Painting The Darkness (76 page)

Suddenly, I felt uneasy, not because of what he was implying, but because of what he must know in order to imply it. ‘What do you mean by that, Prince?
’

‘
Of their own volition, Trenchard, isn’t that how it was? Sir James, in a so-called duel. Sir Hugo, in a so-called accident
.’

‘
There’s no evidence—
’

‘
I require no evidence!’ He pulled up sharply. By the time I had done the same and turned to face him, I found that he was staring at me with an expression of seemingly genuine sympathy. ‘I read that you remarried your wife,’ he said, smiling slowly
.

‘
Yes. I did.’ But our wedding had received virtually no publicity. How could he have read of it?

‘
She is here with you?
’

‘
Yes
.’

‘
Then, take my advice.’ He touched me on the shoulder. ‘Leave Lugano
.’

‘
Why?
’

‘
Because, Trenchard, if you and I share anything, it is …
irresolution
. That is why, for your own sake, and for your wife’s, you should leave this place
.’

‘
I don’t understand. What are you trying to say?
’

His smile became lop-sided, his gaze less intense. ‘No matter,’ he said after a moment. Then, glancing over his shoulder: ‘I must go. My friend is waiting.’ It was true; I had not noticed. The gap between the next set of trees in the avenue gave access to a landing-stage, at the foot of which the launch we had seen earlier was tied up, its gangplank extended to receive its guest. ‘Farewell, Trenchard,’ the Prince said. ‘And good luck
.’

‘
You think I’ll need it?
’

‘
We all do
, mon ami.
Luck is all
.’

With that, he turned on his heel and strode down the sloping landing-stage towards the launch. A crewman helped him aboard, then made ready to depart. I watched the Prince move to the stern of the vessel as it eased away from the jetty, exchange a word with somebody obscured from me by the angle of the wheel-house, then go below
.

As the launch manoeuvred out into the lake, it swung round parallel to the shore, and so it was, standing at the edge of the lime avenue puzzling over what the Prince had said to me, that I saw the person he had spoken to: a woman, dressed in black, her dark hair blowing free of her shoulders in the gathering breeze. I knew at once that she was his friend from the other side of the lake, because she was also the woman I had dreamed of seeing a hundred times, but never had, since a single night in St John’s Wood seven years before. She was Madeleine Devereux
.

The launch was gaining speed, froth churning in its wake. The gap between us was only a few yards, but soon it would be more. Soon, she would be out of sight. For that instant, but for no longer, she would look at me and I at her. Then, I knew, she would be gone
.

She was unaltered: the pale, hauntingly beautiful face; the dark searching eyes; the imperious tilt of her chin; the hard but perfect line of her mouth. She recognized me, but her recognition betrayed neither malice nor mercy. We both knew what she had done to me – and to one other, who was six years dead – but the
knowledge
inspired neither forgiveness nor defiance. What had drawn us together, now and for ever, would hold us apart
.

Yet still I went on watching her. Till her face was no more than a pale speck on the black receding shape of the launch, I watched, and hoped to see what I knew I never would: some hint that she regretted the part she had played in the past. But there was none. Then, and always, there was none
.

THE END

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the management of Ticehurst House Hospital, East Sussex, for access to the archives and grounds of the institution; and to my good friend Jeffrey Davis for information on the history of psychiatry drawn from his incomplete doctoral thesis on the subject.

About the Author

Robert Goddard was born in Hampshire and read History at Cambridge. His first novel,
Past Caring
, was an instant bestseller. Since then his books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. His first Harry Barnett novel,
Into the Blue
, was winner of the first WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award and was dramatized for TV, starring John Thaw.

Robert Goddard can be found on the web at
www.robertgoddardbooks.co.uk

Also by Robert Goddard

In order of publication

PAST CARING

A young graduate starts to investigate the fall from grace of an Edwardian cabinet minister and sets in train a bizarre and violent chain of events.

‘
A hornet’s nest of jealousy, blackmail and violence. Engrossing
’

DAILY MAIL

IN PALE BATTALIONS

An extraordinary story unfolds as Leonora Galloway strives to solve the mystery of her father’s death, her mother’s unhappy childhood and a First World War murder.

‘
A novel of numerous twists and turns and surprises
’

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

PAINTING THE DARKNESS

On a mild autumn afternoon in 1882, William Trenchard’s life changes for ever with the arrival of an unexpected stranger.

‘
Explodes into action
’

SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

INTO THE BLUE

When a young woman disappears and Harry Barnett is accused of her murder he has no option but to try and discover what led her to vanish into the blue.

‘
A cracker, twisting, turning and exploding with real skill
’

DAILY MIRROR

TAKE NO FAREWELL

September 1923, and architect Geoffrey Staddon must return to the house called Clouds Frome, his first important commission, to confront the dark secret that it holds.

‘
A master storyteller
’

INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

HAND IN GLOVE

The death of a young English poet in the Spanish Civil War casts a shadow forward over half a century.

‘
Cliff-hanging entertainment
’

GUARDIAN

CLOSED CIRCLE

1931, and two English fraudsters on a transatlantic liner stumble into deep trouble when they target a young heiress.

‘
Full of thuggery and skulduggery, cross and doublecross, plot and counter-plot
’

INDEPENDENT

BORROWED TIME

A brief encounter with a stranger who is murdered soon afterwards draws Robin Timariot into the complex relationships and motives of the dead woman’s family and friends.

‘
An atmosphere of taut menace … heightened by shadows of betrayal and revenge
’

DAILY TELEGRAPH

OUT OF THE SUN

Harry Barnett becomes entangled in a sinister conspiracy when he learns that the son he never knew he had is languishing in hospital in a coma.

‘
Brilliantly plotted, full of good, traditional storytelling values
’

MAIL ON SUNDAY

BEYOND RECALL

The scion of a wealthy Cornish dynasty reinvestigates a 1947 murder and begins to doubt the official version of events.

‘
Satisfyingly complex … finishes in a rollercoaster of twists
’

DAILY TELEGRAPH

CAUGHT IN THE LIGHT

A photographer’s obsession with a femme fatale leads him into a web of double jeopardy.

‘
A spellbinding foray into the real-life game of truth and consequences
’

THE TIMES

SET IN STONE

A strange house links past and present, a murder, a political scandal and an unexplained tragedy.

‘
A heady blend of mystery and adventure
’

OXFORD TIMES

SEA CHANGE

A spell-binding mystery involving a mysterious package, murder and financial scandal, set in 18th-century London, Amsterdam and Rome.

‘
Engrossing, storytelling of a very high order
’

OBSERVER

DYING TO TELL

A missing document, a forty-year-old murder and the Great Train Robbery all seem to have connections with a modern-day disappearance.

‘
Gripping … woven together with more twists than a country lane
’

DAILY MAIL

DAYS WITHOUT NUMBER

Once Nick Paleologus has excavated a terrible secret from his archaeologist father’s career, nothing will ever be the same again.

‘
Fuses history with crime, guilty consciences and human fallibility … an intelligent escapist delight
’

THE TIMES

PLAY TO THE END

Actor Toby Flood finds himself a player in a much bigger game when he investigates a man who appears to be a stalker.

‘
An absorbing display of craftsmanship
’

SUNDAY TIMES

SIGHT UNSEEN

An innocent bystander is pulled into a mystery which takes over twenty years to unravel when he witnesses the abduction of a child.

‘
A typically taut tale of wrecked lives, family tragedy, historical quirks and moral consequences
’

THE TIMES

NEVER GO BACK

The convivial atmosphere of a reunion weekend is shattered by an apparent suicide.

‘
Meticulous planning, well-drawn characters and an immaculate sense of place … A satisfying number of twists and shocks
’

THE TIMES

NAME TO A FACE

A centuries-old mystery is about to unravel …

‘
Mysterious, dramatic, intricate, fascinating and unputdownable
’

DAILY MIRROR

FOUND WANTING

Catapulted into a breathless race against time, Richard’s life will be changed for ever in ways he could never have imagined …

‘
The master of the clever twist
’

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

LONG TIME COMING

For thirty-six years they thought he was dead … They were wrong.

‘
When it comes to duplicity and intrigue, Goddard is second to none
’

DAILY MAIL

BLOOD COUNT

There’s no such thing as easy money. As surgeon Edward Hammond is about to find out.

‘
Mysterious, dramatic, intricate, fascinating and unputdownable … The crime writers’ crime writer
’

DAILY MIRROR

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PAINTING THE DARKNESS
A CORGI BOOK: 9780552164955
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN: 9781407068336

First published in Great Britain
in 1989 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Corgi edition published 1990
Corgi edition reissued 2011

Copyright © Robert Goddard 1989

Robert Goddard has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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A CIP catalogue for this book
is available from the British Library.

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