Chapter 4 #2
Sir Laughton was my great-aunt’s attorney as well as mine. He was highly regarded and had contributed to our inquiry cases in the past. His office was near Parliament.
What might he be able to tell me about Sir Thomas and his work, if anything?
I placed a telephone call to his office. He was not in court today, and upon checking with him, the clerk assured me that he had time to meet with me.
I put my notebook in my bag, then put on my long coat and grabbed my umbrella.
Sir Laughton’s office was in an imposing, Gothic white-stone building near the law courts and not far from the office on the Strand. That location provided access to the courts and included offices of several other attorneys.
The Strand was filled with the usual daily traffic, coaches and omnibuses made all the more congested by a vendor cart that had lost a wheel and forced everything to a stop.
I paid the driver, then left the coach, opened my umbrella, and made for the sidewalk. It was filled with dozens of other umbrellas, as others quite accustomed to London’s soggy habits, as I was, simply went about their way.
The streets and sidewalk were crowded in spite of the weather, yet I had learned to navigate both quite handily. Partly from being raised from an early age in London, and the other part from my travels that had taken me to several foreign cities on the Continent.
I was fortunate to have made the acquaintance of Lady Endicott-Soames on my first adventure. She reminded me of my great-aunt and insisted that I call her by her given name, Elnora. She had adopted me for the duration of the tour.
Aboard ship, she had told me of her own adventures and warned me against wandering off into a part of a city that was dangerous.
We had explored together, and she had proven to be a most pleasant companion, not at all above speaking her mind, charming when she had to be, yet with a sarcastic wit that handily put obnoxious people in their place, and with a fine appreciation of French wine.
My preference in that regard was the single malt whisky distilled at Old Lodge.
“Whisky?” Elnora had remarked, with more than a little criticism that the drink was for barbarians.
However, in Paris, the gentleman’s bar that was on the ground floor of our hotel had a bottle of Old Lodge that I promptly purchased.
“Oh, my!” she commented once she was able to draw a deep breath after a healthy portion of whisky. And then again, with what could only be described as a deep appreciation, “Oh, my, indeed.”
She claimed there was only one other time she had experienced such a stirring pleasure as she described it.
And his name? I had inquired.
“It does not matter all these years later... Come to think on it, he was a Scot! We were together for very near a month before he had to leave. To this day...”
“Well, that is not for a proper young lady to hear,” she had decided.
After advice my great-aunt had given me, I did wonder if it had to do with all men, or a Scot in particular.
There was other advice along our journey.
“Always keep a journal, my dear. It is fascinating the things you might not remember until you go back and read the notes you made from exploring about.
“And keep your wits about you, as well as a sharp eye. The streets are filled with all sorts of beggars, thieves, and other disreputable characters. They like nothing better than to take advantage of the unwary, relieving them of their purse and frequently their life. Particularly a woman.
“And be aware of someone who moves in the shadows, making it easy to come upon a person unaware. They use the darkness to their advantage, but there are those who are bold as brass. They will look away when seen and often dart into a shop or down an alley.
“Then there are those who make their approach without permission,” she continued. “Look for the one who moves quickly through a crowd. Their advantage is to take you by surprise, then gone before you realize it has happened.”
And then there was her advice regarding hatpins.
“Always carry one. It is most effective when persuading someone to leave off. A woman travelling alone is a target, particularly one that is well-dressed and pretty.”
I did not carry a hat pin as I did not usually wear a hat. However, Munro had given me a knife after he became a part of my great-aunt’s household.
I had learned the most efficient way to use it at the gymnasium and carried it with me on all my travels afterward.
It was Brodie who insisted that I carry a revolver in my bag and had provided one. I was most proficient with it.
Now, I crossed the thoroughfare and made my way through the traffic on the street to the sidewalk amid a crowd of faces, the usual rush to escape the weather.
Mostly men this time of day, going about their business, a shopkeeper sweeping from his doorway debris that had been walked in from the street, a woman very near with a shopping basket over her arm, the crowd of workers who had gathered to assist the driver with the disabled cart.
As well as two men who quickly entered the exchange and another well-dressed gentleman who had paused before a coffee shop window in spite of the downpour and stared within as if searching for someone he was perhaps to meet there.
I quickly reached the adjacent street where Sir Laughton had his office and stepped inside the entrance where I was greeted by one of his clerks.
“Good afternoon, Lady Forsythe.”
In spite of the fact that Brodie and I had married a handful of years before, there were several who still referred to me by my family name.
The clerk went to announce my arrival to Sir Laughton, then returned.
“Sir Laughton will see you now,” he announced.
Sir Laughton rose from behind his desk in greeting. “Coffee, perhaps?”
“Yes, please,” I replied as he nodded to his clerk, then directed me to the overstuffed chair that sat before his desk.
We exchanged the usual pleasantries, along with my inquiry about my ward, Lily Montgomery, who was presently still in Edinburgh.
“It is my understanding that she is progressing admirably in her work for Sir McQuarrie. He is most impressed by her assistance at his office, as she continues her own inquiries on behalf of her friend.”
It was encouraging, as I had only her infrequent letters after her decision to remain there.
“I understand that Mr. Brodie has taken a position with the Home Office,” he commented. He smiled at my surprise that he was aware.
“One hears things,” he replied without revealing how he came by the information. “What brings you here?”
He was always direct, a sharp intelligence gleaming behind the congenial expression.
I explained my meeting with Lady Ellsworth and her request to look into the death of her grandson.
“A tragic situation to be certain,” Sir Laughton replied.
“I have agreed to make inquiries regarding facts that may have been overlooked or not known at the time.”
I then explained that Thomas Ellsworth was taking the law and had left work the evening he was attacked.
Sir Laughton nodded. “He was an assistant to Sir Anderson-Fitch,” he commented. “The young man had made quite a reputation in his time with Anderson-Fitch.”
“He might be able to provide information about Sir Thomas’s activities that last evening, as well as any difficulties he was experiencing that could be important,” I explained.
“According to Lady Ellsworth, he had worked late that particular evening after dining with an acquaintance.”
“Then you will be proceeding on your own with this inquiry,” Sir Laughton concluded.
“For the time being.”
“I will contact Sir Anderson-Fitch this very day. Although he may be reluctant to discuss the matter. He was quite fond of young Ellsworth, and this has no doubt been quite a blow both personally and professionally.
“Now what of your endeavors with Mr. Brodie occupied elsewhere?”
“I intend to carry on for now. He has not made a permanent commitment as yet.”
“The Home Office would do well to have him part of their work. He possesses certain attributes that the usual man in a position such as that would, and uncanny understanding of an adversary. When you see him, give him my regards.”
That was quite a compliment in itself, even though I was uncertain when that might be.
“A word of caution,” he added as I thanked him and stood to leave.