“Good heavens,” said Robert. “Is that common?”
“That the police cannot solve a crime? It’s beyond common, sir. It is, in fact, the norm.”
Theodore drooped, and he almost felt the energy whistle out of Robert as he too sagged in disappointment.
Twelve
Adelia had intended on going shopping for a few last-minute gifts for people, but she found herself delayed by a succession of tedious little tasks and she was only just stepping out of the door when she was surprised by the return of Robert and Theodore. Both of them looked grumpy and there was a certain tension around Theodore’s eyes that concerned her. Robert greeted her tersely and stamped off. She remained in the hallway, pulling on her gloves, and asked Theodore what the matter was.
“How was the gallery?”
He huffed. “We did not make it that far. We were unwitting dupes in a train robbery and it has unsettled the pair of us, I think. And yet ...” His expression softened. “Maybe it is not all bad. Listen.” He outlined the events and she was horrified at what she heard.
“How can you say that it wasn’t all bad?” she cried when he had finished.
“It shows us a little more of the ways in which Digby Nettles might have worked,” he explained. “The train guards are so evidently easy to corrupt.”
“And servants too,” she said. “I have been talking with Smith and learning some new and terrible things about betrayal and duplicity.” She dropped her voice and glanced around but they appeared to be alone in the chilly entrance hall. “We really are quite safe in our isolated little circle of family and friends and this has blinded us to the truly shocking and sordid ways of the world. Indeed, old Patrick Lassiter perhaps does have reason for his concern, as he knows the criminal underworld far more deeply than we do. Still, I think we both agree that ignorance is not bliss. Indeed, an ignorance of crime and criminal ways is dangerous, is it not?”
“I agree,” said Theodore. “Though I would not willingly expose you to danger. Dangers threaten you both physically and ...”
“It is only by knowing the dangers that I can remain safe and avoid them,” she told him.
He reached out and took her hand. She looked at him with curiosity. “What?” she asked when he did not speak. “What danger are you about to expose me to now?”
He half-smiled. “Well, though it is dark, an hour or two of the working day remains, and I wondered if you might accompany me on another mission?”
“I was going to go shopping.”
“Will it wait? Robert and I came past Nettles’ house and there was a carriage outside with a familiar livery on the door. I believe the executors of the estate are there, and I should dearly love to discover who has benefited from his will.”
“That’s a good idea, but why do you need me? They will not speak freely in front of me, I am sure.” She knew that when men in dark sober suits gathered in their professional capacity, the chances of open speech in front of a well-bred lady were slim.
“While I speak to the solicitors, I thought you might speak once more to the servants.”
She tried not to let a wince show on her face. “It ended badly last time,” she said. “You will have to give me some money. This time, I shall not hesitate. I’ll bribe them right from the start. And that is supposing any of them remain, which I doubt.”
“Good heavens,” he said, smiling as he handed over a large quantity of coins. “Just listen to us! London has corrupted us more easily than I ever expected.”
“Yes,” she said slowly, tucking the money away. “But I don’t feel as if I am much different. I suppose this is what everyone worries about; the ease with which one can fall, and not notice the descent at all. Until one hits the ground.”
ALL THE SERVANTS HAD been dismissed except one, just as she had predicted. While Theodore slid into the parlour, his welcome eased by his title, and dropped a few names to further fix his place in their confidence, Adelia walked down to the kitchens and found the area to be a strangely silent place.
The atmosphere was even more desolate than a kitchen at night. Perhaps it was because the fires and ovens had not been lit for many days, and the air was both cold and damp. She called out, her wavering voice echoing off the copper-bottomed pans that hung on the brick walls, and shivered. Death had happened in this house, she remembered.
A woman’s voice called back, and footsteps approached. A door slammed. Each disembodied noise made Adelia feel even more uneasy. Perhaps she had been unwise to learn quite so much about the crime and corruption of the city; perhaps ignorance would have been bliss. She was becoming rather strung out by the time that a young maidservant burst into the room. She was a cheerful looking woman with pale skin and frizzy orange hair, and an accent with the faintest of Scottish trills in it. “My word, my lady, whatever are you doing? Are you lost?”
“I am Lady Calaway. I don’t recall seeing you when I called here previously. Where is everyone? I met a housekeeper here, and a maid called Janey.”
“Janey’s gone, and so has Mrs Ball the housekeeper. They’ve all gone. I’m the only one left. I was the upper housemaid but I don’t know what I am now!” She laughed merrily. “I suppose once the men up there
