“Could you not make an exception, just this once?”
“Absolutely not,” he said. “It’s a good lesson for you.”
“You’re a savage,” I said.
“Good work with the bottle, though. And I’m pleased you got Scotland Yard to assist you without me.”
“I was rather happy about that myself. But we need to return to the subject of your good friend, Mr. Foster. You’re going to have to tell me what happened with him last night.”
“I’ve already shared all I can,” he said.
“So would you prefer that I draw my own conclusions from the bits of conversation I overheard? ‘
“How did you hear that?” he asked.
“I called at the house to fetch you when Jeremy and I decided to look for Lady Glover. The butler wouldn’t admit me, so I went in through the servants’ entrance and skulked through hallways until I heard your voice. I was planning to announce myself to you, but then I heard what you were saying.”
“Emily!”
I looked away from him, knowing he must be furious.
“Did no one see you?” he asked.
“Two maids and the butler. It’s amazing what walking with an air of authority can accomplish.”
He dropped his head into his hands. I stood up, bracing myself for the inevitable reprimand. I crossed my arms and waited.
“You are bloody good at this, aren’t you?”
This took me by surprise. “I thought you’d be angry.”
“I probably should be. But we’re working together on this, Emily, and if I’m to accept you as a partner in life as well as in work, I can hardly balk when you show this sort of initiative, even if I’d like to.”
“Marrying you was an extremely good decision,” I said.
“Yes, well, I do feel I ought to remind you of that periodically,” he said.
“Do so as often as you feel necessary,” I said. “You won’t find me objecting.”
He kissed me. “Tell me what else you learned today.”
I went through everything, omitting no details, and showed him everything we’d collected.
“Poor Foster!” he said. “He must have been dead worried when you started questioning him.”
“He was—but only when it came to talk of elections. That seems to be the one thing that can cause a crack in his composure. He should, perhaps, be more concerned about the possible exposure of the papers Mr. Dillman hid.”
“He’d be embarrassed by that, but not ruined. He’s a good man, Emily, and I’ll do everything I can to protect him from political trouble.”
“You and Mr. Barnes,” I said. “Maybe Mr. Foster isn’t so good as you both think. I assume the match factory is what Mr. Barnes was worried about. And now you’re ready to dismiss it. Why?”
“Reginald Foster is the man who ought to lead this country when Gladstone’s done.”
“Even if he’s embroiled in business practices that are destroying lives?”
“Would you rather see the country run into the ground by some incompetent lout?” he asked. “I’m as upset by the factory as you are, Emily, and I’m convinced we can find a way to improve the lives of those people. But when it comes to politics, I’m inclined to take a long-term view and support the man best able to lead the empire.”
“What if he killed Mr. Dillman to keep his secrets private? And what if those secrets aren’t limited to the factory, but also to election fraud?”
“Prove it, Emily, and we’ll find ourselves having a very different conversation.”
32
I’d invited Ivy and Jeremy to come for breakfast and a council of war; I wanted to discuss all that we’d learned after we’d split up in the afternoon. Jeremy was much put out, insisting he couldn’t be anywhere before two o’clock in the afternoon, but managed to drag himself out of bed, and at nine o’clock, the four of us were seated comfortably around the table. The breakfast room looked over the garden, but there was no view today. The rain, which had started while we were in the park the day before, had grown heavier overnight, and now showed no signs of stopping. Fog and clouds socked in the town, and all we could see out the rain-streaked windows was a heavy gray mist.
Ivy poured milk in her tea and stirred it. “We spent a very strange afternoon with Winifred. I’m afraid, Colin, that we may need to intervene soon.”
“Why is that?”
“She told us about Mr. Stanbury’s scandal,” Ivy said. “Before the paper came out.”
“I don’t like the woman at all,” Jeremy said. “She gives me the willies. If you could have heard the glee in her tone as she told us.”
“It was disturbing,” Ivy said. “Jeremy did an admirable job of keeping her distracted, though. I’ve brought a sample of her wax.” She stood up and went to the sideboard, where we’d spread out our other clues. I followed her.
“An exact match,” I said.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Ivy said, her voice a bare whisper. “Winifred’s growing more and more fixated on people and their secrets. She…”
“What?” Colin asked.
“… she told us she’s keeping a list. A list of people and their secrets. She said she’s going to make sure they’re all exposed.” Ivy’s hands trembled as she sat back down and picked up her teacup.
“Ivy, did she confess anything to you?” Colin asked.
“No,” Ivy said. “But I wouldn’t be more alarmed if she had than I am now. I was surprised she spoke so freely in front of Jeremy.”
“I’m not,” he said. “She took it as an opportunity to warn me off bad behavior.”
“I can’t believe I’ve been so naïve, thinking she ever had my best interests at heart,” Ivy said. “This is an obsession for her, not a kindness.”
I reached for her hand and held it. “You always see the best in people, Ivy, and that’s a wonderful quality.”
“I was stupid,” she said.
