Page 44 of A Sense of Paradise
‘Being a marquess has some advantages. Tell her you will collect her on Monday. I don’t want her riding over alone.’
‘The second post, my lord,’ Draper said, entering the room and proffering a salver. ‘This one is marked for your personal attention.’
‘Thank you, Draper.’
Archie’s butler left the room, closing the door almost soundlessly behind him. Archie picked up a paper knife and broke the letter’s seal.
‘It’s from Rochester,’ Archie said, scanning its contents. ‘They have quizzed Avery’s servants in his London home regarding his whereabouts. All they can tell him is that he claims to be staying with friends in this area.’
‘What friends?’
‘Rochester has no idea and wonders if we can enlighten him.’
‘It will be a likeminded rogue, presumably,’ Pawson replied, scowling as he rubbed his chin. ‘Who else took part in those exorcisms?’
‘Conrad supplied a list of names but it went direct to the bishop. I only know about Avery and one or two other leading lights.’
‘That left the bishop in a deuced difficult position. He could hardly call on leading influential figures with allegations that they would naturally deny. It would be Conrad’s word against theirs, and everyone knows who would be believed. The knives would then be out for the bishop.’
‘Very likely. Anyway, it was the bishop’s duty to deal with the matter as the church saw fit. Avery was the ringleader though, everyone involved seems to be agreed on that point. The bishop sensed that he was a very dangerous man and felt I should be put on my guard. He was, I am told, one of the few who didn’t scarper when the last exorcism was raided. The arrogant so-and-so seemed to think that he could use his influence to send the police officers who carried out the raid on their way. He miscalculated badly and he knows it, which is what makes him so dangerous. How he became aware that I know his identity is less clear, but he obviously has eyes and ears all over the place.’
‘Perhaps that explains why the bishop’s son was murdered. It was Avery’s way of showing the bishop that he was not invincible. Expose my name and I will take away all that’s dear to you.’ Pawson shuddered. ‘Not many men frighten me, guv’nor, but Avery is one cold, calculating individual.’
‘By killing his son hehasrobbed the bishop of everything that’s important to him, and there is nothing to stop him from speaking out now. Even men of God must sometimes thirst for revenge.’
‘The bishop will be thinking of the damage any scandalous revelations will do to the church’s reputation, which is what the synod was attempting to protect bynotnaming the perverts. And the bishop will be mindful of his own standing within ecclesiastical circles, obviously. If it becomes public knowledge that he was Yardley’s father, he will be finished. I assume Avery isn’t aware of that fact, but we know Latimer is. Why he hasn’t spoken out is less obvious. Presumably he’s biding his time.’
‘There is that,’ Archie conceded, sighing.
‘As to where Avery is hiding himself, there are plenty of manor houses in this area whose occupants we know nothing about. I’ll put enquiries in hand.’
‘Good man.’ Archie tapped his fingers restlessly against the surface of his desk. ‘Find out what you can as quickly as possible. I have a bad feeling about all of this.’
Pawson nodded in acknowledgement of his instructions. ‘What else does Lord Riley have to say for himself?’
Archie chuckled, finally finding something to smile about. ‘He’s hauled the person in who supposedly saw me at the scene of Yardley’s murder. His sergeant put the fear of God into him, by all accounts. Rochester says it’s a speciality of his when he thinks someone is trying to gull them. Anyway, Sergeant Salter reduced the man to a quivering wreck and got him to admit that he’d been paid to give the account. Doesn’t know who paid him, of course. A toff in a public house is all they could get out of him. Rochester is convinced that if he’d known more, he would have admitted it by the time his sergeant was through with him.’
‘Glad you’ve been vindicated. I was starting to have doubts about you myself.’ Archie treated Pawson to a jaundiced look. ‘Even so, it don’t help much. I mean, we already knew that the man had been told to implicate you.’
‘Rochester informs me that he’s spoken to the newspapers.’ Archie continued to scan the contents of Lord Riley’s missive. ‘They will be telling the world tomorrow that the description of Yardley’s assailant was false and that a man with a limp had nothing whatsoever to do with it. In other words, anyone foolish enough to believe the rumours about my involvement will be persuaded to re-evaluate their opinions.’
‘That’s something, at least.’
‘It won’t stop the tattle, but it will infuriate Avery. He wanted to weaken me but we’ve spiked his guns on both flanks…with his witness and with Baldock. The next move has to be his.’ Archie rubbed his aching thigh. ‘He has moved to this area in order to be close to me. I’m not sure he’s staying with friends. I’m more inclined to think that he’s leased a property where he can be assured of privacy. Check that out with the local land agents, Pawson. See if a large, secluded residence has recently acquired a new tenant who wishes to remain anonymous.’
‘Will do.’
‘Get Ellery to help you,’ Archie said, referring to his secretary. ‘Then take yourself off and deliver that message to Flora. I want to know how things stand between her and Eloise. If Eloise is being difficult then I want her out of Fox Hollow. I don’t care how you achieve it or where you put her instead but I will not have Flora threatened in her own home.’
‘Leave it to me, guv’nor.’
Chapter Twelve
Flora and Melanie left Lyneham church after morning service and were greeted by bright sunshine. Eloise, a devout Roman Catholic, had expressed an interest in the Protestant faith and accompanied them.
‘Just what we need to cheer us after that dreary sermon,’ Flora said, turning her face up towards the sun.
‘Flora, I am sure that must be a blasphemous remark,’ Melanie replied, grinning.
