Imogen Robertson - Island of Bones

‘I believe my father may have murdered the man we found on Saint Herbert’s Island. I do not know why he might have done so — though we suspect the murdered man might have set the fire at Gutherscale Hall in forty-five. Why he then chose to visit my father the following day is a mystery.’ Old Mr Leathes merely raised his eyebrows and waited for Crowther to continue. His son coughed into his cup, but following his father’s lead, said nothing. ‘I was wondering, sir, if you can remember anything of my father’s concerns in the forties that might guide us.’

The old man smiled slowly. ‘You have not lost your habit of plain speaking, Charles.’ His voice was kind. ‘Have you been as frank with your sister?’

Crowther frowned at his cuffs. ‘To a degree. She misunderstood my meaning, however, and only stated that our father had no part in the death of Rupert de Beaufoy. It is possible my father discovered de Beaufoy’s location from the man he killed, then made use of that information.

The lawyer nodded and sighed. ‘Charles, as you know, I was your father’s adviser in legal matters for many years, but I never believed I was in his confidence. What your sister meant by that remark I cannot say with any certainty, but I suspect you wish me to speculate.’

‘I do.’

‘Your father was elevated from baronet to baron in forty-seven. De Beaufoy’s location was betrayed to the government in forty-five.’

Harriet spoke. ‘Do you think it was Sir William who gave them the information that led to de Beaufoy’s arrest, Mr Leathes? And the title was his reward?’

‘I cannot say, Mrs Westerman. It was rumoured de Beaufoy was betrayed by one of his servants. There was an interval, which would have been only proper, but remember also that Sir William had been growing in importance and stature in the area for many years by that point. After Greta’s lands were forfeited to the Crown in 1716, Sir William purchased a number of parcels of land from the government. He managed his business affairs well, and was already a rich man by the forty-five Rebellion. He was proud of the fact, and I am sure he had been campaigning for recognition well before then. His elevation was a reward indeed, but it might have been for his influence in this part of the country and his loyalty to the government of the time, rather than a direct result of a simple piece of treachery.’

Harriet glanced at Crowther, but he seemed unwilling to speak and kept his eyes on his cuffs. She felt the burden of the questioning pass to her as clearly as if Crowther had spoken out loud. ‘Sir William did not arrive here a rich man, did he, Mr Leathes? Was there some moment where his fortunes began to improve?’

Leathes nodded. ‘I see, Mrs Westerman, why your alliance with Charles has proved useful to you both. Yes, there was. It was in the spring of 1718. Sir William came to see me, to ask me to assist in the purchase of a parcel of land that belonged to the Crown on the western shore. I remember he arrived in the middle of a rainstorm and asked to speak to my father, William, but finding him engaged was content to speak to me. Remember, we were both young men at that time. I think he had found my father a little precise, a little slow in his manner of conducting business. I was keen to prove myself in the practice and in the area as a coming man, so was glad of the chance to do well, whatever piece of business he might have in mind. He paced my floor with his coat dripping — I can see him as clearly as I do you young people now. I could swear there was such energy and urgency radiating from him, he seemed almost to steam in front of me. He told me he had hopes of mineral deposits untapped on the land he hoped to buy, and was ready to stretch his resources to the limits in order to exploit them. He asked me to find the price and see what the likelihood of the purchase was.’

‘And so you did?’ Harriet asked.

‘I did, and quickly enough to earn his praise, impatient as he was. Though when I gave him the news he was not pleased.’

‘Why?’

The lawyer shrugged and devoted a moment or two to his pipe before replying, ‘He could not afford it. He had calculated what money he could raise and found that his resources were still not sufficient. He might be able, by extending himself and borrowing whatever money he could lay his hands on, to buy the land, but he would need more capital to mine there. There was no room to negotiate the price down any further. The figure given to me was already generously low.’

‘Why did he not take a partner, then?’ Harriet asked.

The old lawyer’s eyes flicked up towards Crowther and it was his dry voice that replied.

‘My father would never have become involved in such an enterprise, if he did not have complete control.’

The lawyer nodded his agreement. ‘He would not. I went up to Silverside — it was hardly more than a cottage in those days — to give him the news the moment the express arrived from London. His frustration was extreme. He strode about in front of the fire as I spoke, and as he heard the price he kicked the logs in the fire so hard the sparks showered all around us. It was lucky the floors were stone, or Silverside might have found itself such a ruin as the old palace of the Gretas appears now.’

Harriet found herself confused. ‘But you told us, sir, that this period marked the beginning of the improvement in Sir William’s fortunes?’

‘So I did. Three days later, having left the Hall thinking the business lost entirely, I was visited by Ruben Grace with a letter from his master telling me to proceed with the purchase and a banker’s draft, drawn on a private bank in Cockermouth, for the total sum. I helped with the documentation necessary to mortgage what property he then held in order to fund the works, but that was a simple task once the land itself was purchased. The mine proved fruitful and laid the foundation of the fortune that Sir William then accrued in land and other speculations for the next thirty years.’

‘How did he come by such a large amount of money?’

‘Mrs Westerman, I cannot say. Perhaps if he himself had visited my offices with the banker’s draft I would have asked him. As it was Ruben who came with my instructions, I did not. I can add only two things that might interest you. Firstly, I thought Ruben did not like his task. He and I knew each other from childhood in a passing sort of way, and I thought he looked. . angry. Secondly, I dined with the manager of that bank some months later, and he mentioned to me — I am afraid he was rather in his cups — that he had never seen such a pile of greasy banknotes as were deposited in his hands by Sir William the day he began banking with them and asked for the draft to be prepared.’

‘Who were the bankers?’

‘The same as your own, Charles. Botts in Cockermouth.’

When Casper found himself again, he was on the high ground. Below him, Great Wood tumbled down towards the lake, and off to the south he could see the narrowing and folding of Borrowdale. He rolled his shoulders and hissed as his bruises stung him. Only when he opened his eyes a second time did he notice Stephen sitting on the thin turf a little way away from him playing with Joe. They seemed to have made themselves some game together. Stephen would place a few stones, one atop the other, then Joe would knock them flat again and caw.

Stephen looked round and smiled, a little nervously.

‘How long you been there, youngling?’ Casper said at last. Sounded like the black witch had shouted herself hoarse. There was no sign of her voice in his mind.

‘A while,’ the boy replied with a shrug. ‘I could not find you at your cabin, so went to see the museum and saw you passing. Then I followed you. Mr Sturgess almost saw you in the Square, but someone ran up to him and started telling him you had gone to Rosthwaite.’