splendid house.
Grenville invited me to supper, but I declined. 'I have many things to do this night,' I said. 'I must go to Louisa and tell her what has happened.'
'You are right. Mrs. Brandon should not suffer another minute.'
I hesitated. 'Tell Marianne about Mrs. Bennington. She deserves to know.'
'Claire does not know yet,' Grenville said, his eyes quiet. 'Her mother wrote me a few weeks ago, from Austria. She told me that she was very ill, dying, and that Claire was mine. I had not heard from Anna for twenty years, and now she will likely not last twenty days,' he finished sadly.
'And you believe her?'
'I do now. I asked Claire when she was born, and the dates correspond exactly with my time with Anna Baumgarten. She was an opera singer I met in Austria, when I was so very young. Our affair did not last long, and I never saw her again. I knew she'd left the stage, but no more than that. Anna never told me of Claire, and in her letter, she admitted she'd not been certain who'd sired Claire at the time. I believe that-Anna was older than me and obviously more experienced. Then, later, she feared I'd take Claire away from her. Not an illogical fear. I probably would have. I also got Claire to tell me that her mother had encouraged her to change her surname to Bennington, the better to please English audiences. Always astute, was Anna.'
'Not to throw cold water,' I said, 'but you are very rich, and your Anna could simply claim that you are Claire's father, so that someone wealthy would look after her.'
'I know.' Grenville gave me a smile. 'When one has a great deal of money, there are those who feel it is natural that you should share it with them. But Claire is mine, I am certain of it.'
'Are you sure you don't simply wish to be certain?'
'Of course I wish it. I admit that I was astonishingly pleased when I learned I had a daughter. Claire is beautiful and gifted, and she drives me to distraction. But I knew she was mine the moment I looked at her.' His smile blossomed to a grin. 'The poor woman has inherited the Grenville nose.'
Louisa was still awake when I arrived in Brook Street, but Lady Aline was not with her. Louisa explained, when she received me, that she had sent Lady Aline home.
'She has been very kind to me. But I wanted to be alone.' She sighed. 'It is difficult to keep up my spirits to please her.'
'You will not have to do so much longer,' I said.
We sat in her yellow room, a fire on the hearth chasing away the gloom of the night, while I told her about Bennington and his arrest. In the morning, I said, I would ask Sir Nathaniel officially to dismiss the murder charge against Brandon and let him come home.
'You did this for me,' Louisa whispered when I finished my tale. 'Why? Why are you so impossibly good to me, Gabriel?'
I took her hand, which was too cold, her fingers too thin. 'There have been times in my life when you were strong for me. I wanted to be strong for you, this once.'
'I have not been strong at all. You say he is truly innocent of this?'
'Your husband did not kill Henry Turner. I knew from the beginning that the crime was all wrong for him. Nor is Imogene Harper his lover.'
Louisa lifted her head. 'But she was. On the Peninsula, she was, however briefly.'
'I know. I'm sorry. I am not certain I will forgive him that.'
'I will.' When I looked surprised, Louisa said, 'Aloysius is my husband, Gabriel. We have weathered much together. We will weather this, too.'
'You love the idiot.'
'Yes. I always have.' She touched my cheek. 'And I love you too.'
'A fact that warms my heart.' I kissed her forehead then let her go. 'I hope that our friendship may weather all this as well.'
'It will. I will not be ungrateful and shun you simply because I am embarrassed.'
'Good.' I paused. The cheerful room had grown more cheerful still, and in a few moments, I would not be able to bear it. 'What did you do with the paper, Louisa?' I asked.
She stilled. 'Paper?'
'The one Brandon told you to fetch from the Gillises'.'
Her cheeks darkened. 'Must you know everything?'
'It is a dangerous document to have.'
'I know that. But the greatest danger Aloysius fears is from you.'
I held on to my temper. 'Does he truly believe I would betray him? After all this? Please give it to me, Louisa. Unless you have already destroyed it.'
She rose, agitated, and I rose with her. 'I have not. How did you know I had it?'
'Because there is no one else in the world Brandon would have entrusted it to. I toyed with the idea that he'd given it to Mrs. Harper, but she did not have it, which was why she went to search Turner's rooms. Brandon probably meant to hide it and fetch it the next day, never dreaming he'd be bound over for trial. He knew that he did not commit the murder, and he expected everyone else to take him at his word. You read French,' I finished. 'You must know what the document is.'
Louisa wouldn't look at me. 'Yes.'
'You went to see Brandon after I'd admonished you to, did you not?'
She finally met my gaze. 'I did. And he told me an extraordinary tale. He bared his soul to me. He must have been quite desperate to do that. Aloysius hates to appear weak, especially to a woman-most especially to his wife.'
'He craves your respect.'
'Yes, well, he told me where the paper was, told me to hide it, and begged me, for God's sake, not to give it to you.'
'I already know his secrets. Louisa, please, will you trust me and let me have it? No one in the world but you and I and he will know of it.'
She looked skeptical. 'What about Mrs. Harper?'
'Mrs. Harper should bless her luck that Brandon decided to help her at all. I will send word to her that it is all over and tell her to return to Scotland.'
'Good,' Louisa said. She was still pale, but her eyes began to sparkle with their usual fervor. 'I will forgive Aloysius, because he can be so easily led into mischief. But Mrs. Harper is another matter. She had no bloody business pinching my husband.'
I smiled. 'I am pleased to see that you will not simply be walked on.'
'Indeed no. I expect Aloysius to be quite kind to me for a very long time.' Louisa placed her hand on my arm. 'Thank you, Gabriel. Drink your coffee, and I will fetch the paper.'
An hour later found me at Newgate prison with the incriminating letter tucked into my pocket. The turnkey was reluctant to let me in at this late hour, but he was easily bribed.
I found Brandon still dressed, sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. He looked up when I was ushered in and sprang to his feet. 'What are you doing here?'
I waited until the turnkey shut the door, waited again until I heard his footsteps retreat.
'I came to tell you that you will soon be free,' I said. 'I found the man responsible for Henry Turner's death.'
Brandon stared at me in shock. 'But…'
'Had you convinced yourself I never would? Mr. Bennington was arrested this evening. I hoped you could be released at once, but magistrates do things in their own time.'
Brandon gaped at me as I told the story for the second time tonight, and when I finished, he began to splutter.
'The blackguard! Using my own knife, sitting by quietly as you please while I waited in here for my trial. Damn the man.'
'Would it help to know that he is terrified of what is to come?' I asked.
