The Parliament House (28 page)

    'Rather painfully,' said Henry. 'When she could not outrun her would-be seducer, the lady used her only means of defence and struck him with the Speaker's mace in a part of the anatomy that caused him to abandon his designs.'

    Sir Julius flopped into a chair and brooded on what he had heard. Knowing Henry to be an incorrigible rake, he did not for a second believe that his visit to the theatre had been a rare event. It was a place that Henry and his friends haunted on a regular basis. Nor did Sir Julius accept the claim that Henry had been so scandalised that he had an urge to abandon the play. He was much more likely to have relished the scene with the rest of the audience.

    That being said, the fact remained that he had taken the trouble to call at the house and describe what had happened at the King's Theatre that day. It explained everything. Sir Julius was certain that some of his fellow Members of Parliament had also been at the play, more interested in watching the denigration of an enemy than in attending a debate in the chamber. Sir Julius could imagine how quickly they had raced to Westminster to tell their friends what they had witnessed. When he had joined them, Sir Julius had walked into a solid wall of derision and he was still reeling from the impact.

    Henry cleared his throat to attract the other man's attention.

    'May I have permission to speak to your daughter?' he said. 'What?'

    'Mrs Serle was understandably upset when I told her that you might be in danger of some sort. Since I was unable to give her any details, her fears were only intensified. If I could have some time alone with her,' Henry added, tentatively, 'I could explain to Brilliana - to Mrs Serle - why I had to hold the information back.'

    'No,' snarled Sir Julius. 'You'll tell her nothing.'

    'But she has a right to know.'

    'And I have a right to shield her from any unpleasantness. At this stage, neither of my daughters need know the truth so you must not dare to divulge a word.'

    'On my honour, I'll divulge nothing.'

    'Then I've no need to detain you, Mr Redmayne.'

    'If I could speak to Mrs Serle alone for a mere two minutes…'

    'No,' said Sir Julius, getting to his feet. 'You'll talk to nobody in this house. Leave any explanations to me. It's no secret to you that I've never held a very high opinion of you and I daresay that you know the reasons why. On the other hand, I can recognise a good deed when I see one and this particular deed has earned my undying thanks.' He offered his hand and Henry shook it. 'You have not merely lifted a veil from my eyes. You have helped to determine what my course of action must be.'

    Though he took no active part in debates, Lewis Bircroft was a dutiful man who felt honour bound to represent his constituents on the occasions when parliament met. He had been present during the humiliation of Sir Julius Cheever and was one of the few who had not joined in the raucous laughter. When he got back to his lodging in Coleman Street, he was still wondering why the appearance of his friend had aroused such concerted mockery. Hobbling into the parlour on his walking stick, he learned that he had a visitor. Jonathan Bale rose up out of the half-dark to welcome him.

    'Good evening, Mr Bircroft,' he said. 'Forgive the lateness of this call but you've been out of the house all day. I wonder if I might have a small amount of your time?'

    'As long as it is only a small amount, Constable. After a full day in the chamber, I'm extremely tired.'

    He moved to the nearest seat and lowered himself slowly into it. Bale waited until the other man had settled down before he spoke.

    'You remember what we discussed last time we met, sir?'

    'I do and I have nothing else to add.'

    'What you did not give me was the name of the man who paid those bullies to cudgel you.'

    'I cannot give you what I do not know,' said Bircroft.

    'Then perhaps I could suggest the man's identity.'

    'No, Constable. The incident belongs in the past. As I told you before, even a mention of it causes me great pain and upset.'

    'Would you not like to see justice done, Mr Bircroft:?'

    'I've rather lost my belief in the concept.'

    'Well, I haven't,' said Bale, proudly. 'My whole life is dedicated to it, sir. Nobody can right all the wrongs that are committed for they are too many in number. But I like to feel that I've brought justice to bear in many instances - and I would like to do the same here.'

    'What can a mere constable do against such people?'

    'So you
do
know who ordered that beating.'

    'That's not what I said,' retorted the other. 'I was trained as a lawyer, Mr Bale. I choose my words with great care. In the wake of what happened to me, I've exercised even more precision.'

    'I do not blame you, Mr Bircroft.'

    'Then do not add to my discomfort by harping on the subject.'

    'Let me ask but one question,' said Bale.

    'The other man sighed. 'Very well - just one.'

    'Do you know the Earl of Stoneleigh?'

    'Yes.'

    'What manner of man is he?'

    'I answered your question - now leave me alone.'

    'Even if we are able to prove that it was the earl who paid those men to attack you?'

    'No,' said Bircroft, crisply.

    'You may have no faith in justice, but surely you can take some satisfaction from revenge?' He sat close to him. 'Yes, I am only a parish constable but I can draw on immense resources. I've arrested members of the peerage before, Mr Bircroft. Nobody is above the law.'

    'But there are those who can twist it to their advantage.'

    'As a lawyer, you should want to stop them doing that.'

    'I tried, Mr Bale - and look what happened to me.'

    He stretched out both arms. Even in the flickering candlelight, Bale could see how frail he was. All the life seemed to have been knocked out of Lewis Bircroft. He was a hollow shell of a man.

    'Are you afraid of the earl?' asked Bale.

    Bircoft indicated the door. 'You will have to see yourself out.'

    'Who are his friends? What company does he keep?'

    'Only he can tell you that, Mr Bale.'

    'What will it cost you to give me the truth?'

'This
is the truth,' said the other, sharply, pointing to his wry neck and injured leg. 'I have to live with it every day. I was suspected of causing offence to someone and I suffered as a result. A man can only take so much truth, Mr Bale. I've already had my fill.'

    'So you fear a second beating, is that what troubles you?'

    'It would be a death sentence. I could never survive it.'

    'You'll not need to if we arrest the man responsible.'

    'He's way beyond your reach, Mr Bale. Nobody is above the law, you tell me? You have clearly not been following the activities of the King and his Court. They revel in their lawlessness,' said Bircroft with rancour. 'They commit crimes upon innocent people whenever they choose and an army of constables could not stop them. When you live under such tyranny, you learn to be circumspect.'

    'Sir Julius Cheever is not circumspect.'

    'His turn will come, alas.'

    'Every man is entitled to fight back against his enemies.'

    'Not when they hold a power of you.'

    'Is that the situation
you
are in, Mr Bircroft? Does someone hold a power of you?'

    'I think that I would like you to go, Constable.'

    'Is the name of that person the Earl of Stoneleigh?'

    Bircroft said nothing but his eyes were pools of eloquence. Bale did not need to stay. He had the answer he sought.

        Christopher Redmayne went to open the front door himself. When he saw the coach draw up outside his house, he thought that Susan Cheever had returned and he rushed to greet her. In fact, it was her father who descended from the vehicle. After issuing a gruff apology for the lateness of the hour, Sir Julius followed the architect into the house and they settled down in the parlour. Sensing that it might be needed, Jacob materialised out of his pantry to place a bottle of brandy and two glasses on the table between them. From the eagerness with which his visitor accepted the offer of a drink, Christopher could see that he was thoroughly jangled.

    'Has something happened, Sir Julius?' he asked.

    'Another attempt has been made to kill me.' 'When? Where?'

    'At the King's Theatre,' said Sir Julius, taking a long sip of his brandy. 'Since musket balls will not bring me down, they are trying to murder my reputation.'

    'I do not understand.'

    'Then let me explain.'

    Sir Julius told him about the savage laughter he had endured from his parliamentary colleagues, and how he had been unable to fathom its cause until Henry Redmayne had arrived at his house. When he recalled the scene in the play that traduced him, he was shaking with uncontrollable anger. By the end of his account, he had finished his brandy and requested another.

    Christopher was annoyed and troubled. His ire was reserved exclusively for his brother. He could see exactly why Henry had concealed the information from him so that he would have an excuse to visit the house in Westminster in the hope of seeing Brilliana Serle. It made Christopher seethe. At the same time, he was deeply concerned for Sir Julius. He had never seen him in such a ravaged condition. His visitor looked like an old bear that had been chained to a stake then attacked by a pack of hounds.

    On any other day, Sir Julius would have beaten them away with a growl of defiance but he was already in a weakened state as the result of a personal setback. Christopher knew how upset he must have been when Sir Julius saw his hopes of a closer relationship with Dorothy Kitson founder on the rocks of a family gathering.

    'This is most unfortunate, Sir Julius,' he said.

    'It's a foul calumny.'

    'Invoke the law and have the scene removed from the play.'

    'Oh, I want more than that, Mr Redmayne,' said the other.

    'When I discussed the matter with Susan, she told me that you and the Earl of Stoneleigh were sworn enemies. He still nurses a grudge against you from the battle of Worcester.'

    'I should have had him hanged when I had the chance!'

    'I gather that you've been a thorn in his flesh ever since you entered parliament.'

    'I've endeavoured to be. Stoneleigh is in the Upper House so we never actually meet, but he has a large following in the Commons - Ninian Teale, Maurice Farwell, Roland Askray, to name but a few. I abhor everything such men represent. Most of all, I loathe Stoneleigh.'

    'Would it surprise you to know that he may have been instrumental in having your friend, Lewis Bircroft, set on by bullies?'

    'Not in the least. But we have no proof.'

    'We do now,' said Christopher. 'Had you arrived ten minutes earlier, you would have heard Jonathan Bale's account of his visit to Mr Bircroft. It's the second time they've spoken.'

    'Then your friend, the constable, has had more conversation with Lewis than I have. Since the beating, he's refused to talk to me and would never name the person who initiated the attack.'

    'He did not name him this evening, Sir Julius. He is clearly in a state of fear. Jonathan, however, is very tenacious. He kept waving the Earl of Stoneleigh in front of him until Mr Bircroft eventually gave himself away.'

    'Lewis was his first victim,' said Sir Julius. 'I am his second.'

    'Except that he used words against you instead of cudgels.'

    'They hurt just as much, Mr Redmayne. Every jibe I received in the chamber was like a physical blow. Well, I am not one to turn the other cheek. When someone hits me, I strike back hard.'

    'You've every right to do so.'

    Sir Julius became conspiratorial. 'I need your help and I must avail myself of your discretion. Before I say another word,' he added, 'I must extract a solemn promise from you. Nothing that passes between us will go any further than this room. Is that agreed?'

    'Agreed, Sir Julius.'

    'It must
never
reach the ears of my daughters.'

    'As you wish,' said Christopher, unhappy at the thought of having to conceal something else from Susan. 'May I ask why?'

    'Because they would do everything they could to stop me.'

    'Why is that, Sir Julius?'

    'I've challenged the Earl of Stoneleigh to a duel.'

    Christopher was stunned. 'A duel?' 'It's the only way to answer such vile slander against me.'

    'But duelling is against the law.'

    'Then the law must be broken on this occasion. Honour demands it. My challenge has already been sent.'