Never Turn Away (Kellington Book Six) (16 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Solicitor Geoffrey Olson’s office was on the edge of
Covent Garden, in a neighborhood that could be described as only somewhat
respectable.  Joseph had warned Evelyn about the environs, but it had still
been a surprise to see what appeared to be an actual prostitute coming out of
the very building they were entering.

Evelyn tried not to stare, but it became even harder
when the woman addressed Joseph.

“Oi, Inspector!” she said with a broad smile and a
curtsy.  “Ain’t seen you fer a while.  I was jus’ upstairs wif  Mr. Olson on
some business.”  As Joseph glanced at Evelyn, she added.  “Not that kind o’ business. 
That’s me old business.  No, it was me new business.  Mr. Olson was talkin’ to
me about goin’ to Phillydelphia and startin’ a new life.  I think I might do
that.”  She looked Evelyn up and down.  “Yer lady is might pretty.  It’s abou’
time you got yerself married.”

“She is not my betrothed,” said Joseph quickly. 

A bit too quickly for Evelyn’s taste.

“I am Evelyn Williams,” she said with a smile for
the woman, as well as a million questions waiting to be asked.

“Everyone calls me Quimmy on account of….well, it
don’t really matter.  ‘e says you ain’t his betrothed, but I’d jump right on
that, honey.  ‘e’s a right ‘un, ‘e is.  Well, I’d best be off.  Miss Williams,
Inspector.”  With another curtsy, she walked away with a distinct sway to her
hips that Evelyn found fascinating.

She turned to Joseph.

He cleared his throat.  “That was Miss…”

“Quimmy, I believe?”

He cleared his throat yet again.  “Yes.  She is one
of my informants.  She and some of her….colleagues provide me with information
and I do what I can to scare off the men who might do them harm.  Olson has
been speaking to her about a project Melanie has been involved with, sending
women such as she to new lives in Philadelphia.  Perhaps I should take you
home.  I do not know whom else we might encounter.”

“I would not dream of leaving now, Joseph.  Pray
lead the way.”

A moment later, they were in the small, cluttered
office of Geoffrey Olson, a short, balding man in his middle thirties.  He
greeted them both with enthusiasm.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Lady Evelyn,” he said,
as he lifted law books off a chair.  “I apologize for the mess.  But, to be
honest, it is always like this.”

“Geoffrey rarely turns down a case,” said Joseph. 
“And since he does so much work for free, his charwoman can visit only
infrequently.”

“Legal services should not only be for the wealthy,”
said Olson.  Then he seemed to remember who Evelyn was.  “Not that there is
anything wrong with the wealthy, of course.”

Evelyn smiled.  “I thank you for your assistance. 
Perhaps my payment will help subsidize some of your work on others’ behalf.”

“Oh, I couldn’t take your money, my lady.  Not with
everything Joseph’s done for me.  And, besides, I’m afraid I have nothing much
to report.”

Evelyn took a seat, while Joseph stood behind her.

Olson continued.  “I was able to look at the
codicil.  I happen to know a few people who work in your cousin’s solicitor’s
office and they let me see it.”

“Quite frankly I’m surprised the earl’s solicitor
was so reasonable.”

“Well, he doesn’t exactly know about it,” said
Olson, as he loosened his collar.  “My perusal of the document occurred late at
night.  Very late at night.  And I would just as soon you didn’t mention it to
your cousin because I would hate to get anyone in trouble.”

“Of course,” said Evelyn.

“Unfortunately, there is nothing to indicate the
codicil is a forgery.  I compared it to the original will, which I obtained
from your solicitor.  He is, by the way, fully aware that I did so.”

“That is good to know,” said Evelyn, trying to
suppress a laugh.

“Whoever did this forgery was quite clever.  Even
the paper seemed to match, as well as the handwriting.  It is possible that we
could prove it is a fake – I have many contacts in the forgery community.  But
I am afraid it will take some time.  There is no guarantee I would be
successful by the end of the year, if at all.  I wish I had better news for
you, but I must be honest about your chances.  If you want to retain your land
and fortune, you should marry by the end of the year.”

“And if I do not?”

“Then your cousin will inherit.”

Moments later, Evelyn and Joseph were walking down
the narrow street. 

“What will you do?” asked Joseph.

“If this only concerned me, I could survive on the
small stipend the codicil allows.  I have spent very little of my yearly
annuities up to this point.  I could purchase a small cottage on the coast and
live quite well.  But what about those I would leave behind?   All of the
tenants would be turned out.  Many of the servants would be as well, because I
could only afford to take a few with me.  I must marry.”

“Then we will find you a husband.”  He squeezed her
hand that was on his arm.

“Joseph,” she said, stopping and looking up at him.

“Yes?”

Could she really be bold enough?   Could she bring
up the future with him in this way?  And could she marry a man who did not love
her?  She took a deep breath of the bracing cold air…

“Inspector!”

They turned to see a man in the familiar Bow Street
uniform. 

“Creighton,” said Joseph, shaking the man’s hand. 
“Lady Evelyn, may I present Constable Creighton?”

The constable doffed his hat to Evelyn.  “My lady.   Inspector,
I’m so glad to have run into you.  All hel…I mean, all trouble has broken
loose.  Gaynor’s been drunk all week, Darby got his arm sliced and Kelly’s as
stupid as he ever was.  If it wasn’t fer your sergeant, I suspect the whole
department woulda come clean apart.  Can you come and fix it?”

Joseph was clearly torn.  “I was hoping to take a
few more days of holiday.”

“But we need you right now.  I’m sure you can fix it
up in no time.”

Joseph turned to Evelyn.  “I shall escort you back
to Lynwood House, then spend a few hours at Bow Street.”

“I would like to go with you.”

“Bow Street is no place for a lady.”

But she would have to see it eventually if she
married him.  “Nevertheless, I would like to go.  And it seems like there is
some urgency, is that not correct, Constable?”

“It is, my lady.  Though the Inspector’s right. 
‘Tis no place for a lady.”

“Then I shall be certain to never get myself
arrested.  Shall we go?”

They hailed a hack and set out straight away. 

Evelyn was excited to see this portion of Joseph’s
life.  He and the constable were discussing what had gone on in his absence and
it was like they were speaking a different language.  Apparently some of it was
unfit for a lady’s ears because from time to time the constable would catch
himself and apologize to her.  Joseph simply looked grimmer and grimmer.  When
they arrived, he turned to her.

“Are you certain you want to do this?  Creighton can
escort you home.”

“I am certain,” she said, with a good deal more
courage than she felt.  Because once she took a look at the exterior of Number
4 and Number 6 Bow Street, she was beginning to feel some uneasiness.  Both
buildings were coated in coal dust and the garden, while covered in a layer of
snow, seemed to be the repository for refuse of all kinds.  The stench of
London was a constant everywhere in the city.  Here, it seemed somehow greater
in intensity and they had not yet stepped inside.

But if this was where Joseph worked, she wanted to
see it.

They arrived just as a Runner was bringing in a
criminal.  Both the Runner and the man sported cuts and bruises, though it
seemed the criminal had the worse of it.  Joseph gave them a wide berth, then
escorted her into the building, keeping her as close to him as possible. 
Constable Creighton was on her other side. 

The central receiving room was loud as various men –
and a few women – proclaimed their innocence to anyone who passed by.  There
was a man who appeared to be passed out from the effects of drink, after having
been sick on himself.  Another man in manacles was asleep against the wall, a
seeming point of calm in the middle of madness.

Joseph escorted her up one flight of stairs, then
down a long corridor before he took out a set of keys and opened an office.  As
Creighton left to tend to other matters, they walked into a sanctuary from the
chaos outside.  Two windows let in some light.  The desk, though weathered and
scarred, was neat and the shelves against the wall were lined with books on
policing.

“This is your office,” she said.

“Yes.  Please have a seat.”  He helped her into a
chair opposite the desk.

She’d no sooner caught her breath than a man walked
into the office.  He had a pronounced limp and a discreet glance showed that he
had a wooden leg.  The man’s relief at seeing Joseph was palpable.

“Thank the Lord, you’ve returned,” he said.  “Did
you solve the lady’s problem?”

“Actually, we are still in the process of it.  Lady
Evelyn, may I present my able sergeant, Ambrose Fisk?”

Evelyn smiled and held out her hand to a startled
Fisk.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sergeant.  The Inspector has done an
excellent job with my problem, but I’m afraid we aren’t done just yet.”

Fisk looked like he wasn’t sure what to do with her
hand, but shook it gently and smiled.  “I’m sure if anyone can solve your case,
the Inspector can.”

“How is Clara?” Joseph asked.

Fisk broke into a grin.  “She’s doing much better
than me.  The closer the babe gets to comin’, the calmer she gets, other than
turning our place upside down cleanin’ and nestin’.  But me, I’m nervous as a
cat in a butcher’s yard.”

“I don’t blame you.  A baby is a good deal more
frightening than many a criminal.”

“You cannot mean that, Joseph,” said Evelyn,
laughing.

“I assure you every man feels as we do.”

But before he could elaborate further, they were
interrupted by the sounds of a fight breaking out down the hall, followed by a
shot.  Fisk was out the door immediately, with Joseph close behind.  “Lock the
door after me,” he called to Evelyn before disappearing.

She disobeyed immediately.

*                    *                    *

Joseph hadn’t had time to grab his pistol from the
desk.  But guns often made a situation more dangerous in close quarter
fighting.  He arrived in the receiving room at the end of the hall to find a
large man holding a knife to the throat of Teddy Wilson, one of their youngest
recruits.  The large man, Tony Skinner, was wanted for a range of offenses including
extortion and murder.  Joseph had no doubt the man would kill Teddy simply to
enhance his reputation in Newgate.

The other Runners were warily circling.  No one
wanted to be the man who would get Teddy killed. 

“I’ll send this pig to ‘ell an’ all the rest of you
wiv him, if anyone tries to stop me,” said Tony, as he inched his way toward
the window, with Teddy held tight against him.  “I wanna talk to the copper
wot’s in charge.”

“That’s me,” said Joseph, as he slowly approached
Tony.  “I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.  But if you hurt Teddy, you
won’t like what’ll happen next.”

“Wot?  You think you’re gonna scare me by tellin’ me
you’ll kill me?  I ain’t afraid of death.  It’s been chasin’ me since I was a
boy.  Death and me is friends.  God knows I’ve given ‘im enuv business over the
years.  ‘e’ll treat me as a friend, ‘e will.”

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you,” said Joseph,
continuing his advance.  “If you hurt Teddy, we’ll each beat you within an inch
of your life.  But we’ll keep you alive for the hulks.  And when we send you
there, we’ll tell them you’re a snitch. You know what they do to snitches,
don’t you?”

From the look on Tony’s face, it appeared he knew
quite well what they did.  But he did not loosen his grip on Teddy or the
knife.  “I think you’re goin’ to kill me anyways.  I might as well take as many
o’ you wiv me as I can.  Wot’s this?  Since when did a lady come down to Bow
Street?  Wot’s your name, sweetie?  Maybe you and I can spend some time
together after I take care of business.”

Joseph turned in horror to see Evelyn standing in
the doorway, her eyes wide.  Obviously in shock.  Everyone in the room was
looking at her.  And he knew he would protect her with his life.  He wanted to
tell her to run, but then she did something astonishing.

She pulled her skirts up, exposing her legs from the
mid-thigh down.  Recognizing a great diversion when he saw one, Teddy broke
Tony’s hold and bolted out of the way.

Then Joseph moved in quickly, knocking Tony out with
the brass knuckles he’d pulled off a desk.  The other Runners swarmed the
unconscious criminal immediately.  They trussed him up, ensuring there was no
chance of escape once he regained consciousness.