Chapter 28
‘We will have to pay the medical bills,’ said Thea, fury once again raging inside her as she sat in a juddering carriage with her husband.
He now waved his hand dismissively. ‘Speckle patched him up for free. Handy that Knatchbull invited him really. All sorted.’
‘George,’ said Thea, taking a breath and trying to stay calm. ‘You shot a ranger.’
‘Only in the leg.’
‘Because you were drunk with a shotgun.’
He leaned forward from the opposite carriage bench, and she could smell the liquor on his breath.
It was only half past eleven in the morning.
‘I am the head of this household and am permitted to be drunk at any time I like. Also, who wouldn’t be drunk being married to you?
What a pitiful outburst that was at dinner. ’
She had been waiting for it. But at least that and him shooting the ranger seemed to have distracted him from her earlier indiscretion. ‘It is all done now. I have made things up with Mrs Fairclough.’ She hadn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.
George guffawed. ‘As if she matters. You were an embarrassment, but I have charmed Knatchbull, and he has his plants from Lady Foxmore and so once again I fix the mess you made.’
‘How grateful I am,’ she said, fed up with his vitriol, but wondered if she could change the subject and gather some information while he was drunk.
‘You will be pleased, I am sure, that Knatchbull has taken the glory,’ she tried. ‘I understand he has germinated the protea for the queen?’
‘Oh, is that what it was?’ said George. ‘Good. At least one thing you can’t mess up for us.’
‘I am sure,’ said Thea. ‘But did Knatchbull tell you how?’
‘Why would he?’ asked George.
‘He didn’t say anything about eyeballs?’
George ran a disdainful eye over her and regarded her seriously. ‘I am getting a little worried about you, Your Grace. With this and the outburst at dinner.’
‘Never mind,’ she said, sighing internally.
‘But I do mind,’ he said, sitting forwards. ‘You know what happens to ladies who are deemed too hysterical, do you not?’
She stared at him, not certain if he was actually threatening to have her holed up on one of the London madhouses. But then he threw back his head and laughed, delighted to find himself so funny.
‘You wouldn't last two minutes in there,’ he said. ‘You should be grateful I provide you with such a comfortable life.’
She knew it would be unwise to voice any of the thoughts she held inside, and so they stayed there, while he settled down and went to sleep.
There seemed to be nothing for it, but to confront Fletcher directly.
On their return Thea and Mrs Phibbs had been to speak to Frankie, who was very clear.
She had informed each person who could possibly be a suspect of one potential off-the-wall method of seed treatment.
Mrs Phibbs had been tasked with finding out which one, or which ones Neville had tried.
It could only be Fletcher who had mentioned the eyeballs – or, as she hoped – he had accidentally let it slip to one of the other staff who had passed on the information.
She headed down the stairs to the kitchens, trailed by Martha.
While the nerves at what she might find churned inside, she was intent on the truth.
Fletcher had been such a stalwart of the Foxmore and Hartford houses for so many years and there had been nothing in his manner for the two days since they returned that led her to believe anything was different to usual.
The door to the butler’s pantry was slightly ajar, so she knocked. ‘Mr Fletcher?’ she asked, not wishing to barge in. He appeared at the door, swinging it open.
‘Your Grace, my lady,’ he said, looking confused to see them downstairs. ‘Is anything the matter?’
‘I hope not, Fletcher,’ said Thea, ‘but there is something that Lady Foxmore and I were hoping you could help us clear up, if you would be so kind?’
‘Of course,’ he said, stepping back and gesturing for them to enter. ‘I am afraid I do not have enough seats for us all, but you may take my chair?’
Thea waved him away. ‘We will stand, thank you.’ He was always so thoughtful, she considered.
Surely there must have been a mistake. ‘As you know, we recently returned from Mr and Mrs Knatchbull’s shooting party.
’ Fletcher nodded, while Thea considered how to word the question.
‘While we were there,’ she went on, ‘Mr Knatchbull informed us that he had enjoyed success at germinating the king protea.’ She watched for his reaction – but he only nodded once in recognition.
‘You know that the germination of that particular plant has been a goal of this household for some months now.’
‘A goal of yours, Your Grace,’ said Fletcher, nodding again.
‘Indeed,’ she said. ‘And I am sure you are aware, as you have occasion to visit the glasshouses, that Frankie has been employing a number of – shall we say – unconventional methods to bring this to bear.’
‘I believe that you and I both witnessed the rabbit droppings, Your Grace,’ said Fletcher with a smile.
‘Exactly,’ said Thea, and then cleared her throat. ‘My concern is that Mr Knatchbull had employed a technique which Frankie had reported as successful. In short, Mr Fletcher, I am concerned that somebody is leaking secrets from this house, to Upper Plumbthorne.’
She watched him carefully. He swallowed but did not betray any further disquiet. ‘Perhaps Mr Knatchbull had been reading the same book?’ he suggested, hands clasped behind his back as always when he addressed the family. ‘He may have found out about the eyeballs from there?’
Out of the corner of her eye Thea saw Martha glance at her. ‘So, you did know about the eyeballs?’
Fletcher nodded. ‘I believe Frankie may have mentioned it.’
‘And you didn’t tell anyone who could have passed the information to Mr Knatchbull?’
‘I am sure it could have been anyone – if you like I can enquire of the staff and–’
Thea cut him off. ‘Only, nobody else knew about the eyeballs, Mr Fletcher. Frankie made up all of the unconventional treatments to track down the source of the leak. There is no information in any book. You were the only person through whom the information about eyeballs could have made its way to Knatchbull. So, I must ask you if you remember mentioning it to anyone?’
There was a hint of disquiet about him now, Thea thought. His eyes flicked to her and then to various spots around the room. She had expected him to come up with a name – someone he had accidentally told of the treatment – but he didn’t.
‘Mr Fletcher?’ asked Martha, a hint of firmness in her voice. ‘I would suggest that you think very carefully before answering Her Grace. Only the truth will do.’
Mr Fletcher’s eyes now landed on Martha’s, and there was something in them that made Thea wary. ‘Then I will speak plainly, as I feel I must.’
‘Go on, Fletcher,’ said Thea, when he paused.
‘I did write to Knatchbull,’ he said. ‘And I told him about the eyeballs.’
‘Why would you do that?’ asked Thea.
‘Because the duke requires it,’ said Fletcher.
He maintained his professional demeanour, although seemed to be imparting a truth that made him a little uncomfortable.
They remained silent, and his eyes flicked between them.
‘Because of Mr Knatchbull,’ he qualified.
‘Relations must be maintained, and you are aware of the principles of reciprocity and obligation.’
‘Of course I am aware,’ said Thea, not understanding. ‘But we send the Knatchbulls plenty of produce from the estate and Lady Foxmore has kindly furnished them with tens of samples from her voyages at the duke’s request. Why would he need to share my secrets too?’
She watched Fletcher as he became increasingly agitated. ‘I am unsure, Your Grace. I suppose knowledge may be shared as a commodity in the same manner that produce might. I was, of course, uncomfortable doing it but the duke is the master of the house, and I could not refuse.’
That she could believe. ‘Of course not, Fletcher,’ she said. She knew how obstinate George could be. ‘How did you do it?’ she asked. ‘When I spoke to the duke, he was not aware of the eyeballs.’
‘Letters,’ said Fletcher, looking contrite. ‘They go with the game. I have access to the glasshouses, of course. The duke does not need to be aware.’
‘Does anyone else know?’ she asked, fearful she was the subject of ridicule in her own household. But Fletcher shook his head.
‘I am not aware that the duke trusts anyone else to gather information,’ he said. Thea relaxed a little at this.
‘What does Knatchbull have over the duke?’ asked Martha.
‘As Her Grace says, the ties of reciprocity are conventionally served between the households. This is a significant benefit for Knatchbull given the duke purports to hold him in such contempt. Why this too? Is the duke in trouble politically?’
Fletcher remained still, but his eyes flicked to the side. ‘Not that I am aware of, my lady. He has indicated nothing of the sort although I would not necessarily be privy to such information, of course.’
‘Who would know?’ she asked.
‘Only the duke, in this house,’ said Fletcher.
‘He shares his reasoning with nobody in his domestic circles, not even myself or the land agent.’ He thought for a moment.
‘I suppose Sanders may be aware, the footmen spend the most time with the duke when he is on his business, although it really would not be fair to ask.’
Thea looked at Martha, who had clearly had the same thought. ‘The footmen spend time with the duke.’
‘And the duke is the one keeping Knatchbull sweet.’
‘It wasn’t Knatchbull,’ said Thea, her pulse climbing. ‘The letters weren’t Knatchbull.’ She dashed up the stairs and made for the east wing.