Chapter 37
There was no need for a signal tonight, no discreet candle in the window to set in motion a message and a midnight visitor days later. Allegra and her mother knew that he would come without being summoned. They were both waiting.
For the first time, the three of them sat at the table together alone, in the odd intimacy of the dark kitchen.
‘I need not ask you if you saw the news,’ the old man said.
‘Your faces show that you did. And no, before you ask, Tinette, it was not me. I would gladly have done it with no regrets before or after, but as you have seen, the necessity was taken from me.’
‘The man you spoke of…?’ Allegra whispered, feeling an obscure reluctance to say his name, now she knew exactly how dangerous he was – as though he could be summoned like some ancient demon merely by speaking it aloud.
Her grandfather nodded. ‘I will tell you, because I think you need to know, and then we must never speak of this matter again. My acquaintance was in an unusually expansive mood. He told me that he knew the young man in question quite well – that he was aware he was a blackmailer of the ton, which was no concern of his, but that he had also been passing information to… certain other parties to enable them to commit robbery, and burglary. Which lady in all her jewels would be travelling back from a party, and by which route. Which house might be left poorly guarded on a certain evening. Which gentleman had won a large sum of money at cards and was wandering home drunk from a gambling club. Useful things, but dangerous, as I am sure you can perceive.’
‘And so?’ Leontina said flatly. ‘I would have thought that this would make the young man more valuable to him, rather than otherwise.’
Schiavi said, ‘My friend, though I hesitate to call him so, is a thief, but despite what you might think he is not greedy, nor is he a fool. It had occurred to him before this that he had allowed an uncomfortable sort of a relationship to develop between himself and the enterprising young gentleman. Perhaps he had been unwise, he admitted to me, to appear directly in such matters himself. He did not think that even the rashest blackmailer would be so foolish as to attempt to extort him, not only because of the obvious risk of it, but because that would in itself be an admission of involvement in theft. The fellow would be exposing himself as much as his partner in crime – nobody would be foolish enough to do so without good cause.’
‘Of course,’ said Allegra with a touch of impatience. ‘So what had changed?’
‘My friend had already heard whispers that his accomplice had been drinking to excess, extending his blackmailing habits more widely than previously, and talking rather more freely than was wise. I told him what the villain had said to you, his claims of criminal friends, his threats – not revealing your identity or our relationship, naturally – and he slammed his hand down on the table, and said, “Enough!” You must understand that he is a mild-mannered sort of a man, generally – if you met him, which I devoutly hope you never do, you would not in the least suspect him for what he is. He almost never raises his voice. This was the closest I have seen him to angry, or even agitated. I promise you, it made a powerful impression on me. More than that, he has a trusted confederate who was present at our meeting, a pugilist of some repute, and the expression on his face at that moment chilled me. He rose and left the room after an exchange of glances between them. Not a word more was spoken, or not in my hearing.’
‘They must have thought that Englishby was risking arrest, and that if he was taken up he would without hesitation sell any information he had to save his miserable neck,’ Leontina mused.
‘That was what I assumed. So you see, though our actions may have hastened the young man’s end, it was written for him already, because of his own actions. The world is a cleaner place without him in it.’
‘You did not place yourself in danger?’ his daughter asked.
‘On the contrary, I received thanks. My friend paid me the compliment of saying that he knew my discretion could be relied upon, and that he would not soon forget what I had done for him.’
‘That could be construed as a threat,’ Mrs Constantine said anxiously.
‘I choose not to take it so. My word is my bond and he knows it. He is not a monster, though he is ruthless, and most of all he is not a fool. We have an understanding. It is over, and you must both put the matter from your minds, as much as you are able.’
It was at this moment that Allegra, who had sharp ears, heard with a thrill of alarm a soft knocking at the basement door.