Colonel Thursby gave one look at the prostrate figure of his son-in-law, then took charge of the situation.
‘Quick Barney!’ he said. ‘Send one of the grooms to fetch the doctor; and two of the men to get Sir Humphrey to a bed.’
‘He is already dead,’ remarked George Selwyn, who was eyeing the corpse with the morbid curiosity that everything to do with death always aroused in him.
‘I judged as much,’ replied the Colonel, ‘but ’tis fitting that a doctor should be called without delay.’
‘He died of a stroke,’ Selwyn went on. ‘The suffusion of his face may be largely due to his habits; but he shows all the signs of a seizure brought on either by over exertion or a mental shock.’
‘Or a fit of rage,’ added Vorontzoff. ‘I fear this tragedy is to be attributed to a practical joke plotted between Lady Etheredge and myself, last night.’
Georgina was still crouching by the body, her face buried in her hands. As her father took her arm and drew her towards a chair, he raised his voice and said: ‘I beg that everyone will now leave the room, with the exception of his Excellency.’
Concealing their disappointment at being deprived of a firsthand account of this grim occurrence, the guests and several scared-looking housemaids ebbed away. George Selwyn alone ignored the request and closed the door behind the others. The men had all hurried from their rooms wigless, and his bald, polished skull gave him some resemblance to a rather benign-looking vulture.
‘And now, your Excellency,’ said the Colonel. ‘Perhaps you will tell us what you meant a moment back, when you said that Sir Humphrey’s death came about through some ill-considered jest?’
The Russian shrugged and spread out his hands. I am not well acquainted with your English ways; but I understand that today is the Feast of Fools, and that it is your national custom to play pranks upon each other, most of which are taken in good part.’
‘ ’Tis true,’ the Colonel nodded, ‘although nowadays such practices are mostly confined to the rude country folk who still dance round the Maypole and jump the November bonfires. Did you and my daughter seek then to make an April Fool of Sir Humphrey?’
‘Alas, Sir; I fear we did,’ Vorontzoff admitted; and he then went on to give a brief account of his note and how he had despatched one of his outriders with it to Goodwood.
When he had done the Colonel turned to Georgina. She was sitting hunched up in an elbow chair with her back to the light, a wisp of handkerchief pressed against her eyes. Her father touched her gently on the shoulder, and said: ‘Can you make an effort, m’dear, and tell us what happened on Humphrey’s coming in to you?’
‘There is little to tell,’ she replied, choking back a sob. ‘I was asleep when he burst in upon me. He was panting like a grampus from the strain he had put upon himself to get here by dawn. He blurted out the contents of the note he’d had and demanded from me the name of my lover. I told him I had none; and that to teach him a lesson for his ill suspicions of me, had made of him an April Fool. On that his anger suddenly mounted to a monstrous rage and he struck at me with his whip. Look! It caught me here on the neck and seemed to sear half-way through my back. I fainted from the pain and shock. When I regained my senses the room was still, but on sitting up I saw Humphrey lying there on the floor. I jumped out of bed and sought to bring him to by loosening his cravat and throwing a jug of water over him; but ’twas no good. Then the sight of his face sent me into hysterics and my screams brought you all running.’
‘So that was the way of it,’ the Colonel mumured. ‘I pity the poor fellow for having met such an end; but he was always of a hot temper and is not the first man to have died from a fit of rage.’
Georgina heaved an inward sigh of relief. She recalled Roger saying that everything would depend on the unquestioning acceptance of her story, and it seemed that matters could not possibly have gone better.
Selwyn had been standing staring at the body. He now pointed to it and remarked. ‘There is a small wound upon his head; see, the skin is broken just above the left temple. ’Tis a vulnerable spot, and ’tis possible that while he might have recovered from a stroke the blow that made the wound may have been the actual cause of death.’
Covering her face again with her hand and handkerchief, Georgina bit her lip. It seemed an interminable time before anyone said anything, and she had a sudden desperate fear that after all, the truth was now about to come out. But, at last, her father replied, ‘He must have struck his head against something as he fell.’
There was a discreet knock at the door, and on the Colonel’s calling ‘Come in,’ two footmen entered. At his directions they carried Sir Humphrey’s body away to one of the spare bedrooms.
On the door closing behind them Vorontzoff suddenly stooped and picked up the cut-glass scent-bottle which, having rolled just under the valance of the bed, had been hidden until a moment before by the dead man’s leg. With a sharp glance at Georgina he asked: ‘How did this bottle come to be on the floor, Madame?’
Her mouth seemed to go dry and she swallowed quickly, before replying with a shrug. ‘I do not know, Monsieur. He must have knocked it off the dressing-table—perhaps when he made to strike me with his whip.’
‘That accounts for the room being so heavy with your scent,’ remarked her father. ‘But you should go back to bed now, m’dear, and get some rest after this dreadful shock. I’ll send Jenny up to you. Come, gentlemen; there is no more to be done here.’
To her immense relief each of them made her a courtly bow and a moment later she was alone. Up till then, although she had been dabbing at her eyes for appearance sake, she had been too wrought up to weep; but now the tears came and when Jenny arrived she found her mistress crying quietly.
Jenny was not only the soul of loyalty but an extremely kindhearted and competent girl. She had maided Georgina ever since her first going to Court and had a deep affection for her. With soothing words and little comforting noises she sponged her mistress’s face and brushed her hair, then she remade the bed and tucked her up in it. Having lit the fire she took another look at Georgina and, seeing that she was lying quite still with her eyes shut, went off to make a soothing tizane of lime-flowers.
On her return with the steaming brew she said: ‘Now drink this Milady; ’twill do you good.’ Then she pointed at two large white pills in the saucer and added. ‘I met with my Lord Edward Fitz-Deverel in the passage, and his Lordship says his compliments to you Milady, and please to pleasure him by taking these, for they’ll send you to sleep and prevent you having the headache.’
‘Thank you, Jenny,’ Georgina smiled a little wanly. ‘Mr. Brook tells me that Lord Edward is something of an expert upon strange drugs; so thank him for me please and tell him that I took his medicine gladly. Did you perchance see Mr. Brook when you were fetching this dish of tisane for me?’
‘I did, indeed Milady,’ Jenny smiled back. ‘He took me aside to inquire for you, and I was please to tell you that he thinks it more discreet not to come to your boudoir today unless you send a message by me desiring him to wait upon you. I was to tell you, too, that he loves you dearly.’
‘I know it Jenny, and I love him with an equal fondness; but not a word of that except between us two.’
Jenny bridled. ‘I’d liefer have my tongue cut out, and you should know better than to suggest otherwise. Take your pills now, and get to sleep. I’ll stay and do some mending by the fire, so as to be here should you need me.’
‘Bless you, Jenny. You’re a dear, and I’d be lost without you,’ Georgina murmured; then she swallowed the pills, finished the tisane and settled down in her big comfortable bed.
She began to think of Humphrey and cried a little at the remembrance of their early days together. As the beautiful Georgina Thursby she had not only been the reigning toast of the town but a rich heiress to boot. Half a hundred suitors had striven to win her hand; old men and young ones, some with coronets, others with great fortunes, and some with nothing but
good looks and a load of debts. Humphrey had been only one out of half-a-dozen that she had seriously considered as a husband. Mentally he was an overgrown child, and the only topic upon which he could talk with fluency was horses; but he had been handsome in a fair, bold way, was well-made, easy to get on with and he owned Stillwaters. It was the last which had made her take him in preference to a good-looking young Earl.
To begin with, their marriage had been successful, as such eighteenth-century marriages went. She recalled the fun that they had had during their first winter’s hunting together, when she had been so proud of him as the finest and most daring rider in the field. Then she remembered with nausea his bouts of drunkenness, and the way in which he seduced every maid that she took into the house. It was not his unfaithfulness that she had minded but his lack of taste, and the squalidness of his indulging in those casual amours in the attics under their own roof. But she knew that she too had been to blame. She had soon become impatient of his stupidity and began to amuse herself with more intelligent men.
And now it was all over. Poor, weak, stupid Humphrey was dead; and would never blow a hunting-horn till he got red in the face, any more. She thought of his hearty laugh and the tears came into her eyes again; then she suddenly realised that she was not in the least sorry about his death, but only that they had not been able to remain good friends. Her mind wandered to a dinner service of three hundred pieces with the Etheredge crest that she had ordered to be made in China soon after their marriage. The merchant in the City had said that he could promise delivery in from three to four years, so it might arrive at any time now.
Then she fell into a dreamless sleep.
When she awoke it was well on in the afternoon. She felt rested and her mind was clear; but the events of the early morning flooded back into it with a terrible reality that precluded any possibility of their having been a nightmare.
Jenny heard her stir and came over to her, carrying a tray with some cold chicken breast in aspic and fruit upon it. As she set it down on the bed-table to tempt her mistress she said: ‘You’re looking better already, Milady. Your sleep has done you good. Now eat this up and you’ll be as fit as a trivet.’
‘Thank you, Jenny.’ Georgina sat up and, while the girl re-arranged her pillows, asked with an anxiety which she could not conceal. ‘What—what is happening downstairs?’
‘ ’Tis that gloomy with all the blinds pulled down that we’re better off up here, Milady. None of them went to church this morning, and all the guests have gone back to London. That is, excepting Mr. Brook, whom you may say is one of the family, and the Russian gentleman. ’Tis said below stairs that as he was the first to find you with Sir Humphrey, the Colonel asked him to stay on to attend the inquest.’
‘Inquest!’ Georgina dropped her fork.
‘Why, yes, Milady. Seeing Sir Humphrey died so sudden there has to be an inquest. ’Tis to be held at ten o’clock tomorrow in the library, so I’m told.’
‘Will they—will they wish me to attend it?’
‘That’s more than I can say, Milady. But don’t look so worried, now. If they do ’twill not be for more than a few minutes to tell how Sir Humphrey died.’
Jenny produced a small folded note from her apron pocket and went on. ‘The Russian gentleman asked me to give you this, Milady; and Mr. Brook and the Colonel both inquired after you again.’
Georgina took the note and opened it. As she read the fine French writing she compressed her lips, then pushed it aside with apparent casualness; but she was considerably disturbed. It ran:
My Lady,
At ten o’clock tomorrow morning there is to be an inquiry into the manner in which your Ladyship’s husband came by his death. Colonel Thursby has requested me stay on and make a formal deposition of such particulars regarding it as are known to me. I understand from him that your Ladyship will be called on to do the same. While I should be the last to suggest that your Ladyship, any more than myself, has the least desire to conceal any essential portion of the truth my feeling is that no good purpose could be served in disclosing irrelevant details to the idle curiosity of the vulgar. Should your Ladyship be of the same mind, you will realise the importance of our agreeing upon the lines that our respective statements should take, before attending the inquiry. Unless, therefore, your maid brings me a message to the contrary, I propose to do myself the honour of waiting upon your Ladyship in your boudoir this evening at eight o’clock.
Your Ladyship’s
…Most obliged, obedient and humble servant.
While she ate her chicken Georgina considered the implications of the new development. Instinctively she shrank from granting the Russian the tête-à-tête that he requested. She knew that she had behaved like a fool and treated him badly the previous night; but he had sought to revenge himself in such a despicable manner, and brought such grievous trouble upon her, that she felt they were more than quits over that. She had counted on his departing without her having to see him again, and was determined to avoid his society in the future.
On the other hand, since this wretched inquest had to be faced, there was sound sense in his suggestion. Unless their statements about the sending of the note tallied certain facts that they both wished to conceal might yet emerge. If that happened further probing might bring to light other, far more damning, matters. Georgina shuddered, and decided to see the Russian.
At seven o’clock she told Jenny that she meant to get up for a few hours, and set about making her toilette. Feeling that dead black would be overdoing matters for an interview with a man who knew that she had been on far from good terms with her husband, she put on a dove grey gown relieved only by a cross-over fichu of white muslin at the breast and frills of the same at the wrists.
She thought it unlikely that, in the circumstances, the Russian would try any tricks, but as a precaution, she told Jenny to remain in the bedroom to be within call; then, shortly before eight o’clock, she settled herself with a book in her boudoir.
Vorontzoff was punctual to the minute. He was dressed with his usual richness, but, appropriately, in a coat and breeches of sombre purple satin. His dark eyes gave her a quick, searching look, but his glance remained inscrutable. Having curtsied to his bow she waved him to a chair and, forcing herself to smile, said as lightly as she could:
‘I am obliged to you, Monsieur, for waiting on me. ’Twas a most sensible suggestion of yours that we should meet before attending this plaguey inquiry. ’Tis an ordeal that I would gladly be spared but I take it my presence is considered essential?’
‘I fear so, Madame,’ he smiled back. ‘And I appreciate that any public appearance must naturally be distressing to you at such a time. But I pray you do not concern yourself about it unduly. ’Tis merely a formality, and providing we agree as to what each of us should say ’twill call for no more than a repetition of what was said this morning.’
‘Concerning last night …’ she hesitated, and then went on boldly. ‘It had been my intention to make you a sincere apology; but I think you will agree that the steps you took to repay my disappointing you have cancelled out any obligation of that kind upon my part. I will only say now that matters did not transpire altogether as you have been led to suppose, and that to some extent unforeseen events governed my actions.’
He nodded. ‘I had an idea that might be the case. ’Twas clear to me from early in the evening that Mr. Brook was the victim of an acute jealousy. For my part, while I do not seek to excuse my act, I can assure you that it was carried out only on an impulse engendered by what I considered to be extreme provocation. Yet, even so, ’twas aimed at Mr. Brook rather than at yourself.’
Georgina gave an inward sigh of relief. That difficult hurdle had been got over with a fair degree of face-saving on both sides.
The interview was not going to be as difficult as she had expected, and it seemed that owing to her tact she could now rely on the goodwill of the Russian. After a moment, she said: ‘Perhaps you would acquai
nt me now, Monsieur, with what you have in mind regarding tomorrow?’
‘Merely, Madame, since we are good friends again, to do all in my power to spare you embarrassment.’
‘ ’Twould reflect upon us equally if the true reason for your sending your messenger to Goodwood became common property; and I am no less willing to spare you embarrassment with regard to that.’
He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘I pray you take no thought for me, Madame. ’Tis no longer necessary.’
‘How mean you?’
‘Since you find the position obscure, you must forgive me if I put the matter with some bluntness. After your admission of this morning that you inspired my act, should you retract ’twould be only your word against mine. Moreover, your original statement will receive the greater credence, and the case against you will only become the more damning should you begin to contradict yourself.’
She was quick to see his point and realise that she had already let him out. He was no longer dependent on her; whereas if he chose to retract, and declare that he had instinctively sought to protect her from scandal that morning but could no longer bring himself to do so when placed on oath, her whole position would be jeopardised. Yet it was clearly to his own interest to maintain the fiction, so she was not particularly disturbed, and said: ‘We are agreed then that we should continue to explain your note as a plot between us, inspired by me with the intention of making a fool of my husband?’
‘Why, yes. If you, Madame, can provide an adequate reason for wishing to play so aggravating a trick on him.’
‘There would have been reason enough in the way he has plagued me during recent months by prying into my affairs. Charles Fox and numerous other people could substantiate that.’
The Shadow of Tyburn Tree Page 11