Chapter 50
BY THE TIMEGabriel returned home, Ella had bathed, washed her hair, and dressed in the gown of pale mauve that Phoebe had brought for her. It was a lovely gown with small primroses embroidered on the bodice, but the frilly gown felt far too elegant for the task ahead of her.
After donning a fawn-colored pelisse and a straw bonnet and gathering up a blanket and a basket of food, Ella placed her gloved hand in Gabriel’s as he assisted her into the carriage. The soft purple light of dusk was beginning to settle over the bustling London streets, but it was the first time Ella had seen Gabriel since he’d returned from the justice of the peace office. It was the moment she’d anticipated all day—to confirm that their time together the previous evening had not been a dream and that he really did care for her. That he really did love her.
Once they were seated, Gabriel tapped on the ceiling and the driver urged the horses forward. Before she could say anything, he leaned over, cupped her face with his hand, and kissed her. He then held her gaze. “My Ella, you are the very best part of my day.”
At this close distance she saw the exhaustion in his red-rimmed eyes. “Have you even slept?”
He shook his head and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “Not really. I went down to the justice of the peace this morning to see if there had been any developments, and throughout the day, no fewer than twenty Society members stopped by to state their cases. It will be quite the undertaking to get it all straightened out.”
She smiled affectionately and touched her fingertips against the prickly shadow of a dark beard forming on his jawline. “In case I’ve not said it, I am proud of you and what you’ve done.”
“Don’t be too proud yet. We can barely get anything out of Mr. Gutt and Mr. Grenshaw, and Mr. Clancy refuses to say a word and has more wealth behind him than anyone with whom I’ve ever worked.”
“What do you mean?”
“As much as we like to think our systems are fair and just, corruption is always present. Many people would be happy to turn a blind eye or tell a lie if Clancy pays enough.”
“And Miss Grenshaw?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I don’t think anyone’s talked to her. Maybe she’ll talk to you.”
Ella placed the basket of food and the blanket at her feet. In a few minutes they’d arrive at the justice of the peace office, where the gaol was located that now housed Miss Grenshaw.
Ella had never seen a gaol before and had no idea of what to expect, but she knew nothing was going to prevent her from speaking with Miss Grenshaw again face-to-face. For all her faults, she’d done Ella a great service. Who knew what could have happened to Ella had Miss Grenshaw not intervened.
When they arrived, the office was even more crowded than it had been the previous night. She recognized several Society members, but there were also many people she did not know. They seemed to be staring at her. Feeling sheepish under the attention, she leaned closer against Gabriel’s arm as he guided her through the crowd.
Ella whispered, “Am I imagining it, or are they all staring at us?”
Gabriel chuckled as he opened the office door with one hand and guided her through with the other. “I believe everyone is staring atyou. And I don’t blame them. Everyone is amazed at how you struck a man with a poker and then intervened when Clancy had a pistol pointed at me. You really are remarkable.”
“Remarkable? If anything, my actions give those who believe that I suffer from insanity ammunition. What sane person hits another with a poker?”
“A very brave one.”
She nodded at a few familiar faces as they made their way through to the back of the office where the gaol was located. The low-ceilinged chamber was exceptionally dark, and she wrinkled her nose at the musty scent of a space that had been damp for far too long. There were no windows, and intermittent lanterns provided the only light. As the bars and the iron latches on the door came into view, Ella’s anxiety heightened.
When Miss Grenshaw’s and Ella’s eyes first locked in the gaol’s shadows, neither of them spoke. Ella stooped and placed the basket on the ground outside the cell. When she did finally speak, her voice felt hoarse. “I brought you a few things.”
Miss Grenshaw stood from the narrow bench and approached the bars, her plaited dark hair draped in front of her shoulder. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to visit or not.”
Ella smiled, hoping to ease the woman’s anguish, even as her stomach flopped within her. “I told you if you helped me I’d do what I could to help you.”
“And is that why you’re here, then? To help?”
Ella faltered. “I would like to, but that is hard to do when I don’t know the truth.”
Miss Grenshaw slid a suspicious glance toward Gabriel, who was standing quietly behind her.
When she didn’t speak, Ella continued, “I’ve been asked for my testimony, but I can only speak to what I saw with my own eyes. I know Mr. Clancy orchestrated much of what I observed last night, but if you tell me your story, perhaps we could find a way to absolve you of some charges. In order for me to help you, though, I really must know everything.”
“I will tell you, even though I hold little hope of it being helpful.” Miss Grenshaw sighed and wrapped her arms protectively around her waist. “You know by now that Timothy is my brother, but what you don’t know is that we are from a family of actors. As children we traveled with my parents around the country, performing at fairs and acting in traveling troupes. Our parents died when we were young adults, so my brother and I set out on our own. It was all we ever knew.
“Several years ago my brother met Mr. Clancy at a gentlemen’s club, and they became fast friends. Over the years Mr. Clancy’s prestige and wealth grew, but he remained congenial with our family, despite our lower status.
“About a year and a half ago, Mr. Clancy approached Timothy with an idea. He told us about Thomas Bauer—the phrenologist. Mr. Bauer had died earlier in the year, and Mr. Clancy said that if Timothy were to learn this theory and pretend to be Bauer, we could have an entirely new act.
