And would smart, clean, pink young Gillivray ever admit that he might have helped Albie Frobisher just a little in his identification, planted the seed of understanding in a mind so quick, so subtle, and so anxious to survive that Albie had grasped what he wanted and given it to him?
Could Gillivray afford such a thought, even if it occurred to him? Of course not! Apart from anything else, it would be betraying Athelstan, leaving him standing alone-and that would be cataclysmic!
Abigail Winters might not have been lying entirely. Maybe Arthur had been there; his tastes may have been more
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catholic than for boys only. And perhaps Abigail had tacitly accepted some immunity for herself by including Jerome in her evidence. The temptation to tie a case up conclusively that you were morally sure of anyway was very real. Gilliv-ray may have succumbed to it-visions of success, favor, promotion dancing before his eyes. Charlotte was ashamed of the thought when she expressed it to Carlisle, but felt it should not be dismissed.
And what did they wish of him? Carlisle asked.
The answer was quite explicit. They wished to have correct and detailed facts of prostitution in general, and that of children in particular, so that they might present them to the women of society, whose outrage at such conditions might in time make the abuse of children so abhorrent that they would refuse to receive any man of whom such a practice, or even tolerance, was suspected.
Ignorance of its horrors was largely responsible for the women's indifference to it. Some knowledge, however dependent upon imagination for the reality of its fear and despair, would mobilize all their very great social power.
Carlisle vacillated at presenting such appalling facts to ladies, but Aunt Vespasia froze him with an icy stare.
'I am perfectly capable of looking at anything whatsoever that life has to afford,'' she said loftily, 'if there is some reason for it! I do not care for vulgarity, but if a problem is to be dealt with, then it must be understood. Kindly do not patronize me, Somerset!'
'I wouldn't dare!' he replied with a flash of humor. It was almost an apology, and she accepted it with grace.
'I hardly imagine it will be a pleasant subject,' she acknowledged. 'Nevertheless it must be done. Our facts must be correct-one grave error and we lose our case. I shall avail myself of all the help I can.' She turned in her chair. 'Emily, the best opinion to begin with is that of the people who have the most influence, and who will be the most offended by it.'
'The Church?' Emily suggested.
'Nonsense! Everyone expects the Church to make noises about sin. That is their job! Therefore no one really listens-it has no novelty whatsoever. What we need is a few of the
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best society hostesses, the ones people listen to and imitate, the leaders of fashion. That is where you will assist, Em-ily.'
Emily was delighted; her face shone with anticipation.
'And you, Charlotte,' Vespasia continued. 'You will acquire some of the information we shall need. You have a husband in the police force. Use him. Somerset, I shall speak to you again.' She rose from the armchair and went to the door. 'In the meanwhile, I trust you will do everything you can to look into the matter of this tutor Jerome and the possibility that there may be some other explanation. It is rather pressing.'
Pitt told Charlotte nothing about his interview with Athelstan, and so she was unaware that he had tried to reopen the case. But in any event, she had not imagined it would be possible once the verdict was in. If anything, she knew better than he did that those with influence would not permit the result to be questioned, now that the law had been met.
The next thing to do was to prepare for Callantha's party, when she might have the chance to speak with Fanny Swyn-ford. And if the occasion to speak to Titus did not offer itself gratuitously, she would then engineer some opportunity to speak with him also. At least Emily and Aunt Vespasia would be there to help her. And Aunt Vespasia was able to get away with almost any social
