Mr Scarletti's Ghost (20 page)

‘I am not a fool,' said her mother, ‘although you sometimes appear to think me one. The question was a test, was it not?'

‘It was,' Mina admitted, ‘but no medium who offers herself as genuine would object to that. Miss Eustace herself said she welcomed tests.'

‘I did not mean a test of Miss Eustace who is undoubtedly genuine, but a test of the spirit, to see whether it was Henry's or some imposter. And now I come to think of it, we have our confirmation.'

‘We do?' queried Mina.

‘Of course we do! Henry was unable to speak. His silence was the reply.'

In the face of her mother's air of triumph there was nothing Mina could say. She was left with the most profound regret that she had chosen to deliver Eliza's letter at the start of the afternoon, for had she left it until later she might very well not have delivered it at all.

M
ina hoped that by invoking a powerful devotion to prayer she could stave off any repeated attempts by Miss Eustace to turn her into a medium. If pressed she could always announce that the spirit of her father had appeared to her and warned her not to attempt it, as she was too frail for the work. Whether Miss Eustace would renew her campaign in the light of this unassailable supernatural authority Mina did not know, but she hoped that the lady would be perceptive enough to know when she was beaten.

The visit and its curious developments left Mina wondering why Miss Eustace had attempted to make her into a rival for her business, but she could only conclude that what the medium sought was not a rival but a partner, and had lighted on Mina because she thought that her deformity made her vulnerable. So many things, thought Mina, made people vulnerable to this kind of persuasion – grief, illness, loneliness, vanity, greed, boredom, failing mental faculties or the lure of undeserved fame, and who was there who had not suffered from or been guilty of at least one of these?

In the middle of her new concerns she was grateful for a visit from Richard, to whom she could unburden herself freely. He burst in with his usual energy and was discovered in the hallway inspecting a large oriental vase of indifferent attractions, usually employed as a receptacle for umbrellas, which had never excited his interest before. Their mother was out visiting, taking Simmons with her under the pretence that her biddable companion was really that more fashionable appendage, a ladies' maid, so Mina and her brother had the parlour to themselves. Mina regaled him at some length with accounts of the séances she had attended, her actions and observations, and the conclusions she had drawn, while Richard lounged at his ease, in a manner he would never have dared adopt in front of his mother, looking very comfortable and more amused than disturbed at recent events. His scheme to find a wealthy wife had not, he admitted, advanced since their last conversation. The ladies he had approached with protestations of love had had the temerity to compare notes, and discovered that he had addressed the identical words to them all. ‘I have no more widows in my sights and must turn to spinsters, or all is lost,' he said, ‘but there are few of that number who do not have a kind brother or watchful parents.'

‘I hope you will not think of wooing Miss Whinstone,' said Mina. ‘She has trimmed her old green dress and gilded her hair. Were you the cause of that?'

He shuddered. ‘Oh no, I need to have
some
affection for the lady I marry, and Miss Whinstone is quite beyond me, I am afraid, unless she becomes suddenly very much richer than she is, in which case I might be able to feel a little love for her. But what of Miss Eustace? You say she is young and charming, which promises well. Is she also wealthy?'

‘I know nothing of her means,' said Mina, ‘but I suspect that if she is not already wealthy then she soon will be. I have asked Mother how much she asks for a private séance but she refused to tell me.'

‘I see two courses of action,' said Richard, thoughtfully, ‘and they are not incompatible so both may be undertaken at once. The first is that I woo Miss Eustace and make her and her fortune mine, and then she will devote herself entirely to me and abandon her pretence of communing with the spirit world, and the second is that
you
take up the trade of raising ghosts, which will be far less danger to Mother than anything Miss Eustace can do.'

‘As to the first I believe you have at least one rival,' said Mina, ‘a Mr Clee, who since she converted him to her cause is rarely from her side; and I refuse to do the second.'

Richard took a case of cigars from his pocket but Mina gave him a warning look and he sighed and put it away again. ‘Oh, can't you be persuaded, Mina? I'm sure that with practice you could do it very well. It's a good business to get into, it's all the rage and it can only get better. Brighton is a big enough town to stand two mediums, or even more in the high season; why, there are dozens in London. If you start now you would make your name before everyone else sees the opportunity. Then when the notables and the fashionables come in you could name your price.'

‘I am glad that I know you are teasing me,' said Mina, maintaining her good humour, ‘or I would be very annoyed. It's a dishonest trade and I want no part of it.'

‘But everyone knows it's all trickery, don't they?' he said airily. ‘A little simple conjuring that wouldn't fool a baby unless it wanted to be.'

‘It preys upon the grief-stricken,' she reminded him.

‘And it makes them feel happier,' said Richard. ‘What can be wrong with that? Would you rather the widows of Brighton turned to drink?'

‘That is not the only alternative, and you know it,' said Mina severely. ‘Of all the places in the world there are few that can rival Brighton for variety of amusements and worthy causes to pursue.'

He lowered his head, then tilted it and gazed up at her coyly, like a schoolboy who had been caught stealing a bun. ‘You will be very angry with me, then.'

‘I am always angry with you; only the subject matter changes. What have you done now? I hope you have not come to ask Mother for more money?'

‘I only want to borrow twenty pounds,' he said, lightly.

‘I will
give
you twenty pounds if you tell me why you want it.'

His face brightened.

‘
And
if it does not involve gambling, fraud or immorality.'

His face fell.

‘Oh come, now, Richard, tell me everything.'

‘Must I?' he complained.

‘Yes, you must or I cannot save you if you come to grief.'

‘You can't blame me,' he protested, ‘it was you who suggested the idea.'

‘I did?'

‘Well, not exactly suggested, but it was all through you that I thought of it. You showed me the booklet about Mr Home, and I thought, well, here is a fine conjurer and no mistake; now, where can I find one like him and bring him on, so to speak.'

‘Are you encouraging someone to emulate Mr Home?' demanded Mina, appalled.

‘Oh not the stealing from old ladies,' said Richard, quickly, ‘I draw the line at that, but I have some friends who know all the secrets of sleight of hand, illusion, mechanical and optical contrivances and even the art of chemistry, and can dress them up into a magnificent display.'

‘I see,' said Mina, ‘so you are hoping to employ some conjurer to pretend to be a medium?'

‘That's more or less the idea, although the individual who I hope will become the star of the Brighton firmament is a lady – well, near enough a lady; at least she can act the part, I've seen her do it many a time.'

‘An actress?' said Mina, to whom this came as very little surprise.

‘Actress, singer, dancer, you name it, she will do it,' said Richard, enthusiastically. ‘Game for almost anything.'

‘Doubtless,' said Mina. ‘But why here in Brighton and not London?'

‘Ah well, you see, Mother asked Edward to keep an eye on me, keep me off the primrose path, so to speak, and unless he invents a better telescope he won't be able to do it without leaving the delightful Miss Hooper which I know he won't do. And Nellie – that's Nellie Gilden, and the most sporting girl you ever saw – is too well known to London audiences. Also – now, this is in the strictest confidence, you understand – for some years she has been the trusted assistant to the famous magician M. Baptiste who claims to have been a student of the renowned M. Houdin, professor of legerdemain and presenter of theatrical
soirées
fantastiques
. She knows all her master's secrets, but he, it has to be said, has not yet discovered the secret of being kind to his assistant so keeping her happy. So Nellie has been looking for another situation, but since M. Baptiste knows every conjurer in the business he would soon find her out if she took up with another man. When she told me her difficulty, I thought of the answer at once. Nellie Gilden of London, artiste and conjurer's assistant, is in the process of transforming herself into Miss Kate Foxton, spirit medium of Brighton.'

He took a card from his pocket and showed it to Mina. ‘There! Isn't she the loveliest girl?' It was a photographic portrait of a young woman with a pretty face, a voluptuous figure which the tightness of her costume served only to accentuate, and a great mass of lustrous hair which tumbled past her shoulders to frame a notable décolletage.

‘I can certainly see why you find her interesting,' said Mina. ‘And this is why you need the money, to set up your – friend with costumes and everything she needs to dupe people.'

‘It's only what she did before, on stage,' said Richard, reasonably. ‘And it will be the most wonderful entertainment! With all the tricks Nellie knows there won't be a soul who doesn't think they have had value for money.'

‘You make it sound almost honest,' said Mina dryly.

‘And respectable,' said Richard.

‘Oh I wouldn't go that far. So, what is your plan? I am sure you have one.'

‘Of course! I will arrange for lodgings and bring Nellie down here and then advertise her as the wonder of the world. The rest will follow.' He took the portrait, looked at it fondly, tucked it in his pocket, which he patted, and then leaned back again with a smile of supreme confidence.

‘And what are you going to tell Mother?' said Mina practically. ‘If you are living in Brighton she will want to see you often and know what you are doing.'

‘Oh, Mina dear, don't make it hard for me,' he sighed. ‘All I want to do is earn my living as Mother has always told me I must. She should be delighted that I am complying with her wishes at last. I am sure I will think of something to say.'

‘Well, assuming that you are successful we will either have to find some kind of plausible fiction that will not leave her mortified beyond endurance, or you will have to move on quickly to some more acceptable occupation. Whatever happens I do not think it wise that Nellie and Mother should ever meet.'

‘Nellie is really the best girl in the world;
you
should meet her, I hope you will.'

‘I mean to.' Mina had a new, more worrying thought. ‘I don't suppose you intend to marry her?'

He twisted his hands together and gazed at the floor, as his father used to do when admitting to an indiscretion. ‘No, that would be difficult.'

‘Difficult as well as unwise?' asked Mina.

‘Yes, because of M. Baptiste.'

‘He is hoping to marry her himself?' she ventured.

‘Not – precisely,' said Richard awkwardly.

‘He is her husband,' said Mina.

‘Well – yes – in a manner of speaking.'

‘What manner is that?' she demanded. ‘In the manner of holding hands and jumping over a log, or in the manner of going to church and having a wedding service and signing a marriage certificate?'

‘Er – the latter,' he admitted, ‘although it hardly counts,' he added quickly, ‘because he has not loved and honoured her as a husband should. But that is another reason I would rather he didn't discover where Nellie is. He has a very bad temper when crossed, and there is a trick he does with swords. It's really quite alarming, and Nellie says the swords are quite genuine and very sharp indeed.'

Mina shook her head despairingly. ‘Well, Richard, because I am so fond of you I shall reluctantly keep your secret, if only to preserve your life. But tell me, since Nellie is such an adept at the magical arts, if she were to attend one of Miss Eustace's séances would she be able to see how her tricks are done?'

‘Oh, undoubtedly,' said Richard with a laugh, ‘and then do them better herself!'

‘Splendid,' said Mina, ‘then I am more than ever eager to make her acquaintance.'

‘Oh, but you misunderstand my meaning,' said Richard. ‘She will of course know the secrets and be able to demonstrate them, but unless you are of the magical trade yourself, she will not impart them to another living soul. What if all magicians were to go about revealing each other's secrets? There would be quarrels and murder done, and business would collapse, and all would be chaos.'

‘Well, how interesting,' said Mina, surmising that the world of the theatre was a topsy-turvy place with its own laws and morality quite foreign to what was expected in the parlours of Brighton. Despite this setback she thought Nellie Gilden might yet prove useful, if she could win her confidence.

‘I don't suppose you could make that twenty-five pounds?' asked Richard.