‘Of course not. It is unthinkable,’ Harriet said firmly.
Rachel peered out from under her honeyish curls towards Crowther. ‘Mr Crowther?’
He gave a thin smile. ‘Mrs Clode, from all I know of your husband, and all I have read of the matter, I think it highly unlikely.’
Harriet felt her sister’s body soften slightly against her. ‘Thank you for coming here, Crowther,’ she said.
‘Daniel is as innocent as I am,’ Graves said in the same determined tone Harriet had used, ‘but I suppose we must find who the guilty party is indeed before we can convince him. The man has far too much imagination for a lawyer.’
Harriet almost laughed and tightened her grip around Rachel’s shoulder. ‘We shall certainly do our best. Rachel, has Herr von Krall no other suspects in the case? Has anyone discovered how poor Daniel came to be in such a confused state?’
Rachel straightened up. ‘No, it is all in the reports I sent along to you.’
‘Uncomfortable to have any scandal in court when all eyes are turned in this direction for the Duke’s wedding,’ Crowther said. ‘No wonder then they would like to believe it to be the work of a deranged foreigner.’
‘Crowther, for goodness sake!’ Harriet glared across at him, and he gave a slight shrug.
‘My apologies, Mrs Clode.’
‘I am not offended, Harry. Crowther must say what he likes, he always does after all and he is quite right. But Herr von Krall … he has doubts about Daniel’s guilt, I think. If it weren’t for him, the way he stops sometimes and frowns, I am afraid I could have almost started believing it myself.’
She was looking down as she finished, so did not see the look of shock that passed over Graves’s face. Harriet could not help noticing the corner of Crowther’s mouth twitch, however. He is proud of her, Harriet thought, for having the courage to doubt her husband.
‘Rachel?’ she said out loud. ‘My dear, I am sorry. We are interrogating you within moments of our arrival.’
Rachel managed to smile. ‘No, Harry. I am sorry to be so weak. I want — all I want is to tell you all I can, but my head is spinning.’
‘Darling, are you quite well?’ A suspicion began to form in Harriet’s mind.
Rachel held onto Harriet’s hand very tightly. ‘Oh Harry, hardly anyone will speak to me, and even those who do only pity me. I have eaten almost every meal alone.’
‘You have been in prison too, child,’ Crowther said, as she wiped her eyes.
‘Lord, I would do anything to stop crying! Do not indulge me, Crowther. It is a comfortable prison. And my sufferings are nothing to my husband’s.’ She said the word firmly, almost as a declaration. ‘And I have made some friends. There is a pair of brothers I wish you to meet. Mrs Padfield introduced me to them. They, like us, are not members of the nobility here and have helped me a great deal in learning how to behave, who to petition for Daniel. They have a workshop in the palace grounds.’
Harriet glanced at her sister, then her companions. ‘Perhaps you could take me to see them now, Rachel? I am sure Graves and Crowther will understand if we have a little time to ourselves, and the fresh air will do you good.’
Rachel nodded. ‘But you have only just arrived … I would not wish to seem ungrateful.’
Crowther half-closed his eyes. ‘I have spent the better part of the last month in a carriage with your sister and Mr Graves. The greatest kindness you could do me at this moment is to allow me an hour or two alone.’
Rachel grinned and Harriet caught Crowther’s gaze. She knew he would be pleased with himself when he could hide his thoughtfulness with rudeness. His blue eyes glimmered.
‘Of course, Mrs Clode,’ Graves said with his usual smile. ‘I shall find a slightly less travel-worn coat and then go and present our credentials to Chancellor Swann. Crowther, I shall not make you come with me.’
‘Thank you, Graves.’
Graves sighed. ‘Is Swann as dry as his correspondence? Lord, no doubt now they have one of my closest friends locked away they find the time has come to re-negotiate those bonds. Very well, let us wash the dirt from us and try to give the proper impression of importance.’ He leaned forward and patted Rachel’s hand again. ‘Do not fret, my dear. Mrs Westerman and Mr Crowther will return your husband to you.’
II.5
Pegel’s room was in an attic in the oldest quarter of the medieval city. As the stairs were uneven and narrow, and he had to fetch his own water and fuel, the rates were low for the space he had. He could have used some of the gold in the lining of his coat and bought the whole building, but the money was not his and the man who had given it to him would expect him to account for his spending. In any case his new home suited him. The attic ran the whole length of the building and the south end gable was dominated by a large window which overlooked the small market square of the quarter. The few sticks of furniture provided seemed to make it look more cavernous, it was impossible to heat and if he wanted to avoid freezing as he sat at his desk in the window, he had to carry his fire with him in a brass coal-carrier such as maids cradled to church to keep their mistresses’ feet warm. But it was secure. No one could approach without the complaints of the stairs giving notice, and no one had any business to hover outside his door. Also, for all the chill, he liked the view. It made him feel like some wise bird watching the comings and goings below. A king, or a magician able to watch the people move about on their paths like little walking toys.
He dropped Florian onto the couch a little heavily — getting him up the stairs had been uncomfortable — rolled his shoulders and crouched down to get a fire going in the grate. When he was satisfied that the flames were alive, and felt a little heat crawling off the coals, he turned his back on them to study his guest. Florian had his chin tucked into his chest and his arms wrapped about him. ‘Your Grace? Does it pain you much? Perhaps we should get you to a sawbones.’
He looked up sharply at that. ‘No, no, it’s sore is all. I’d rather stay here. And you may call me Florian, if you wish.’ He tried to smile and winced a little.
Pegel remained seated on the floor by the fire, but extended his hand. ‘Jacob.’ He nodded to the decanter of wine and glasses by the couch. ‘Can you move enough to pour us a glass then, Florian?’
The young man blushed slightly as his Christian name was spoken as if he were not used to hearing it out loud, but reached over and filled the glasses. Pegel took the glass offered him with his right hand and with his left pushed his hair back, revealing the redness on his jaw. He heard Florian gasp, and was glad that the giant had not pulled his punches.
‘I am so sorry you got hurt, Jacob. And thank you for coming to my assistance.’
Pegel sniffed. ‘Can’t leave a fellow on the ground like that. Not sure what morals I have, but I know that isn’t right.’
‘I think you are a good man, Jacob.’
He yawned and studied the ancient bowing beams above them. ‘Don’t know. I just do as I do and leave good and evil to the priests. It’s why I like numbers. No good and evil there, but there’s still wonder. Here I am, mind of man, that’s all, and now I can explain how the planets move. That I like.’
Florian was frowning. It seemed a strange expression on that rather childlike face. ‘But you must seek something more than that, Pegel. You are a member of the Brotherhood, are you not? Your watch is marked with symbols. You mentioned a Lodge in Weimar. You are a Freemason, I know it.’
‘I … I try to be,’ Pegel said, turning away slightly so he could stare soulfully into the fire while still displaying the reddening on the side of his face. ‘My uncle introduced me to his Lodge and for a while I thought there was some … higher purpose worth serving. But, I don’t know, Florian, mostly I’ve just found it useful as a way to meet people as I travel about. That stuff in the lecture hall today — it’s the work of a man called Laplace I met in one of the Paris Lodges.’