‘In St Malo,’ he replied. He was embarrassed by his own failure to see through the subterfuge more rapidly. However, he did not avoid her eyes as he told her about himself and Gower chasing through the streets, their brief parting, then their meeting and almost instantly finding Wrexham crouched over the corpse of West, his neck slashed open and blood covering the stones.
Vespasia winced, but did not interrupt him.
He described their pursuit of Wrexham to the East End, and then in the train to Southampton, and on the ferry across to France. He found himself explaining too fully why they had not arrested Wrexham until it sounded miserably like excuses.
‘Thomas,’ she interrupted gently, ‘common sense justifies your actions, as seen at the time. You do not need to dot the i’s and cross the t’s for me. You were aware of a socialist conspiracy and you believed it to be more important than one grisly murder in London. What did you learn in St Malo?’
‘Very little,’ he replied. ‘We saw one or two known socialist agitators in the first couple of days. . at least I think we did.’
‘You think?’
He explained to her that it was Gower who had made the identification, and he had accepted it.
‘I see. Who did he say they were?’
He was about to say that she would not know their names, then he remembered her own radical part in the revolutions of ’48, which had swept across every country in Western Europe except Britain. She had been in Italy, manning the barricades for that brief moment of hope in a new freedom. It was possible she had not lost all interest.
‘Jacob Meister and Pieter Linsky,’ he replied. ‘But they didn’t come back again.’
She frowned. The tension increased in the rigidity of her shoulders, the way her hands in her lap gripped each other.
‘You know of them?’ he concluded.
‘Of course,’ she said drily. ‘And many others. They are dangerous, Thomas. There is a new radicalism awakening in Europe. The next insurrections will not be like ’forty-eight. It is a different breed. There will be more violence: I think perhaps it will be much more. The Russian monarchy cannot last a lot longer unless it learns to change. The oppression is fearful. I have a few friends left who are able to write occasionally — old friends, who tell me the truth. There is desperate poverty. The Tsar has lost all sense of reality and is totally out of touch with his people — as are all his ministers and advisers. The gulf between the obscenely rich and the literally starving is so great it will eventually swallow them all. The only thing we do not know is when.’
The thought was chilling, but he did not even question it.
‘And I am afraid the news is not good here. But you already know something of it.’
‘Only that Narraway is out of Lisson Grove,’ Pitt replied. ‘I have no idea why, or what happened.’
‘I know why,’ she sighed, and he saw the sadness in her eyes. She looked pale, and tired. ‘He has been charged with the embezzlement of a considerable amount of money, which-’
‘What?’ It was absurd. Ordinarily he would not have dreamed of interrupting her — it was a break of courtesy unimaginable to him — but the disbelief was too urgent to remain concealed.
A flicker of amusement sparkled in her eyes, and vanished as quickly. ‘I am aware of the absurdity, Thomas. Victor has several faults, but petty theft is not among them.’
‘You said a large amount.’
‘Large to steal. It cost a man’s life because he did not have it. But if Victor were to steal, it would be the crown jewels, or something really worth the price of his position in Special Branch. I doubt anything short of the Queen’s crown would be sufficient for him. Someone engineered this very astutely. I have my ideas as to who it may have been, but they are no more than ideas, insubstantial and possibly quite mistaken.’
‘Where is Narraway?’
‘In Ireland,’ she told him.
‘In prison?’ he asked. ‘And why Ireland?’ He must find out. He had expected him to be in London.
‘Not in prison so far as I know, but I have not heard. He went of his own will, because he believes that whoever was the author of his misfortune is Irish, and the answer to that person’s identity is to be found there.’ She bit her lip very slightly. For her it was a gesture of anxiety so deep he could not recall having seen her do it before.
‘Aunt Vespasia?’ He leaned forward a little.
‘He believed it personal,’ she continued. ‘An act of revenge for an old injury. At the time I thought he might have been correct, although it was a long time to wait for such perceived justice, and the Irish have never been noted for their patience, especially for revenge. I assumed some new circumstance must have made it possible. .’
‘You say “assumed”-were you wrong?’ he asked.
‘After what you have told me of your experience in France, and of this man Gower, who was your assistant, and of whom neither you nor anyone else in Special Branch appeared to have any suspicions, I think Victor was mistaken,’ she said gravely. ‘I fear this trumped-up allegation may have had nothing to do with personal revenge, but have been a means of removing him from command of the situation in London, and replacing him with either someone of far less competence or — very much worse — of sympathy with the socialist cause. It looks as if you were removed to France for the same reason.’
Pitt smiled with a bitter humour. ‘I am not of Narraway’s experience or power,’ he told her honestly. ‘I am not worth their trouble to remove.’
‘You are too modest, my dear.’ She regarded him with amused affection. ‘Surely you would have fought for Victor. I think you are fond of him, but even if I am wrong in that, you owe him a great loyalty. He took you into Special Branch when the Metropolitan Police dismissed you, and you had too many enemies to return there. He took some risk doing so, and made more enemies of his own. It is not appreciated in certain circles. Most of those men are gone now, but at the time it was a dangerous act. You have more than repaid him with your ability, but you can now repay the courage. I do not imagine you think differently.’
Her eyes were steady on his. ‘Added to which, you have enemies in Special Branch yourself, because of the favour he showed you, and your somewhat rapid rise. With Victor gone, you will be very fortunate indeed if you survive him for long. Even if you do, you will be forever watching over your shoulder and waiting for the unseen blow. If you do not know that, you are far more naive than I think you.’
‘The loyalty would have been enough,’ he told her. ‘But, yes, of course I am aware that without Narraway’s protection I won’t last long.’
Her voice was very gentle. ‘My dear, it is imperative, for many reasons, that we do what we can to clear Victor’s name. I am glad you see it so clearly.’
He felt a sudden chill, a warning.
She inclined her head in assent. ‘Then you will understand why Charlotte has gone to Ireland with Victor to help him in any way she can. He will find it hard enough on his own. She may be his eyes and ears in places he is unable to go himself.’
For a moment Pitt did not even understand, as if her words were half in a foreign language. The key words were plain enough — Charlotte, Narraway and Ireland — but the whole of it made no sense.
‘Charlotte’s gone to Ireland?’ he repeated. ‘She can’t have! What on earth could she do? She doesn’t know Ireland and she certainly doesn’t know anything about Narraway’s past, his old cases, or anyone else in Special Branch.’ He hesitated to tell her she had misunderstood. It sounded so rude, but it was the only explanation.
‘Thomas,’ Vespasia said gravely, ‘the situation is very serious. Victor is helpless. He is closed out of his office and all access to any assistance from Special Branch. We know that at least one person there, highly placed, is a thief and a traitor. We do not know who it is. Charles Austwick is in charge-’
‘Austwick?’
‘Yes. You see how serious it is? Do you imagine that without your help Austwick will find the traitor? Apparently none of you, including Victor, were aware of Gower’s treason. Who else would betray you? Charlotte is at least in part aware of the danger, including the danger to you personally. She went with Victor partly out of loyalty to him, but mostly to save his career because she is very sharply aware that yours depends upon it also. And another element, which you may not yet have had time to consider: if Victor can be made to appear guilty of theft, how difficult would it be for the same people to make you appear guilty with him?’