Susanna Gregory: The Westminster Poisoner

‘For a while, I even suspected Gold of being the killer,’ said Chaloner tiredly. ‘But he was innocent.’

‘He is guilty of marrying a very silly girl, though. I heard at Court today that Neale has asked Bess to wed him, and she has accepted. People are calling him Golden Neale for his good fortune. But I doubt they will make each other happy.’

‘I misread what happened to Scobel and Margaret, too,’ Chaloner went on. ‘I thought they had been poisoned, but they were not.’

‘Wiseman came to report that he found nothing amiss in the samples he took from the Symonses’ house. Margaret died of natural causes. He also said that Scobel might well have recovered from his sharpness of the blood, but that it would have resulted in a dramatic loss of weight — which explains why Scobel was fat, but “Haddon” was thin.’

‘I should see the Earl before he accuses me of malingering,’ said Chaloner, standing reluctantly. ‘He saved my life, so I should give him the opportunity to gloat.’

Hannah grimaced. ‘I did not realise working for him was so dangerous. Perhaps I should not ask questions about your investigations in the future — what I do not know cannot worry me.’

Chaloner tried not to look relieved. Sharing his secrets had been a strain, and he realised he was far happier keeping them to himself. And if Hannah could not live with his reticence, then he would just have to get a dog. But he had a feeling she was growing as fond of him as he was of her, and that their relationship would develop at a calm, unhurried pace that would give them both the time they needed to adjust to their changing circumstances.

He decided to collect the statue from Temperance before going to see the Earl, although when he arrived at Hercules’ Pillars Alley, he was surprised to find Wiseman in the kitchen, enjoying some of Maude’s poisonous coffee. The surgeon was wearing an unusually vivid shade of red that day, putting Chaloner in mind of a bird in mating plumage, aiming to impress a pair of dowdy hens — Maude was clad in brown, while Temperance had donned grey. There were dark rings under Temperance’s eyes, and there was a sadness in them that had not been there before.

‘Delicious,’ Wiseman declared, setting the empty bowl on the table and beaming at his hosts. ‘I have no truck with these insipid brews, and yours is the elixir of champions, madam.’

‘Only champions with iron stomachs,’ muttered Chaloner.

Wiseman toted the heavy bust to a waiting cart as if it weighed no more than paper, and it occurred to Chaloner that there was something to be said for a regime of muscle-honing — he was strong himself, but the kind of brawn that Wiseman now sported would be a very useful asset to a spy.

While Chaloner set a pony in its traces, Temperance came to stand next to him, speaking in a low voice so the others would not hear. She need not have worried: Wiseman and Maude were engrossed in packing Bernini’s masterpiece with straw to protect it from damage, and were not paying any attention to her.

‘I am glad the Twelve Days are over. Bad things always happen at Christmas, and I was a fool to think this one would be any different.’

Chaloner touched her shoulder gently as she brushed away tears. ‘I am sorry I did not …’

‘Did not what? Warn me sooner? I am all grown up now, Tom, and can take responsibility for my own mistakes. Besides, I should have known James was a pig when he flirted with Belle in front of me. Will he hang?’

Chaloner nodded, not sure what to say to comfort her. She sighed, and walked slowly back inside the house. Maude hurried after her, and he knew she was in kind and understanding hands. He finished securing the statue, and, uninvited, Wiseman climbed on the cart to ride to White Hall with him.

‘I like Temperance,’ the surgeon said, glancing back over his shoulder. There was an odd expression on his face that Chaloner had never seen before. ‘She is a charming lady, and told me I can visit her any time I please.’

‘Do not go too early,’ advised Chaloner, sure Wiseman would not pursue the friendship once he realised what she did with her evenings. ‘She seldom rises before three.’

‘That will not be a problem,’ said Wiseman with a happy grin. ‘We surgeons are used to odd hours.’

The Earl was delighted when he saw what his spy had brought him. He clapped his plump hands and chuckled as he walked around the bust, viewing it from every angle.

‘Bernini really is a genius,’ he declared. ‘He captured the old king’s countenance perfectly.’

‘I am sorry, sir,’ said Chaloner. ‘About Greene, and not believing you.’

The Earl started to look triumphant, but the expression faded before it was fully born. ‘We both made mistakes, Thomas. Mine was hiring Haddon — a man I liked and trusted. But let us discuss happier things. Bulteel returned Jones’s gold to Backwell’s Bank this morning, but less than a quarter of it was theirs. The rest is still in my office.’

‘Give some to the Queen,’ pleaded Chaloner. ‘So she can take the waters in Bath.’

‘That is an excellent idea, especially in the light of what Bulteel and I discovered as we examined the documents you found in Greene’s house. They allowed us to pinpoint innumerable cases of embezzlement, including Her Majesty’s thirty-six thousand pounds.’

‘Who has it?’ asked Chaloner, sincerely hoping it was not Lady Castlemaine — or that he would be charged with the task of getting it back.

‘No one. At least, no single person has the missing money in its entirety. Bulteel and I have identified at least three dozen clerks who have been manipulating the books.’

‘Christ!’ exclaimed Chaloner, overwhelmed by the scale of the problem.

‘Most operated on a fairly modest level, but others were rather more greedy, and money was moved between accounts at an astonishing rate. A small percentage was siphoned off for personal use, but the bulk went towards pleasing patrons — to pay the Lady’s gambling debts, to refurbish the Tennis Court and even, I am ashamed to say, to provide me with extra staff.’

‘No wonder Haddon thought White Hall was full of thieves,’ said Chaloner. ‘He was right — it is! But how did Greene find out about it?’

‘Because he was a clerk, too. He grew suspicious when the Queen complained about her missing money, and began to investigate. He gathered evidence, and was on the verge of exposing the villains when Haddon came along and distracted him.’

‘How ironic,’ said Chaloner softly. ‘By making his findings public, Greene would have done far more to eliminate corruption at White Hall than helping Haddon murder sinful men. Haddon did the country a grave disservice by forcing Greene to kill.’

The Earl was silent for a moment. ‘But at least I made Haddon pay me five pounds,’ he said, as if that made everything all right again. ‘When he lost his wager over whether you or Turner would solve the case first.’

‘Perhaps that was a factor in why he was so determined to kill me,’ said Chaloner wryly. ‘I was responsible for losing him money.’

‘I doubt it. He liked you, despite the fact that you were determined to expose his activities. He often told me he admired your integrity, doubtless because it is a virtue he lacked himself.’

‘And credulity and stubbornness?’ asked Chaloner with a crooked smile. ‘Did he admire those, too?’

‘Probably,’ agreed the Earl with a grin of his own. ‘But enough of Haddon. He is dead, as are Greene and Payne, while Doling is an ethical man who might do some good wherever he and his train-band happen to fetch up. The case is closed, and I think it is best we forget about it.’

Chaloner nodded agreement. He did not want to dwell on it, either.