Page 72 of Speculations in Sin

“I must tell you that Monaghan has warned me off this case,” he said quietly. “He does not want Daalman’s Bank investigated in any way.”

My eyes widened in astonishment. “Why the devil not?”

“He did not give me the entire reason, and he won’t, no matter how I press him.” Daniel opened his hands in a resigned gesture. “But it seems Daalman’s has been known to fund traitors to the Crown. Inadvertently, probably, but Monaghan doesn’t want a stir created around this bank.”

My jaw shook as I tightened it. “So that these traitorous organizations won’t be scared off, I imagine.”

“You have the right of it. He has his eyes on several financial institutions, like a cat on several mouseholes, waiting for the mice to try for their cheese. He wants us to let Millburn go to trial and carry all the attention away from the bank itself. Whether Millburn is condemned or set free is no matter to Monaghan. He advises me to leave everything in Sir Rupert’s hands.”

“That vile, bloody…” My language became unfortunate—I was a child of Bow Lane after all—and Daniel’s brows rose as I went on.

By the time I spluttered to a halt, the amusement had returned to Daniel’s expression.

“Ihave to obey Monaghan,” Daniel said. “He owns my soul.But you don’t.” His smile deepened. “I would like to see him try to tell you what to do. I’d be very entertained.”

“Your idea of entertainment is quite strange.” My coolness returned. “The entire bank can go hang, for all I care, as long as Sam and Joanna are all right. I’m certain Mr. Monaghan’s traitors are careful enough to have already turned to another bank to fund them.”

“Unfortunately, that is true.” Daniel’s eyes darkened. “They are very dangerous people, Kat, and I can’t blame Monaghan for wanting to stop them.”

“Yes, but I will not sacrifice Sam so that Mr. Monaghan can have the pleasure of arresting conspirators. What would be the point if all the innocents were killed to save the country? There would be no country left, would there?” I was babbling by this time, but my fury and frustration boiled over. “Anarchists have been trying to overthrow the Crown of England for centuries, but they haven’t succeeded, have they? Why should they now?”

“There have been afewchanges in the monarchy,” Daniel said. “But I take your point. I haven’t said I won’t help you. I will not investigate the workings of the bank and their clients directly, but I can certainly assist you in finding the correct murderer to hand to the police.”

“Well, I am glad to hear it.” I glared at him. “Sir Rupert said he would have the solicitor look into what had happened to the embezzled money, but I thought I should do that myself. Maybe the embezzler is one of Mr. Monaghan’s conspirators. Mr. Monaghan would be happy for an excuse to arrest him, would he not?”

“I think the embezzler is more after personal gain than political turmoil,” Daniel said. “The conspirators are using the institution to store their money, but we don’t think there’s aman on the inside. I doubt Daalman’s even knows they are being used as such. The board are very careful to be quite loyal to the queen.”

“It would be difficult to hide the stolen money, wouldn’t it?” I asked.

Daniel considered. “If this embezzler is wise, he’ll break up the funds into smaller sums, perhaps spread them through several bank accounts. Or he’s made investments here and there at other firms. A large chunk of money in one place would be too obvious.”

“People steal money because they want the money,” I pointed out. “Perhaps for a virtuous reason, such as paying the crippling debt of a beloved parent, or that sort of thing. But most thieves want it so they can live well without the bother of hard work. Whoever it is must be spending some of it—on natty clothes, or a fine horse, or paintings, or trips to the seaside, or whatever takes their fancy. I think we should look at each of the employees and see who is living beyond their means.”

“Every employee of the bank?” Daniel regarded me skeptically. “There are quite a number.”

“We can ask Sam how many. And if he can provide all their names and where they live.”

Daniel’s soft laughter snapped me from my adamancy. “Poor Millburn will probably fall over from exhaustion if we task him with this. But never fear—I have a man at Daalman’s. He can give me the list of names and addresses.”

I might have known Daniel would already be acquainted with someone at the bank, but I felt a qualm. “Without getting caught?”

“He’s a bright chap. No harm in asking him.”

My curiosity rose. “Is he investigating the conspirators for you as well?”

“His skills don’t run to untangling balance sheets, unfortunately. But this he will do. Then we will run through the names and see which lowly clerk has lace curtains in his windows and employs a high-paid valet from an exclusive agency.”

I let myself laugh at his idea of extravagance as I rose to pour Daniel more tea.

He’d said not many moments ago that we needed to find joy in the small corners of life. I decided to savor this moment, of Daniel and me sitting at the table together in the quiet of the night, basking in each other’s company. The circle of lamplight shut out the darkness, and the glowing stove pushed aside the cold.

In this slice of time, happiness prevailed, in a warm sanctuary that the howling terrors of the world could not invade.

* * *

I woke in the morning telling myself I must be patient. Sir Rupert, Daniel, and Mr. Thanos would need time to do what they could and I would have to wait for the outcome.

Meanwhile, Sam faced another bleak day in the awful common cell in Newgate, Joanna faced another day trying to keep her children’s spirits high and herself from despair. I faced a day of cooking for an ungrateful mistress with little time for rest.

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