His behaviour was inexplicable. But she dared not disturb him to satisfy her curiosity. He had laid it down as a rule of their marriage that she never went to him. He came to her if and when it pleased him to do so.
After supper, she returned to her sitting room and had the candles lighted and the curtains drawn. She had not been there long when she heard the familiar dragging step on the stairs. Her husband entered the room, leaning on his stick. His face was grey and seemed thinner than usual. The skin hung from his jowls like folds of stained and wrinkled canvas.
‘Why, there you are, sir.’ She rose and turned his chair towards him, so it would be easier for him to reach it. ‘I had almost given up hope of you.’
He gave her the briefest of bows and sank down heavily in the chair.
‘You have not had any supper. Are you unwell?’
He waved away the question with his hand. ‘Yes, I suppose I must peck at something, if only a trifle. I have sent Ben out for a mutton chop or two, and a slice of that pigeon pie we had last night, if there’s any left. I cannot face anything else.’
‘My dear sir, you’re not yourself.’
He grunted. ‘I have received intelligence this evening that quite removed my appetite. I would not have believed it possible. Soresby of all people.’
‘What has happened to him?’
‘It is more a case of what he has done, ma’am. I had Richardson come to me an hour or two ago – oh, he was looking very glum but you could see the glee in his eyes. It appears that Soresby has stolen a valuable book from the library.’
‘Stolen? Not borrowed?’
‘One does not borrow a book by breaking into the cupboard where it is locked away, sneaking off with it and concealing it in one’s mattress. No, there’s no doubt. Soresby denies it, naturally, but the evidence against him is incontrovertible. He must have intended to sell the book, for I’m told it would fetch a few guineas in London. And God knows he must be in want of money. Sizars always are.’
‘But surely, with the promise of the Rosington -?’
‘Ah, but that does not become vacant for more than six months. Besides, he could not expect to enter directly into the fellowship in any case. In fact he would find it hard to borrow on the strength of the offer because he has not even taken his degree yet. Still, it is strange – he should have come to me, I would have advanced him the money if necessary. I can only hypothesize that the fool had a brainstorm and was seized by a desperate impulse. And after I had given him such a mark of favour, too.’
Elinor shifted in her chair so the glare of the candles was not on her face. ‘What will you do? Can the matter be dealt with quietly?’
Carbury shook his head. ‘It gives Richardson the perfect opportunity to have his revenge on me. I imagine the news is already halfway around Cambridge – he will have made sure of that. Had it rested on his word alone, it would have been easier. But unfortunately the theft was discovered by Mr Archdale. Soresby had left a penknife at the scene, and it was Mr Archdale himself who recognized it as Soresby’s. And then who should chance to come by but Mr Holdsworth.’
‘Mr Holdsworth!’
He looked sharply at her. ‘I thought you saw him this afternoon. You knew he was in college.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Elinor recovered herself quickly, hoping her colour had not risen. ‘It was merely that I had not expected that Mr Richardson would be so indiscreet as to recruit the services of an outsider.’
The doctor gave her a quick nod. ‘You have a point, madam. Mr Richardson did not act wisely. Nevertheless, knowing that Mr Holdsworth has a special knowledge of our library and a knowledge of the book trade in general, he asked for his assistance. Mr Holdsworth was actually there when Richardson found the book in Soresby’s mattress. Which means, of course, that Lady Anne must know the full history of the affair in a day or two. Oh, Dirty Dick is as cunning as a barrowload of monkeys.’
‘And Mr Soresby? Will he be prosecuted?’
‘No, I hope to prevent that at least. It can serve no useful purpose. Even Richardson must see the harmful effect it would have on the college as a whole.’
‘So you will merely send him down?’
He twisted in the chair so he could look fully at her. ‘I – I have not yet decided the best course of action.’
Elinor stared at him. ‘But surely he must go? He cannot be allowed to take his degree.’
Dr Carbury said nothing. He scratched his forehead under the line of his wig with a long yellow dog’s claw of a fingernail.
Ben came into the room. ‘The chops is below, your honour. Would you like them downstairs or up here on a tray?’
35
When morning chapel was over, the congregation streamed through the west door, eager for breakfast and, in the case of late risers, to finish dressing. Harry Archdale hung back, sheltering under the arcade. Huddled in their gowns, the fellows and undergraduates of Jerusalem flowed round him. Umbrellas bobbed over the rain-slicked cobbles of the court. Gradually the stream of the congregation diminished to a trickle.
At last the tall figure of Tobias Soresby appeared in the chapel doorway.
‘Soresby? Have you a moment?’
The sizar avoided looking at Archdale. ‘I regret – I am pressed for time -’
‘You needn’t worry,’ Archdale said kindly. ‘I shan’t keep you long.’ He hesitated, his assurance dropping away from him. ‘How are you?’
Soresby tried to sidle past. ‘Very well, thank you.’
Archdale moved a pace to his left, blocking Soresby’s escape. ‘Was it you?’ he burst out.
For the first time Soresby looked directly at him. The sizar’s face was pale, his eyelids were red and swollen. ‘No,’ he said. ‘But what does that matter now?’
‘I daresay it will come right in the end,’ Archdale said.
Soresby shook his head. He tugged at his fingers as if trying to pull them off. A joint popped.
‘I am sure it will look very different in a day or two. Upon my word it will.’
‘Everyone knows.’
‘What?’
‘Everyone knows,’ Soresby repeated. ‘They’re all looking at me. They’re whispering about me.’
‘Nonsense. If I were in your shoes, I’d carry on as usual. Shall you go to Ricky’s lecture this morning? Or the library?’
‘Neither.’
‘Ah. I must go to the library at least. I wish to consult Maclaurin, and also Mr Dow’s little book on Euclid. If you change your mind, perhaps you -’
‘I have borrowed the Dow, Mr Archdale,’ Soresby said. ‘I have it in my chamber – I’ll return it. I’m sorry to inconvenience you in -’
‘Oh nonsense. You do not inconvenience me in the slightest. Listen, Soresby, even if it goes against you here, there must be many other means of employment for a man of your parts.’
‘It is easy for you to say that, Mr Archdale.’
‘Yes it is, but you must listen to me even so, for it’s no more than the truth. You must let me stand your friend, do you hear? I shall speak to my uncle, Sir Charles, and see if something can be done. You must not despair.’
‘You are too good, Mr Archdale,’ Soresby said, his eyes on the ground. Another joint popped. ‘And you are in the right of it – I must not despair.’ He bowed, a quick, nervous movement like a chicken pecking. ‘Much obliged, Mr Archdale, much obliged.’
Mulgrave had loosened his stock so it would not chafe his neck so badly. The two weals, one on the neck and one on the cheek, had darkened in colour overnight, and acquired a livid tinge. But he wore clean linen and had even shaved himself. The model of respectful sobriety, he stood before Holdsworth with his head slightly bowed.
