The Hanged Man

by P. N. Elrod

  “That he does.” A man standing by the closed door spoke. In one quick sweep he removed his mask and smiled. “My dear cousin, I had no idea you had such a turn for the dramatic.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  In Which Family Again Proves to Be Inconvenient

  “You should have chosen the stage,” Teddy added. “Mother would have had seven kinds of fits, but that wouldn’t have bothered you.”

  Alex felt ill and angry, but maintained her control. Showing her temper would blast what she’d so carefully built to flinders.

  Hollifield was ready to explode, though. He’d gone red and rounded on young Pendlebury. “You dare?”

  “Someone had to act. Allow me to explain and all will be forgiven.”

  Hollifield’s glare could have scorched iron, but he’d not reached his place in the world without knowing when to listen. With visible effort he pulled himself in. “Explain, then,” he said after a moment.

  Teddy’s gaze was steady. This man was a stranger to Alex. This was someone accustomed to walking in the corridors of power. He looked older and extremely self-assured. “It was all on Lord Richard Desmond. Using the Ætherics as a frivolous diversion was no longer working, and quite frankly, most of you are not as careful as you should be. A careless word dropped, a little postprandial chat over the port—the man’s no fool. You’ve seen more of him than all of us together, Hollifield. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d taken some clue from you.”

  “Have a care, boy.”

  “I did precisely that. I expected him to send spies. They wouldn’t be hoodwinked by Ætheric table-tippers or shocked by those drunken hedonists. Desmond’s spies were removed.”

  “You killed Englishmen?”

  “Spies, Lord Daniel. Spies who would have ruined everything. But it didn’t put off Desmond. He approached my father in the Home Office about opening an inquiry, a series of inquiries, on most of you.”

  The men had been restive but now went still.

  “Caught your attention at last? You’re all damned lucky I happened to see a paper my dear old sire left on his desk. It was a list of names, every one of them in the Order. That was yesterday, gentlemen. Just yesterday. Father would have launched an investigation tomorrow. They would have brought in Readers just like my cousin here, and none of you would have evaded discovery.”

  Alex disbelieved that; Uncle Leo was never careless with important papers, but it was a plausible lie. This wasn’t the time to point the flaw out to this lot, not with Teddy in full flow.

  “Action was required. I gathered a few trusty lads to sort things out. With Lord Richard removed, the investigation would be delayed. We set a watch for the next time he went out. Soldiers of the Order executed Lord Richard Desmond early this morning.”

  Alex listened with her internal senses wide. Their wave of shock was genuine.

  “How could you?” someone demanded.

  “Unavoidable. We’d have had to do it sooner or later.”

  “Executed,” whispered Hollifield.

  “You and all of us here know his dogged devotion to the crown. He’d have been an implacable enemy to our cause. Possibly the one man who could stop us.”

  “He’d have come around,” said a man in the back.

  “No.” Hollifield shook his head. “I knew him. He’d never…”

  “Exactly,” said Teddy. “The next necessary evil was to take the teeth out of the Psychic Service. I anticipated his death would put them in disarray. They panicked and called in everyone. Every true psychical talent in London was together in one spot and we could have gotten rid of the lot, but their damned Seer somehow got wind of it and ruined things. I take responsibility for the attack, but not its defeat; that was out of my control.”

  “You bloody fool!” Hollifield roared. “You’ve no idea the damage you’ve done. You’ve set us back—”

  “I’ve pushed us forward! We are ready now! The game’s begun. There’s no point waiting. Give the word and by New Year’s Day the first of the foreign vermin will be on boats heading across the Channel.”

  “It’s impossible. Our own Seer said it’s too soon.”

  “What makes him so reliable? He’s so damned busy blocking theirs, you can’t get sense from him. He was half mad to start with, then he got pushed the rest of the way when you began the abyss experiments.”

  “He volunteered. He was the one who discovered—” Hollifield stopped short. “Damn your eyes! You should be thrashed within an inch of your life for this.”

  “Deal with me after the year turns, your lordship, if you still think it necessary. Every man here has his duty to perform, none with a greater will for it than myself.”

  Hollifield snorted.

  The masked man who’d spoken earlier stepped forward. “We’ve been ready for over a year. Time to grasp the nettle, have done with it. We know the cost. I’ve a brother who will never forgive me, but yours will come around, and through him the queen.”

  Alex raised her voice and put a solid measure of contempt into it. “You know better than that, Lord Hollifield. My godmother’s temper is not easily roused, but it is legendary. Particularly where disloyalty is concerned. As of this moment there’s no solid proof of your treason. That changes if you and these honorable gentlemen listen to my fool of a cousin. You must be aware he’s manipulating you. He was a sneaking little tick as a boy and only got worse as a man. He’s not told you everything. Ask him what happened tonight at the air gun factory by the river to the men who worked there. They’re all dead.”

  “Chess moves,” said Teddy. “A few pawns.”

  “Murdered by your own knight. Lord Hollifield, Teddy sent that beast to kill me and my companion. Instead, it killed the men who were in the factory, cut them down in cold blood with an air gun. But the Psychic Service prevailed and is even now going through the records there, and those will lead us to—”

  “Really, Alex, do you think that’s our only arms factory?”

  That was interesting news. “Have you so many you can afford to lose one? And what of that beast? How many of those strange allies can you afford to lose? That one is dead. I blew its brains out myself.”

  Teddy continued to show a confident front, but she knew him well enough to recognize her volley had struck square and struck hard. “You’re lying.”

  “Explain how I’m still alive, then. Was it a special pet? You can’t have many like that. Eight foot tall, red eyes, useful with an air gun—sound familiar?” She fixed his drained face with a cold eye, then turned back to Hollifield. “The game is not begun, your lordship. The game is over. The traitor in your midst usurped the board. He’s lost.”

  Alex was unsure of the hierarchy of the Order, whether decisions were made by a vote of equals or if it was set up like the military with generals at the top. Either way, she’d gotten them to pause and sown doubt. Above all, she was using up time. An hour must have passed by now. Even if James and Hamish hadn’t gotten clear, help would come. Any minute Lord Richard and his flying squad would burst in. The longer she kept this lot here, the better.

  Hollifield seemed about to speak, but Teddy interrupted. “Your lordship? A private word first. If you please.”

  Something in Teddy’s expression … There was a subtle change in him that made Alex’s flesh creep. Hollifield grumbled, but crossed to the door to confer. Their murmurings were beyond her hearing. When they returned, a very long minute later, Hollifield was dead white with a sheen of sweat on his brow. He stared at Teddy like murder personified but frozen in action.

  He mastered himself and stood at the head of the table. “Gentlemen, we will proceed. Disregard our earlier session. We’ll go over what’s to be done now in the face of these changes. Let us indeed grasp the nettle. However much it stings, it is for the good of our land and the queen we all love and serve. Thank God we had everything in place. It won’t be as smooth, and some of you will be short-staffed because of the holiday, but I trust you will be able to compens
ate and fulfill your several tasks.”

  Alex opened her mouth to interrupt again, but Teddy was suddenly next to her, a hand on her arm and pulling her up. “None of that, Cousin. Allow me to escort you elsewhere. These lads have work to do.”

  A short man in a full mask and hooded cloak preceded them to the door and opened it. Two other, much larger, cloaked men followed them out, carrying lanterns.

  “You dealt with that with exceptional acumen,” said Teddy, taking her down the hall, away from the main gathering room and its noise. He tried to pull her hand onto his arm in a friendly manner, but she savagely shook him off. The violence of her reaction surprised her, but it served to keep him at a distance.

  Members of the waitstaff threaded to and fro around their party, paying them no mind. She glanced back the way they’d come, but there was no sign of intrusion from Lord Richard’s people. Their three guards paced behind like a living wall.

  They passed the chamber with the opium and hemp smokers, and then the T-intersection with its ridiculous warning sign. Alex was relieved to see that tunnel was still dark, so their intrusion was undiscovered. Now where the devil was Lord Richard?

  “I admit my surprise,” continued Teddy. “Some females are capable of overcoming the limits of their sex, and you’re one of them. You likely won’t do well under the coming changes.”

  “You won’t let me live. You don’t dare.”

  “Actually, I can. I’ve no wish to harm family, whatever the provocation. You’ll be kept under house arrest in a safe place. It will be comfortable enough, but your nature will chafe unless you come to accept it. I suggest you do so. For your own sake.”

  “Is that where you’re taking me?”

  “The first leg of it, a nice waiting room. I’ve arranged discreet transportation.”

  She could imagine the rest. “What did you say to Hollifield to bring him to heel?”

  “That was me being clever. I knew the old boy would kick. He’s been delaying things for months. I let him know that unless he cooperated his good lady would get a visit from one of our brutish allies tonight and that she would neither enjoy nor survive the experience. Likewise, his daughters would—”

  Alex forced a stop and turned on him. “You sick bastard.”

  “Oh! Finally, a show of passion from the cold queen of the wide world. Calm yourself. His lordship showed sense, nothing will happen.”

  “Until the next time he balks.”

  “Yes. He figured that out. He’s a canny fellow, good at hiding the brains under the bluff, cheerful bulldog front. Had you fooled, didn’t he? And you a Reader. But he misstepped on a few things. Our large allies are a dubious weapon. They’re good at some types of work for a few years, but once fully grown, they are not as submissive about taking orders, then they become a danger to all. Have to be put down. You did us a favor removing that particular one. He was beginning to show signs of independence.”

  “What are they? Where do they come from?”

  “No one’s entirely sure, but they will be the subjects of considerable study once things are reorganized. We can put the Ministry of Science on it. Come along now. You look dreadfully done in. Time you had a rest.”

  “Not until you tell me why you killed Father.”

  “I expect because he infiltrated the Ætherics more deeply than was good for him. He’d befriended a lady who had made herself useful to the cause by having a talent for numbers. At least that’s all the lady would admit before she went into hysterics. The mere sight of one of our allies was exceedingly distressing to her. With the meeting tonight I had no time for more questioning. You said Uncle Gerard was going by the name of Kemp? He should have come as himself. They’d have welcomed another Pendlebury, and he would not have died. One point: I didn’t order him killed. Family, y’know.”

  She expected denial, but not for the denial to be grounded in truth. “Who did?”

  “Haven’t the faintest. It’s not my section. Some chap protective of the cause must have seen to it. Rather elaborate, though. Hanging? Usually we arrange for an accident and a delay for finding the remains. Fewer questions, nothing for a Reader to grasp. I am truly sorry, Alex. You have my word that when I discover who was responsible they will be dealt with in an appropriate fashion. I liked Uncle Gerard. I really did. He was day to my father’s night. Believe what you will about me, but I draw the line at harming relatives. We’ll have disagreements, but in the end, family is all we’ve got in the world.”

  God in heaven, he’s absolutely sincere.

  Alex shifted her gaze to the short guard who stood quietly apart from the others. “Do you agree with him, Andrina?”

  She removed her mask and pushed back the hood. “There are some relatives who should just disappear and the world would be much improved.”

  Teddy was amused. “I told you that disguise wouldn’t deceive a Reader.”

  “I’ll be happy to change as soon as possible. These shoes are impossible.”

  “The price you must pay if you want to attend meetings.”

  “There should be an exception for me.”

  “I’ll see about it after the New Year, but you’ll still have to be in a mask. You don’t want them knowing who you are. The smarter ones will guess, but they’ll know it’s in their best interest to keep silent.”

  “How can you be part of this vileness?” Alex demanded.

  “How can I not?” Andrina snapped back. “Foreign revolutionaries spew poison on every corner. Instead of land owners of substance, every oaf of a certain age has a vote and they’re swilling the poison like gin. With the way things are going there will be no monarchy left in ten years. I’m doing all I can to protect the queen.”

  Teddy misinterpreted Alex’s expression. “Oh, don’t worry, females will still have their vote, but only those who own land or are connected by marriage or family to land. It’s the only sensible compromise.”

  Alex sensed the sincere righteousness from them both and it made her sick.

  Family, bloody family.

  Disgusted and abruptly tired, Alex swayed and stumbled, her long delayed weariness finally asserting itself. One of the guards reached for her. She weakly batted him away, but he grasped her arm and held her up.

  Through the gloves he wore, through the fabric of her dress, through the impotent fury roiling in her, his emotions intruded like a clarion. She caught her breath and focused on him.

  “It’s all right, miss,” said Brook through the mask. “Steady now.”

  “That’s Lady Pendlebury to you,” Teddy lightly admonished. “Do you want him to carry you, Alex?”

  She shook off Brook’s hand the same as she might for a real guard. New strength surged into her. “I’m fine. How much farther?”

  “Not long now.”

  They’d left the activity of the waiting staff far behind. This was no longer a hall branching to rooms, but a dank, silent tunnel with a much lower ceiling. The bricks were older, crumbling, with a path trodden through fallen debris on the floor. It led to an aged stairway, the wood gone black, the treads slippery and worn in the middle. She counted steps and worked out that they were back up to street level. That was a relief. The oppressive darkness had pressed on her heart more than she cared to admit.

  The last landing was in good order with gas lighting. A single sconce burned steadily, the hiss a welcome sound of modern life after the century-old murk below. Teddy unlatched a plain door and they entered a well-appointed study. The door supported a bookcase on its other side and, when closed, it matched another such case a few feet away. Substantial furniture, masterly paintings of hunting scenes, trophies, sporting equipment, and weapons were on display, all jarringly familiar. Many an evening after a shooting competition she’d come here with the Hollifields for a sherry before dining. It was his lordship’s retreat from the rest of the vast house.

  “We’re at Berkeley Square,” she said in astonishment, at the same time passing the information to Brook.

/>   “Hollifield is rather proud of the tunnel system,” said Teddy, moving toward a drinks cabinet. “It’s been there for ages. They knew how to build during the Regency. Made things to last. You look in need of a refreshment. Whiskey?”

  “Where is Lady Hollifield?”

  “Probably still at Buck House with her royal in-laws. Holiday dinners do drag on.”

  “And the beast you used as a threat against her?”

  “There’s one in a closed coach with its keepers making slow circles of this area.”

  “How many of those have you?”

  “Enough.”

  “There must be a timetable for this treason.”

  “Not your concern.”

  “You won’t remain in a subordinate position to any of those men.”

  Teddy smiled, offering a short wide glass with a generous portion of whiskey. She accepted it but did not drink. He passed another to Andrina. “I’m sure they each think the same of themselves. The problem in dealing with such fellows is that they all want to be the king of the hill. That’s how they got into positions of power and influence in the first place. Their loyalty to the crown is an exploitable weakness, though. They’ll stop short of visiting harm on the royal family.”

  “And you won’t?”

  “No one is more concerned for their safety than I, especially that of our queen’s charming granddaughter Charlotte. The girl is of marriageable age, and she’s heard nothing but good things about me.” He smiled and tilted his glass toward his sister.

  Andrina was pleased. “As a trusted lady-in-waiting I have had considerable influence.”

  “And instrumental in achieving many helpful goals. Andrina would like nothing better than a tangible connection to the royal family. How happy to be sister-in-law to the heir to the throne. An encounter between myself and Princess Charlotte earlier this month at a ball went off very well. I cut an appealing figure. Nice of her grandmother to set a precedent by marrying a peer for love. Dear me, Cousin, you show disdain.”

  “I know Charlotte. She’s no fool.”