Page 89 of Lady Gambit
They all sat solemnly for a few seconds.
“We got away.” Mrs Haggert’s hand came to rest on her heart. “But in the shadow of the majestic St Paul’s, with its bells tolling loudly, Sofia was shot in the back.”
Delphine cried then.
She buried her face in Dorian’s coat and wept.
He made a promise to himself as he held her close and watched her sob. He couldn’t promise their life would be unmarred by tragic events, but he would ensure the days between were glorious.
Mrs Haggert’s discreet cough stole their attention. “Happen the question you need to ask yourself is why now? What stirred the hornet’s nest?”
Delphine raised her head and dashed tears from her eyes. “It all began after my visit to Bethlem when Nora called me by my mother’s name.”
“Did it? Nora is mad. Why would anyone give a hoot about the nonsense she spouts? The only person it would mean anything to is the devil who killed your parents.”
It was clear the guards at Bethlem thought Nora was deranged.
Anything she said would be dismissed as lunacy.
“It began after my visit.” Dorian would never forget Powell’s hostility and his reluctance to answer questions. “The Superintendent must have told Lord Meldrum that I interviewed Nora.”
“Probably because he feared you’d learn the truth of how Nora came to be there,” Aaron said. “Meldrum doesn’t want anyone to know he’s being blackmailed.”
“No one knows he’s being blackmailed,” Mrs Haggert countered. “I ain’t told a soul, and I trust my men. I can’t see the Superintendent blabbing. His neck would be for the chopping block.”
One piece of evidence cast doubt over the extent of Meldrum’s involvement. Dorian had struggled to understand why Meldrum would free Nora and give her a pistol. He had to know it would bring trouble to his door.
Delphine must have read his mind because she said, “One other person knows Lord Meldrum is being blackmailed. His friend, Bertie.”
“Who?” Mrs Haggert said.
“Gerald Bertram,” Dorian added. The man had practically begged them to help Meldrum and find the blackmailer. Perhaps he had a personal interest in the outcome. “He met Lord Meldrum while on a Grand Tour. I found it odd that they were abroad the same year. I imagine Bertie is approaching forty.”
Aaron sat forward. “I make it my business to know all the men of theton. I know the names of their relatives and close friends. I’ve never heard of Gerald Bertram.”
“Happen that’s because he don’t exist,” Mrs Haggert said, “though there’s only one way to know for sure. Question Meldrum on his own. Aaron can scare the devil into confessing.”
Dorian considered the plan. “Invite Meldrum to Fortune’s Den. Say it’s to discuss his mounting debts and his marriage proposal. We can take matters from there.” Though he hated to admit it, the safest place for Delphine was at her brothers’ club.
“If you need help, I’ve men at my disposal.” Mrs Haggert was keen to be part of the solution. Her desire to find the man who’d shot Sofia was there in her determined expression.
“I heard they arrested Harold Haggert for highway robbery.” Aaron scoffed. “Why would I trust your men when they lack the courage to pull the trigger?”
Mrs Haggert laughed. “Do you remember what I told you to do when there’s a tough choice to make, Caterina?”
Delphine looked at her blankly.
“The decisions we make today shape our future. Why would I hang for that blackguard when I can stand in the crowd, sip gin from a flask and watch him dangle?”
Dorian admired the sentiment. Every decision they made now, every thought and deed, laid the foundations for Delphine’s future.
He just prayed they didn’t make a mistake.
He prayed the faceless man wasn’t one step ahead.
Chapter Twenty
Fortune’s Den
