It was soon clear that Lady Amelia – or someone – had found it necessary to explain the situation regarding Lavinia; this at least spared Marcus the awkwardness of doing so himself and sounding like an utter cockscomb. It could not be helped, he realised, since such matters, however delicate, could not be concealed now that an official investigation was underway. Mr Pennyfeather, with a degree of tact that would have confirmed Rafe in his opinion of him, if he had known of it, made it clear that he knew already that Lady Thornfalcon – the other Lady Thornfalcon – could not possibly be responsible for the assault. ‘Not directly, she couldn’t,’ he added ominously.
It was plain that the officer had indeed spared more than a casual glance for the prints that featured His Lordship so prominently – he could not prevent himself from shooting sidelong looks at the Major’s tall figure every so often, and then shaking his head, as if in disbelief that he should find himself interviewing such a notable personage. ‘Well then, sir,’ he said in a business-like manner, ‘I understand that there’s a great number of young ladies interested in you, setting aside these so-called Friends of Lavinia, whose concern isn’t quite so personal, you might say. I can’t quite make these Friends out, I must say. To get so agitated about the private life of people you don’t know, and even try to interfere in their personal business, as though they were characters in a book and not living, breathing humans with their own opinions… I don’t know what the world’s coming to. But let’s talk about the other ladies. At least we know whattheywant, and it’s a tale as old as time, if you’ll pardon me for saying so.’
Helena said, smiling, ‘Yes – I’ll spare my brother the trouble of answering that, for he finds it all most embarrassing, as I’m sure you can imagine. The prints are exaggerated, of course, for dramatic effect, but it’s perfectly true that many young ladies – and not just young ones – have thrown themselves at Lord Thornfalcon’s feet. Literally. Off horses, you know. And swooned when he was near, so that he was obliged to catch them. But I think that had mostly stopped, or at least greatly lessened, since his engagement was announced. Because it was clear to them that they were wasting their time, to be blunt.’
‘Well, we Runners, we appreciate a little bluntness, miss, when so many people try to spin us fairy stories. You don’t think – any of you – that one of the fainting ladies would have gone to the bother of hurting Her Ladyship, then?’
‘Why should they?’ said Marcus tersely. ‘I wasn’t even slightly interested in any of them before, man; I’m hardly likely to think better of it and begin a sordid intrigue with my fiancée seriously injured or even… with my fiancée seriously injured.’ He didn’t know why it was so hard to put into words what might so easily have happened to Lady Amelia.
‘Of course not,’ the officer agreed comfortably. ‘And a blessing it is that your reactions were so quick, I’m sure, and the young lady took no hurt. You should hear Sir Humphrey talk about it – he paints a very vivid picture, so he does. I wish I’d been there to witness it, for more reasons than one.’
‘It was a miracle,’ said Helena, much more serious now. ‘I can still see it, if I close my eyes. I’m so grateful that you weren’t present that evening, Mama; you must have been so shocked and distressed till we realised they were both safe and well, against all the odds.’
Lady Thornfalcon said, shuddering, ‘My dears, it still gives me nightmares to think of it. And though the renewed public attention cannot be welcome – and we have had such a deal of it already after all the gossip this spring that I am sure it is a wonder we do not all run away to some remote island – I cannot say that I think Sir Humphrey was wrong to call you in, Mr Pennyfeather. It doesn’t seem right that anyone, whoever they may be, should get away with such irresponsible behaviour.’
‘No, indeed, my lady,’ he said sententiously. ‘And it is my duty to speak to everyone concerned, including your daughter-in-law, of course. This is an irregular question, I admit, so I hope you’ll forgive me, but how do you think she will be likely to receive me?’
‘Coldly,’ responded Helena promptly. ‘As if insulted that you should dare to interrogate her. Scornfully.’
‘I agree, dear,’ her mother said. ‘But you know, I’m not sure if you realise, officer, how very beautiful she is. She relies on that in all her dealings with people, and she will work it on you, no doubt.’
‘There isn’t a trick that hasn’t been tried on me, ma’am, I promise. And as for those sorts of goings-on, I’m a married man, and not what you’d call susceptible, as Mrs Pennyfeather would vouch. Hard-headed, she tells me I am.’
‘If my sister-in-law is not cold – if she tries instead to charm you,’ Marcus offered, almost against his will, ‘it will mean that she is frightened. But I don’t see why she should be. I cannot really believe that she had a hand in this, though there is no denying her ultimate responsibility for the whole furore.’
His mother put in, ‘But she will never admit to that, of course. I have known her since she was a child, and lived with her for years while my eldest son was alive, and I doubt she feels a scrap of guilt, or could be brought to understand it. And as for the public attention, which we so dislike, it’s meat and drink to her. If you were to arrest her – though I’m not saying you will ever have cause to, of course – she’d play you such a scene as would set your hair on end.’
‘Like Anne Boleyn going to the Tower?’ Mr Pennyfeather said musingly. ‘Screaming, and falling on the floor, and such Drury Lane airs? Well, he that lives longest will see most, as they say.’
Helena, as Amelia had hoped she might, did have some idea of the names of persons who had been standing near them at the top of the steps, having an excellent memory, and gave them to Mr Pennyfeather. She was obliged to acknowledge that several of the ringleaders of the Friends of Lavinia had been among them, including Miss Lancaster and Miss Archer. ‘I don’t accuse anyone,’ she added a little anxiously. ‘But these people were definitely there – I saw them. And perhaps they saw others, and you can make some sort of a list when you put it all together.’
‘That’s the ticket, miss,’ he said. ‘Slowly and surely does it. Don’t you worry, I’m not one to be jumping to any unwarranted conclusions.’
Marcus offered to show the man out; he had a feeling there were things to be discussed between them in some sort of privacy. And indeed, Pennyfeather said, as the door closed and they headed down the stairs, ‘You’ve been having a trying time of it, sir, it seems to me, before even this fresh start. Came home to convalesce, I understand, from wounds taken in the line of duty, and then all this nonsense to greet you.’
‘I have a broad enough back, man. But what I can’t bear is the notion that I have embroiled Lady Amelia in this cursed situation of mine, and damn near got her killed.’ Why was he telling the fellow this? It was none of his affair.
The Runner sighed sympathetically. ‘She’s a rare, brave one, sir, it’s plain to see. Many a lady – and not just ladies – would be making a main fuss if they’d been through what she has. Yelling and carrying on and suchlike. And yet she made sure to tell me that this here Lady Lavinia or whatever she’s called couldn’t have done it, instead of blaming her as she so easily might have. I’m not convinced Mrs Pennyfeather would find it in her heart to be so reasonable in the circumstances, though she’s as good a woman as ever drew breath. But she has a fierce temper, sir, and I won’t deny it. No, your young lady is a treasure above rubies, as no doubt you know. And I’m hopeful that I’ll get to the bottom of it all, for her sake as much as for the law. The law is an impersonal sort of thing, you might say, but a young lady of that quality… newly betrothed and in love; it fair breaks my heart, and I’m not a soft sort of man by any means. Well, talking pays no toll, so I’ll be off, my lord, and good day to you.’ He raised his shaggy beaver hat and was gone, most unlikely of Cupids, leaving Marcus staring after him in a brown study.
At last, he shook his head, as if to clear it, and slowly made his way inside.
25
Many people – though probably not Marcus – might have wished to be a fly on the wall at Mr Pennyfeather’s interview with Lavinia, but they were all of them obliged to wait in suspense to see if the Runner, who they’d realised wasn’t always completely discreet when it suited him, would see fit to tell them of it. They could hardly ask.
He returned to Half-Moon Street the next day, and was shown into Lady Thornfalcon’s sitting room once more. Marcus was not present, being out on some business to do with the resignation of his commission, but the ladies received him cordially. He had come, he explained, to show Miss Thornfalcon his revised list, and to see if it sparked any recollections in her sharp brain. ‘You might recall, for instance, now you see new names, if any of them were standing closer to you than others. And if some people say they weren’t and you say maybe they were, that’ll be interesting too. At least I can be tolerable certainyoudidn’t push the young lady.’
Helena gave the document great attention, but replied in the end, ‘I’m not acquainted with most of these people, that’s the problem, so I don’t know. But I do know this lady and her husband – at least by sight – and I’m sure they were nowhere near us. I didn’t even know she was present, so she must have been some little distance away. I hope that is some help to you.’
The officer gave a sardonic little grunt. ‘It’s good to have confirmation from you, miss. It’s a process of elimination, you might say. To hear them talk, you’d think not one of these people was anywhere near you but ten miles distant, even though the sort of platform affair at the top of the stairs isn’t at all large and so they can’t all be telling the truth. So it’s good to know who I can put some faith in when they tell me where other people were besides themselves, if you follow me.’
‘Do you really think you’ll get to the bottom of this, Mr Pennyfeather?’ Judith asked him. ‘It seems to me it’s going to come in the end to a group of young ladies and none of them admitting having done it. And if they begin implicating each other in a great state of panic, as I can imagine they might, however will you know which to believe?’
‘We have our ways, my lady,’ he said portentously. ‘But you were right, as it happens, about the other Lady Thornfalcon. Not a word of regret from her about Lady Amelia’s fall, and if I’m waiting for her to admit anything in the nature of persuading or inducing someone else to give her a push, I’ll be waiting a long time. She’s a cold one, and no mistake. Looked at me as though I was lower than a worm, which there’s no call for, in my opinion. I have a job to do – at the instigation of Sir Humphrey – and I’m doing it, no more and no less.’
‘Of course you are,’ Helena said, pouring him some more tea in obedience to a glance from her mother. ‘And we at least are very grateful for it, and so I know are Lady Amelia’s family, not to mention Sir Humphrey. The fact is, even if she isn’t at all involved, I imagine my sister-in-law doesn’t actually want you to find out who did the deed. Because if it was one of those silly Friends, I expect she will incur some criticism because of it, at least from sensible people.’
‘I dare say that’s so, but then you’d think she’d have the mother wit to be a little civil,’ the Runner grumbled, giving every appearance of a man who was prepared to hold a grudge for a substantial period of time. And indeed it was hard to see why Lavinia should have chosen to make an enemy of him when she need not have done; it could not help her, even if it was true that he could do her little harm at the moment, apart from passing on his so far unprovable suspicions to the highly influential Sir Humphrey.
