The Mermaid in the Basement (12 page)

“What is it, miss? Are you all right?”

“Yes, Albert.” She turned and saw that Dylan was holding his hand up to help her in. She stepped inside, and when he released her, she settled back. She turned to him and said, “I must thank you, Mr. Tremayne.” Then she made her final summation of the problem. “I don’t usually have to ask a man for help.”

“We all have to have help, Viscountess. Good night, then.”

Serafina leaned back and found that she had been drained of all energy by the experience. She said, “Quick, Albert, take me home.”

“Yus, miss.” As the horses leapt forward, throwing her against the back of the leather seat, she realised what might have happened if the actor had not suddenly appeared. She suddenly wondered how he had found her, but analytically put it to herself:
He knew I was coming to Seven
Dials and knew I might be harmed.He waited outside and followed me.He’s
only an actor, but that was rather fine of him . . .

Sir Leo Roth was, according to rumour, the finest barrister in England. He looked across his desk at Lady Serafina Trent and considered what she had just said. She had appeared in his office without an appointment, but Roth was in the habit of receiving countesses under any circumstances. He was a tall, lean man with fair hair and dark blue eyes.His dress was impeccable, and he was accustomed to women showing an interest in him. Now as he considered the woman across from him, he was taken both by her appearance and by her story.
She is a handsome one,
he thought,
but this story—
well, I don’t know.
Aloud he said, “So if I understand you correctly, your brother is in prison. He is accused of murdering an actress.”

“That is correct, Sir Leo.”

“And he was heard making threats against her life.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And in his room, Scotland Yard found the jewellery stolen from this actress and a bloodstained handkerchief. Is that the case against him?”

“Yes. Do you think it’s enough to convict him?”

“I will not deceive you. It will be enough, I’m afraid. Unless you can discover something else, your brother will be convicted.”

“I’ve been thinking about this, Sir Leo. It seems to me that there are several possibilities. The murderer could have come from the aristocracy. The woman was acquainted with several people from that world. She could have been murdered by one of the cast. I understand there’s a great deal of jealousy among those people. From what little I’ve heard, more than one of them had a great dislike for her. And the third possibility is that someone from the underworld killed her—perhaps hired by someone else.”

“You seem to have thought this out very carefully.”

“I must find the woman my brother spent the night with. She’s a prostitute, and I made one attempt.”

“Indeed? Would you tell me about that?” Sir Leo listened as she spoke and noted that her cheeks were flushed.

“I made a great mistake, Sir Leo. That is not my world. If the actor I mentioned, Dylan Tremayne, had not come along, I fear I would have come to great harm.”

“Then it seems to me you need that man at least as much as you need a barrister.”

“You think I need Mr. Tremayne?”

“That, evidently, is his world. You say he knew who accosted you?”

“Yes, he called him by his name.”

“He must be a man of some force.”

“He’s a religious fanatic.”

Leo suddenly smiled. “So were Martin Luther and Oliver Cromwell and John the Baptist, Viscountess. Give me a good religious fanatic every time! They always mean business, and they’ll do what they set out to do or die trying.”

“Will you take my brother’s case?”

“I will take it, but I must warn you ahead: the odds are against us.”

“Very well.What are your terms?”

She listened as he spoke of his fee, and then when he had finished, he added, “As your barrister, I must say we need to employ this man Tremayne even if he is a religious fanatic.” He smiled as he said it.

“You’re amused, but it’s not a matter of humour to me.”

“I beg your pardon, Viscountess, but I think you’re going to have to come down to the real world.”

“What do you mean, Sir Leo? I’m always in the real world. I’m a scientist.”

“Seven Dials is part of the world, and it’s a part that you haven’t touched yet. For that, we need Dylan Tremayne.”

“Very well. I’ll ask him if he will help.”

“Do you think he will?”

“Oh, I’m sure he will,” she said, and her lips turned too tight. “He told me that God spoke to him and told him that he was to help me. That’s the sort of man I’m having to use for help.”

“He’s also a good man in a dark alley at Seven Dials. I think you’ll have to modify your pride a bit, Lady Trent.”

“Very well. I will talk to him. Thank you very much, Sir Leo.”

“I’ll go see your brother today. Time is very short.”

Serafina left the room, and as she went, she was thinking,
I’ll have to
go to the theatre and speak with Tremayne . . . and ask him for his help.
The thought infuriated her, but Serafina Trent was a woman of great force and determination. If it meant losing part of her dignity and letting a mere actor into her life, then so be it!

SEVEN

F
or a moment Serafina paused, standing uncertainly at the door of her parents’ bedroom. She had steeled herself but dreaded the necessity of talking to her mother concerning Clive, for her mother was not one who could take hard things easily. Ever since Clive had been arrested, Alberta had been in a state of total disarray. It had taken all of the efforts of her two daughters and the maids—as well as the support of Septimus—to keep her from collapsing completely. Dr.Maddox’s strong sedative had helped somewhat.

Taking a deep breath, Serafina knocked on the door. Hearing a faint response, she entered the room and found her mother sitting in a chair beside the window. She was wearing a blue dressing gown and a pair of leather house slippers. “How are you, Mother?” Serafina drew closer and stooped so that she could examine her mother’s face.

“Daughter, what are we going to do?” There was such desperate anxiety in her mother’s voice, and a tremor that she could not control, that Serafina felt almost helpless. She knew that during the early days of her marriage, her mother had been a strong woman. She’d had to struggle and work diligently to support Septimus during those difficult times.

“Could I get you some tea, Mother?”

“No—no! I don’t want anything. I just can’t believe this is happening to us. Poor Clive! We must do
something
!”

Serafina leaned forward and put her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “It’s going to be all right,Mother. You’ll see.”

“How can it be all right? Those policemen, they believe that Clive is guilty.” She turned her eyes upward, and Serafina was shocked to see the sheer terror mirrored there. “You don’t think he did that awful thing, do you?”

“Of course not,” Serafina said firmly. “We’re going to get through this all right, but it’s going to take some strong action.”

Alberta Newton looked up, and tears suddenly filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She snatched a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped them away. She blew her nose and asked, “What do you mean strong action?”

“The first thing we have to do is get Clive reassigned to better quarters.”

“Better quarters?”

Serafina was tempted to tell her mother what Dylan had told her about the terrible cell her brother was in, but decided not to mention the actor. She modified the situation by saying, “Clive is being held in very squalid quarters. For some reason they put him in a cell with no comforts at all. Our first job,” she said firmly, “is to get him out of that place and into a better one.”

“But—how can we do that?”

“We’re going to have to get someone with influence to go to the jail and have him put in a more comfortable cell.”

“But we don’t know anybody with that kind of influence.”

“Oh yes, we do, Mother. You know Mrs.Winters.”

“Mrs.Winters?” The name seemed to mean nothing to Alberta, but then she nodded. “Why—yes, of course. Her husband was one of the policemen.”

“He’s more than a policeman, Mother. He’s the superintendent at Scotland Yard. He has great influence. They would listen to him.”

“Then why don’t you go to him and talk to him? Ask him to help us.”

“I don’t know his wife, but you do. You’ve gone to several teas and meetings with her, haven’t you?”

“Oh yes, certainly. I don’t know her that well, but she seems to be a very fine lady. Do you think she would help us?”

“Not personally, but she could persuade her husband to do something.” Serafina smiled. “And I think she would if you would ask her.”

“Oh, Serafina, I couldn’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“I just couldn’t face her. I’m so ashamed!”

Serafina hesitated, but she saw that it was hopeless. Her mother was totally unfit to face a crisis like this.
I’ll have to go see Mrs.Winters myself.
“Very well,Mother. You stay here and try to get some rest. I’ll go see Mrs. Winters to see if she can get her husband to help us.”

Alberta reached out and seized Serafina’s hand. She clung to it desperately, and it took some time before Serafina was able to get her to relax. “You do need to eat something. I’ll go ask Nessa to send you up something very good.”

“I don’t believe I could eat anything.”

“Yes, you could,” Serafina said firmly. “You’ve got to keep your strength up.”

She knew that she had to leave, but her mother was clinging to her. Disengaging her hand, she left the room and went down to the kitchen.

“Nessa, I want you to fix Mother up something very good to eat—something special.”

“Why, ’course I will! I’ll fix some of that special lamb that she likes so much.We’ve got some fresh.”

“And fix her a nice dessert. Send it up by Daisy, and I’ll give Daisy instructions to make sure she eats it.”

“Will there be a full table for meals today?”

“I’m not sure, Nessa. I suppose you can just prepare whatever is easiest.”

“Indeed, I won’t do that.”Nessa hesitated, then said, “We have trouble here, Lady Trent, but life must go on. The good God won’t forsake us!”

“Yes, it must,” Serafina said. She knew that Nessa was a faithful Christian, and though she herself did not share her beliefs, she knew the woman had a deep affection for her family. She smiled and gave Nessa a quick pat on the shoulder. “I do appreciate your concern.”

She left the kitchen and went at once into the nursery. David did not sleep there anymore, but he kept all of his games and collections there. He was sitting on the floor with blocks, building some sort of structure. “What are you making, Son?”

“I’m making a castle. You see? This is the wall.”

“Oh, that’s very good. Do you suppose I could help?”

Eagerly,David cried, “Yes,Mum, I’ll be inside the castle, and you’ll be the enemy trying to break through.”

Serafina sat down rather awkwardly beside David on the floor, and for the next half hour, she was fascinated by the quick and imaginative mind of this son of hers. Always she was careful to watch for signs that she dreaded, signs that he had some of his father’s ways—but so far she was grateful that she found none of that.
There’s more of me in him than there is
of Charles!
Finally she said, “Would you like to go riding on Patches?”

Instantly, David jumped up, his eyes flashing, “Yes, Mum! Will you ride with me?”

“Yes, I’ll get my little mare, and we’ll ride together.”

The ride had been a delight for Serafina. The time she spent with her son was always a pleasure, and she resolved to devote more of her time to him. David sat on the pony like a veteran, and Serafina guided her small mare beside him. The grounds were extensive, with riding paths carefully laid out, and finally they drew up at the trout stream. David said,“Mum, can I let Patches drink?”

“Of course you can.We’ll water both of them. Can you get down by yourself?”

“Oh,Mum, you know I can!” David slipped off the pony and held to his reins. He led the pony forward, and Serafina did the same with her mare. The two horses lowered their heads and made slurping noises as they drank. As they did, she kept a close watch on David, wondering how much he knew about the tragedy that had overtaken their family. She finally said, “You’re a very good rider, David.”