The Repentant Rake (31 page)

    'Yes,
Mr Redmayne. For some months.'

    'So
Mr Lunn must have known that he was keeping a diary.'

    Kemp
was taken aback. ' 'Sdeath! I never thought of that. I suppose he must. Arthur
is the most inquisitive soul alive. He pokes his nose into everything.'

    'I
met him at Gabriel's funeral.'

    'What
was he doing there?'

    'Ostensibly,
he was escorting Miss Celia Hemmings,' said Christopher, 'but he may have had
his own reasons for making the journey to Northamptonshire.'

    'You
think that Arthur Lunn was somehow involved in this blackmail?'

    'I
begin to wonder, Sir Marcus.'

    'But
he is the most obliging fellow in London.'

    'Then
why did Gabriel break with him? Mr Lunn was his closest friend. Why did Gabriel
go into hiding without even telling him where he was?'

    'I've
no idea, Mr Redmayne. But I do know that Arthur was very upset.'

    'How
upset?'

    'Deeply,
I would imagine. It's difficult to say with a man like that who hides his
feelings so well. But Arthur Lunn was hurt badly,' he said. 'He was cut to the
quick.'

    Christopher
speculated on whether or not Lunn was sufficiently wounded to seek revenge. A
man who valued his friendships so much would be bruised by the way in which he
lost this particular one. It would be worth taking a closer look at Arthur
Lunn.

    Kemp
reached for his purse. 'What do I owe you, Mr Redmayne?'

    'Owe
me?'

    'For
the help you gave me today.'

    'You
owe me nothing, Sir Marcus.'

    'Come,
come, man. You must have some reward for what you did.'

    'If
you insist,' said Christopher, 'but I'll not take it in money. All I ask is
that you let me see the letters you received. Along with the extract from the
diary.'

    'But
there is no need now.'

    'There
is every need, Sir Marcus. Where are they?'

    'Locked
away where nobody will ever find them,' said Kemp. 'I'm sorry, Mr Redmayne. I could
not expose myself to ridicule by letting you see them. To be frank, I am
tempted to burn them.'

    'No!'
implored Christopher. 'You must not do that, Sir Marcus.'

    'But
my ordeal is over. So is Henry's, I dare say. All that the blackmailer wanted
was to frighten money out of one of us. A thousand guineas would satisfy any
man,' he said confidently. 'We are liberated at last. There will be no more
blackmail demands.'

    Henry
Redmayne was preening himself in the mirror in the hall when he heard the
doorbell ring. Believing that Arthur Lunn had come to collect him, he opened
the door himself, but his visitor was no beaming crony about to whisk him off
to a gaming house. It was Peter Wickens and he glanced furtively over his
shoulder before stepping into the hall. Henry had never seen him in such a
state of anxiety. Wickens was usually so poised and urbane yet he was now
twitching nervously.

    'What
is wrong, Peter?' asked Henry.

    'Forgive
this intrusion,' said Wickens. 'I simply had to come.' 'Why?'

    'I
need your advice.' He took something from his pocket. 'This arrived today.'
'What is it?'

    'Read
it, Henry,' he said handing the letter over. 'I am being blackmailed.'

    When
he returned to Fetter Lane that evening, Christopher Redmayne met with a double
surprise. Not only was Jonathan Bale waiting for him, an even more welcome
visitor was sitting contentedly in his parlour. She looked up at him with a
smile. After the ordeal of her brother's funeral, Susan Cheever had regained
some of her radiance. She was pleased to see him again and he, in turn, was
openly delighted.

    'Miss
Cheever!' he exclaimed.

    'Good
evening, Mr Redmayne.'

    'What
are you doing here?'

    'Mr
Bale kindly brought me to your house.'

    'I thought
that you were still in Northamptonshire.'

    'Lucy
invited me to stay with her for a while in Knightrider Street.'

    Christopher
was thrilled. 'So close?'

    'That
was how I came into it,' explained Jonathan, noting the fond glances that were
being exchanged between the two of them. 'Miss Cheever had a message for you.
Knowing that I live nearby in Addle Hill, she called to ask if I would deliver
it. Since the message has a bearing on the investigation, I thought it best if
Miss Cheever gave it to you in person.'

    'Thank
you, Mr Bale.'

    'Did
I make the right decision?'

    'Without
question,' said Christopher.

    Realising
that he had ignored Jonathan, he greeted him properly and urged him to stay for
refreshment, but the constable had other work to do. He rose to his feet, took
his leave of Susan then followed Christopher into the hall, where he lowered
his voice to ensure that they were not overheard.

    'I
assured Miss Cheever that you would see that she got back safely.'

    'I
shall insist on it.'

    'I
had a feeling that you might, Mr Redmayne,' he said, face impassive. 'But how
did you fare when we parted this afternoon?'

    'Very
well.'

    Eager
to get back to his guest, Christopher recounted, in only the briefest outline,
details of his respective meetings with Celia Hemmings and Sir Marcus Kemp. The
constable's eyebrows lifted at the mention of Arthur Lunn.

    'He
was not a man I could ever admire,' he said.

    'You
and he are hardly well matched.'

    'Do
you wish me to speak to him again?'

    'No,
Mr Bale,' said Christopher, opening the front door. 'I'll take care of Mr Lunn
from now on. In fact, I had planned to track him down this very evening.'

    'I
felt so out of place in that coffee house.'

    'You would
feel even more out of place in one of his nocturnal haunts. For that's where I
am likely to run Arthur Lunn to ground.' He eased Jonathan into the street.
'Leave him to me. I'll call on you tomorrow and report anything that I find
out.'

    'Thank
you, Mr Redmayne.'

    Christopher
waved him off before closing the door. He was deeply grateful to his friend.
Jonathan had not merely brought Susan to his home. He had tactfully left them
alone together, knowing that Christopher would elicit far more from his visitor
if he were not sitting between them. The thought of accompanying her back to
Knightrider Street was a joy in itself. Christopher went back into the room
with anticipatory pleasure.

    'What
can I offer you, Miss Cheever?' he said.

    'Nothing,
thank you. Jacob has been looking after us.'

    'So
he should.' He grinned broadly. 'I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you
again. Did Sir Julius travel back to London with you?'

    'No,
Mr Redmayne. Father remained at home. He prefers to mourn there.'

    'I
can understand that.'

    It
was a timely reminder that Susan herself was still in mourning, dressed in
sober attire and rather subdued. Christopher saw the impropriety of grinning at
her. Making an effort to look more serious, he took the seat opposite her.

    'Did
you tell Mr Bale what this message was?' he asked.

    'Yes,'
she replied. 'He is assisting you in the inquiry.'

    'It's
more a case of my assisting him, Miss Cheever. He is the officer of the law,
not me. It was Mr Bale, after all, who helped to find the body on Paul's
Wharf.'

    'I
know. I asked him to show me the spot.'

    Christopher
frowned. 'You went there?'

    'Before
we set out for Fetter Lane.'

    'It's
hardly a fit place for a young lady.'

    'Nor
for my brother, I would have thought. What was Gabriel doing there?'

    'That
has still to be ascertained.'

    'Mr
Bale believes he was killed elsewhere and carried to the wharf.'

    'I'm
sure that the full truth will emerge in time.'

    The
pleasure of being with her again was making it difficult for Christopher to
concentrate. When he parted from Susan at the funeral, he had resigned himself
to a wait of several weeks before he chanced to see her again, and that meeting
would certainly be in the presence of Sir Julius Cheever. Yet here she was,
unencumbered by her father, talking to him alone under his own roof. He had to
force himself to keep to the matter in hand.

    'What
is
this message, Miss Cheever?'

    'Lucy
and I have spent a lot of time together,' she explained. 'I think that she is
slowly learning to trust me.'

    'You
are one of the most trustworthy people I have ever met.'

    'She
is still wary of everyone, Mr Redmayne, and still in a state of shock.'

    'Has
she told you why her marriage had to be kept secret?'

    'Not
yet. But she may do so in time.'

    'I
hope so. It will be relevant to our inquiry.'

    'What
she has done is given me a few hints.'

    'Hints?'

    'They
were not deliberate,' said Susan, 'but they dropped out in conversation.'

    'Go
on.'

    'She
knows something important about the time that Gabriel was killed. Lucy was
visiting her ailing mother in St Albans. Her maidservant went with her. Gabriel
was left in the house on his own. But he was not there when he was attacked.'

    'What
makes you say that?'

    'I
think that he was meant to be somewhere that night,' she said. 'Lucy more or
less confirmed it. Gabriel was ambushed on his way to or from this place and
murdered. His body was carried to the wharf.'

    'He
was certainly not killed at the house. There would have been signs of the
struggle. Besides, someone as cautious as Gabriel would not have let a stranger
in.'

    'Mr
Bale explained that.'

    'Oh?'

    'He
says that the killer must have stolen Gabriel's key.'

    'Quite
probably,' said Christopher, thinking it through. 'There was no indication of
forced entry. When she got back, your sister-in-law had the feeling that
someone had been in the house but everything seemed to be in its place. It was
only when she carried out a thorough search that the theft of the diary came to
light;

    'Yes,'
said Susan under her breath. 'The diary.'

    'What
do you propose to do, Miss Cheever?'

    'Try
to break down Lucy's reserve completely so that she tells me the truth.'

    'And
if that fails?'

    'I
was hoping that you might speak to her, Mr Redmayne.'

    'Gladly.
If you think she is up to it.'

    'She
is,' Susan assured him. 'Lucy has an inner strength.'

    'Tell
me when to come and I'll be there immediately.'

    'Let
me try first of all.'

    'I
will,' agreed Christopher. 'You are in a much better position to win her over.
When the rest of your family rejected Gabriel, you stood by him. Lucy knows
that. You are probably the only person with whom she can discuss her husband.'

    'We've
been doing nothing else for the past few days.'

    'It
must be very lowering for you.'

    'Not
really, Mr Redmayne. It's been something of a revelation.'