The Repentant Rake (43 page)

    'He
did not need to, Lady Ulvercombe,' said Christopher with gallantry. 'I have
only to look at you to understand the nature of the communication. Henry was rightly
devoted to you.' His flattery drew a thin smile from her. 'The important thing
now is to save your reputation.'

    'I
could not agree more.'

    'To
do that, I need to ask some personal questions.'

    'Not
too personal, I trust,' she warned.

    'Where
was the letter kept, Lady Ulvercombe?'

    'I
have a small cabinet in my bedchamber.'

    'Is
the cabinet locked?'

    'Most
of the time.'

    'Did
you ever take the missive out to read it through?'

    'Really,
sir!' she rebuked. 'What a lady does with her keepsakes is her own affair. If
your questioning is to take this turn, I'll no more of it.'

    'I'm
sorry, Lady Ulvercombe,' he said. 'I'm simply trying to establish when it went
astray. It was well over a week ago that Henry received the blackmail demand.
Think back, if you will. Were you absent from the house for any period of
time?'

    She
pondered. 'As a matter of fact, we were.'

    'Oh?'

    'My
husband and I stayed with friends in Sussex.'

    'How
long were you away?'

    'Several
days, Mr Redmayne.'

    'And
when did this visit take place?'

    'A
fortnight or so ago,' she recalled. 'Are you suggesting that the letter was
stolen from the house while we are away?'

    'Unless
you took it with you, Lady Ulvercombe.'

    She
flared up. 'You are starting to irritate me again, sir.'

    'There
are only two possibilities here,' he said. 'The first is that you had it in
your possession and mislaid it. That, I know,' he went on swiftly, 'is well
nigh impossible as you would never be so careless.'

    'Or
so foolish.'

    'Then
we have to accept the second possibility. It was stolen from you.'

    'Why?'

    'In
order to blackmail Henry and embarrass you.'

    'But
nothing else was taken,' she argued, 'and I have a whole drawer of keepsakes.
The house is well guarded while we are away. There were no reports of a
burglary when we returned.'

    'Then
we must look elsewhere, Lady Ulvercombe.'

    'Elsewhere?'

    'At
your servants.'

    Her
eyes flashed again. 'I refuse even to countenance that suggestion. Each and
every one of them is above reproach, Mr Redmayne. They have been with us for
years.' She remembered something. 'With one exception, that is.'

    'Who
might that be?'

    'A
chambermaid we took on six months ago.'

    'I
see.'

    'But I
would exempt her from any suspicion,' said Lady Ulvercombe. 'She came to us
with the highest recommendation. The girl was formerly in the employ of one of
your brother's friends, as it happens.'

    'A
friend of Henry's?' said Christopher, his curiosity aroused.

    'I
mentioned that my steward was looking to engage a new chambermaid.'

    'And
Henry found one for you?'

    'The
girl was looking for a new post.'

    'Who
was this friend of his?'

    'Miss
Hemmings,' she said. 'Celia Hemmings.'

    The
afternoon sun beat down on Fleet Lane and made their protracted vigil even more
uncomfortable. Both men were sweating profusely. Jonathan Bale was hungry, Tom
Warburton was bored and the dog had grown restless. There were several hours to
go before the printer's shop closed and they would have to resume their
position early next morning if they were to be there when Miles Henshaw opened
for business. Warburton was fractious.

    'We
could be here for days, Jonathan.'

    'If
that is what it takes, I do not mind waiting.'

    'You
are not even sure he will come.'

    'No,
Tom. I am following my instinct.'

    'I
would rather follow my belly.'

    Jonathan
smiled. 'So would I, but someone has to keep watch. Leave me here on my own.
You and Sam have done your share. The pair of you deserve some solid food.'

    'Shall
we bring something back for you?'

    'No,
Tom. But you might give a message to Sarah.'

    'Her
husband is starving?'

    'Just
tell her that I may be late back.'

    'I
will.'

    Having
elected to go, Warburton nevertheless loitered for a while, torn between a
sense of duty and the need to eat. Eventually, he decided to make his move. The
dog jumped eagerly to his feet. Before they could leave, however, Jonathan
motioned in the direction of the printer's shop. A young man was approaching on
a horse. They were too far away to see his face beneath the broad- brimmed hat
but they saw how gingerly he carried his right arm. Looped round his neck was
the strap of a leather satchel. The man dismounted, tethered his horse, took
off the satchel and went into the shop. Neither Warburton nor Sam wanted to go
now. They waited as patiently as Jonathan.

    A
quarter of an hour passed before the customer reappeared. Miles Henshaw came
out with him, ostensibly to wave him off but really in order to give a signal
to the watching constables. Jonathan anticipated it. Before Warburton could
move, Jonathan came out of hiding and strode purposefully towards the shop.
Henshaw saw him coming and squandered the element of surprise. When he saw the
expression on the printer's face, the customer became suspicious and glanced
over his shoulder to see a constable bearing down on him. Pushing the printer
away, the man rushed to mount his horse, using his left hand to help himself up
into the saddle.

    'This
is him!' yelled Henshaw.

    'Hold
there, sir!' cried Jonathan. 'I want a word with you.'

    'He
brought more pages of the diary.'

    The
rider kicked his horse forward but Jonathan managed to grab the reins. The animal
neighed loudly as it described a rapid circle. Jonathan held on firmly. He
looked up at the man and saw the ugly swelling around his nose. Identification
was confirmed.

    'You
are under arrest, sir,' he declared.

    'Stand
off!' warned the man.

    Taking
a pistol from his belt, he pointed it at Jonathan, shifting it to cover
Warburton as well when the other constable lumbered towards him. Jonathan was
uncertain what to do. The man could not shoot both of them. Still holding the reins,
he took a step closer, but it brought him within range. The man slipped a foot
from his stirrup and kicked out to send Jonathan sprawling. The bridle was now
free and escape possible. Pistol in hand, the man urged his horse on with a
sharp dig of his heels and it lunged forward. The ride was short-lived. Before
it reached the end of the lane, the horse was confronted by a small terrier.
Yapping noisily, Sam showed no fear of the flashing hooves. It was the horse
that took fright. Sliding to a halt, it reared up so abruptly^ on its hind legs
that its rider was thrown from the saddle, knocking his head on the ground with
an audible thud. Warburton did his best to control the horse while Jonathan got
up to run across to the fallen man. The rider was unconscious, blood trickling
from a gash in his skull to disfigure his face even more.

    Having
done his work, the dog went off to lift his leg against the wall of a house.

    'There,'
said Warburton proudly. 'I thought you might need us, Jonathan.'

    Christopher
Redmayne rode down Knightrider Street at a canter until he reached the house.
Before he could even dismount, he was given a welcome. Flinging open the front
door, Sir Julius came bursting out to him. His daughter was close behind.

    'Where
have you been, Mr Redmayne?' said Sir Julius. 'Is there any news?'

    'A
great deal,' replied Christopher, 'but I did not think to find you back in
London, Sir Julius.'

    'Father
arrived this afternoon,' explained Susan, delighted to see Christopher again
and annoyed that her father was monopolising him. 'Let Mr Redmayne come in,
Father. We can hardly talk out here in the street.'

    'Why
not?' said Sir Julius. 'I've waited long enough. I've been watching through
that window for you this past hour or so, Mr Redmayne.' He peered up at him.
'Look at those scratches. You
have
been in the wars, I see. Susan told
us how well you fought. You merit our congratulations.'

    'It
is Mr Bale who has earned the congratulations.'

    'How?'

    'The
news from him is good' said Christopher, dismounting to tether his horse. 'But
there is so much of it to tell that it might be better if we were all sitting
down.'

    Susan
led the way into the house and once she had recovered from the shock of seeing
his lacerations, Lucy added her own welcome. Christopher had hoped to speak to
Susan alone first in order to savour the joy of her response, but he had to
settle for a general announcement. His face lit up with a smile.

    'We
have caught him,' he said.

    Sir
Julius let out a yell of triumph, Susan felt a surge of relief and Lucy was so
overcome that she burst into tears. Christopher waited until she had recovered
enough to let him go on. Sir Julius was impatient.

    'Who
is the rogue?' he asked.

    'He will
not give his name, Sir Julius.'

    'But
you have him in custody?'

    'Mr
Bale is with him now,' said Christopher, 'though he denies any claim to heroism
during the actual arrest. He gives the credit to Sam.'

    'Sam?'
repeated Susan.

    'A
dog belonging to Mr Warburton, another constable. I suppose it was only fitting
that Sam should help to catch the killer,' he decided. 'It was he who found
Gabriel's body on Paul's Wharf that night.'

    'Tell
us about the arrest,' urged Sir Julius.

    'I
can only give you Mr Bale's account. I have just left him.'

    Christopher
did not mention that he had first visited his brother, interviewed Henry's
former mistress, repaired to Bedford Street again to confirm what Lady
Ulvercombe had told him about her chambermaid then called in at his own house.
Jacob had passed on the urgent message left there by Jonathan Bale. Christopher
had ridden hard to the gaol to see the captive for himself. Without even
referring to the diary, he gave his listeners an account of how a trap had been
set outside a printer's shop in Fleet Lane. Two constables and a dog had caught
the man who murdered Gabriel Cheever. The prisoner was also responsible for the
attack on Christopher and was unrepentant about it when his victim confronted him.

    'He
admits the attack, then?' said Sir Julius.

    'He
almost gloried in it.'

    'Wait
until I get my hands on the villain!'

    'Let
the law take its course, Sir Julius.'

    'I'll
tear him limb from limb.'

    'I
think it best if you keep away from him until the trial,' said Christopher. 'Mr
Bale is with him now, trying to get more information out of him. But he'll
yield up neither his name, his address nor the identities of his accomplices.'

    'How
many of them were there?' asked Susan.

    'Two
at least.'

    'Oh,'
she said with disappointment. 'So it is not all over yet?'

    'Not
yet, Miss Cheever, but our main task has been accomplished. The killer is
behind bars. He was the most dangerous of them. It is only a matter of time
before we track down the others,' he said confidently. 'We are all but there.'