‘Nevertheless, they’ve gone. It seems that Hugh Wegges found the place in disarray this morning. He was upset, the landlord was distraught and Lawrence is in a fury. Keep clear of him,’ said Hoode. ‘He blames you for being absent.’
A long day had done nothing to still her fears or to extinguish her hopes. Dorothea Tate asked time and again if she could visit the morgue. It was the only way to make sure that the dead body fished out of the Thames did belong to Hywel Rees. Though she sensed that her friend had been murdered, she could not let go of the vain hope that he was still alive. Anne Hendrik tried to reason with the girl.
‘What can be gained, Dorothea?’ she said. ‘Go to the morgue and you only inflict needless pain upon yourself.’
‘I’m in agony, as it is.’
‘Try to get some rest.’
‘How can I do that, Anne? I lay awake all night, thinking about Hywel.’
‘Do you have fond memories of him?’
‘The fondest. He was a true friend.’
‘Then do not sully those fond memories by looking on him now. Nick and Owen Elias have strong stomachs but even they were revolted by what they saw. Hywel is not the young man you knew.’
Dorothea sagged back in her chair. Without help, she knew that she would never be admitted to view a dead body. Nicholas would have to take her and he was as keen as Anne to keep her away from the horrid sight. There was nothing that the girl could do. It was a paradox. In the most comfortable house she had ever stayed in, she felt somehow constrained. While she was enjoying the kindness of friends, she was beginning to view them as enemies who stopped her from doing the one thing of importance to her.
Anne had made such efforts to distract her, taking her into the workshop next door so that she could watch hats being made, visiting the market with her, dining with her, listening to her, watching over her. The only time that Dorothea could be alone was if she went to her room and there she was assailed by worries about Hywel. A sense of guilt developed. Why should she have such comforts when the young Welshman might be lying on a slab? For the first time in her life, Dorothea wore clean clothing and ate as much food as she wished. Yet the very fact that she was protected and cared for made her uneasy. She did not belong.
The return of Nicholas made her rise expectantly from the chair. Anne, too, got up to greet him, glad that he had come back so early in the evening and seeing from his face that he had news to impart.
‘Where have you been?’ she wondered.
‘To several places,’ he replied. ‘I began at the lawyer’s office and ended up at the Queen’s Head, where Lawrence had to be pacified. He was incensed because the company has been dealt another bitter blow.’
‘Your old landlord is returning?’
‘No, Anne. We’ve been spared that horror, though it will surely come if our run of bad luck continues. Someone raided our wardrobe and made off with the better part of it. They’ll raise a tidy sum by selling those costumes.’
‘Who would do such a thing?’
‘Rivals. Someone who had a grudge against us. Or simply a thief in search of making a profit. Lawrence is maddened. It took me an hour to calm him down.’
‘What of the lawyer?’ asked Dorothea, impatiently. ‘You said before you left that he might be able to help us.’
‘He did, Dorothea. Sit down again and I’ll tell you how.’ She and Anne resumed their seats. ‘Master Cleaton worked quickly,’ said Nicholas, remaining on his feet. ‘He found out where Joseph Beechcroft and Ralph Olgrave lived.’
‘They have chambers at Bridewell.’
‘Yes, but they also have homes and families.’
Dorothea goggled. ‘Master Olgrave has a family? A wife and children?’
‘Judging by the size of his house, I think it very likely.’
‘Then how could he do what he did to me?’ she said in bewilderment. ‘That was not the action of a married man. What of his vows to his wife?’
‘I think that he forgets them when he chooses,’ said Nicholas, ‘and does so without compunction. He boasted to me that he never felt a twinge of guilt.’
‘You met him?’
‘I met the both of them, Dorothea. They are a well-matched pair.’
‘What did they say?’
‘The one assured me that Hywel had gone back to Wales, the other pretended that he had never heard the name. He also denied all knowledge of you.’
‘That’s shameful!’ cried Dorothea. ‘After what he did to me, that’s cruel.’
‘Cruel and disgraceful,’ said Anne, touching her hand in sympathy. ‘What did you do, Nick — confront the villains with their crimes?’
‘No,’ he replied, ‘I merely wished to take their measure. Master Beechcroft was inclined to bluster but his partner kept his feelings under control. I took him to the more dangerous of the two.’
‘Oh, he is, he is!’ said Dorothea with passion.
‘Then you must help me to bring him down.’ He turned to Anne. ‘If you will, please, fetch paper and pen. I want Dorothea to become an artist and draw as much of Bridewell as she can recall.’
‘I’ve no skill with a pen, Nicholas.’
‘But I do,’ said Anne. ‘I sit here and draw pretty hats all day.’ She headed for the door. ‘I’ll hold the pen and you can tell me where it should go on the paper.’
‘But why do you need a drawing of Bridewell, Nicholas?’
‘Because I need to understand where you were when the outrages happened.’
‘I was in the hall at first, then in Master Olgrave’s chamber.’
‘Show me where both of them are on a sketch,’ said Nicholas. ‘They are vile men, Dorothea, but they are also slippery. I’d gain nothing by accusing them to their faces. If I did so in public, they’d bring an action of slander against me.’
‘But I was there. I know what sort of men they are.’
‘And so do I, now that I have met the rogues.’
She was aggrieved. ‘Can we not have them arrested and taken to court?’
‘Not until we have more proof, Dorothea,’ he said, ‘and the one certain way of doing that is to get a lot closer to Joseph Beechcroft and Ralph Olgrave.’
Beechcroft paced up and down the room like a caged tiger. Ever since he had arrived at Bridewell, he had been in a state of agitation. Olgrave, on the other hand, was relaxed and cheerful. Reclining in a chair, he sipped a cup of wine.
‘He knows, Ralph,’ said his partner with alarm. ‘The fellow knows.’
‘How can he know? There were only two of us there.’ He grinned. ‘Well, three of us to be precise but that turbulent Welshman could not stay. The river called him.’
‘Why did he ask me if Hywel Rees had swum back to Wales?’
‘To see if he could chase the colour from your cheeks, and he succeeded. You are too easily shaken, Joseph. Learn from me to keep a straight face.’
‘When I am accused of a murder?’
‘That’s not what happened,’ said Olgrave. ‘Nicholas Bracewell was guessing. He has a little knowledge, I grant you, and tried to augment it by frightening you. Thanks to your folly, he now has more to bite upon.’
‘My heart pounded when he mentioned swimming.’
‘Only because you rely on your emotions instead of your brain. Think, Joseph. Use your head and you’ll see that we are not in imminent danger.’
‘I believe we are,’ said Beechcroft, stopping beside him. ‘Nicholas Bracewell is on our trail, Ralph. He used that ruse to get into my house then suddenly produced two names out of the air that I hoped never to hear again.’
‘And how do you suppose he did that?’
‘He must have been acquainted with the pair of them.’
‘Yes,’ said Olgrave, ‘but they were both out of his reach inside Bridewell. How could he know that Hywel Rees had been killed and tossed into the Thames?’ Tapping his head with a finger, he stood up. ‘Think, man. Do as I bid you. Use your brain.’
Beechcroft shrugged. ‘It must have been a wild guess.’
‘I fancy not. There is another explanation.’
‘I do not see it, Ralph.’