Take No Farewell - Retail (45 page)

The mews was empty and silent, stray slashes of rain visible in the haloes of the gas-lamps. I reached the door of number forty-nine and fumbled beneath my raincoat for the key. As I did so, I was aware of a movement in the darkness behind me, a detachment of one shadow from the rest. Too preoccupied to feel any alarm, I turned towards it. And found Rodrigo towering at my shoulder, bareheaded and black-clad, his breath steaming in the chill damp air. Instinctively, I shrank back, but too late to evade his grasp. He closed one hand about my wrist like a manacle.

‘Staddon!’ There was the same quality of stress for both syllables that I remembered, the same hissed note of menace and loathing.

‘What … What do you want?’

‘You, Staddon. I want you. We must talk. Now.’ He glanced around. ‘You live alone here?’

‘Yes, but—’

‘We will go in.’ His hold tightened. ‘
Agora memo!
’ He was standing between me and the nearest lamp. In my face
trepidation
must have been clear to see. In his there was only the shadowy hint of a smile. ‘You have nothing to fear, Staddon. I will not hurt you.’

‘All right.’ I lifted his hand from my wrist, gazed at him for a moment to satisfy myself that there really was nothing to fear, then nodded and turned away to open the door.

He followed me up the narrow stairs to the sitting-room and stood on the threshold while I went ahead to switch on the lamps. When he finally stepped forward into the light, I nearly gasped with shock at the change three weeks had wrought in him. There was more grey in his face and hair, less flesh on his enormous frame. His eyes were red, sunk in sockets so dark that they could have been bruised, his shoulders hunched as if to support for a little longer yet the crumbling roof of his world.

‘I have been to the court today,’ he said wearily.

‘You were at the Old Bailey?’

‘Yes. I paid a …
um marinheiro
… ten pounds for his place in the line.’

‘Consuela was upset today. Was that because she saw you?’

‘How do you know she was upset? You were not there.’

‘A friend of mine was, though. He’s been every day. He said she was disturbed by something or someone in the public gallery.’

Rodrigo nodded. ‘It was me. She sent a message asking me not to go. Did she send you a message also?’

‘Yes.’

He nodded again. ‘I could not stay away. It was too much to ask. Even for Consuelinha. But now … I wish I had not gone.’

‘Why?’

‘Because—’ Suddenly, he clapped his hand to his brow and squeezed his eyes shut. Then, as if a wave of acute physical pain had been held at bay, he slowly lowered his hand to his side and looked at me again. ‘They will hang her, Staddon. They will hang my sister.’

‘Not necessarily. There’s still—’

‘They will hang her, I say!’ Some portion of the old strength and certainty was restored to his voice. ‘Do not treat me like a child! I was
there
. I saw. I heard. And I know that they mean to hang her. That is why I am here. That is the only reason why I do not—’ Venom flashed into his gaze, then was snuffed out. ‘Listen to me, Staddon. Listen to me carefully. The trial will be over soon. They will sentence Consuela to death. Nothing will stop them. Unless …’

‘Unless what?’

‘You must help me. You must help me to save her.’ He was speaking almost through gritted teeth, speaking words at which his massive pride rebelled. But, for once, his pride was not his master.

‘I would do anything. If there was anything I could do.’

‘Why did you burn the plans of Clouds Frome?’

‘For the reason you gave yourself.’ Our differences seemed drowned now, our recriminations swamped by one compelling allegiance. ‘To help me forget Consuela.’

‘I need them, Staddon. I need the plans that are in your head.’

‘Why?’

‘To learn who tried to kill Victor Caswell. Somebody tried to murder him. Someone who will let them hang Consuela. We must find out who they are. Now.
Imediatamente
. We cannot delay.’

‘I don’t understand. Why would it help to know the layout of Clouds Frome?’

‘Because there is a safe hidden in one of the rooms. Behind a false wall, in a … an alcove, blocked up, so that it does not seem to be there. And, in it, there is a safe. And in the safe,
um testamento
.’

‘A will?’

‘Yes. Victor’s. The will that names his heir.’

‘Surely Consuela—’

‘No! Not Consuela. Not even Jacinta. Another. Somebody else. Do you not understand? It has to be somebody
else.
It is they who tried to kill him. That is why they tried to kill him. For his money. His land.
A sua fortuna
. He made a will after Jacinta was born, a new will. Why would he do that?’

‘Well, to provide for his daughter, I suppo—’

‘Your daughter, Staddon! That is what I think. Jacinta is your child, not Victor’s. That is why he hates Consuela. That is why Jacinta means nothing to him. That is why he made the will and hid it and told nobody what was in it.’

I turned away. ‘Jacinta
may
be my daughter. I cannot—’

Suddenly, he was at my shoulder, swinging me round to face him. ‘I do not care any more! Once I would have killed you for this. Now Consuela matters more. Only her. Not you. Only what you can do to help me save her.’

‘But what can I do?’

‘Find where the safe is hidden.’

‘How do you know there is a safe? How do you know there’s a will, for that—’

‘I bribed his valet! Gleasure.
Um viboro traiçoeiro
. I almost pity Victor for having such a man close to him. Yet I rejoice that he does. From Gleasure I learned that Victor made a new will in nineteen twelve, one month after Jacinta’s birth. Consuela knew nothing about it. Gleasure was told that she must never know about it. Victor’s …
tabeliao …
Quarton, he drew it up and took it to Clouds Frome for Victor to sign. Quarton and Gleasure were the witnesses.’

‘Does Gleasure know what’s in it?’

‘No. There was a … paper … over the will when he signed it as a witness, so that he could not read it. Why would that be, I ask, unless I am right? It was put in the safe. And there it has been ever since.’

‘Well, perhaps so, but I may as well tell you now that I installed no false walls at Clouds Frome. There was—’

‘Not you, Staddon! It was done after you finished the house. Gleasure told me that Victor had the safe put in and the wall built to hide it the winter after they went to live at Clouds Frome. That is why I need you. To tell me which wall
is
the false one. To me, there is no difference. But, to you,
o arquitecto
…’

He was right. I – and only I – would be able to identify the alteration at once. He had wanted the plans in order to deduce its location for himself. In their absence, he had been driven at last to ask for my help. ‘What exactly are you suggesting we do, Rodrigo?’

‘Find the safe. Open it. Look at the will. Then we will know who the murderer is.’

‘But how? I’m no cracksman. Nor, I suspect, are you.’

‘
Cracksman?
What is this?’

‘I mean that neither of us is capable of opening a safe without knowing the combination. Locating it would be pointless unless—’

‘I have the combination!’ He smiled. ‘You understand now? If you can find it, I can open it. Gleasure told me how.’

‘Gleasure? How would he know? Surely Victor wouldn’t entrust—’

‘Victor thought he was dying! He thought the poison was going to kill him! So, that night, ninth of September, he told Gleasure how to work out the combination. He wanted to be sure the safe could be opened after his death. He wanted to be sure the will would be found. He was …
delirante …
raving. By the morning, he had forgotten even saying it. But Gleasure remembered. For a little money, he was willing to tell me.’

‘He’s taking a big risk. If Victor ever finds out he’s betrayed him …’

‘No, no. Gleasure thinks there is no risk at all. He thinks I cannot find the safe. He would not tell me where it is, though I offered him much money, very much money. He thinks the combination will be no use to me. That is why he was willing to sell it. But he is wrong. Together, Staddon, we can prove he is wrong.’

‘How? Victor’s turned Clouds Frome into a fortress. If you’ve seen what he’s done, you’ll know there’s no way we can get inside.’

‘I
have
seen. The walls. The locks. The dog. I have seen them all.’

‘Well then?’

He stepped closer. ‘Jacinta trusts you. She will do what you tell her to do. You could tell her to open a window, the window of her bedroom, perhaps. At night, when everybody is asleep. Then we could enter without anyone except Jacinta knowing.’

‘It wouldn’t work. How could we scale the wall – or get past the dog?’

‘
O muro? O cão?
You are frightened of such things?’

‘I’m frightened we’d fail. How would that help Consuela?’

Rodrigo’s eyes flashed with anger. He grabbed at the collar of my coat. Then, even as he grasped it, he relaxed his hold.

‘I will get us over the wall. And I will deal with any dog that shows its teeth at us.’

‘It still wouldn’t work. Jacinta’s a virtual prisoner. I’m not allowed to visit her. I’m not even allowed to write—’

As I hesitated, Rodrigo nodded.
‘Now
you understand. Hermione Caswell. She is the answer.’

‘How did you—’

‘She testified in court today. I listened to her. I decided she was one I could trust. I have just come from her. She told me about the letters she has passed between you and Jacinta. She told me she could pass another letter when she returns to Hereford tomorrow. Victor will stay in London with his brother. Half his servants are here as well. So, it is quiet at Clouds Frome. It is the perfect time for two burglars to go to work.’

‘Burglars?’

‘Yes, Staddon.
Dois arrombadores
. You and I, together.’

‘You really mean this? You really think this will save Consuela?’

‘There is no other way.’

And Hermione’s willing to help us?’

‘She agrees with me. There is no other way.’

‘But, for God’s sake—’

‘I cannot go alone. If I could, I would. I would
prefer
to. You know that, I think. And why.’

‘The risks would be appalling.’

‘The risks will be for Consuela. My sister. The mother of your child.’

I stared at him and he at me. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that drew us together but this one mad strand of hope. Victor’s will might hold the key to Consuela’s freedom, to her very life. Or it might not. But, either way, trying to find it was better than doing nothing, better by far than watching helplessly while fate pursued its course. ‘Very well,’ I murmured. ‘I’ll help you.’

Chapter Fifteen

Thackeray Hotel,

Great Russell Street,

London WC1.

19th January 1924

My Dear Jacinta,

I am writing to you from the hotel where your Aunt Hermione is staying. She is with me now, as is your Uncle Rodrigo. Hermione is returning to Hereford tomorrow and will call to see you at Clouds Frome on Monday, when she will try to deliver this letter to you. It is very important for your mother’s sake that nobody except we four know what is in this letter or that you have received it. Therefore, after reading it, please tear it up and burn it. Nobody at Clouds Frome – especially Miss Roebuck – must know anything about it.

Your mother’s trial is nearly over. Hermione has been here to testify in her defence. She, Rodrigo and I believe your mother is innocent, but your father, your Uncle Mortimer and Aunt Marjorie believe she is guilty. I am telling you this so you will know who to trust and who not to trust. We are trying to save your mother. The others are not.

When we last met, I told you I was trying to help your mother in every way I could. I still am. But it may not be enough. That is why I am writing this letter to you, Jacinta, because the time has come to ask you to do something to help your mother, something difficult and dangerous, but something I know you are capable of doing.

All doors and windows at Clouds Frome are closed and locked at night. We know this. But Rodrigo and I need to enter the house by night. I am not going to tell you why. It will be safer if you do not know. But it is necessary – it is absolutely vital – if we are to save your mother. Therefore, on Tuesday night, I want you to open a window so that we can climb in.

This is what I want you to do. Go to bed as usual, but do not go to sleep. Wait until the house is completely quiet. Then leave your room (Hermione has told me where it is) and go into the old nursery. Open the Catherine wheel window. Then go back to bed. If you hear anything after that, do not react in any way. Whatever happens, pretend you are asleep.

We will come between one and two in the morning, so the window must be open by one at the latest. If that is not possible, or there is some reason why you cannot do as I ask, try to let Hermione know. But do not take any risks. We can probably wait until Wednesday night if we have to.

You will need to be very brave and very careful. I know you can be both those things. We are relying on you. So is your mother. Remember, Jacinta, trust us and nobody else. Do your very best.

I am your friend and your mother’s friend,

Geoffrey Staddon.

THE LETTER BETRAYED
none of the qualms I felt at writing it. It was essential that Jacinta should have no inkling of how uncertain I was that we were doing the right thing. Not that my fellow conspirators, however, seemed in any doubt. For Rodrigo this was merely one of many chances – by no means the most desperate – he was prepared to take for Consuela. For Hermione it was a risky venture justified by the extremity of the circumstances. Like Imry, she had detected few signs at Consuela’s trial that the defence would be successful. Now, bridling at her treatment by the prosecution, she was willing to play her part in a less conventional way.

It was difficult at times, as we sat together in Hermione’s
sitting-room
at the Thackeray Hotel, to believe that what we were planning would actually take place. An air of unreality enveloped everything we proposed to do, even as it enveloped what would happen to Consuela if we failed to intervene. Both futures – her salvation and her condemnation – had become for me equally incredible. Perhaps only in that way could my mind hold dread and hope at bay and concentrate on action. Perhaps only by ceasing to look ahead could I go forward at all.