Chapter 32
By the time her cab arrived at Bow Street, Georgina had wiped her face and nose and collected herself enough to present a dignified front.
It had only been four days since she found herself confined in the filthy prison cells below.
No thanks to her young friend Joshua. She smiled at the thought of him and wished to be able to give the child a firm, comforting cuddle right at this moment.
Dismissing this curious impulse, Georgina made her way inside and asked the duty administrator to speak with Mr Gibbs.
They gave her a doubtful look and said it may not be possible, as Mr Gibbs was particularly busy at the moment.
Not wishing to be dismissed out of hand, Georgina asked for them to please tell Mr Gibbs that if he did not attend to her immediately, the Thames might soon run red with claret, and it would be entirely his fault.
The summons proved most effective, and a grinning Mr Gibbs soon emerged from a nearby office, greeting Georgina almost as a friend, not a former inmate. Georgina keenly felt the privilege of her social standing.
“Please, Mr Gibbs, I need to speak with you privately on a matter of grave importance and urgency.”
He escorted her into his office, a room sparsely furnished with a large, scratched desk covered in paperwork, two wooden chairs that suggested practicality over comfort, and a sad potted plant withering away in the corner.
“You do not have your small accomplice with you today?”
“No, I hope he is safe at home, stealing only muffins from the cook.”
Once they settled opposite each other at the desk, Mr Gibbs steepled his fingers together and prompted her to tell him how he might assist.
She inhaled. This could sound like one of Joshua’s tales, so she had to do her best to lay out the details in a believable manner. “There is an illegal gaming house on St James’s Square. It is called ‘Solitaires.’”
Mr Gibbs leaned in. “I know of it, but it is a fortress we have not yet managed to breach. Tell me more.”
“A young friend of mine, born a miris, was lately taken there and exploited out of a huge sum of money—tricked into writing promissory notes with outrageous terms. Despite my best attempts to settle the debt and avoid the exorbitant costs of those terms, the house would not allow it. I then uncovered other deviant practices they employ, including devices doctored to favour the house, and so forth.” Georgina wrung her hands.
“I confess, I did steal one such item, a faro box, to inspect it and prove its trick. I hoped my possession of the box would persuade the proprietors to return my friend’s notes. ”
Mr Gibbs rested his elbow on the desk, rapt.
“It was only then I discovered that the enterprise was much more sinister and far-reaching than I imagined. The individuals behind the gaming house sent someone to rough me up. I’m sure Joshua would have a much more colourful description for it if he were here.
The henchman did this to me.” She revealed what remained of the bruises on her neck.
“And that is where you came into the story. Convinced that I needed protection, my little champion Joshua encouraged me to seek out someone of equally dubious character, hence our meeting and my subsequent arrest that day.”
“Do you still have the faro box?”
“No.”
Mr Gibbs returned a dramatic sigh. “That would have been useful evidence! How can I track these people?”
“Mr Gibbs, I have not finished,” Georgina said breathlessly.
“The people you are looking for are Lord Ellis and Mr Montgomery, and potentially one Mrs Gardner. She is the hostess of Solitaires, but frankly, I think she just does their bidding. I have good reason to believe that these men and their menials were also responsible for the murder of my brother, Mr Henry Pace, eight years ago.”
Mr Gibbs sat back in his chair and puffed air out through his lips. “Come now, Miss Pace. This is becoming quite the tale. What makes you believe the crimes are connected?”
“The brute who accosted me confessed that he participated in the act. I could identify him, without a doubt, and both Montgomery and Ellis gloated about their role in his death.”
His brows were arched high, quite stunned. “Why would they suddenly do that, Miss Pace? And is there proof?”
“Henry’s watch. They admitted everything after I saw Montgomery with Henry’s fob watch.
It went missing the night he died. If that is not sufficient evidence, I believe Mrs Gardner might provide a witness statement confirming the nature of their activities, including confessions made in her earshot during the time she worked for them—in exchange for your protection, of course.
” Georgina covered her mouth with her hand, concealing a slight smile.
She sniffled dramatically, wondering fleetingly if she’d missed a calling as an actress.
Then she sobered. “Finally, they violently threatened my father, only this morning. So, with lives at stake, I returned the faro box to them less than an hour ago.”
As she spoke, Mr Gibbs nodded passionately. “If we can recover the faro box and the watch, and gather witness testimony, there may be enough evidence, Miss Pace.”
Georgina felt hope rise within her. “I wish for justice for Henry. Whatever I can do to bring my father peace.” She stood up and shook his hand across the table.
He walked with her to the door and paused with his hand on the handle. “Miss Pace, I admire your persistence. You’ve taken on a great risk to yourself.”
A tense pause followed, and Georgina moistened her lips. “They killed him, Mr Gibbs. And there will be others if someone does not stop them.”
He nodded. “Then they shall be stopped.”
“Good man.” Georgina clapped his arm and left the room.
Georgina’s scheme, hatched well before the night she played hazard with those odious men, was finally about to unfold. While she hated to be away from Henry’s watch, she thought her brother would be proud. He always did love a gambit.
***
By the time Georgina returned home, dark clouds cast a morose shadow over London, and a heavy rain poured down from above.
She joined her father in the parlour, still resting where she had left him.
Regardless of the faith she had placed in Mr Gibbs, she still had a duty to send him away to Yorkshire to guarantee his safety.
Silas had composed himself while she had been out, and the colour had returned to his cheeks. He had patted down his wispy hair, and a restorative glass of brandy had seen him feeling a lot better.
It surprised her to learn he had already instructed Mr Walker to prepare his belongings, ready to embark on the first leg of the journey that very afternoon. The weather did not promote favourable travelling conditions, but they might have made some inroads on the long trip ahead of them.
At least now there was no duplicity between them. He took her in his arms and held her close. “Might you not come with me, George?” he begged.
She pressed her cheek against his broad chest, feeling for a moment like a child again. The fabric of his waistcoat brushed softly against her ear. “I cannot, Papa. There are things I must settle in town.” When she looked up at him, tears glistened on the ends of his eyelashes.
He sniffled. “It’s only that … Well. Henry. Oh, George, I cannot lose you too.”
Georgina grabbed him against her in a fierce hug.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, my darling. I promise you. But before you leave town, there is one thing I need you to do. Stop in at the Bow Street Magistrate on your way and make an official statement about what happened here this morning. Ask for Mr Gibbs. Ensure that you describe Ellis and Montgomery and the attacker, in every detail, including all that they said about me, that they had your deceased son’s watch, everything.
” She bit her lip. “Just don’t mention that I have had possession of Henry’s fob these last eight years; that bit of information is unnecessary to the case.
Understand? You do this, Papa, and this will help settle the matter once and for all.
Finally, we will have justice for Henry. ”
Silas pledged to do so faithfully and kissed his daughter’s forehead. She was grateful for his trust.
Within an hour, Georgina watched her father’s travelling carriage disappear along Half Moon Street with a smile of grim relief. At least she did not have to fear for him anymore. He would be safely out of London soon, away from anyone’s reach.
Georgina hurried upstairs to change. She had been away from Mem Lavigne’s for too long. There she could at least rest her crusade against Ellis’s and Montgomery’s corrupt empire and perhaps find solace from the heartache caused by Elizabeth’s betrayal.
Her fascination with Elizabeth had clouded her perception. If she was honest, it was more than fascination—she had cared deeply for the woman. But the evidence of her involvement with Mrs Gardner was indisputable, and she had made her allegiance clear.
While she hoped Elizabeth had heeded her warning to leave the establishment with haste so as not to end up at Bow Street, Georgina must forget about Lady Mortimer from this point forward. Amidst the familiar surroundings at Mem Lavigne’s, Georgina hoped to seek refuge from her troubled heart.