'Very much, Mr Cardinal.'
'What appeals to you most about it?'
'Its size and its sense of activity,' she explained. 'There is so much going on, especially now that rebuilding is so advanced. It's fascinating to watch old streets being renovated and new ones being created alongside them. Then, of course, there was the frost fair. That was a miraculous event.'
'So I understand.'
'Jack offered to take me there,' said Mrs Cardinal, 'but the roads were bad and my poor chest would never have withstood the cold. I have to be so careful, you know. I tire so easily in the winter.'
'You've rallied magnificently this past week, Mother,' he said.
'Only because the weather has improved.'
'I've never seen you looking better,' remarked Brilliana.
'Thank you, Mrs Serle.'
'Mother is well enough to face the travel now,' said Cardinal. 'I've business interests to attend to in London and Mother has agreed to accompany me there for a couple of days. We leave early tomorrow.'
Brilliana was disappointed. 'We hoped that you might linger to dine with us.'
'It will not be possible, I fear.'
'Can we not persuade you, Jack?' asked Serle, responding to a nudge under the table from his wife. 'Stay another day, if you wish.'
'We'd be delighted to have you,' said Brilliana. 'So would Susan. It's rather dull for her to have nobody but us to entertain her.' 'Then why did she not stay in London?' wondered Mrs Cardinal, turning towards Susan. 'I would have thought that you'd built up a circle of friends there by now.'
'Yes, Mrs Cardinal,' said Susan. 'I do have friends in the city.'
'Why desert them for Richmond?'
'Because she wanted to be with her sister,' said Brilliana.
'That's not strictly true,' added Susan. 'I left London with some reluctance.'
'What do you miss most?' asked Cardinal.
'Seeing my friends and visiting the shops.'
'Ah!' said Mrs Cardinal with a laugh, 'that's what is luring me there. The thought of all those wonderful shops, filled to the brim with the latest fashions. If my health will allow it, I intend to visit them all.' An idea made her sit up abruptly. 'But wait, my dear,' she went on, smiling at Susan. 'You prefer to be in London, you say?'
'To some extent, Mrs Cardinal.'
'Then why do you not come with us?'
Susan was immediately tempted. 'That's a very kind invitation.'
'Then let me endorse it,' said Cardinal gallantly. 'We'd love to have you as our companion, Miss Cheever. I'll have to spend a lot of time dealing with my business affairs and it would be a relief to know that someone was looking after Mother.'
'I'd be happy to do that.'
'Splendid news!' He looked at Brilliana. 'Unless you have an objection.'
'None at all,' she said.
'This is better than we dared hope for,' observed Serle, before collecting a kick of reproof from his wife. 'I mean that this will suit everyone.'
'As long as Jack does not abandon my sister completely,' said Brilliana.
'I'll ensure that he does not do that,' promised Mrs Cardinal.
'Then I give the excursion my blessing.'
Susan was thrilled. Having braced herself for a tedious evening in the company of strangers, she had been given an unexpected opportunity to escape from Richmond. Brilliana had condoned the visit because she felt it would throw Jack Cardinal and her sister closer together, but Susan had another objective. Being in London meant a possibility of seeing Christopher Redmayne again and that hope was uppermost in her mind. If she could contrive a meeting with him, she was prepared to endure any number of Mrs Cardinal's long monologues about her ill health.
'Well,' said Cardinal happily, 'this is a pleasant surprise. It will be a delight to have you with us, Miss Cheever.'
'Thank you,' said Susan.
'You'll be able to feed your passion for literature again.'
'Will I?'
'Yes, indeed. I'll take you to the best bookshops in London.'
'I'd like that, Mr Cardinal,' she said warmly. 'I'd like that very much.'
He gave her a shy smile. 'So would I.'
Jonathan Bale insisted on accompanying his friend home. Christopher did not think that he needed a bodyguard but he was grateful for the concern that was shown. Over his arm was the apparel that was still damp from its dip in the river. On the walk back to Fetter Lane, they kept looking over their shoulder but saw nobody following them. Whoever had pushed Christopher into the water had fled from the scene and would have no idea what happened to the architect. For that evening at least, he was safe. At the door of the house, Jonathan tried to take his leave.
'Step in for a moment,' invited Christopher.
'No thank you, Mr Redmayne.'
'But I can let you have your things back when I change.'
'There's no hurry for that, sir. I have work to do. I must go.'
'I'm so sorry to descend on you like that.'
'We are pleased that you felt able to do so.'
'Take a message to your wife,' said Christopher. 'Tell her how grateful I am to her and ask her what was in that remedy. It's revived me completely.'
Jonathan nodded and they exchanged-farewells. Christopher let himself into the house, expecting to shed the garments he had borrowed in order to put on some that actually fitted him. He planned to spend a restful hour in front of the fire with a glass or two of brandy. When he entered the parlour, however, he saw something that swiftly rearranged his whole evening for him. The Reverend Algernon Redmayne was waiting for him.
'Father!' he exclaimed. 'How nice to see you!' 'That's more than I can say for you,' returned the old man, looking at his baggy attire. 'What, in the name of God, are you wearing?'
'I had to borrow these clothes from a friend.'
'I did not imagine you had a tailor cruel enough to make them for you.'
'They served their purpose,' said Christopher. 'But how are you, Father? How did you travel? When did you arrive? Has Jacob been looking after you?'
'Yes,' said the servant, emerging from the kitchen with a glass of wine. 'I made your father a light meal then gave him some ointment.'
'Ointment?'
'It was very soothing,' said the Dean. 'I rode most of the way on horseback and the saddle took its toll. Jacob was kind enough to act as my physician.' He took the glass of wine. 'Thank you. I feel that I've deserved this.'
'Shall I fetch a glass for you, Mr Redmayne?' asked Jacob.
'Not yet,' said Christopher, handing him the wet clothes. 'In time, in time.'
His servant backed out and left the two of them alone. Christopher studied his father. The journey had clearly taxed him. Dark circles had formed beneath his eyes and pain was etched into his face. Though he was sitting in a chair, he was doing so at an awkward angle so that one raw buttock did not come into contact with anything. His son bent over him solicitously but the old man waved him away. Only one subject interested him at that moment.
'Has Henry been released yet?' he enquired.
'No, Father.'
'Why not?'
'We have not established his innocence to their satisfaction.'
