The Meaning of Night (33 page)

‘Forgive me, Mr Tredgold,’ I said, after we’d walked some way in silence, ‘I am

unclear as to what part in the proceedings you have outlined you expect me to play. This

is a legal matter, but I am no lawyer. Whatever must be done in this business must be

done by those who know the law. The case is far removed from the Abode of Beauty. ’

Mr Tredgold smiled at the reference to my first success for the firm.

‘Indeed it is,’ he said, taking my arm. ‘Well, Edward, here it is. There is what I

may call an additional element, of which Lord Tansor is as yet unaware, and which must

remain strictly confidential for the time being. I have received a communication – a

private communication – from his Lordship’s secretary, Mr Paul Carteret. The

circumstances whereby he has come to be employed by his relative are interesting, but

need not concern us now. It appears that Mr Carteret – whom I have known and liked for

many years – has been troubled for some time by a little discovery he has made. He has

not seen fit to vouchsafe its full nature to me, but his letter appears to suggest that it has a

direct and fundamental bearing on the matters we have just been discussing. In short, Mr

Carteret seems to raise the possibility, if my inference is correct, that, unknown to his

Lordship, a legitimate and direct heir of the blood exists. This, then, is the little problem I

would like your assistance in resolving. And now, I think I should like some tea. Will you

join me?’

(

The clock on Le Grice’s mantelpiece struck three o’clock.

He’d said nothing after I’d finished telling him of my conversation with Mr

Tredgold in the Temple Gardens, but sat quite still, ruminatively twisting the end of his

moustache.

‘This is a tangled tale, G., he said at last, grasping a poker and leaning forward to

stir the dying embers of the fire, ‘ so let me see if I’ve got things straight. Old Tansor has

taken it into his head to leave everything to Daunt, except his title, which isn’t his to give.

You believe you’re Tansor’s heir, but can’t prove it; and you can’t stomach seeing Daunt

take what you think belongs to you. Now this chap Carteret has come along with a little

secret to impart, which may, or may not, have a bearing on the case. So far, so good. But,

look here: it’s all very well, you know, to make Daunt pay for what he did to you. It’s a

long time to bear a grudge, but that’s your business, and I can’t say I mightn’t have felt

the same myself. But, hang it, G., you can’t blame Daunt if old Tansor has taken a fancy

to him. It’s rum that it should be Daunt, I’ll grant; dashed bad luck actually, but . . .’

‘Luck?’ I cried. ‘Not luck, not chance, not coincidence. Can’t you see? There’s a

fatality at work here, between him and me. It had to be Daunt. It could have been no one

else. And there’s worse to come. Much worse.’

‘Well, then,’ said Le Grice, calmly, ‘you’d better push on, as quickly as you can,

and tell me the rest. The regiment leaves in three weeks, and if I’m to perish valiantly for

Queen and Country, then I must know that all’s well with you before I go. So, speed on,

great King, and let’s hear all about Carteret and his mysterious discovery.’

He refilled his glass and leaned back in his chair once more, whist I, taking my

cue, lit another cigar and began to tell him of Mr Carteret’s letter, in which, though I did

not yet know it, the seeds of an even greater betrayal had been sown.?

October 1853

I will take heed both of a speedy friend, and a slow enemy.

[Owen Felltham, Resolves (1623), iii, ‘A Friend and Enemy, When Most

Dangerous’]

(

19:

Veritas odium parit?

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Once back in Tenple-street, after my discussion with Mr Tredgold in the Temple

Gardens, I considered the new prospect that now lay before me.

My position had appeared fatally threatened by the revelation that Lord Tansor

had determined to make Daunt his heir; but now Mr Tredgold seemed to offer the

startling possibility of a resolution in my favour, if his inference concerning Mr Carteret’s

discovery was correct. Did Lord Tansor’s secretary indeed possess the proof I needed?

This is the letter Mr Tredgold had received:

The Dower House, Evenwood Park

Evenwood, Northamptonshire

Tuesday, 4th October, 1853

My dear Tredgold, —

I write to you in a strictly private & confidential capacity, in the full knowledge

that your own rectitude & respect for my position here will ensure that no word or hint of

this communication will be given to any third party, especially my employer. We have

had many occasions to correspond over the years in a professional capacity, and it has

been my pleasure also to welcome you to Evenwood as a much esteemed guest – and

friend. I therefore hope and believe that the sincerity of my regard for you will be more

than sufficient to bind you to this undertaking.

What I wish to say to you, most urgently, cannot be set down in writing but must

be conveyed to you in person, for it goes to the heart of the present matter. I am aware –

acutely aware – that my position is a delicate one, since my own interests are involved.

But you will know I speak God’s truth when I say that I have always had the sincerest

desire to serve my employer to the best of my ability, regardless of my personal interests.

I have been troubled for some little time by a matter that has presented itself to

me, quite unexpectedly, in the course of my work here, relating to the question that is of

most concern to my employer, and which he is now seeking to resolve by the means of

which we are both aware. The consequences are momentous for his Lordship and have

their origins in the actions of a certain person, now deceased, for whom you and I once

cherished an exceptional regard. But I cannot say more in writing.

I am unable to come up to town for some weeks, and so you would oblige me

greatly if you could suggest some arrangement for us to meet in the country in private. I

would not wish to anticipate any plan you may have, beyond saying that I usually find

myself in Stamford of a Wednesday morning, & that I also find the tap-room of the

George Hotel a convenient place to take some refreshment at around midday.

I cannot stress upon you enough the need for absolute discretion.

Please direct reply via Post-office, Peterborough.

I have the honour to be,

Yours very sincerely,

P. Carteret.

Feeling that he could not risk undertaking such a clandestine meeting himself, my

employer had written back to Mr Carteret requesting his permission to send a trusted

agent. At first the secretary had refused to sanction such an arrangement, saying that he

would only speak to Mr Tredgold in person. But a further exchange of letters produced a

slight softening in his attitude, and at last it was arranged that I, as Mr Tredgold’s

surrogate, should travel to Stamford to meet Mr Carteret. The date agreed upon gave me

a week to prepare myself.

The day prior to my departure happening to be a Sunday, Mr Tredgold invited me

to spend the afternoon with him in his private residence.

‘I think perhaps we should forego our usual bibliological entertainment,’ he said

after we had taken our lunch and were sitting before the fire in his sitting-room, ‘and

speak a little about the matter of Mr Carteret – if you do not mind?’

‘Of course. I am entirely at your disposal.’

‘As you always are, Edward,’ he beamed. ‘Well, then, you have read Mr

Carteret’s letter, and no doubt you find it puzzling enough – as I do also, with respect to

the matter he wishes to disclose. It may be that Mr Carteret exaggerates the importance of

what he has discovered; but I suspect, knowing him to be a gentleman of careful

judgement, that he would not have written to me in this way unless it was of the greatest

possible moment. I guess that it has some bearing on the Tansor succession – this being

clearly alluded to in Mr Carteret’s reference to the matter that most concerns his

employer – but how he has come across this information is at present beyond me.

Whether Mr Carteret will reveal the matter to you in person, I cannot say. It may be that

he will place some written communication in your hands that he wishes you to bring back

here for my consideration. Whatever happens, I hope you will be kind enough to keep me

closely informed. I’m sure I do not need to impress on you the necessity for complete

discretion.’

‘I understand completely.’

‘That is one of your most valuable qualities, Edward,’ said Mr Tredgold. ‘You

instinctively understand what is required in any given situation. Is there anything else I

can tell you?’

‘Mr Carteret, you have said, is Lord Tansor’s cousin.’

‘That is correct. He is the younger son of his Lordship’s late aunt. His father, Mr

Paul Carteret Senior, fell into pecuniary difficulties, leaving his two sons with no

alternative but to earn a living. Mr Lawrence Carteret, now deceased, entered the

diplomatic service; Mr Paul Carteret Junior was offered employment by his noble

relative.’

‘A generous gesture,’ I observed.

‘Generous? Yes, you may say that, although the offer was perhaps made more out

of duty towards Mrs Sophia Carteret, his Lordship’s aunt.’

‘You also mentioned, I think, during our talk in the Gardens, that Mr Carteret will

inherit the title.’

‘He will – assuming of course that his Lordship’s position regarding an heir of his

own remains as it is at present.’

Mr Tredgold took out his red handkerchief and began to polish his eye-glass.

‘You should be aware,’ he continued, ‘that Lord Tansor’s resolve to bequeath the

major portion of his property to Mr Daunt has been strengthened by a history of

ill-feeling between the two branches of the family. A financial disagreement between

Lord Tansor’s father and Mr Paul Carteret Senior has, alas, coloured his Lordship’s

relationship with his cousin. The Carteret line, in his opinion, is also tainted by mental

impairment.’

He lowered his voice and leaned towards me. ‘Mr Carteret Senior’s mother died

insane, though there is not the slightest indication that his son has inherited the malady.

Indeed, Mr Paul Carteret Junior is one of the sanest men I know; and his daughter, too, is

decidedly free of any imputation of mental feebleness, being a fiercely intelligent and

capable young woman – and a beautiful one, too. His Lordship, however, is prey to an

acute sensitivity on this subject, deriving, I believe, from the fact that his elder brother

died of an epileptic seizure. More tea?’

We sipped silently, Mr Tredgold appearing to take keen interest in an area of the

ceiling just above my head.

‘Do you wish me to say something about Mr Phoebus Daunt?’ he suddenly asked.

‘Mr Daunt?’

‘Yes. To better understand the circumstances that have led to the present

situation.’

‘By all means.’

Whereupon Mr Tredgold began to give me a full and detailed account of how Dr

Daunt and his family had come to Evenwood as a result of his second wife’s connexion

with Lord Tansor, and of how the Rector’s son had been taken into his Lordship’s favour

through his step-mother’s influence – much of what he told me has been incorporated

into an earlier section of this narrative. Of course I listened most attentively, for it had

become even more imperative to discover a way to bring Daunt down. My rage against

him had still to be slaked; but now I must also prevent him from taking my place as Lord

Tansor’s heir.

‘It cannot be denied,’ Mr Tredgold was saying, ‘that the young man is highly

gifted. His literary genius is well known, and Lord Tansor takes pleasure in it as far as it

goes. But he has also displayed a rather extraordinary talent for business, which is much

more to his Lordship’s taste. I think it is certain that this has played no little part in Lord

Tansor’s wish to see him succeed to his property, in preference to Mr Carteret and his

successors.’

Now this was a completely new, and unexpected, view of my enemy, of which I

was eager to hear more. According to Mr Tredgold, Daunt had been given two hundred

pounds by Lord Tansor on his twenty-first birthday. Not six months later, the young man

requested an interview with his patron, at which he confessed, with a solemn face, that he

had committed the whole sum to a railway speculation recommended to him by an old

college acquaintance.

Lord Tansor was not pleased. He had expected better. A foolhardy railway

speculation! Why, better the boy had lost it all on the tables at Crockford’s? – after all, a

few salutary sacrifices to the goddess of chance were to be expected of gilded youth (not

that he had ever been so irresponsible). But this po-faced confession was merely in the

nature of a calculated lever de rideau;? for, seeing Lord Tansor’s face darken with

disapproval, Daunt, no doubt grinning in self-satisfaction, then proudly announced that

the speculation had been sound, and that it had paid out a handsome profit, which he had

now realized: his original investment, it seemed, had all but doubled.