retary.' He went to the door, then turned. 'When we've dealt with this case, Pitt, you're overdue for promotion. I'll see that you get it; you have my word. I'd do it now, but I need you on the street until this is finished. You more than deserve it, and it will mean a considerable raise in salary.' And with that he went out of the door and closed it, leaving Pitt standing by the fire, surprised and confused.
Drummond was right, promotion was long overdue; he had forfeited it previously by his attitude towards his superiors, by insubordination not by his acts but by his manner. It would be good to have his skills recognized, to have more command, more authority. And more money would mean so much to Charlotte, less scrimping on clothes, a few luxuries for the table, a trip to the country or the sea, maybe in time even a holiday abroad. One day she might even see Paris.
But of course it would mean working behind a desk instead of on the street. He would detail other men to go out and question people, weigh the value of answers, watch faces; someone else would have the dreadful task of telling the bereaved, of examining the dead, of making the arrests. He would merely direct, make decisions, give advice, direct the investigations.
He would not like it-at times he would hate it, hate being removed from the reality of the passion and the horror and the pity of street work. His men would hear the facts and return to him; he would no longer be aware of the flesh and the spirit, the people.
But then he thought of Charlotte with Emily's unopened letter in her pinafore pocket, waiting until he had gone because she did not want him to see her face when she read about Venice and Rome, about the glamor and romance of wherever Emily was now.
He would accept the promotion-of course he would. He must.
But first they must catch the Westminster Cutthroat, as the newspapers were calling him.
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Could it possibly be James Carfax? Pitt could not see in that handsome, charming, rather shallow face the ruthless-ness necessary to kill three people, one after the other, merely to gain his wife's inheritance, no matter how much he wanted it.
What about Helen? Did she love her husband enough, want to keep him enough to commit such crimes, first for him, then to protect herself? Or him?
He spent all day pursuing finances. First he found the record of the sale of Helen Carfax's painting, then he traced further back to see if she had sold other things and found that she had-small sketches, trinkets, a carving or two-before she'd sold the painting whose absence he had noticed. There was no way of proving what she had used the money for without searching her own personal accounts, and possibly not then. It could have been for gowns and perfumes, to make herself more attractive to a wandering husband, or for jewelry, or perhaps for medical expenses, or presents for James or even for someone else. Or maybe she gambled- some women did.
He reached home a little after six, tired and dispirited. It was not only the difficulty of the case, it was the thought of promotion, of guiding other men rather than doing the work himself. But he must never let Charlotte know his feelings or it would rob her of any pleasure in the rewards it would bring. He must disguise his feeling of loss.
She was in the kitchen finishing the children's tea and preparing his. The whole room was warm, softly glowing from the gas lamps on the wall as the light faded in the sky outside. The wooden table was scrubbed clean and there was a smell of soap and hot bread'and some kind of fragrant steam he could not place.
He went to her without speaking and took her in his arms, holding her closely, kissing her, ignoring her wet hands and
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the flour on her apron. And after her first surprise she responded warmly, even passionately.
He got it over with straightaway, before he had time to think or regret.
'I'm to be promoted! Drummond said as soon as this case is finished. It will mean far more money, and influence, and position!'
She held him even harder, burying her face against his shoulder. 'Thomas, that's wonderful! You deserve it-you've deserved it for ages! Will you still be out working on cases?''
'No.'
'Then you'll be safer too!'
