Page 60 of Death of a Courtesan
Again Clement fixed Riley with a direct look, making it clear that he knew of his wife’s liaison with Henry but could be trusted to remain silent on the point. ‘You can take my word for it, Inspector. My wife and I have no secrets. But we do want to leave England as soon as possible, and we need to amass as much money as we can in a short amount of time in order to fulfil our plans.’
‘The man who calls himself your brother represents the threat you hope to evade?’
Clement sighed. ‘You know of the tenuous relationship between us?’
‘He is the son of your father’s second wife and took your father’s name when they married, making him feel…feel what precisely?’
Clement lifted one shoulder. ‘Legitimate, I suppose. He never knew his own father and doubted whether his mother knew who he was either. He never attended school, not regularly at least, until he entered our household. He followed me around like a shadow, surly and suspicious at first. I felt sorry for him, so I encouraged him to improve his reading and writing and his basic educational skills, in the somewhat optimistic hope that we could work together. I know that would have made my father happy, and it was what Ray desperately wanted too. But, alas, one cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Ray lacks intellect, struggles to retain the most basic information and would be a liability in my business world.’ He straightened his cuffs and sighed. ‘I don’t say that to be unkind. I am merely stating a fact. God alone knows I tried, but the problem is that Ray refuses to recognise his shortcomings and is of the firm opinion that he is my equal in all respects because his mother encouraged him to think that way. Sadly he is not, and never will be.’
‘That don’t explain why you’ve kept your marriage a secret from him,’ Salter said.
‘Does it not, sergeant? I should have thought it explained a great deal. Ray has ideas above his station and dislikes recalling what his mother was forced to resort to in order to put food on the table. Before my father married her, that is. I understand one or two of her customers were violent towards her and Ray witnessed those attacks at a young age. He once told me that the memories of her broken body and the frustration he felt at his inability to protect her had never left him. That accounts, I have often thought, for his predilection to resolve disputes with his fists. He is compensating as a man for his inadequacies as a boy to keep his mother safe.’
‘And you imagine that if he discovers your wife’s former occupation, it will bring it all back to him.’
‘Precisely so.’ Clement threw up his hands. ‘It sounds far-fetched, I’ll grant you, but Ray really does have a blind spot when it comes to women who sell themselves, no matter how desperate they happen to be. If he knew that Celeste…well, I cannot risk his ever finding out. Frankly, inspector, when Ray gets in a temper he terrifies me. Besides, if anything were to happen to me, he would inherit everything that I have.’
‘And when you tell him he can’t be of any help to you in your world, you are worried that he will take the ultimate revenge?’
‘I certainly cannot afford to ignore that possibility.’ Clement draped one hand casually over the arm of his chair. ‘Violence is Ray’s solution to every problem he encounters. He can flare up into the most alarming temper, especially when he is in his cups, and I am not willing to put Celeste’s safety at risk.’
‘Understandably so.’ Riley inclined his head. ‘Now that I have a clearer understanding of your situation, perhaps you would be so good as to tell me where Adelaide came into things.’
‘She and my wife were friends. Adelaide was in many respects Celeste’s protégée. Were you aware of that?’ Riley nodded. ‘Friendships between courtesans are rare but Celeste tells me that she and Adelaide were acquainted in their younger years. Adelaide turned to Celeste in her hour of need. Celeste felt protective of her and took her under her wing. Anyway, suffice it to say that she learned all about Adelaide’s history and her family’s involvement in the wine business. She knew that Adelaide burned for revenge against her uncle and aunt, especially when she learned of her mother’s premature demise, and that thirst for revenge became herraison d’être.Celeste tried to tell her that it wasn’t healthy to obsess over something that couldn’t be altered, but Adelaide refused to listen. Revenge, she told Celeste, was what drove her, what kept her sane, and if she didn’t keep the determination to avenge herself on the lot of them in the forefront of her mind, she would have no reason to carry on.’
‘And then Celeste met you,’ Riley said. ‘Which probably seemed like providence.’
Clement nodded. ‘I am my father’s son in many respects, and unlike Ray I don’t judge people by what circumstances have forced them to become. I encountered Celeste by happy accident when I was in Chichester talking to potential customers. We literally bumped into one another as she left a shop that I was about to enter. I helped her to collect her scattered possessions and…well, things developed from that point. I felt an immediate connection to her and she told me later that she had sensed it too. Given her profession and how cynical she had become with regard to men in general, that meant a great deal to me. We arranged to meet again, talked for hours and I eventually persuaded her to give up her life in Chichester and return to London as my wife.’
‘You are a fortunate man,’ Riley said, meaning it.
‘Thank you.’ Clement allowed himself a small smile. ‘I am well aware of that. I promised Celeste that we would not need to keep our secret for long. I plan to move to France, you see. As well as selling wine I have a desire to grow the grapes and actually produce it. The purpose of my latest visit was to negotiate terms for a property I have in mind. Ray will not trouble us once we are there since he won’t know where to find us. I shall make sure of that. Besides, leaving England on a quest for revenge wouldn’t occur to him.’
‘And Adelaide?’ Riley prompted.
‘Celeste told me about her not long after we met, and when she returned to London she arranged for us to meet. By that point Adelaide was convinced that she was being watched. Sure enough, not long after that, the uncle she so despised cornered her on the street. He told her he knew what she had become, that he had always known that was all she would be good for, and that the price of his silence would be her cooperation.’
‘Whom would he tell?’ Riley asked.
‘He threatened to go to her father, but Adelaide laughed in his face and told him to go ahead. Then she turned the tables and threatened him.’
‘How?’ Riley and Salter asked together.
‘It seemed that she knew more about her dear uncle’s private parts than would have been possible had he not tried to take advantage of her.’ Clement shifted his position and sighed. ‘Suffice it to say that he exposed himself to her and she noticed certain distinguishing features. She reminded him of that fact and he flew into a rage. She said that if they hadn’t been in a public place, she was sure he would have strangled her then and there.’
Riley and Salter shared a significant look.
‘Because she still had the power to destroy his reputation, such as it is,’ Riley said, leaning forward. ‘A very compelling motive for murder, wouldn’t you say, sergeant.’
‘Indeed I would, sir.’
‘Anyway, Adelaide had saved almost every penny she earned since moving to London and had a tidy sum put aside. She offered to go in with me to help destroy her father’s business. She had an excellent memory and knew whom he supplied. Her financial backing would have made it possible for me to purchase in bulk and undercut her father’s prices. She didn’t mind not making a profit. She simply wanted revenge.’
‘But she died before you could put your plan into effect?’
‘Sadly, yes. I shall still be able to purchase my vineyard but I won’t also be able to continue with my business in this country, which I had been relying upon to finance my new venture.’ He sighed. ‘But still, all that really matters is getting away from Ray and keeping Celeste safe.’
‘Could word of your intentions have somehow reached Huxton’s ears? The uncle or the father? What I’m asking you, I suppose, is whether anyone else was a party to your plans.’
