by Roz Southey
So the matter was ended. There was nothing to connect Lady Anne’s death to the murder of George and the suicide of Le Sac, nor to the attack on Demsey and myself on Gateshead Fell. That had no doubt been the work of unknown criminals, perhaps those who had robbed the postboy, and everyone marvelled at Demsey’s luck in surviving so vicious an attack. Lady Anne’s death had been bloody, but most of that blood had been shed in that strange other world, and Mrs Jerdoun’s discreet maid had dealt with the little that had stained our own world. And if no one knew exactly what had happened to Light-Heels Nichols after he was seen walking through Amen Corner with Lady Anne – well, there were more important things to be concerned about than the whereabouts of a mere dancing-master, particularly one so universally disliked.
In the clamour of the coffee house, I was still pondering another meeting I had had, only an hour or two earlier, with Mrs Jerdoun. She had drawn me aside after the inquest and to my astonishment, had apologised to me. “I knew my cousin was a scheming woman …”
“You tried to warn me, madam.”
“That was not enough,” she said. She was dressed in black, as custom demanded on the death of her cousin, but the colour did not suit her; it made her skin seem sallow and her gleaming hair dull.
“I knew,” she went on, “or suspected at least, that she had a hand in Le Sac’s death. That was why I was at the pond, to see if I could persuade him to talk. And I had some suspicions that she received money from sources she was not willing to reveal, which could only be discreditable.” Her eyes met mine steadily. “I could make the excuse, sir, that I had no evidence against her, but in truth I acted from pride, not wishing our family name to be dragged in the mud. And more than that – I have always been a woman to take care of my own business.”
“I cannot blame you for keeping silent, madam,” I said. “No one would have believed accusations against your cousin.”
“Nevertheless,” she said, “I should have made the attempt. If I had, Mr Demsey would not have been injured, and – more importantly – your life would not have been endangered.”
More importantly? My breath caught in my throat. And we stood looking at each other for a moment in a stillness so complete, so excluding the rest of the world, that I could hardly breathe.
Mrs Jerdoun smiled faintly. “I trust you forgive me, sir?”
I hardly knew what I was saying. “Indeed, madam, I –” I took my courage in both hands. “And I trust, madam, that this wretched business will not give you a distaste for my company?”
She laughed softly. “Oh, no, sir. You may count on that. You will see me again.” And she turned and walked away into the last of the crowds dawdling from the inquest.
In the coffee-house I looked at Claudius Heron beside me, still silent, still preoccupied. I said, “I have not yet properly thanked you for your help.”
He made a dismissive gesture. “I was singularly inept. I was not there when you were attacked on the fell, nor when the woman trapped you in that house –”
“You were, I think,” I interrupted diplomatically, “always suspicious of Lady Anne’s activities?”
He flicked a glance at me with his pale eyes. “I knew suicide was a unlikely route for Le Sac to take. When he clashed with Jenison and Ord over that duel, he tried to enlist my help against them. Seeing I was not amenable to flattery, he threatened to invent and spread rumours about the conduct of my financial affairs.” He hesitated, added, “And other matters.” A glance at me. “I am a widower, Patterson. You understand my meaning.”
I nodded. His gaze lingered on me a little longer, with something in it I could not fathom. He looked away, went on. “Le Sac spoke like a man accustomed to blackmail. Moreover, he hinted he could count upon Lady Anne’s support, and I had the impression he had some hold over her. Who then was more likely to have a reason to dispose of him? It was obvious that the boy’s death was merely a preliminary, the prelude to the real play, so to speak.”
“Poor George,” I said. At least he was back in his own world again.
Heron shifted uneasily in his chair. “But there was no proof!” he said in some frustration. “And I knew you to be in danger too, particularly after those ruffians attacked you. Lady Anne had plainly used you in her schemings against Le Sac and I suspected she intended somehow to blame you for his death. After the boy’s inquest I knew you would be her next target.” He flushed. “At least I was able to prevent her killing you. I had no notion, however, of what I would discover in Caroline Square. Or, rather, out of it.”
We kept silence. Outside the window, the sunshine was flecked with smoke and fragments of soot, and a lady walked past with a kerchief held to her face.
“Patterson.” Heron’s voice was very still and level. “Are we mad or sane? Did we merely dream?”
I eased my arm within its sleeve, feeling the weight of the bandage upon it.
“No dream, sir. But a great mystery.”
“One I hope not to face again,” he said. “This stepping through she spoke of. Will it happen again, do you think?”
“I think –”
But what did I think? Looking back over the past few hours, it did all indeed begin to seem a dream. Yesterday I stood on the verge of a river in another world, staring at death. Today I sat comfortably in a coffee-house with an agreement to direct the Concerts at the next season, the promise of a higher wage for it and a volume of concerti praised by all knowledgeable lovers of music. (My music, attested to by my signature, yet not my own.) Today too I had the smiling half-promise of Esther Jerdoun, and the patronage of Claudius Heron.
“I think,” I said, “I shall keep clear of the house in Caroline Square.”
Table of Contents
Cover
Begin reading
Title page
Epigraph page
Copyright page
Contents
About the author
Acknowledgements
Dedication page
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
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39