Jane Austen Mysteries 10 Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron (37 page)

"George Hanger certainly knows of it," I said grimly.

"But so, too, might Lord Moira, or Colonel McMahon--he has served the Prince for years, and as a trusted secretary, must be intimate with every corner of the Pavilion. A lifelong friend such as the Countess of Bessborough--Lady Caroline's mother--who has been staying here forever, might well have glimpsed it. And then there are the servants--particularly the footmen charged with fetching the wine. For a fellow of the Regent's appetites, and his vast generosity as a host, there cannot be too constant a replenishment of the wine stores. I should imagine those shelves are emptied once a month, at the very least--however immense the wine cellars may prove--and that in the course of stacking new bottles, the panel has been shifted."

"Very well, Henry," I said dubiously, "you have succeeded in turning me from the idea of exclusivity. The tunnel alone cannot
entirely
narrow our hunt for the murderer. But do admit that it goes a long way. We may
suggest
how Catherine Twining's body was conveyed into the Arms, despite its doors being barred; and we may
suggest
, as well, that an intimate of the Pavilion--whether servant or guest--was vital to that body's conveyance. Surely you will not quarrel with me
there
?"

Henry considered of my logic for a moment. "I fear I cannot, Jane. But what is to be done?"

"You," I said firmly, "must pay a call upon the magistrate--Sir Harding Cross--and inform him of what you know. From what I have observed of the gentleman, he is likely to take the word of a reputable banker--and an intimate of the Earl of Swithin--far more seriously than he should a mere spinster Jane Austen."

Henry sighed. "There are moments when I find myself wishing for a solitary ramble along the Cobb at Lyme, Jane, as balm to a widower's grief. Whatever made you so mad for Brighton this Season?"

22
In Austen's day, prostitutes strolled through the crowds of theatergoers during intermission at Covent Garden, plying their trade
.--Editor's note
.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Ode to a Drowned Girl

T
HURSDAY
, 13 M
AY
1813
B
RIGHTON, CONT
.

T
HE RAIN HAD TAPERED TO A MIZZLE BY THE TIME WE
quitted the King's Arms. Henry and I were agreed upon the necessity of paying a call at No. 21, Marine Parade--he to solicit an introduction to Sir Harding Cross from the Earl of Swithin, and I to beg Desdemona for her intercession that evening with Brighton's Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Forth. We hastened along the damp paving beneath Henry's fortuitous umbrella, and were gratified in discovering the Swithins at home.

It was a fine family party that presented itself to our eyes: the Earl in his book room, surrounded by mellow bindings of calf, and a good fire against the chill; Desdemona at her tambour work, with her children--a son of five, and a daughter of seven--playing at spillikins on the drawing-room rug. Lady Oxford was seated at a writing desk, embarked on correspondence; and I was sorry to see all five rise up, and set aside their several pursuits, at our unexpected arrival. The children, indeed, were swept away by their nurse for hot milk and bread in their quarters; and I should imagine them fulminating darkly at the tiresomeness of unwanted callers, on a rainy afternoon.

Desdemona, however, was charming; declared that Henry and I had saved them all from insufferable boredom; and confided, in a whisper, as Lady Oxford tidied her writing things, that her friend had been longing to see me--had sent round to the Castle begging for just such a visit, only to discover we were gone out.

"Such an adventure as we have had!" Henry declared, as the Earl offered him a glass of sherry. "But Jane had better relate the whole; it is her story, in truth."

In as brief a fashion as possible, I related the particulars of the Regent's tunnel, to the astonished exclamations of the other three.

"I cannot pretend to shock," Lady Oxford declared, "for Prinny was always very wild as a boy. Maria Fitzherbert did a great deal to settle him, I believe--but of course, I was the merest
child
when that alliance was established."

"But you apprehend what this signifies," Swithin said with a troubled look. "If the Regent's undergroom last saw the girl alive, and her body was carried to the Arms through the Regent's tunnel ..."

"It would appear more than likely that somebody at the Pavilion killed her," I concluded baldly. "Henry and I have been canvassing the same point. While there are some, wholly unconnected with the place, who may have
known
of the tunnel's existence--"

"The man Tolliver!" Desdemona broke in excitedly.

"--it must be extraordinary for murder to be done at such an hour, and the Regent's wine cellar penetrated, by a total stranger."

"As is true of Miss Twining, a stranger should have been remarked," the Earl agreed. "What do you intend to do with your dangerous information, Henry?"

"Set it before the magistrate, of course!"

"Are you sure that is wise?"

"What has wisdom to do with it, when a murderer is to be found?"

Swithin merely shrugged, his gaze drifting quizzically to his wife's. "You are correct, naturally. But I fear a frontal assault upon the Law may achieve more harm than good."

"I cannot very well suppress the intelligence," Henry said in perplexity.

"As you say." Swithin bowed. "You are acquainted with Sir Harding Cross?"

My brother flushed. "I regret that I have not that pleasure."

"Then I shall carry you off to Raggett's Club. Old HardCross is certain to be established at the betting tables of a rainy afternoon, and I have a yearning to play at whist myself--the boredom of a grey sky in Brighton being insupportable."

"You are very good," Henry said haltingly. An impression of the Earl's vast condescension, in lending his name to an effort he found both unwise and distasteful, had clearly struck my insouciant brother. But not even Swithin was immune to gratitude; he unbent enough to clap Henry on the back.

"Do not neglect to throw me a line," he murmured as the two quitted the drawing-room for the front hall, "should you sink up to your neck in this."

"N
OW
, M
ISS
A
USTEN
," M
ONA BEGAN WITH A FORMALITY
I must believe was due to the oddity of having
two
Janes in the room--"tell us what
else
you have learnt from your researches."

What ought I to disclose?--That Scrope Davies, upon whose friendship Byron had
always
presumed, was in love with the object of Byron's obsession--and might at last have grown tired of sacrificing for his friend? That General Twining was a brutal husband and a jealous father? Two such Fashionables as the Countess of Swithin and the Countess of Oxford might enjoy turning over the sad misfortunes of the late Lydia Montescue--might even, indeed, have been acquainted with the lady in her youth--but I lacked sufficient time to indulge in a comfortable coze of gossip.

I settled on the one fact sure to afford Lady Oxford some comfort: "It is now quite certain that the doors of the King's Arms were barred against all comers, once Lord Byron had quitted the place about half-past one o'clock on Tuesday morning. According to the publican Tolliver's own information, nobody--including his lordship--could have reentered the place before five o'clock that morning."

"And Davies shall certainly swear that George was asleep at the hour, breakfasting by seven, and mounted for London by eight," Lady Oxford mused absently. I noted that she did not say whether she
believed
these things, or that they were indisputable facts; merely that Davies should swear to them.

"But, Lady Swithin," I said briskly, "having penetrated so much of the King's Arms--I should like to know more of Catherine's enjoyment of the Assembly. I mean to approach the Master of Ceremonies, and learn whether he observed her dancing partners."

"There is nothing Mr. Forth does not observe, my dear--or comment upon, should the spirit move him. A most
fastidious
and
exacting
fellow, hideously high in the instep--which comes, of course, from a dearth of breeding. Only those unaccustomed to the most excellent Society from birth, should chuse to ape its snobbery rather than its easiness."

If I winced inwardly for poor Mr. Forth's sake, I did not betray it. "I
had heard
that he should not look with favour on a lady in mourning attending tonight's Assembly," I said calmly, "but I should like to brave Mr. Forth's displeasure--with your support, of course. Would you consent to carry me into the Old Ship, Lady Swithin, in defiance of all propriety, and make me known to the redoubtable Master?"

"With pleasure," she answered, a glint in her eye.

"And with so notorious a lady as the Countess of Oxford on your
other
arm," her friend interjected, "our dear Miss Austen is unlikely to arouse comment."

"Exactly!" Mona cried in gay amusement; but I do not think Lady Oxford meant it for a joke. There was a bleakness to her looks that suggested some dire reckoning had commenced in her brain and heart. I wondered very much how the previous night's dinner had gone off--whether his lordship had indeed put in his promised appearance, and how the lovers had met or parted--but could not find the courage to enquire. Even
my
boldness must find its limit.

Lady Swithin sprang to her feet. "I must pay a visit to the nursery, for a report on little Charles's cold; and then I believe I shall recruit my strength with a nap in my boudoir, before dressing for dinner. Miss Austen, I shall not bore you with a tedious dinner when your day has already been so full of incident--but if you and your brother would be good enough to join us for coffee, we may then set out in a grand complement to the Old Ship. Shall we say--nine o'clock?"

I gratefully accepted the Countess's invitation, as well as her dispensation from the necessity of dining--for one so stricken in years as myself, a period of repose is
vital
before any attendance at a ball--and gathered my reticule in preparation for leaving. But as I rose from my chair, Lady Oxford astonished me by saying, "I should be grateful, Miss Austen, if you might spare me the benefit of your excellent understanding a few moments--if there is no other claim upon your time, naturally."