**
Born on the dark wings of everlasting night, he found himself on a high tower. Iron frost gripped the stone walls and battlements. An icy pavement bucked and twisted beneath his feet. A figure armoured in leather and chain mail glided towards him out of the mist, but de Silva passed through it, smelling decay and sour breath. The phantom had Frank Sheridan’s face.
Cold: he had never imagined such cold existed. Cold that made his eyelashes and brows rigid and his face and fingers throb with pain. He tottered to the parapet and stared down into a vast whiteness. Flurries of snowflakes struck him in the face. He tried to bat them away but they were too dense. His lungs were bursting as he fought for breath.
Then silence and the dark.
Chapter 22
‘Shanti! Oh Shanti! Thank goodness! You’re back.’
Jane took his hand and bent to kiss his cheek. He touched the place. ‘I can feel you,’ he said wonderingly. ‘But tell me you’re real.’
She gave a shaky laugh. ‘Of course I’m real, dear. And so are you.’
‘What happened?’
‘You were very lucky. When you fell off the walkway, you landed on a bed that had been set up on stage ready for the next production. If it hadn’t been for the fact that you bounced off it onto the hard floor, you might have been hardly injured at all.’
‘How long have I been unconscious?’
She looked at the clock on the wall. ‘I’m not quite sure, but it’s been nearly six hours since you were found. The longest hours of my life.’
‘Where am I?’
‘You’re in hospital, dear.’
He tried to struggle to a sitting position but fell back. ‘Arggh! My arm!’
‘You must lie still, dear. The cut was a deep one. Doctor Hebden had to put a lot of stitches in.’
Looking down, de Silva saw that the offending arm was swathed in bandages. He groaned. ‘Where’s Sheridan?’
‘Arrested. Since Emerald Watson drove off with the Lagonda, he was stranded and didn’t get far. He was spotted by Doctor Hebden and you won’t be surprised to learn that he was determined to get his man. I must say, everyone was very impressed with the way Emerald managed to cope with such a powerful vehicle. Peggy Appleby said she didn’t even know Emerald could drive.’
De Silva smiled. ‘She’s a fast learner.’
Jane gave him a reproving look. ‘Did you have something to do with it, Shanti?’
‘I may have done.’
‘She might have caused an accident, you know.’
‘In the circumstances, that was the least of my worries. I told her to go very slowly, and anyway, no harm was done.’
There was a knock at the door and David Hebden came in.
‘Ah, I’m glad to see that my patient is awake.’
He came to the bed, took de Silva’s pulse, and listened to his chest with a stethoscope. When he was done with that, he produced a small flashlight and turned it on. ‘Head up and stay still. Try not to blink.’
De Silva waited while Hebden shone the light into both of his eyes. ‘Most satisfactory,’ Hebden said cheerfully when he had finished. ‘You’re a very fortunate man.’
‘I don’t wish to be ungrateful, Doctor Hebden, but I would like to go home as soon as possible.’
‘Naturally. Let’s say tomorrow, all being well. I’d like to keep you in overnight in case you have a relapse, although I don’t anticipate trouble.’
He looked at Jane. ‘I rely on you to keep him in order, Mrs de Silva. Once he’s home, he needs to rest for a week at least.’
Jane smiled. ‘I’ll make sure of it. How is Miss Watson?’
‘Recovering well from her ordeal, thanks to your husband. She’s staying with the Applebys for the moment.’
‘Good. I’m sure Peggy will look after her excellently.’
‘Well, I’d better be off and see my other patients. I’ll be back in the morning.’
The door closed behind him and de Silva scowled. ‘Rest for a whole week?’
‘You’ll do as you’re told, dear,’ said Jane firmly.
‘Humph.’
‘Anyway, everything’s under control with Sheridan in custody, and Archie Clutterbuck has recovered the bearer bonds.’
‘That must be a relief to Mrs Danforth.’
‘I’m sure it is. At least she won’t want for money.’ She rested her chin on one hand. ‘The financial arrangement between her and her husband did sound a strange one. One can only assume she used her money to keep the upper hand.’
‘Drip feeding it to him when she thought she needed to, do you mean?’
‘Yes. Perhaps the aeroplane tickets and the luxuries like the Lagonda were to make up for demanding he didn’t tell anyone about Emerald.’
‘Maybe.’
‘But we’ll never know. It’s hardly the kind of question one can ask.’
‘Quite.’
His stomach gave a low rumble. ‘But I will ask if there’s anything to eat in this place. I’m hungry.’
Jane smiled and smoothed the hair from his forehead. ‘Good. I’m sure I can find something suitable.’
Chapter 23
A few days later
‘Have you heard yet what Mrs Danforth and the other members of the company plan to do?’ de Silva asked Jane.
‘She says she’ll go back to England. I’m not sure about the rest, apart from Emerald who’s staying here.’
‘Oh?’
‘You aren’t really surprised, are you? I’m certainly not. I’d put money on it that we’ll have an announcement in a few months’ time.’
‘Miss Watson and David Hebden?’
‘Yes, and I’m sure they’ll be very happy.’
‘I must say, I hadn’t thought of her as a provincial doctor’s wife – it’s a world away from a travelling life on the stage.’
‘That’s true, but it’s clear she’s in love and, given time, people usually adapt. She’s such a charming young lady. She’ll be a great asset to Nuala.’
He grinned. ‘Is this the wisdom of Mrs Appleby or Mrs de Silva?’
‘Both.’
He shifted in his chair and let out a yelp. Frowning, Jane reached to pat his uninjured arm. ‘Try not to move around too much, dear.’
‘I’m trying but I forget.’
‘Oh, talking of forgetting, a parcel came for you.’ She levered herself out of her seat. ‘It’s in the hall. I’ll fetch it.’
While she was gone, he surveyed the garden. Meringues of cloud drifted across the blue sky and a breeze as light as a cream puff cooled him. Hidden among the trees, a golden oriole sang. There were far worse places to recuperate and, in truth, he was rather looking forward to a respite from police work. It would do Prasanna good to be in charge for a while and Nadar was shaping up. I’m not far away if they need me, he thought, drifting into a doze.
‘Here it is.’ Jane returned with a neatly wrapped parcel the size of a small brick. ‘I’m sorry it took me so long to find it. One of the servants had moved it. You weren’t expecting anything, were you? I wonder what it can be.’
‘Only one way to find out.’
He reached for the parcel then winced. ‘Ouch! You’ll have to do it for me.’
Jane shook the parcel. ‘It doesn’t rattle, and it’s quite heavy.’
‘Well, don’t keep me in suspense.’
‘Patience, dear,’ said Jane, undoing the string and taking off the brown paper to reveal a fat book bound in burgundy leather with gold tooling on the spine. She held it up. ‘Alexandre Dumas: The Three Musketeers. There’s a note too. Shall I read it to you?’
‘Please.’
To Inspector Shanti de Silva, (Nuala’s fifth musketeer!), I hope that you will accept this token of admiration and gratitude from myself and Angel. With best wishes for a speedy recovery, Florence Clutterbuck.
‘Gracious! I wasn’t expecting that.’ Jane giggled. ‘I shall have to keep an eye on you and Florence in future.’
De Silva winced, p
artly from the very idea and partly from the pain that still afflicted his arm.
‘Good old Florence. You know perfectly well that won’t be necessary. I wonder if she thinks that my part in the sword fight was more swashbuckling than it really was. Fighting with a cushion and a Roman bust might be a bit of a disappointment.’
‘I’m not going to disillusion her,’ said Jane with a smile.
He chuckled. ‘No, I do rather fancy a moment of glory. Anyway, it was a very kind thought and an amusing choice. I must thank her. Who knows, I might even pick up a few tips.’
Jane smiled. ‘Possibly, dear, but I sincerely hope we never have another situation where you need to use them. Now, I have things to see to. Will you be alright on your own for a while?’
‘Of course.’
‘Shall I put on some music for you?’
‘That would be nice.’
‘Anything in particular?’
‘No, you choose.’
As Jane disappeared into the house, his thoughts turned to Frank Sheridan. The actor had often been on de Silva’s mind in the last few days. The charitable view was that Sheridan had been almost as much a victim as Alexander Danforth. One could see him as the helpless pawn of his condition: two men trapped in one body. Jane said it reminded her of the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
De Silva wondered, not for the first time, why Sheridan had written those words on the mirror: the rest is silence. Unless Danforth had let something slip, Sheridan was very unlikely to have known that Polly Devlin had died. But he clearly bore Danforth a grudge that went beyond rational bounds for depriving him of the woman he loved. In Sheridan’s twisted state of mind, were those words his marker that he had finally exacted revenge on the friend who, in his dark hours, he regarded as his worst enemy?
The soothing strains of a Chopin Nocturne drifted from the house. De Silva decided to put unanswerable questions aside. If he was honest, although he had no need of silence, a rest was very welcome.
He opened The Three Musketeers and settled down to read.
Historical Note
The abdication of Edward VIII is touched on in this book and some further explanation may be of interest to readers.
In our present age of instant global communication and social media, it’s hard to credit that the British public was largely unaware of the crisis that loomed for the monarchy in 1936. It was the case, however, although the story was being widely reported abroad, especially in the American press. The King’s insistence on marrying the twice-divorced American socialite, Wallis Simpson, with whom he had been having an affair for several years, rocked the throne. His ministers and the Church of England, of which he was head, were violently opposed to the match.
It wasn’t until early December that the British press broke their silence when they took a remark by the Bishop of Bradford about the King’s need for spiritual guidance as licence to print. On December 11th, the Abdication Bill passed into law and Edward and Mrs Simpson left for France. His brother, George, who suffered from shyness and a terrible stammer, reluctantly succeeded him as George VI.
Thank you for reading this book, I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is a writer’s lifeblood. If you have a few moments to put a review on Amazon or Goodreads, even if it’s only a couple of lines, I’d be most grateful. I love to hear from readers too, so please do visit my blog sometime and leave your comments.
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Other Books by Harriet Steel
The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #1
Trouble in Nuala
When Inspector Shanti de Silva moves with his English wife, Jane, to a new post in the sleepy hill town of Nuala, he anticipates a more restful life than police work in the big city entails. However an arrogant plantation owner with a lonely wife, a crusading lawyer, and a death in suspicious circumstances present him with a riddle that he will need all his experience to solve.
Set on the exotic island of Ceylon in the 1930s, Trouble in Nuala is an entertaining and relaxing mystery spiced with humour and a colourful cast of characters.
The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #2
Dark Clouds Over Nuala
In this second book in the series, the arrival in the hill town of Nuala of the heir to an English earldom signals more trouble for the hapless Inspector de Silva and a new mystery to solve. Throw in a mega-rich Romanian count, his glamorous countess and an enigmatic British army officer and the scene is set for another entertaining mystery.
Becoming Lola
The true story of how Eliza Gilbert, the daughter of an obscure Ensign in the British Army and his cold Irish wife, became the nineteenth century’s most notorious adventuress, Lola Montez.
“Throughout Becoming Lola I kept having to remind myself that the story was based on historical fact. It is a fascinating journey following a woman’s single-minded determination to get the very best for herself at all costs.” Historical Novel Society
“A fascinating read. Lola was such a gutsy character, and Harriet Steel has captured her times and adventures very vividly. It's a must read if you like wild women and strange adventures.” Beth Webb, Author of the Star Dancer trilogy.
Salvation
It is 1586, plagued by religious strife at home and with the Royal Treasury almost exhausted, England holds her breath. When will Philip of Spain launch his Armada?
In this world of suspicion and fear, three people pursue their own struggles for happiness and salvation.
When an enemy threatens to reveal his illicit affair with a married woman, young lawyer’s clerk, Tom Goodluck, is forced to leave his old life behind him. An aspiring playwright, for a while his future in the burgeoning world of Elizabethan theatre looks bright but then events take an unexpected turn that threatens his very existence. His mentor and friend, theatre manager Alexandre Lamotte, comes to his rescue but Lamotte’s past hides tragedy and a dark secret. In trying to save Tom, he puts everything he has achieved at risk. Meanwhile Tom’s lover, Meg, is forced to set out on a path that will test her mettle to the limit.
City of Dreams
After a whirlwind courtship and marriage to dashing Frenchman Emile Daubigny, Anna, the teenage daughter of a Russian furrier, moves to Paris with her new husband, looking forward to a life of gaiety, love and comfortable affluence.
Married life and the social scene in the most fashionable city on earth is everything Anna hoped it would be, but when Emile vanishes without trace and she is evicted, Anna is forced to discover the city’s poverty-stricken dark side of harsh streets and squalid tenements, where the temptation for a penniless young lady to become a kept woman is overwhelming.
To make matters worse, war with Prussia looms and Anna and the city she loves will both struggle to survive.
Following the Dream
The sequel to City of Dreams continues Anna’s story in the vibrant city of Paris.
Dancing and Other Stories
Profits from this collection of short stories will be donated to WaterAid, a charity working to bring clean water and sanitation to villages in the Third World. The collection takes a light-hearted look at some of the big issues in life: love, hate, friendship, jealousy, revenge and biscuits. It includes the prize-winning story, Dryad, co-authored with bestselling author, Joanne Harris for the BBC competition, End of Story.
Offstage in Nuala Page 19