul and Hannah walking proudly along a pavement together, she wanted to cry out to catch their attention, but something stopped her.
She had just seen the man who was following them.
Joseph Rafter had changed. Willing to cooperate at first, he was now more circumspect. His answers came less readily.
‘I’m afraid that I can’t give you more time, Mr Skillen,’ he said. ‘I’ve duties to perform and Abby needs her instructions.’
‘I won’t be long,’ said Peter. ‘I’ll come to the question that brought me here in the first place.’
‘Very well.’
‘Did you intercept the letters sent here by Mrs van Emden?’
Rafter goggled. ‘I can’t believe you asked me that, sir.’
‘Why shouldn’t I?’
‘It’s an insult.’
‘Could I have an answer, please?’
‘No, I did not intercept any correspondence addressed to Mr Parry. It would never occur to me to do such a thing.’
‘What of the letters that he wrote to his daughter?’
‘There weren’t any,’ said Rafter. ‘Mr Parry broke off all contact with her. Why should he wish to write to someone who defied him?’
‘I’m only telling you what Mr Darwood confided in us. I’m sure that you remember him.’
‘I remember the gentleman well. He came often at one time, then, for some reason, his visits were few and far between.’
‘Why do you think that was?’
‘After his daughter married,’ said Rafter, seriously, ‘Mr Parry had no social life to speak of. Hardly anyone was ever invited to the house.’
‘If he and Mr Darwood were such old friends, Mr Parry would have trusted him implicitly.’
‘I’m sure that he did, sir.’
‘So he might have told him something that he appears to have kept from you – namely, that he wrote to Mrs van Emden in the hopes of finding a means of reconciliation.’
Rafter frowned. ‘This comes as news to me, sir.’
‘I find that rather odd.’
‘Why?’
‘Mr Parry employe
d you to run his house. You were closest to him and would have known everything he did.’
‘Not necessarily – he was a very private man.’
‘If you were in charge there,’ said Peter, ‘you’d surely have been responsible for sending any correspondence from Mr Parry.’
‘That was true, sir.’
‘You’d also have seen any letters that came to the house.’
‘In the normal course of events, I would.’
‘So why didn’t you see the mail sent by Mrs van Emden?’
‘It’s a mystery, Mr Skillen.’
Rafter met his gaze. His face was blank, his eyes glinting, his voice deliberately flat. Peter couldn’t decide if the man was being honest or displaying dumb insolence. He tried a slightly different tack.
‘When he lost his house,’ resumed Peter, ‘Mr Parry asked you and Abigail to be there when the servants of the new owner arrived.’
‘That’s correct, sir.’
‘Why did he choose you when he no longer employed you?’
‘He asked me as a favour, Mr Skillen. I was glad to help.’
‘Yet, by that stage, it was Edmund Haines who had taken over the running of the house. Why didn’t he ask Haines?’
‘Mr Parry didn’t tell me, sir.’
‘You must have wondered.’
‘It wasn’t something that worried me.’
‘My information is that he found Haines especially trustworthy. Were you aware of that?’
‘Edmund repaid that trust.’
‘Then why was he overlooked when the house was changing hands?’
‘We don’t know that he was, sir,’ said Rafter, evenly. ‘It may be that he was asked to take on the task but refused for some reason. There’s another possibility, and it’s not as strange as it may sound: Mr Parry simply forgot to ask him. He was drinking a lot and his memory failed him all the time.’
‘He didn’t forget you, though.’
‘No, I was touched by that – especially as we didn’t part on the best of terms. It was good to work briefly with Abby again.’
Still unable to decide how honest the man was, Peter pressed on.
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