The Repentant Rake

blackmail - she will make a full confession to the egregious Lord Ulvercombe and beg his forgiveness.' He flung his hands in the air. 'Where will that leave me?'

    'Reason with her.'

    'Desperate women have no truck with reason.'

    'Assure her that the letter will be recovered somehow.'

    'It may already be on its way to her husband.'

    'I doubt that,' said Christopher. 'Once sent, it loses its power to extract money from you. Lady Ulvercombe must be told how it is being used to blackmail you. It could easily be employed against her in the same way.'

    'Amelia would panic and throw herself on the mercy of that brutish husband.'

    'You must calm the lady down, Henry.'

    'How can I when I dare not leave the house?'

    'You must.'

    'No, Christopher. It is not simply fear that keeps me immured. The truth is that I do not wish to see Amelia again. She unsettles me.'

    'But the two of you were so close at one time.'

    'Revulsion is the Janus-face of romance.'

    'That's not the remark of a gentleman,' said Christopher reproachfully.

    'I'm not talking about my revulsion for her,' explained Henry. 'For my sins, I still have a vestigial affection. It was Amelia who turned against me. I have no idea why. I was encouraged, favoured then summarily discarded. That does not make a man wish to have a rendezvous with a woman he once adored.'

    'If you do not go, Lady Ulvercombe will tell all to her husband.'

    'There's the rub.'

    Christopher pondered. 'Where does she ask you to meet her?' he said at length.

    'At a secret address.'

    'Where is it?'

    'Less than five minutes from here.'

    'Would you meet the lady if I were to accompany you there?'

    'No. I could not bear the embarrassment.'

    'Then I will go in your stead' decided Christopher.

    'You?'

    'Give me the address, Henry. The meeting may prove fruitful.'

    While the two men talked neither took their eyes off the printer's shop owned by Miles Henshaw. Hours had passed since Tom Warburton took up his station nearby. Jonathan Bale was having difficulty replacing him.

    'There is no point in both of us staying, Tom,' he said.

    'I'll linger awhile.'

    'Mr Redmayne asked me to relieve you.'

    'Why?'

    'He felt that you had been here long enough.'

    'I have.'

    'Then go back home and have some dinner. Come back later.'

    'I might miss him.'

    'We have no guarantee that he will come today,' said Jonathan, 'though there is one promising sign. The gentleman we visited this morning has been threatened with publication of shameful details about his private life. Not that he had the grace to be ashamed about them,' he added grimly, 'but we'll let that pass. Those details will need to be printed by Mr Henshaw so that they can be used to cause the gentleman further grief. The commission may come today.'

    'Then I'll stay.'

    'Leave him to me.'

    'You may need help, Jonathan.'

    'I can manage.'

    'We are in this together.'

    'True.'

    'You, me - and Sam,' said Warburton, fondling his dog. 'He found the body.'

    'I have not forgotten that, Tom.'

    Jonathan was pleased at the prospect of company during what might prove to be a long vigil but worried that he might not be able to make the arrest himself. The attack on Christopher Redmayne had upset him deeply. Jonathan felt that he had a personal score to settle on behalf of his friend. If the man posing as Gabriel Cheever did arrive at the printer's, he wanted to be the one to confront him. It was a selfish attitude and he chided himself for it but that did not lessen his desire to be instrumental in the arrest. There was, however, another factor to be taken into account. If the man did reappear, he might not be alone. His accomplice might be with him. That could cause a problem even for Jonathan. His colleague's support might be valuable, after all, and it would be very unfair to exclude the dog.

    'Thanks, Tom,' he said with feeling. 'Good to have you with me.'

    Sam gave a bark of gratitude. He wanted to be involved in any action.

    The unheralded arrival of Sir Julius Cheever took both women by surprise. Lucy was quite overwhelmed when he suddenly appeared on her doorstep and she did not know how to react. Susan was dismayed. Much as she loved him, she felt that he had come at an awkward time. During their long conversations, she and Lucy were drawing ever closer. The presence of Sir Julius in such a limited space made any exchange of confidences quite impossible.

    'Why have you come, Father?' she asked.

    'I felt that I had to, Susan,' he said. 'I cannot mourn my son properly until his killer has been brought to justice. Instead of sitting in Northamptonshire, I ought to be here, helping in the search.'

    'It is good to see you again, Sir Julius,' said Lucy.

    'My apologies for coming unannounced.'

    'They are unnecessary.'

    They were in the house in Knightrider Street. Travel had patently tired Sir Julius. He had lost much of his animation. Lucy felt obliged to offer him accommodation.

    'You are most welcome to stay here,' she offered.

    'No, no, Lucy,' he said 'I would not dream of it.'

    'Anna can soon prepare the other bedchamber.'

    'I have already taken a lodging at the King's Head in Holborn. It is close to Mr Redmayne's house in Fetter Lane. I called there first but his servant told me he was out. He also said that Mr Redmayne had been attacked.' He turned to Susan. 'Is this true?'

    'Unhappily, it is.'

    'Was he injured?'

    'Yes, Father,' she said, 'I saw him myself this morning.'

    'Tell me what happened.'

    Conscious of Lucy's presence, she chose her words carefully, describing the violence of the attack but making no mention of the fact that Christopher had been out with his brother. While she was able to praise Christopher's bravery, she knew that the plight of Henry Redmayne would provoke only disgust in her father. Susan went on to explain that Christopher and Jonathan Bale were continuing their investigations.

    'How can I get in touch with them?' said Sir Julius anxiously.

    'Mr Redmayne promised to call here if there was any news to report.'

    'When did you last see him?'

    'A few hours ago.'