Chapter 36
“So, is all this fiddle-faddle over?” The dowager squinted at Wrexford and Charlotte through the slanting light spilling in through the drawing-room windows.
“Are we sure that all the mysteries-within-mysteries are finally untangled?” Her eyes narrowed even more.
“And that all the villains are either apprehended or dead?”
Two days had passed since the tumultuous evening at Damien Manchester’s art emporium.
Wrexford had spent much of the time helping the authorities piece together the litany of Mrs. Ainsley’s crimes and the list of co-conspirators, while Cordelia had insisted on keeping Sheffield confined to his quarters, with all visitors banned until she was satisfied that he had regained his strength.
It wasn’t until now that the earl had felt ready to gather their inner circle for a final report on the situation.
“Yes,” said Wrexford in answer to Alison’s query.
“I’m confident that the current counterfeiting threat has been crushed.
The masterminds, Mrs. Ainsley and her partner in crime Damien Manchester, are dead.
” The Weasels had simply been informed that the lady had lost her life in resisting Griffin’s efforts to take her into custody.
The earl then made a face. “I still feel like a fool for not recognizing the clue that Jack MacArthur mentioned. He told me that his father always greeted a certain visitor as ‘my good man’!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Ye heavens, Wrex, it’s a common phrase. No doubt Archie Campbell though himself very clever for giving it a double meaning—and clearly he considered Manchester a friend. But it doesn’t sound like he suspected that Manchester was the mastermind.”
“Or perhaps he did, and stayed silent when he got wind that his son hadn’t been apprehended, hoping that if Manchester was the mastermind, he wouldn’t bother to pursue the boy.”
“Perhaps,” said Charlotte. “Archie Campbell was too clever for his own good. He paid the price for his hubris, and so did a number of people who trusted him.”
“Amen to that,” intoned the earl. “As for the co-conspirators, Sylvester Arlington, along with his cousin and a third henchman, were caught trying to flee the country at Dover.”
Alison made a face. “Remind me again how Arlington came to be part of the conspiracy.”
“He was an acquaintance of Mrs. Ainsley’s brother, as they both were working for a time at the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich,” said Charlotte. “He and his cousin, along with a third villain, were already involved in stealing military supplies meant for our armies and selling them to our enemies.”
“That’s how Arlington and his two henchmen connected with Mrs. Ainsley and participated in the Lisbon Conspiracy.
They organized the false military contingent that took the counterfeit banknotes to Portugal,” interjected Wrexford.
“It turns out they were the three false soldiers who chased the Weasels.” A pause.
“And they were also the men who attacked me as I was heading to confront Baz.”
“Will they hang?” demanded Raven.
“Given their participation in the Lisbon Conspiracy as well as their recent crimes, I’m quite sure they will,” answered Wrexford.
“Good riddance,” muttered Peregrine. “They were vicious and evil.”
“Oiy,” agreed Hawk. “But thankfully we learned that Toad wasn’t another of their victims. Shanks, who toils as a street sweep on Ratcliffe Highway near London Dock, told us that Toad has found a new hole down by the Royal Naval Academy in Greenwich.”
“I am very glad to hear that,” said Charlotte.
She looked around at their inner circle, feeling a shiver spasm through her heart at how close so many of them had come to shuffling off their mortal coils.
“That cursed Mrs. Ainsley caused so much pain and suffering with her diabolical plots. And for what? She already led a pampered life within the highest circles of power and privilege.”
“Some devil-cursed people are never satisfied,” observed Henning as he contemplated the amber-hued whisky in his glass. “They take malicious delight in manipulation. It makes them feel in control, which gives them a misguided notion that somehow they are a deity unto themselves.”
“Hubris lies at the root of so much evil,” said von Münch, who had finally been granted official membership in the inner circle by the earl.
“Speaking of which, I shall be departing at first light tomorrow. I must head to Vienna, where yet more bickering between the Austrian, Prussian, and Russian diplomats still gathered there is threatening to undo all the progress that has been made for ensuring peace and prosperity throughout the Continent.”
“We shall miss you, sir,” piped up Eddy.
A glint of amusement lit in von Münch’s eyes. “I’m not sure your brother would echo your sentiments. Be that as it may, I am very touched by your kind words and will take them as an invitation to return for an occasional visit when my duties permit.”
Wrexford chuffed a low snort, but it was softened by a twitch of his lips.
“I feel very sorry for Ainsley and his brother-in-law, Philip Stoneham,” mused the dowager. “The shock and the sense of betrayal by a loved one must be overwhelming.”
“Ainsley has resigned from his position at the bank and has withdrawn to his country estate. Stoneham has accompanied him, and I think they will take solace from each other as they seek to come to grips with the terrible truths revealed by the recent events,” said Wrexford.
“Friendships are a balm for the soul,” remarked Charlotte as she cast a look at Cordelia. “That said, can you forgive us for drawing Kit into such terrible danger? We should never have asked—”
A rude sound from Sheffield interrupted her apology.
“Just as I should never have asked for help from all of you when Cordelia and her brother were suspected of a terrible crime?” He made a pained face.
“It goes without saying that all of us in this room would do anything for each other. So please stubble any apologies. Indeed, they are an insult.”
“All for one and one for all!” chorused the Weasels.
That made everyone chuckle.
“I have just one last question,” said the dowager. “Does all this havey-cavey business mean that the quest for the Inimitable Banknote is at an end?”
“Not at all,” answered Wrexford. “Mrs. Ainsley was simply trying to steal the best technology and blackmail MacArthur into helping her and her co-conspirators to win both the Bank of England’s monetary prize and the lucrative contract that would likely follow for printing the banknotes.”
“But how would she have contrived to be part of the competition?” asked Cordelia.
“From what I have gathered,” said the earl, “it seems her plan was to have Manchester and Arlington announce their entry into the competition. Given Manchester’s expertise in the art of guilloches and Arlington’s metal and milling business, it wouldn’t have raised any suspicions.”
He paused. “There are still legitimate competitors in the running. Applegath and Cowper … Congreve and his associate Ibbetson … and of course our new friends MacArthur, Perkins, and their British partners. In fact, MacArthur and Perkins should be arriving here shortly to discuss the future.”
“On that note, I shall fetch the tea trolley and pastries,” announced McClellan.
“And you, Tyler, ought to head to Wrex’s wine cellar,” said Henning. “Given what we’ve just heard, it seems to me that some very fine champagne is called for in order to properly celebrate our triumph.”
Triumph.
Charlotte watched the flickers of sunlight dip and dart over the beloved faces of Wrexford and their dearest friends. Yes, they had ultimately uncovered a number of ugly truths and a group of heartless criminals had answered for their perfidy. But …
A shadow momentarily darkened her spirits. The deaths … the lives ruined by painful betrayals … the depths of depravity … This investigation had shaken her to the core.
“I find it hard to call this a triumph,” said Charlotte softly “I confess that at times, Evil feels like such an overpowering, malignant force that merely lopping off a few heads seems to do little good.”
“Good versus Evil is an endless battle,” replied Wrexford. “We mustn’t ever lose heart. Sometimes we are on the defensive, and a skirmish leaves its scars. But if we overcome doubt and fear, and keep up a relentless attack, the devil and his minions will be forced to retreat.”
“Ebb and flow is an elemental rhythm of the cosmos, lassie,” intoned Henning. “It’s important to celebrate little victories.”
“And prepare ourselves for the next conflict,” added Sheffield. “So that we can beat Evil again … and again, and again.”
“Or, as you would say, m’lady, ad infinitum,” added Peregrine with a tentative smile.
“Quite right,” answered Charlotte. The shadow was no match for the love and support that was the heart and soul of their inner circle. “Whenever the devil attacks again, we will be ready—”
“Ready for what?” asked Tyler, as he followed McClellan and her tea cart back to the drawing room, a half dozen champagne bottles cradled in his arms.
“A toast!” answered Henning. “Hurry up and fetch some glasses.”
“Thank heavens!” The champagne was already flowing freely as their friend David Ricardo suddenly appeared in the doorway. “I just returned from the country and found Lady Cordelia’s urgent note waiting for me.” He flashed a relieved smile at Sheffield. “But it seems that the threat is over.”
“Surely you didn’t really think we would let any harm come to Mr. Sheffield, sir,” called Raven, his voice suspiciously slurred.
Ricardo’s smile grew more pronounced. “Indeed not. I would never bet against this group.”
“Ha! And we know your knack for choosing winners,” chortled the dowager.