P. Elrod - The Hanged Man

Alex made her way through the turmoil, her armor firmly in place. She conjured a pleasant fancy about her godmother reviving the custom of putting the heads of traitors on pikes for the amusement and instruction of the populace.

No guard was on the door she sought. A bolt was enough to keep the occupant locked in. Alex peered through the sliding peephole, threw the bolt, and went in, leaving the door open behind her.

Cousin Andrina, still in disheveled male attire, rose from the wooden bench on the far wall. She saw what Alex carried. Instead of showing shame, her chin went up in defiance.

Alex raised high the treasure box bearing their shared name.

Her cousin blanched and cowered back with a scream, hands up to ward off the coming blow.

But Alex smashed the box as hard as she could against the stone floor. The corners burst. It seemed to explode apart. The contents, packet after packet of envelopes tied up in cords, bounded from their captivity and scattered.

There were ten packets in all, one for each year since Father had waved to her from a dock in Hong Kong. Ten years of letters for A.V. Pendlebury, residing at 16 Wilton Crescent, London.

It would never have occurred to Father that Andrina, also christened with the queen’s name, might receive Alex’s mail instead.

Perhaps the first delivery had been a mistake on the part of a servant. Perhaps Andrina saw her name on an envelope in a stack on the hall table and opened it.

How she must have laughed all those months as Alex waited in vain for word to come from her father. What an excellent joke on the hated interloper.

Alex found the oldest and thinnest packet and slipped off the ribbon. The first letter was dated on the day of her departure from Hong Kong. Her father sent warm and loving greetings along with the bad news that he would be out of touch for a number of months. Duty compelled him to travel through difficult and dangerous country and he trusted that she would understand he could not discuss details. Foremost in his heart was her safety and well-being. He knew she would be strong and apply herself to become a part of his brother’s family until such time as they could meet again.

The next letter was dated months later from Siam. Again, warm and loving greetings and he begged her to write to him care of the embassy there.

That must have been when Andrina replied, perhaps a short note imitating Alex’s hand, just to see if she could get away with it.

Four months later Gerard was in Melbourne, assuring her any letters to Siam would be forwarded. He was pleased that her studies in Latin and German were progressing since she’d not been as interested in them before as she was in French and Cantonese.…

The whole of the vicious deception was clear and brutally cruel. Andrina imposed her accomplishments onto Alex’s life, getting two things she craved like drink: revenge and paternal love.

Leo’s regard for his daughter was distant and cool, bestowed out of duty, not affection.

Gerard was the better father. Even secondhand and based on a lie, Andrina fed on his approval, hoarding the letters more carefully than any miser his gold.

It was brilliant, and at the same time irrationally stupid. The whole sham could have been revealed at any time. A letter from Gerard to Leo, a note to mutual friends, even a missive to the queen proudly mentioning his daughter the lady-in-waiting, and it would have ended.

Yet Andrina kept it going. Long after Alex came of age and moved to Baker Street, Andrina continued the ruse.

But when Gerard at last returned to England, her decade-long trick would be exposed.

“You saw Father at one of the Black Dawn meetings,” said Alex. “You recognized him, but he did not know you. The last time he’d seen you, you were a child in ruffled dresses and white stockings, your face sticky from stolen candy.”

Andrina had her back to a wall, with as much distance between herself and Alex as could be managed in the small room. Her gaze flicked to the open door and the activity there. The people without were busy with their own concerns. A Reader interviewing someone was not worth notice.

“Never mind that a lady-in-waiting to Princess Charlotte was involved with anything as wretched as a pack of traitors, you were in a panic that he would turn up at Wilton Crescent looking for me. It would all come out then. You couldn’t tell Teddy, that would give him something to hold over you. This had to be dealt with quietly and alone. The Black Dawn had the means to remove inconvenient people, particularly spies.”

“That would have taken too long.” Andrina’s voice was thick. “It takes more than one member to issue a death order. They hold a trial first. A quorum of five goes over the evidence. It always ends the same, but they’re so proud of having things right and proper. That takes days. I had hours.”

Alex picked up the packets of letters and put them in order on the bench. She untied the cording on some and threaded the lengths through her fingers. Silk. Silk was very strong.

“How did you speed things?”

“I signed Teddy’s name to an order with the date of the last quorum. We had ‘Dr. Kemp’s’ address. He was a spy; they would have removed him anyway. I’d have been forgiven for taking action. Teddy would have protected me. He needs-needed-me to help with his courtship of Charlotte.”

“And then you had Father murdered. Brutally, coldly, without remorse. Only relief.” Alex played with the cording and stared and stared at her. It was a standard ploy for Readers. Wait long enough and some subjects spoke of their own accord.

“I’m not without heart,” said Andrina. “I directed that Uncle Gerard be rendered insensible and then hanged. It was peaceful and painless. He didn’t feel anything. The beast’s handler assured me it was well able to carry out complex tasks.”

“Was my name on the same death order?”

“It had to be. You’d have found out everything. But that fool of a keeper heard the row going on at the other end of Baker Street, saw that our men were routed, and lost his nerve. He left. It was my bad luck that Teddy set his hounds loose to go after Desmond on the same night.”

“What a nasty surprise to have me appear on the doorstep in need of a safe place to stay.” Alex would ask Mrs. Woodwake if she’d had any inkling of what a bad idea that had been.

“But I covered it. You’re not clever. A few insults and you can’t wait to leave any room I’m in.”

“Well played. What about the next attempt with the beast? I didn’t see you at Hollifield House.”

“I wasn’t there. When the message came to have you kidnapped, the beast’s keeper took it as an opportunity to complete his orders to kill you. They’re all frightfully dedicated to the cause, and no one with secrets ever wants a Reader around.

“My death wouldn’t matter. You’d have still been discovered.”

“Not at all. I’d have burned the letters.”

“It was inevitable. You overlooked Fingate. Father always let him know what you wrote.”

“Who’d believe a servant over me?”

Alex shook her head. “What a self-centered witling you are. What a supreme dunce.”

“He has no standing. No one would belie-”

“I say again: you are a dunce . A bookless donkey.”

“Name-calling? If you’re reduced to that then you’ve lost the argument.”

“It never once occurred to you that Father would have kept all of ‘my’ letters as safely as you kept his?”

Andrina’s mouth snapped shut. The Medusan glare returned.

“They’re in a strongbox at his bankers’ with other important papers. Fingate told me about them. Had you killed me, the game would have still been over. That box would have gone to his brother, who would have found those letters. Unlike you, Uncle Leo is no fool. He’d have worked it out with or without Fingate dropping a word in his ear. He’d have kept it in the family, of course, but he would have known . There’d be no disowning of you-can’t have that sort of scandal-but Leo would have seen to your removal from the palace. Mustn’t have murderers and liars hanging about the royal heirs.