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‘Suspicious?’ repeated Miss Decima.

It never failed. ‘I was supposed to be at the march! I had made arrangements to be home for eight o’clock, so I could attend the meeting with Aunt Theodora. But I came back from lunch on Saturday afternoon, and my secretary said that the office had received a telephone call from an “emergency client”. A very important person, she said … I assumed it was some foreign dignitary, maybe someone visiting for the coronation, and – well, I need the money, so I stayed behind. Waited for hours. They never showed up!’ He gawped at us. ‘Isn’t it obvious? It was the police! They kept me away from home, so that they could frame poor Aunt Theodora!’

I shifted on my feet. Clarence was clearly unwell – nothing he said made any sense. But, even so, I couldn’t help thinking of what Mrs Pankhurst had said just two days ago. What if all of this really was a police conspiracy? Hadn’t I spent the last few days convinced that I was being watched, followed, stalked at every turn? The only other explanation, and one that I didn’t much want to think about, was that I was becoming just as paranoid as Clarence Gussett.

Miss Decima gestured to me. ‘Stephen here is the sole eyewitness to the incident. He says that he saw a woman, who fits your aunt’s description, running into that road with two other women. Do you know who either of them might be?’

It was a smart move, not mentioning Lavinia Welford’s name – she wanted to see if Clarence would confirm it himself.

Clarence snorted. ‘Of course. Those two were here all the time. Quiet little meetings, where they’d stop talking the second I came into the parlour. Aunt Theodora would ask me to stay in my room whenever they were here. Lavinia was harmless enough – a silly little girl, really.’ His face darkened. ‘But that other one – she was different. Bad news, from the start. Aunt Theodora might have had thirty years on them both, but that Irish one was always – always – the ringleader. Bossing my aunt about like she was in charge, and not just some cheap little maid.’

I bristled at that. Clarence Gussett was a pitiable figure in so many ways, but that didn’t stop him speaking about servants like they were rubbish. But then what he said suddenly hit me. Flora had said that Lavinia’s friend was Irish. ‘Can you remember her name?’

He waved a hand dismissively. ‘I never spoke to her. Frankly, I never liked her. If you ask me, she was secretly working with the police to frame poor Aunt Theodora!’

Miss Decima cleared her throat. ‘Forgive me, Mr Gussett, but I am confused. How did your aunt come to find herself falling in with such … bad company? She does not strike me as a woman who is easily swayed.’

Clarence put down his cup. ‘She … she had a habit, my aunt, of placing trust in the wrong people. She was in an unhappy marriage for years. He was a brute of a man. He was after her family money – I’m sure you’ve already noticed that my aunt is a wealthy woman – and he thought he could control her. Beat her, wouldn’t let her leave the apartment, all sorts. She tried to divorce him, but there’s something called –’

‘The 1857 Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act,’ said Miss Decima, not missing a beat. ‘A man may divorce his wife for adultery, but she cannot do the same unless she can also provide sufficient evidence of physical cruelty, desertion, incest, bigamy or other offences.’

Clarence nodded bitterly. ‘Aunt Theodora went through hell, trying to gather enough evidence. It was one of the reasons why she joined the WSPU, I think. Until women have a political voice – until laws like that are changed – there can be no hope of progress. The suffragettes gave her a cause to rally behind, a group of like-minded people. But she was vulnerable, and those two … they led her astray. They took her away from me.’ He shifted on his chair, trying to gather his thoughts. ‘I’ll do anything I can to help find Aunt Theodora, anything at all. I … I want to help her, like she helped me all those times. She was terribly good to me, Aunt Theodora, so terribly good … Find the Irish one. She’s behind all this, mark my words. Find her, and you’ll find your answer.’

Miss Decima and I shared a heavy glance.

‘Thank you for your time, Mr Gussett,’ she said. ‘This has been most illuminating. If we have any further questions, we shall let you know.’

I reached for his cup. ‘Let me take that for you.’

He handed it over gratefully and glanced up. There it was again – like he was staring at something behind me, something that had captured his attention. He finally came out with it. ‘Tell me, have your ears always been like that?’

I gawped. ‘Like … what?’

‘Sticking out so far!’ he said. ‘I’m fascinated by things like this – abnormalities and the like. Do you box?’

‘Abnormalities,’ Miss Decima repeated, her voice coming out a pitch higher than normal.

Clarence kept going, peering at my ears from all angles. ‘And, gosh, look at the colour! They really are turning the most incredible bright red. I wonder if it’s a form of otitis externa. You haven’t spent any time in Bali, have you?’

‘They’re just my ears,’ I said quietly.

Mr Gussett shook my hand. ‘Well! I would be honoured if you would consider letting me have a crack at them, sir. I happen to know a number of pioneering surgical techniques for the treatment of outstanding ears. There’d be no charge of course, it’s more of a hobby. Just let me know!’

Clarence tried to say goodbye to Miss Decima, but sadly he couldn’t because she was laughing so hard that she couldn’t breathe.

35

Tuesday, 20 June, 10.56 a.m.

Miss Decima had finally finished laughing.

‘Outstanding ears!’ she repeated, wiping away a tear. ‘Oh! That’s done me the world of good. It’s either added ten years to my life or taken them away, and I don’t care which.’

‘Glad to hear it,’ I muttered.

She settled back in her chair with a sigh. ‘Mr Gussett has certainly given us plenty to consider. Clues, riddles, intrigue … a fascinating meeting, filled with developments.’ She bit her lip. ‘One might even say it was outstanding.’

‘Miss Decima.’