‘If you choose to take that route, when the road to justice is so clearly laid out before you, then I assure you that I shall take this matter straight to His Majesty, the King! So, you had best make sure that you have your facts in order.’
The constable found it hard to keep the grin from his face, for King George IV was notorious for shirking his royal duty in favour of drink and women, and was immensely unpopular in the House of Lords. ‘I feel sure His Royal Highness would not concern himself with such an obscure matter as this.’ The constable let the lord know he was not to be bullied.
‘Think again,’ Lord Cavandish snapped. ‘There is nothing His Majesty abhors more than injustice and bloodshed! And I can assure you, Constable Forester, that His Highness will not take kindly to learning that an investigation into the horrid deaths of so many innocents has been neglected in favour of the persecution of yet another innocent!’
‘There is a very simple way to resolve whether or not this investigation is worth pursuing.’ Countess Cavandish stepped in to avert the unpleasantness. ‘Have you spoken with the other children at the asylum who were in Dr Rosen’s care?’
‘Those children are in an asylum for a reason,’ the constable pointed out. ‘Their testimonies are hardly permissible.’
‘You already know the simple truth of the matter and still you would ignore it.’
‘There is nothing simple about the truth of this matter.’ The constable was determined to get his own way. ‘The only chance I see to ensure that the Honourable Miss Granville is not implicated in the murder of Dr Rosen is if this case remains
‘Agreed.’ My father was fed up with the entire affair. What other people chose to do with their offspring was entirely their business and not his burden to bear. ‘I thank you for taking the time to deliver your findings to this house, Constable Forester.’
The constable nodded to confirm they had an understanding. ‘I shall see myself out. Good day.’
LESSON 3
FRIENDSHIP
‘Oh, my god! This is so tragic.’ Susan sat on my bed, her attention absorbed in one of my old diaries. ‘So the whole ugly affair was just forgotten?’
‘Correct,’ I replied, not looking up from my study of an old Latin text on nature spirits and fairy lore. I was hoping to gain some insight into how to make contact with the elemental kingdoms of nature, an area of psychic study that was grossly lacking in documentation.
This was an area that Lady Charlotte had never researched in depth, so she could not advise me. She claimed this was a practice for the highly adept, as the elements of nature were not easily befriended and were renowned mischief-makers if not properly handled. They also detested most adult human beings for their destruction of nature, their bad habits and their erratic emotions.
Lady Charlotte suggested I might fare better with my investigations. She was rather fond of wine and red meat and she thought this was why she had never been able to attract any of the spirits of nature. I preferred tea, or just boiled water; I ate red meat on rare occasions, such as when the fish were not biting.
Susan had been quiet while she pondered what she read, then said, ‘Well, if this incident changed Lord Granville’s mind about Great Aunt Charlotte being your tutor, then some good came of it. I cannot imagine how bored I would have been these past ten years had I not had you to share my education.’
I broke from my reading to smile at Susan. She was my best, and only, friend of my own age and I completely shared her sentiment.
‘Still, those poor little souls.’ The knowledge weighed on her heart which was one of the sincerest and kindest I had ever known. ‘Is there no justice in this world?’
‘Some,’ I assured. ‘Lady Charlotte held a seance and assisted those lost souls to leave their tormented existence on this earthly plane and cross over into the celestial world where they could finally find peace.’
‘So was it the electric shock that changed Lord Granville’s mind about your education with my Great Aunt?’ Susan was a girl with a lust for detail.
I nodded. ‘The thought of having to deal with my psychic outbursts on a regular basis was just too much for papa to cope with. He was petrified that I would ruin his career and reputation. And Lady Charlotte pointed out that an untrained psychic was an open channel that allowed anything to pour through, so I would be far more troublesome in a state of ignorance than if I was trained to control my abilities. Father relented and accepted Lord Cavandish’s gift.’
Before we’d even met I had secured Susan’s undying devotion for saving her life and the lives of her entire family. And, although I felt that this debt had been repaid when Lord Cavandish had saved me from the asylum, the Cavandishs’ gratitude to me had never waned.
Susan closed the diary and gave a great sigh. ‘I wish I had some of your talent.’
‘No, you don’t,’ I insisted. ‘Clairvoyance generally leads one into dark and scary places, Susan, and you can’t even bear walking to the kitchen in the dark!’ I laughed as she gasped at the insult.
‘That’s not true.’ Susan sat upright to protest. ‘It’s the rats that bother me, not the dark.’
She was so easy to bait. I smiled at her. ‘There are far scarier beasts in the world than rats.’
‘So it would seem.’ Susan placed the diary aside, as Nanny Beat knocked and entered.
‘Her ladyship would like to see you both in her drawing room,’ she announced.
‘Thank you, Nanny,’ we both said and she withdrew.
It was unusual to be summoned at this time in the evening. Susan and I were usually at leisure, and as the Dowager Countess Cavandish was not getting any younger, she retired early most nights.
Susan looked at me, an air of excitement in her expression. ‘Maybe this is it.’
