The afternoon had grown cold. I rejected Colin's suggestion that we take a cab back to the Meurice, a decision I regretted before we had walked two blocks. The occasional savory aroma drifted from cafés, bringing the temptation of a bit of comfort to passersby. I had taken Colin's arm and was happy for the warmth of him next to me, but I must admit that I was not entirely comfortable with him. The more I thought about it, the more justified my suspicions of him seemed, a fact that disappointed me greatly. I imagined that Colin, Philip, and I could have spent any number of pleasant evenings conversing in the library. Why had my husband had the misfortune to choose his friends so poorly? Or had he been no better than the men with whom he surrounded himself?
Being cold, we walked quickly and soon reached the hotel. I bade Colin farewell and rushed upstairs to prepare for my meeting with Andrew. While changing my dress, I shared my plan with Meg, who reacted with a mixture of alarm and excitement. That Mr. Palmer would acquiesce to my slightest whim, she did not doubt, but that her mistress was going to entangle herself with a criminal left her rather unnerved. By the time Andrew rapped on my door, Meg was so anxious that she squealed. I was more than a little apprehensive myself, but the effort of trying to calm my maid had a better effect on me than her; I was ready to begin.
Andrew looked very polished, dressed in evening kit, smiling wryly as he walked toward me. I could tell by his expression that he expected me to return to the topic of my wedding photograph. He kissed my hand quickly, meeting my eyes only for a moment, and waited for me to speak. I sat motionless, noticing for the first time that he truly did fill the role of master criminal well. The initial impression with which he left one was that of an impetuous gentleman who did not take his position in life very seriously. Observing him now, however, I saw beneath that to the calculating way he looked around the room, the studied manner in which he carried himself. I began to believe that everything he did had been meticulously planned and rehearsed. I wondered what he had practiced to say to me tonight, quite certain that whatever the script, he would find it inadequate.
"Are you quite well, Lady Ashton?" he asked, tired of waiting for me to speak. His voice had an edge to it I had not heard before.
"Yes, Andrew," I said, deliberately addressing him informally as I looked in his eyes. I bit my lip and shook my head. "No. I have demanded honesty from you; I should offer you nothing less in return."
"Have I done something else to offend you?" He was angrier than I had expected.
"You?" I said. "Oh, Andrew, what you have done to offend me now seems so trivial. I would, perhaps, apologize to you, were I not still the slightest bit annoyed at having been so readily deceived." He looked at me more directly now, clearly surprised.
"What is it, then?"
"I am having such misgivings about the trip to Africa."
"You have already told me you do not plan to go. While this is of course a source of great disappointment, I understand why you made the decision."
"Please, Andrew, do not take such a formal tone with me. I-" I paused for effect. "I am afraid the entire trip must be canceled."
"You do not trust me to find your husband?"
"I do not know that he is worth finding," I said, burying my face in my hands. "I have learned the most dreadful things about Philip. I am afraid to tell them to anyone."
This statement caused him to warm up immediately, and he sat next to me on the settee. "What, Emily? You must tell me. I know I have not always been truthful with you in the past, but you know that was only-"
"I know, Andrew. It was because you loved me. You do not have to say it." I hoped I seemed forlorn. "What must you think of me now?"
"What has Philip done?" he asked, looking at me quizzically. I decided to answer his question directly, not wanting to waste any time.
"He is a thief. His collection of antiquities is full of objects stolen from the British Museum."
"Are you sure of this?" He sat perfectly still, hands folded in his lap, his eyes fixed on me.
"Quite sure." I had decided to tell the truth as much as possible, lest my fabrication become too elaborate to remember, and told Andrew how I had learned that the Praxiteles bust of Apollo was an original. "Imagine my surprise when I visited Ashton Hall and found it full of more questionable artifacts that were all familiar to me from my own visits to the museum. I hoped they were merely excellent copies. I brought with me on this trip several notebooks Philip had left in the country. I thought they were volumes of his journal and wanted to read them because I missed him so keenly. Instead I found that one was filled with records of his illegal transactions."
"Are you sure you did not misunderstand what he had written?"
"There can be no doubt. He wrote that he did not care about provenance, only that there were certain pieces he would do anything to acquire. All that is followed with details of how he came to get each artifact. Apparently the pieces from the museum were replaced with copies."
"Let me look at the journal-perhaps it is not so bad as you fear. Where is it?"
"You will hate me," I said, averting my eyes.
"Where is it, Emily?" His voice was strained, as if he were trying too hard to control it.
"I burned it. I shouldn't have, and I am certain that you will judge me severely for doing so. I can't bear the thought of facing such a scandal, Andrew. Haven't I suffered enough?"
"My dear girl," he said, moving closer to me. "I hardly know what to say." He managed to keep his countenance fairly well composed, but I recognized in his eyes a glint of joy that was wholly inappropriate to the situation.
"I know I should try to return the stolen items to the museum, but how could I do so without drawing attention to my husband's crimes? Perhaps I am not as principled as I once thought, but I am inclined to suspect that if the keepers at the British Museum cannot recognize a fake in their own galleries, I am hardly obligated to point it out."
Andrew laughed. "You are very, very bad." His voice grew serious. "I must make a confession of my own."
My muscles stiffened. Was he going to tell me of his own role in the intrigue?
"I knew that Philip was involved in such a scheme. It had come to my attention before your wedding. I confronted him with my knowledge when we were in Africa-the morning before he fell ill. I begged him to stop. He was very upset, very angry at first, but then became melancholy. By the end of the day, he was horribly depressed, almost despondent. He knew I would never have turned him in to the authorities, but I had spoken rather harshly about the consequences his activities might bring for you were he ever to be exposed."
"Now it is I who do not know what to say."
"When Hargreaves told us Philip was dead, I was filled with guilt, wondering if he had done himself harm."
"How awful for you! But, Andrew, it could not have been your fault, even if he had done such a thing." I wondered if there was any truth in what Andrew was telling me. Had Philip been Andrew's partner?
"Perhaps you understand now why it has been so important for me to go to Africa to find him. If I can find my friend alive, I will be relieved of this pressing feeling of guilt."
I was astounded at the lengths to which this man would go, twisting facts to make himself appear nobler than he could ever hope to be.
"I have one more confession to make," he said. "When we returned from Africa, I learned that when Philip died, he owed money to at least one of his unsavory associates. You and I weren't acquainted, and I did not feel right imposing upon you while you were in mourning, so I hired a man to watch you, lest someone come after you. I apologize for infringing upon your privacy but could think of no other way to protect you without causing unnecessary alarm. I fully expect Philip to rebuke me upon his return for my having done it."