The afternoon’s light was waning, creating grotesque shadows on the walls of Clink Prison. The cell was spacious, as far as they went, with a small bedchamber and a larger living area, but it was still a cell. Even though the door wasn’t barred, sweat beaded on Julius’s brow.
The past few days had been filled with highs and lows. Standing once more in a prison definitely qualified as a low. As did every time he’d questioned a witness to Audley’s murder. Each individual that he’d been able to track down either didn’t recognize the man in the patched cloak, or, as in most cases, hadn’t even seen him. The lack of progress in his investigation made his fingers itch to pound something. Then he would return home, and there would be Amanda. Sweet Amanda.
The moments with Amanda had been some of the best of his life. Exploring each other’s bodies. Luring her into the garden and tasting her lips, warmed from the sun. Learning which rope she favored and which rope she never wanted to cross her body again. He smiled. His jute now lay buried at the bottom of his chest, ne’er to see the light of day until … well, until Marcus returned and Julius left his house.
Julius held his hands behind his back, the fingers of his right hand digging into his left wrist. He wouldn’t lie to his friend about his affair, and he had no doubt there would be a reckoning between the two because of it. He could only hope Marcus would be satisfied with bloodying his nose and not put an end to their friendship. For while he and Amanda lived under the same roof, Julius knew their intrigue would continue.
Julius loosened the knot of his cravat and fought the urge to check his pocket watch. Again. Amanda would love this debtor’s prison. A snug cell she could hide in, with enough creature comforts to live agreeably. Not for the first time he wondered how the horror of captivity could affect two people in such drastically different manners. Him, needing to be free at all costs. Her, relishing being under his control.
He stared out the small square of a window into the prison’s central yard, lost in thought. A few of the tenants wandered the grounds. A guard at the front gate kept a watchful eye.
Martin Dawnley shuffled out of his bed chamber, smoothing his hands down a hastily donned waistcoat. “My lord, had I known you were visiting I would have arranged for some tea.” The man looked around the cell, blinking rapidly, his cheeks ruddy with shame.
Rousing himself, Julius grabbed two spindly chairs and grouped them together. He dropped into his seat and indicated the other chair. Dawnley lowered down, rubbing his knee.
Julius didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “I’ve come on the recommendation of Lord Audley. You know him?”
Dawnley rubbed his hand across the top of his head, causing his sparse strands of grey hair to stick up straight. “Yes, my lord. But I’d heard the sad news that he’d passed.”
Julius arched an eyebrow.
“Even in here we do receive news.” Dawnley shrugged. “Especially when that news concerns the son of a duke.”
“Of course.” Had the news spread that Julius had been with the young lord moments before his death? Had the blackmailers heard of it? If the man who’d pushed Audley was a part of the crime ring, then they already knew of Julius’s involvement. His advantage was gone. “He told me that you used to work in the Court of Chancery.”
Dawnley nodded. “I was the head clerk.”
“And you came in contact with certain individuals who blackmailed you for blunt?”
Licking his lips, the man’s eyes darted to every corner of the room.
Julius sought to reassure him. “I, also, have been contacted by the same people.”
“Then you know we aren’t to discuss it.” A bit of haughtiness entered Dawnley’s voice, and for the first time Julius could see the civil servant he used to be.
Julius smiled. “I’ve never been much good at doing what I’m told. And besides”—he spread his hands wide, indicating their surroundings—“what else can they do to you?”
“I have family.” Dawnley leaned forward. “These people would have no compunction about hurting any of them to make a point.”
“Yes, an unmarried son and a widowed daughter.” Julius was nothing if not efficient at obtaining information. “Wouldn’t they be better served if their father was out of Clink Prison and earning a decent wage?”
“You mock me.”
Julius put out a hand to stop him from rising. “I’m doing nothing of the sort. I have the means to pay off your debt. To assist you in finding employment. But I’ll need your help to remove the threat hanging above us like Damocles sword.”
Dawnley eased back. “There’s nothing to be done. It isn’t just one or two individuals you’d be fighting.” Resting an elbow on the arm of his chair, he dropped his high forehead into his palm. “There are many people involved. Too many to stop.”
“How do you know?” Julius asked. Audley had only seen the one man. Would the clerk have better descriptions?
Dawnley sighed, his shoulders slumping. “There came a time when I could no longer pay. That’s when they approached me for information. They wanted details on the cases passing through the court. And the demand came from an unexpected source.”
“Yes?” Julius prodded.
The old man hesitated and dropped his gaze. “There was a woman, one I’d become …”
“Intimate with?” Julius finished. He didn’t understand the man’s delicacy. He was a widower. But the lower classes were strange when it came to sexual morality.
“Yes. A widow.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Dawnley grimaced. “I’d told her some of my problems. I thought she cared for me.” He shook his head. “I was a fool. She was one of them. Had been keeping watch on me for the people she worked for. And she told me they were many.”
