Chapter 27
M elody thought little of it when Rat still had not returned by the time she had got back to the riad. However, when he still wasn’t back by the time she descended to the courtyard for their evening meal, Melody started to worry. Then she chastised herself for being such a mother hen. Perhaps Rat had got caught up in something and hadn’t arrived at the consul’s home as early as he planned. Maybe he and the consul had fallen into conversation, and the hours had slipped away from them. Melody could well imagine that the garrulous Consul MacLeod had pressed him to stay for dinner. Morocco wasn’t like London, with easy access to telephones. She might wish that Rat had sent a servant with word, but she could imagine her polite brother not wanting to make the request of a new acquaintance.
Lahcen’s household ate dinner quite early by Moroccan standards, and so Melody wasn’t even concerned when Rat hadn’t returned by nine o’clock; it was possible that the consul took his evening meal somewhat later and then Rat had to make his way back to the riad. Over lamb tagine and couscous, Fatima had mentioned that Rat hadn’t planned to take a mule or a servant with him. On hearing this, Melody was a little anxious that he might have got lost in the Medina, which was difficult enough to navigate during the day, let alone at night. She hoped that the consul would insist on sending a servant to guide Rat back.
When her brother had not returned by ten o’clock, Melody was worried. Omar, Lahcen, and Fatima were sitting with her in the courtyard, drinking mint tea, seemingly unconcerned about her brother’s continued absence.
Her mint tea sat untouched on the table in front of her as Melody nervously nibbled at her nails. Finally, she interrupted the conversation to ask, “What do you think is keeping my brother?”
“Matthew is a grown man,” Fatima answered dismissively. “Surely he does not have to answer to his little sister for his whereabouts.”
Melody was so worried that she didn’t even bother to feel irritation at the other woman’s harsh and unfair words. Omar smiled kindly and answered, “It is possible that Consul MacLeod offered your brother a bed for the night. His home is some distance from here, and it would take a servant almost an hour to see Sidi Matthew home and then return. I am sure that he will be here by the time you come down to break your fast.”
The words were well meant, and Melody tried to receive them as they were intended, but she was just too plagued by anxiety at this point and snapped, “And if he isn’t? What if something has happened to him? Are we to all go to our beds and rest our heads on our pillows as if we do not have a care in the world?”
It was now Lahcen’s turn to attempt to placate her. “Lalla Melody, what would you have me do? If it will soothe you, I am happy to rouse my men from their beds and send them out to walk the streets and alleys between here and the Batha district looking for your brother.”
Melody would have liked to take him up on this offer and suggest that if his men were going to do this, they might not go all the way to the consul’s home and inquire about Rat. However, even as she thought this, Melody realised how unreasonable such a request might be. She knew that Lahcen’s servants rose early and worked a long day to ensure the comfort of her and the rest of the household. It seemed quite outrageous to expect them to spend hours looking for her brother, only to crawl back to their beds to grab some rest before rising early.
Instead, Melody said, “Thank you, Lahcen. I will not ask your servants to do that. However, if my brother is not home by tomorrow morning, I will ask that someone escort me to the consul’s home to inquire about him.”
Melody wasn’t sure how she was going to sleep for worrying about Rat, but somehow, she fell into a slumber eventually. When Melody woke the following morning, she was so impatient to find out if her brother had returned that she didn’t even bother to pin up her hair properly before rushing to knock on his door. When there was no reply, she opened his door and saw that his bed looked as if it had not been slept in. Melody then went down to the courtyard where Lahcen was sitting drinking mint tea. It seemed that Melody had slept later than she had intended, and it was almost ten o’clock.
When she told Lahcen that her brother was not in his room and he acknowledged that he had not seen him that morning, Melody burst into tears. “Lalla Melody, do not cry,” Lahcen said in a kind, concerned voice. “All will be well. I will have some of my men go to the consul’s home.”
“I will be going,” Melody asserted. “But I would appreciate if one of your men could accompany me.”
Whatever Lahcen might have said in response was pre-empted by a servant who announced that there was a guest in the vestibule. While Melody didn’t understand what the servant said, she did catch the name Somerset. Had William come to make a morning call?
Melody’s guess was confirmed when Lahcen turned from the servant and said, “Lalla Melody, it appears you have a morning caller. Would you like my man to turn him away?”
While her first instinct was to say yes, Melody considered her proposed trip to the consul’s home. Surely, her concerns would be taken more seriously if Captain Somerset accompanied her than if she, a young woman, turned up with only a servant for a companion.
“Please have him shown through,” Melody said to Lahcen, who then said something to the servant.
A few moments later, Captain Somerset was shown into the courtyard. He came towards Melody, his hat in one hand, a bunch of roses in the other, and a broad smile on his face. “Miss Chesterton, please excuse the early call, but I came across a stall in the souq where flowers were being sold, and I had to bring you some. I meant merely to leave them, but I could not resist asking for you.” At this, the man wore such an adorably sheepish look on his face that if Melody hadn’t been as worried as she was, she would have smiled.
Instead of smiling, she approached him eagerly, ignoring the flowers in his hand. “Captain Somerset, William, your timing is perfect. I have need of your aid.”
“I will do whatever is in my power to assist you; just say the word.” Melody explained the situation and said she intended to visit the consul’s home to discover what might have happened to Rat.
Without her even having to make the request, William said, “Then let me accompany you, though I would also be happy to make the trip myself.” Melody assured him that she had no intention of being left behind. She ran back to her room to pin her hair up and get her hat, and a few minutes later, the riad door closed behind her and Captain Somerset.
“I left my carriage back towards the Bab Ftou,” William explained. “The route it can take is a little circuitous, but if we use it, we can drive through the wider streets on the Medina’s perimeter to get to the Batha district, where the streets are wide enough for my carriage.”
Melody had noticed the day before that the captain’s carriage was narrower and more lightweight than the ones traditionally used in Europe. She now realised that this was so it could navigate at least some parts of Fes. There was no doubt this would be quicker and certainly more comfortable than a mule, and Melody gratefully accepted the suggestion.
Neither Melody nor Captain Somerset said much for the journey; Melody was too distracted by her worries about Rat and William was too distracted by Melody. When they finally arrived at the consul’s house, Melody didn’t even wait for the captain to help her down but jumped out of the carriage and was halfway down the path to the front door before he closed the carriage door.
The same servant who opened the front door the night of the party opened it again. Melody inquired whether her brother was there, but the man looked blankly at her. William then asked in serviceable Arabic, but the man still shook his head.
“What did he say?” Melody asked impatiently after the servant had replied.
“He said that he has not seen your brother since the night of the consul’s party.” William then exchanged a few more words in Arabic with the servant. “He also says that he was away from the house yesterday, and another servant might have let Mr Sandworth in. However, he is sure that there were no guests for dinner, nor did anyone stay in one of the guest rooms.”
William said a few more words, and the servant stepped back to let them into the house. “He said that the consul is not here. However, Mr Blackadder, the consul’s secretary, is, and he suggests that we go through and talk to him. Follow me. I am here quite frequently and know the way.”
The captain led the way down the corridor to the secretary’s office and knocked on the door. A hale, “Enter,” greeted them and they made their way into the office to find Alister Blackadder sitting behind his desk, buried in paperwork.
He didn’t seem surprised to see Captain Somerset but was caught off-guard by Melody’s presence. He had not met her the evening of the party and was very curious about the captain’s charming companion. Introductions were made, and Alister offered them seats. Melody was far too anxious and impatient to sit, but after a glance at William, she realised that it would be insulting not to accept the invitation.
“How might I help you both this morning?” Alister asked.
“I believe that my brother came here sometime yesterday to send another telegram, and he never returned to the riad. I had assumed that he had stayed for dinner and then the night as Consul MacLeod’s guest, but the manservant assured me that was not the case. As you can imagine, I am very concerned.”
“Your brother?” Alister asked in a bemused tone. “I am not sure I know who your brother, Mr Chesterton, is.”
Melody mentally kicked herself for not being clearer. “I apologise, Mr Blackadder. My brother and I have different surnames for reasons that are unimportant at the moment. His name is Mr Matthew Sandworth.”
“Ah, Mr Sandworth. Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting him the night of the consul’s party. He did receive a telegram that evening, which I decoded for him.” Alister shook his head sadly, “However, I am sorry to have to inform you that I have not seen your brother since that night. I certainly did not see him yesterday. Of course, I wasn’t here for most of the day. The consul had business in Fes, and I was with him most of the time.”
Seeing Melody’s crestfallen face at this news, Alister hurried to add, “It is certainly possible that your brother was here at some point; I just cannot vouch for that.”
The servant who answered the door said that he had not been around most of yesterday. Do you have any idea who might have answered the door if my brother did visit?”
Alister rose. “Let me go and ask Ali, who opened the door for you today. He should know who might have done so yesterday.” He left the room and a few minutes later re-entered with an enormous, scowling man whose thick, black beard almost came all the way to eyes which were so dark they were almost black.
“Now, Kacem, please tell Miss Chesterton what you told me.”
Alister said this in English, and the man replied, “No visitors yesterday.”
“And you are sure that no one else might have answered the door,” Melody pressed, her anxiety rising. If Rat hadn’t even arrived here, then what had happened to him? Suddenly, she had visions of her brother being set upon by some Moroccan equivalent of footpads. Had they left him wounded in an alleyway or worse?
“No visitors,” was the large man’s only terse answer. He then looked at Alister who nodded in dismissal.
Alister Blackadder retook his seat, clasped his hands together and said in a voice that mixed admiration with almost the tone of a supplicant, “I am so sorry that we have been unable to help, Miss Chesterton. Of course, both the consul and I will assist in any way we can to locate your brother. Not only is it part of our duties here in Fes, but it would be my personal pleasure to aid you in any way I can.”
Melody noticed out of the corner of her eye that Captain Somerset seemed quite put out by Mr Blackadder’s tone. Deciding that the last thing she needed at that moment was to manage two peacocks preening and vying for her attention, Melody was about to stand to leave when she noticed something. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of gold that looked awfully familiar. Standing and crossing to the side of the room, she stooped and picked up the object. Turning it over in her hand, Melody was confident about what this was. She just wasn’t sure what it meant.
“What do you have there, Miss Chesterton?” Alister asked.
Melody considered how she wished to answer. There was no doubt that the object now safe in her jacket pocket was Rat’s ring. Embossed with the Langley crest, Melody would have recognised it anywhere. That his guardian and mentor had given him such a ring had meant the world to Rat. He knew what it signified: that while Rat could not inherit Lord Langley’s title, he was considered in every way that counted the earl’s son.
While tears threatened to well up in her eyes, Melody took control of her emotions. This was a time for cold, clear logic, not sentiment. It was evident that, despite assurances to the contrary, her brother had not only been in this house, but he had also been in this room.
Melody considered how to answer Alister’s question. Finally, she said in as casual a voice as she could manage, “It is my brother’s pinkie ring. He must have dropped it the night before last when he was in here during the consul’s party.”
While this was a plausible explanation, Melody was also sure that wasn’t what had happened. She distinctly remembered seeing it on Rat’s finger when they had stood in the riad’s doorway discussing the telegram he had received from Lord Langley. Rat had a habit of turning the ring absentmindedly on his finger when he was anxious. And it was that evident anxiety that she remembered so clearly. Melody had thought at the time that there was more that Rat hadn’t told her and Fatima and that it was obviously worrying him because he was twisting his ring as he spoke.
Alister Blackadder scrunched his face up for a moment as if he doubted Melody’s words, but then quickly, he smoothed out his forehead, smiled and said, “Of course, that must be the case. I am glad that you spotted it there.”
“Indeed. Well, we will take no more of your time.” Melody crossed so quickly to the door that it took William a moment to realise that she was about to leave. He jumped up to follow her, and before Alister even had a chance to rise from his chair, they had bid farewell and exited the room.