'Oh, yes. James often had a run of luck at the card table.'
'Henry says that he cheated.'
'That was his opinion.'
'There's no truth in the charge?'
'Not as far as I know,' said the goldsmith. 'James had a knack for card games, there's no doubt about that. I've seen him win five hundred guineas in a night.'
'What did he do with his money?'
Crenlowe laughed. 'Lose it just as quickly the following day.'
'That was very careless of him.'
'James is a soldier of fortune,' said the goldsmith with grudging admiration. 'He takes life as it comes and makes the most of it. Rich or poor, he's happy with his lot. It's not an existence that I envy, Mr Redmayne.'
'I can see that.'
Christopher was glad that he had decided to call on Martin Crenlowe. There was a quiet complacency about the goldsmith that made it impossible to like him but he was much more forthcoming than Sir Humphrey Godden. He also evinced far less hostility towards the murder victim. Christopher wondered why.
'What did you make of Signor Maldini?' he asked.
'I respected him greatly as a fencing master.'
'And as a man?'
'I had less time for him. He was not the most appealing individual.'
'Did he ever try to humiliate you at the school?'
'Yes,' said Crenlowe with a frown. 'He goaded me unmercifully. You can see from my shape that I'm no swordsman of note. Jeronimo Maldini was and he made me look ridiculous in front of my friends.'
'Is that why you left the school?'
'It was, Mr Redmayne. I like to be treated with respect.' 'Henry, too, suffered at his hands.'
'Even more than I did. He was livid. He talked of shooting Signor Maldini.'
'But not of stabbing him in the back.'
'He could never do that,' asserted Crenlowe, rising to his feet. 'Henry Redmayne is first and foremost a gentleman. You, above all people, should know that.'
'I do,' said Christopher loyally. 'I can see that you're a busy man, Mr Crenlowe, so I'll not impose on you for much longer. But I would like to ask about that evening when the four of you had a meal together.'
'Ask anything you wish.'
'Henry told me that you had a chance meeting with Signor Maldini?'
'And so we did. It was not far from Fenchurch Street.'
'So the four of you were walking along together when you were accosted by the fencing master. Is that what happened?'
'No, Mr Redmayne.'
'Then perhaps you could explain what did.'
'Certainly,' said the other. 'There were only three of us strolling along that evening - Sir Humphrey Godden, Henry and myself.'
'Where was Captain Harvest?'
'He arrived with Jeronimo Maldini.'
Christopher was astonished. 'Even though he knew how much you all disliked his friend? Some people might say that that was an act of provocation.'
'James said that he had met Signor Maldini by accident. He'd arranged to meet us at the tavern and did not expect to encounter the three of us in the street. In fairness to him, when the argument started, James was the one who tried to quell it.'
'Do you believe that the meeting with his friend was accidental?'
'I did at the time.'
'And now?'
'I think that James was lying,' said Crenlowe seriously. 'He merely pretended to intervene in a quarrel that he had deliberately set up. Henry Redmayne and Jeronimo Maldini were like two fighting cocks. Captain James Harvest was the man who sharpened their spurs.'
Chapter Eight
Jonathan Bale always felt uncomfortable when he visited the house in Fetter Lane. It was spacious, well- furnished and filled with the individual touches that only a man of artistic talent could devise. It made his own home seem small, bare and lacking in any real character. The presence of a servant was another factor that set the two abodes apart. Employing someone to cook, clean and run the house was a concept that Jonathan would never have considered, even if he could have afforded the expense. There was streak of self- reliance in him that rebelled against the very notion. While he liked Jacob Vout as a person, therefore, the man's role as a servant made their relationship uneasy for him. The constable was soon shuffling his feet.
'I'd best be on my way,' he decided.
'Mr Redmayne will be back very soon,' said Jacob.
'I'll call again later.'
'Why bother when you can see him now? He's eager to speak to you, Mr Bale.'
'And I wish to speak to him, Jacob.'
'Then try to be patient. You'll not have long to wait.
Jonathan sat back in the chair but he could not relax. Anxious to pass on what he had learned, he had called at Christopher's house that afternoon and been disappointed that his friend was not there. Twenty minutes had elapsed so far and he was increasingly restless. Since he had no interest in the architectural beauties of Europe, the paintings that covered the walls held little charm for him. Holding his hat between his knees, he played nervously with the brim. It was left to Jacob to strike up a conversation.
'How is your son, Mr Bale?' he asked.
'Which one?' replied Jonathan. 'I have two.'
'His name is Richard, I think. He found the body in the ice.'
'Oh, yes. He did, alas, and the memory still haunts him.'
'Have you told him that a man has been arrested for the crime?'
'Yes,' said Jonathan, 'but Richard does not know his name. I see no reason why he should, unless the prisoner is convicted of the murder. The boy has been shocked enough already. He'd be even more upset if he realised that it was Mr Redmayne's own brother who is held in Newgate. That's why I kept it for him. Richard has great respect for your master.'
'Mr Redmayne speaks fondly of both your children.'
'There may come a time when the truth can no longer be suppressed.'
'In other words, you believe in his brother's guilt.'
'I've yet to be persuaded of his innocence, Jacob. What about you?'
'I've no opinion to offer, Mr Bale.'
'But you must incline one way or the other.'
Jacob was discreet. 'I'm just grateful that I serve one brother and not the other.'
'They are hardly like two peas in a pod,' said Jonathan. 'I've never known two brothers have so little in common. My sons look, talk and think alike. It's only natural that they should do so. But your master is so different from Henry Redmayne that the two of them might be complete strangers.'
'Adversity brings out family feeling.'
'True. And I admire Mr Redmayne for standing by his brother.'
'Even though you believe that he is wasting his time?'
'I can only follow my instinct, Jacob.'
'Then I'll do the same,' said the old man, moving to the front door as he heard the sound of hoof beats in the street. 'Unless I'm very much mistaken, Mr Redmayne has come home at last.'
Jacob opened the door in time to see his master dismounting from his horse. Hearing that he had a visitor,
