Page 37 of Of Fate and Phantoms
"No," I said. "But she may know something of importance. Unfortunately we were interrupted before she could impart anything of use to me."
"You can't rely on one silly female who most likely doesn't know anything." Gillingham said, waggling his empty glass at Gus. "You must extend your inquiries."
Gus dutifully stood and poured him another brandy. "We are."
Gillingham didn't even look his way.
"The palace footman followed the imposter as far as Whitechapel," Lincoln went on. "We're currently making inquiries there."
"How?"
"You don't need to know my methods." Lincoln's ice cold voice matched his eyes. "All you need to know is that they work."
Gillingham gulped his brandy down.
"The involvement of the palace is a bold move on the villain's part and extremely concerning." Marchbank stroked the white scar slicing through his beard. "It means he has no respect for authority, coupled with a brazen nature. A dangerous combination in my book."
"Or it could mean he already bore a remarkable resemblance to Prince Albert," I said.
Everyone turned to me. "Go on," Lincoln said.
"Did the imposter choose the Prince Consort because he already resembled him to a certain extent so the shift wouldn't be too difficult? Or does pretending to be the prince achieve something in particular? If the former, then his motives will be difficult to discover, but if the latter, then it will be easier because it's highly specific. He chose the dead prince for a reason."
Marchbank nodded. "Excellent point, Charlie."
"Not really," Gillingham drawled. "It brings us no closer to learning the imposter's identity."
"It's something to consider," Seth spat back.
"Who asked you? Fill up my glass, there's a good fellow."
Seth ignored him. Gillingham waggled his empty glass, and Gus got up to fill it again, but Lincoln put a hand out to stop him.
"The meeting is concluded," Lincoln said. "I've told you everything you need to know."
"Need?" Marchbank intoned. He nevertheless rose, as did Lady Harcourt. Lord Gillingham did not.
"I'll keep you informed of developments," Lincoln said.
"Will you really?" Gillingham sniffed. "Because it seems to me that you haven't questioned the most logical suspect. Your mother."
It felt as if the air got sucked out of the room as everyone focused on Lincoln. His face remained impassive. "Leisl is not a suspect."
"Why not? She knew about the imposter. Perhaps she knew because she has something to do with the villain."
Sometimes I wondered if Gillingham had a death wish. To my surprise, however, Lincoln merely repeated, "She's not a suspect."
"Why would she warn the Prince of Wales if she were part of the scheme?" I asked. "Your theory is absurd."
"She may have had regrets." Gillingham shrugged. "She's a gypsy. They think differently to us. No offense intended, Fitzroy, but it's not like you care about the woman who gave you up, is it?"
If Lincoln didn't shut him up, perhaps I would. It was very tempting.
"If she were involved," Seth said, "which I doubt, why would she choose the royal family, and the Prince of Wales in particular? What would she gain?"
"Revenge for past wrongs," Gillingham said before I could stop him.
Seth and Gus both frowned. As the only ones who weren't aware of the relationship between the prince and Leisl, Gillingham's response made no sense to them.
