Chapter 15 In which a confession is forced
In which a confession is forced
Do not be fooled by the guileless appearance of the young.
— from Lady Avely’s Guide to Guile and Peril
“A spy?” Judith repeated with incredulity.
Miss Onslow nodded. “I work for the Musor Custos, under Captain Drumpellier’s command. It was he who arranged for me to live here, as he knew of my prodigious Gift.” She said the last without any arrogance, just stating the matter frankly.
“Your Memory?” asked Judith.
“Yes, it is most useful in remembering codes and translating them.” She shot a glance at Robert, whose mouth (it must be said) was hanging open. Judith suddenly recalled the strange codes she had seen in the papers at Drumpellier’s desk: no doubt Miss Onslow had authored some of them.
“But why here?” Judith demanded. “Why Castle Lanyon?”
“It is closer to the Isle of Jersey,” explained Miss Onslow, “where the English have another bastion of intelligence. Drumpellier’s men take a ship out of Jersey to a point in the Channel where they are able to Travel to England.”
Judith narrowed her eyes. “Travel by the Gift, you mean? To this castle?”
Miss Onslow smiled, embarrassed. “Yes. Travel is limited to a certain distance, and we find they cannot manage the whole jump from France to England. So instead, they Travel from their ship to Lanyon’s Blue Drawing Room, which is easy to depict for their reference, and simple to imagine.
I meet them there and receive their dispatches in code.
They do not have to constrain their messages to paper, as no matter how lengthy, it is easy for me to recall.
Then I relay them to Drumpellier, verbatim. ”
She seemed quite proud, and almost relieved, to be able to tell them all this.
Judith stared at her, hearing the incontrovertible truth in her voice.
So that was why Miss Onslow had been sneaking round at night and seen Ghastagon’s startling visage.
Perhaps it had been her skirts swishing in the kitchen two nights ago.
“That is why the captain visits?” asked Robert, alighting on a rather irrelevant point, Judith thought.
Miss Onslow nodded.
Judith recalled how eager the girl had been to hurry her out of the Blue Drawing Room and into the Tea Tower Room. Had she been expecting a covert caller even then? “And does Trebellow know of your…visitors?”
“Not exactly,” admitted Miss Onslow. “The meetings are usually at night, when he is asleep, or…away.”
“I know about Trebellow’s wrassling,” said Judith irritably. “It seems that he hasn’t paid enough attention to his duties.”
Unless Trebellow knew very well what was going on.
Were his wrassling forays also a cover for another undertaking?
She did not like to think of it and frowned, wondering who else might know of Miss Onslow’s real task at the castle.
Could someone be trying to intercept the Crown’s messages?
Could Sgt Finlay have seen someone spying on Miss Onslow, and then been killed before he could warn her?
She ran through the possibilities: Trebellow, Mrs Ulrich, the twins, Miss Isla, the baron…
Before she could ask more, Trebellow himself reappeared at the door of the breakfast room. He looked rather uneasy, his jaw tight. “Ma’am, Captain Drumpellier is in the Blue Drawing Room.”
Everyone’s heads snapped towards him.
“Now?” said Judith. “Where did he come from?” The causeway was still covered: she could see the uninterrupted teal of Lanyon Bay.
Miss Onslow coughed politely. “He may, in fact, have come to see me.” She raised an enquiring brow at the butler, but Trebellow shook his head.
“No, the captain informed me that he wishes to speak to Lady Avely at once.”
Judith stood, aware of a rising anger. “Did the captain arrive by boat?” she asked, in a clipped tone.
“No, ma’am,” said Trebellow woodenly. “The first I knew of him was the bell ringing from the Blue Drawing Room.”
That meant one of two things: either the captain knew of the secret passageway under the causeway already and had not deigned to tell her about it, or he had arrived at the castle by way of a Travel charm. Grimly, Judith thought she knew the answer.
She pushed out her chair. “Take me to him immediately.”
The butler bowed and led her through the warren of corridors. “I add,” he murmured, “that he also brought with him Ltn Greene.”
Her teeth unclenched slightly. Ltn Greene might provide a tempering influence on his captain, and moreover, might be able to look at Robert’s leg while he was here.
She marched into the Blue Drawing Room, ignoring its elegant, cool splendour.
The captain’s red coat stood out starkly against the blue walls.
He stared out a window, his hands clasped behind his back, a deep frown on his face.
By the unlit fire, Ltn Greene smiled tentatively at Judith as she burst in.
“How did you arrive here, Captain?” she demanded, without preamble. “The tide is in, and I saw no boat crossing the waters.”
He turned and gave an ironic bow. “I have my ways, Lady Avely.” He gave a pointed nod of dismissal to the butler, which Judith saw with irritation. She was mistress of this house now, despite Drumpellier using it for his own purposes.
Trebellow slid backwards out of the drawing room and the door shut with a click.
“A Travel Charm?” she snapped.
“Why, yes.” Drumpellier looked smug. “You’re not the only one who has a prodigiously useful one. We have both trespassed equally now, shall we say.”
She was incensed. “You made me drive all that way in a gig!”
“Unfortunately, I cannot waste resources of the Crown on a matron’s convenience. And I was very preoccupied that day, otherwise I might have escorted you myself.” A smile quirked at his lips. “Though I know his grace didn’t like it the last time we Travelled together.”
Judith fumed. “You wanted me out of the way.” She crossed her arms. “You must have to hold Ltn Greene rather closely, too.”
Ltn Greene cleared his throat awkwardly and looked at the floor, his cheeks staining red.
Drumpellier shifted. “It couldn’t be avoided. Lieutenant, check on the platoon. You have two hours to do your patrol.”
Ltn Greene clicked his heels and saluted. “Yes, sir.”
“Now, Lady Avely,” said Drumpellier, once they were alone. “I gave you an important enquiry. Have you had any success with it?”
She ground her teeth together. “I have discovered a few things going on in this castle, some of which you could have warned me about.”
“What can you mean?”
“Miss Onslow’s secret dispatches.” She felt a flash of annoyance at his look of amused surprise. “Were you waiting for me to discover it?”
“I did wonder how long it would take,” he admitted. “If you are indeed a Truth Discernor. A good little test for Miss Onslow, which I see she failed. And did you discover anything else?”
She eyed him with hostility. She ought to tell him how the body had been moved, but somehow, she did not want to mention the hidden tunnel under the causeway just yet.
He might not know of it. And Cador had stressed its secrecy.
Why betray it when she might have need of it later?
Captain Drumpellier had done nothing to deserve her confidences, and he had left the investigation in her hands.
“I have been questioning the servants,” she said stiffly, “and finding my way closer to the answer.”
“And…?”
“Regardless of my success there, you now have proof of my ability through my discovery of Miss Onslow’s secret role. I insist that you take me back to Pendennis now, so that I may see the duke.”
Drumpellier bowed his head. “If you wish it.”
She stared at him, suspicious. “Excuse me?” This was a change from his threatening manner a few days ago.
He turned to look out the window again. “I’m afraid that your duke is in a rather…unfortunate state.”
Her pulse spasmed in sudden fear. “What have you done to him?” Had they damaged him, hurt him, with their new training regime? She wanted to shout accusations, but realised that she could not reveal her knowledge, in case it should betray Wooten and Yvette’s presence in the fort.
Drumpellier continued to avoid her gaze, which made her all the more uneasy. “His grace has descended into a confused anger. Early this morning, he became extremely uncooperative and lashed out at his keepers.”
Judith gave a short, humourless laugh. “I am not surprised. Forgive me if I am unsympathetic.”
The captain turned his head to give her a hard look. “You should be sympathetic, for I suspect our interests align on this matter.”
“How so?”
“I find that I do not want to give him many more doses of Lethe, in case his grace becomes a simpleton. Yet that is what I shall be required to do, if he doesn’t calm down.”
Her throat was suddenly tight. “What do you want me to do?”
“I will take you to him. See if you can soothe the savage beast, as it were. I recall that he was quite chatty with you. A woman’s presence might reassure him.”
She could hear the faintest echo in his voice, the smallest hint of a lie.
Drumpellier was telling the truth, but it wasn’t the whole truth.
He would also be watching closely, to see if Dacian remembered her, to gauge the duke’s state of mind.
He must be suspicious of Dacian’s erratic behaviour.
He wanted to test the duke’s response to Judith.
Judith knew she must lend credence to Dacian’s performance.
She drew her shoulders back and fixed the captain with a glare.
“Can you be surprised that this has happened? His grace is an Impactor. Those with that Gift are well known for their excessive energy, and, dare I say it, their aggression. If you insisted on meddling with his mind, you must expect him to become wild.”
“That may be so,” agreed Drumpellier mildly, “a strong will is typical of the breed.” He paused. “Yet may I remind you that I am also an Impactor. I know we also harbour the desire to control our own impulses. You must give him a reason to curb himself.”