Imogen Robertson - Island of Bones

Mr Leathes noticed her attention and joined her at the window. ‘My canaries. An inclination I inherited from my father. Even we lawyers must have something cheerful about us, Mrs Westerman.’

‘You do not think it cruel to shut away these creatures, Mr Leathes?’

He shook his head. ‘It is a good-sized aviary, designed for their convenience. My little daughter told me once that she thought the wrens and sparrows all hoped when they died they would be transported into my aviary as if to heaven. There they are safe from buzzards, well-fed, and I have even means to warm the air in the winter.’

‘You sound as if you envy them a little yourself,’ she said, putting her hand to the glass.

‘Perhaps I do,’ he replied, returning to his chair, ‘on days where there is unpleasant business to be done, and unpleasant things to say. I hope today will not be such a one.’ Harriet was in the midst of framing a gentle smile for him, when she was surprised to hear him continue: ‘But I fear it must be.’

‘Indeed, Mr Leathes?’ Crowther said. ‘Are you about to tell me the new factories are all burned up and I am a pauper?’

The man shook his head. ‘No, my lord. You continue to do very well. It would take a great many fires to consume your fortune, and should any such event occur, I would not wait until you happened to visit me to tell you of it.’ The birds in the garden piped and whistled as he spoke, and Harriet found herself thinking of children at play. ‘I was in the process of writing you a note when Dent came in to tell me you were here. I wished to speak to you about your nephew.’

‘What of him?’ said Crowther calmly, and Harriet watched Leathes’ eyes flick up to his client then back down to the tooled leather of his desk.

‘He came to see me some days ago — why, I am afraid I could not quite be sure. It was an awkward sort of interview, but I gained the impression he wished to learn the extent of your fortune and his own expectations.’

‘And how did you answer him?’

‘That I could be of no assistance to him, naturally, and if he wanted any information on the subject he should apply to you directly.’

The two men watched each other carefully for a moment, then appearing satisfied, Crowther nodded. ‘I apologise on my nephew’s behalf if the interview was uncomfortable, Mr Leathes.’

The lawyer smiled. ‘My impression was it was a great deal more uncomfortable for Mr von Bolsenheim. I fear he finds himself at the end of his resources. He asked me in passing as he left if I knew a reputable place, not in the immediate area, where he might get a fair price for his watch. He seemed rather distracted. I was considering suggesting to you it might be wise to make some proper enquiry into the extent of his debts, and perhaps settle some amount on him for the promise of future good behaviour.’

Crowther sighed, crossed his legs and sat back in his chair.

‘Not today, Mr Leathes. Though I shall consider what you say. Some years ago, Mr Briggs found a strongbox at Silverside, and brought it to you, believing it was the property of my father.’

Mr Leathes looked a little wary. ‘Indeed. I wrote to you regarding it.’

‘And I requested that you force the lock, ascertain if there was anything significant contained within and destroy the contents if there was not.’

The canaries chirrupped in the heat. Mr Leathes turned towards the window and leaned back a little in his chair. ‘I believe the phrase you employed, sir, was “dispose of the materials”.’

‘Was it indeed?’ Crowther continued to observe Mr Leathes from under his half-closed eyes. ‘And how did you choose to interpret that phrase?’

Harriet was glad to see that the scrutiny did not appear to discomfort Mr Leathes. Instead, he reached into his pocket and produced a small brass key with which he unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk, and bent to retrieve something from it. Then, with an effort, he placed a small iron strongbox on his desk-top.

It was perhaps twenty inches in length, and rectangular, bound with metal bands and riveted. It looked to Harriet like the relic of a much earlier age. They examined it together a moment before Mr Leathes chose to answer Crowther’s question.

‘I am not sure if you recall, my lord, the circumstances of its discovery. Mr Briggs found during his last renovations of your father’s office in Silverside a concealed hiding-place behind the panelling and this within it. He at once had it brought to me, and I wrote to you for instruction.’

‘A safe box within a hiding-place? What could require such security?’ Harriet asked. The box was very dirty and there were marks around the hinges.

Mr Leathes sighed. ‘I cannot say, madam. The lock on this box had already been forced, though I did not discover that until I had received Lord Keswick’s note and tried to open it.’ If he noticed the slight tic in Crowther’s face when he used his title, he gave no sign of it. ‘We lawyers must develop at times an ability to read blindly. I opened the box, and although I saw there were no bonds or papers material to the estate within, I did not feel easy about destroying the box or the contents. I chose instead to interpret your phrase according to my own conscience and stored it in our archives.’

Crowther gave no sign of either annoyance or gratitude, but raised one eyebrow.

‘In your archives , Mr Leathes? Yet now when we arrive at your office without warning, we find that you have the box with you. You will forgive me for remarking that this seems rather convenient.’

It seemed Mr Leathes was beginning now to find his seat a little uncomfortable. He shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. ‘I said we lawyers read blindly, but perhaps I might have gained some impression of the contents, and when I heard you were coming to investigate the discovery of the skeleton on the Island of Bones. .’ He tailed off.

Harriet smiled to herself. ‘You had the box brought to you. And Felix’s visit provided you with the necessary pretext to ask Crowther here,’ she said. ‘On his coming to you, you thought no doubt to introduce the subject of the strongbox. But we have pre-empted you.’

Mr Leathes looked a little sheepish and he held up his hands. ‘You have discovered me, Mrs Westerman.’

Crowther lifted the lid, saying briskly, ‘You have done very well, I think, Mr Leathes, to be so nice in your interpretation.’ The solicitor closed his eyes and breathed out slowly through his mouth as Crowther put his hand into the box and pulled out a single sheet, much yellowed with age. He unfolded it and then handed it to Harriet. ‘Mrs Westerman, would you be so kind. Your eyes are so much sharper than mine.’

Harriet knew very well that Crowther’s eyesight was at least as good as her own, but took the paper without demur and studied it. It was a short letter, and reading it, she breathed in sharply.

After a moment or two Crowther’s voice broke in on her. ‘Mrs Westerman?’

‘Yes, yes. It is dated fifteenth May 1750, which places it a few months after your mother’s death, does it not?’

‘Yes, Mrs Westerman, but if you would be so kind. .’

Harriet brushed a curl from her cheek and started to read.

‘ My Lord ,

Much as I do not want to add worry to your grief over the loss of my dear aunt, I cannot, in honour to her memory, see how I can fail to communicate with you a disturbing rumour that has recently reached my ears. Some, who out of love of my aunt have hitherto kept silent have, at her death begun to speak, and powerful suspicions have been raised against you. I speak of ’45. I say the name de Beaufoy. I say that those who once believed themselves betrayed by a trusted servant begin to question their intelligence. I hope you may be able to communicate to me any proofs you may have of your innocence in that matter. I shall undertake that they will reach the interested parties. If not, may I ask you make arrangements for the security of yourself and your home .