Susanna Gregory - The Piccadilly Plot

‘It has improved,’ said Hyde stiffly. ‘She is not fluent, but she could certainly comprehend what is written here. And she has a motive for harming you, father: she is hurt that you do not visit her as often as you once did.’

‘Because I have no choice,’ objected the Earl defensively. ‘I chose her as a bride for the King, but it was a terrible mistake, because she is barren. If I do not distance myself, my enemies will use her to destroy me. Surely she understands that?’

Poor Katherine, thought Chaloner. Now even those who had been friends were abandoning her.

‘And she wants revenge,’ Hyde finished. ‘She knows how important Clarendon House is to you, so she means to strike at you through Pratt.’

‘No,’ said Chaloner with considerable force. The Earl’s eyes widened at the tone of his voice, and Hyde bristled, but Chaloner did not care. ‘She would never do such things.’

‘The evidence is there,’ snarled Hyde, pointing at the letter. ‘Thank God I intercepted it.’

‘Do you really think a co-conspirator would send such a thing?’ demanded Chaloner, feeling his dislike of Hyde mount. Surely the man owed his mistress some shred of loyalty? ‘Even the most inept of assassins would know not to leave written evidence of his plans.’

‘He doubtless assumed the Queen would destroy it after digesting its contents,’ snapped Hyde. ‘It was only luck that allowed me to find it before she could do either.’

‘Do you not see what is happening?’ Chaloner was becoming exasperated. ‘Someone left it for you to find, with the specific intention of harming her. Only instead of throwing it away, like any rational man, you have played directly into this lunatic’s hands by taking it seriously.’

Hyde glowered. ‘If that were the case, there would have been other messages of a similar nature. And this is the only one.’

‘The only one you have found,’ corrected Chaloner. ‘Or perhaps this is the first, and more will follow.’

‘No!’ barked Hyde. ‘The explanation is obvious: she should have burned it, but she is a novice in such matters, and she was careless. She left it lying on a desk, where I happened across it.’

‘How very convenient,’ said Chaloner acidly. ‘The instigator of this nasty piece of poison must be delighted that you are making his task so easy.’

‘Watch yourself, Chaloner,’ breathed Brodrick, shocked. ‘Or you will be in trouble.’

‘He is in trouble,’ snarled Hyde. He turned to his father. ‘I want him dismissed. He has made no headway with catching the villain who steals our bricks, and now he does not believe the threat against Pratt. I will explore both matters, and you can save yourself the cost of employing him.’

‘You cannot, Henry,’ said Frances reasonably. ‘You do not have the necessary expertise. Besides, you do not believe the theft of our bricks amounts to anything — you tell us to ignore it. How will you investigate something you do not consider to be serious?’

‘Because I know about architecture,’ replied Hyde loftily. ‘I have always been interested in the subject, and Christopher Wren told me only last week that he considers me talented. I know far more about building supplies than Chaloner ever will.’

‘But not about theft and murder,’ argued Frances quietly. ‘And those are the issues here.’

Hyde scowled, and it was clear he resented his mother’s interference. Chaloner appreciated it, though, and suspected she might have just saved him from unemployment, because the Earl’s eyes had glittered thoughtfully when the prospect of saving money had been raised.

‘So what will you do, Chaloner?’ asked Brodrick. ‘How will you begin?’

‘By finding out who sent the message,’ answered Chaloner, not bothering to reiterate his belief that the architect was in no danger, but that the Queen might well be. ‘And-’

‘A waste of time,’ interrupted Hyde. ‘I have already questioned Her Majesty’s household, but no one saw this missive delivered. And I doubt she will appreciate being interrogated by you.’

Chaloner suppressed a sigh. Hyde’s precipitate actions would have told the sender that the letter had been discovered, thus making the matter that much more difficult to explore.

‘Perhaps we should send Pratt away until the would-be assassin is under lock and key,’ suggested Frances. ‘I shall never forgive myself if he is murdered while working on our new home.’

‘The letter says Pratt will not die until the Feast of St Frideswide.’ Chaloner calculated quickly. ‘That is a week next Wednesday — nine days from now.’

‘How do you know?’ asked the Earl in astonishment. ‘We had to consult an almanac. I sincerely hope you are not a papist. I would not countenance one of those in my household.’

‘It is general knowledge, sir.’ Chaloner did not feel strongly enough about religion to affiliate himself with any sect, although he suspected that the Earl would dismiss him if he knew that his intelligencer was married to a Catholic — Hannah had converted when she had first been appointed to serve the Queen.

‘We shall hire Sergeant Wright to protect Pratt,’ determined Brodrick. ‘To put Frances’s mind at rest.’

It would be a waste of money on two counts, thought Chaloner. By paying guards to mind a man who did not need them, and by employing Wright, who would not know how to repel an assassin if his life depended on it. But before he could say so, there was a knock on the door and Dugdale entered. The Chief Usher looked around carefully, as if trying to gauge what had been discussed in his absence. He shot Chaloner a malevolent glance, but masked the expression quickly when he addressed the Earl, unwilling for their master to see the extent of his dislike.

‘I have just received a note from Pratt, sir. Apparently, twenty planks of best oak were stolen last night. How extraordinary that Chaloner did not notice.’

Fortunately for Chaloner, Kipps arrived shortly after Dugdale’s announcement, to inform Hyde and Brodrick that their presence was required at the Adventurers’ meeting immediately. Neither man could ignore a summons from the King, and they disappeared without another word. Chaloner was grateful, suspecting that Hyde would have used the missing wood to resume his campaign to have him dismissed — and he might have succeeded, because the Earl was clearly livid about their loss. Lady Clarendon frowned.

‘I do not like Henry mixing with Adventurers,’ she said, once everyone had gone, and only she, the Earl and Chaloner remained. ‘He is easily led, and I have not heard good things about Secretary Leighton. The other members leave much to be desired, too. Henry told me only yesterday that they transported more than three thousand slaves to Barbados last year. Slaves! How can he associate with such vileness?’

The Earl sighed unhappily. ‘We cannot dictate his behaviour for ever — he is twenty-six years old. But we should not discuss this now. I am more interested in my planks.’ He glared at Chaloner.

‘I watched your supplies all night, sir,’ said Chaloner tiredly. ‘And I checked them before I left. They were all there then.’

‘But this particular wood was stored inside the house,’ explained the Earl shortly. ‘And I know for a fact that every door is secured at dusk, so no one should have been able to get in.’

‘No one did, sir. So these planks must have been stolen after I left this morning, when the doors were unlocked for the workmen.’

‘Without anyone seeing?’ asked the Earl archly.

‘Without anyone raising the alarm,’ corrected Chaloner. ‘As I have said before, I suspect the thieves have accomplices among the workforce.’