The Serpent In The Garden_ A Novel Part 19

She looked as if she would fly at him for this retort, but by then his goods were safely tied onto the roof of the carriage, and unless she fancied climbing up there, he knew she would never find Cobb's bag.

Lizzie Manning and the Bentnicks of Astley were a black chapter in his life. But the chapter was now closed. London was where his future lay.

Chapter Thirty-nine.

IT WAS MIDAFTERNOON by the time the carriage drew up outside Joshua's lodgings. He knocked tentatively at his front door. Having given the key to Cobb, he had no means of opening it. He still felt uneasy about Cobb. If h.o.a.re's murderer was also Caroline Bentnick's, it was unlikely Cobb was guilty. Nevertheless, with so much s.h.i.+ft and alteration in all the characters he had encountered, Joshua's confidence in his ability to read human nature was shaken. It would no longer greatly surprise him, he thought as he stood on his threshold, if everyone within this house had been slaughtered.

He was relieved when, after several minutes, the door jerked open to reveal the ancient face of Mrs. Quick, in the same formidable humor as ever.

"Mr. Pope. You return, having sent your unwholesome deputy in the meantime. Can we expect the pleasure of your company for long?"

Joshua raised his hat to her, trying to muster some semblance of dignity. "I am pleased to say I have no intention of leaving for some considerable time, Mrs. Quick. My business at Richmond is over. It remains only for me to resolve things with Mr. Cobb. I trust you have taken good care of him."

"Trust all you like, sir," she replied sourly. "Next time, though, I would thank you to send such disreputable personages elsewhere. It may surprise you to learn you do not reside in Newgate prison or a sewer. Though some of your acquaintances would certainly be well suited there."

Joshua gushed contrition. "Forgive me, Mrs. Quick. I suffered a misadventure and had no chance to write. I had thought that Bridget would have explained matters to you."

"How could she? She wasn't here at the time!"

"Is your daughter about?"

"As you see, she is not."

"You expect her soon?"

"In half an hour, perhaps a little more."

Just then Kitty came out on her way to fill the coal scuttle. Taking advantage of the interruption, Joshua cannily altered tack.

"May I ask you, madam, what became of Cobb? I take it from your earlier remark he isn't here?"

"Why, what would you expect me to do with him? What was I supposed to think of a wild-eyed stranger who looked as if he hadn't washed for several weeks, and entered my abode without warning in the dead of night and ransacked my larder?"

"He ransacked your larder?" Joshua echoed, incredulous at Cobb's stupidity.

"He woke poor Kitty and scared her half out of her wits; she very sensibly screamed, whereupon Thomas came to a.s.sist her. When they woke me I told them to summon the watch and call the constable and apprehend your Mr. Cobb for breaking and entering."

Joshua swallowed and concealed his dismay. He knew enough of Mrs. Quick's unpredictable character to be sure that if she caught the slightest whiff of anxiety, she would clam up like an oyster or launch into a virulent tirade. "You had him arrested?"

She nodded. "I did, sir, and I don't need you to criticize," she said stoutly.

"I shouldn't dream of criticizing, Mrs. Quick. The fault was entirely mine for not forewarning you of the circ.u.mstances of Mr. Cobb's distress. I know, had you been apprised of the situation, your charitable sentiments, for which you are well known, would have been stirred."

"There's charity, Mr. Pope, and there's preservation. And let me tell you, when a vagabond comes into your home and ransacks your larder, charity flies off with the speed of a bat. You do as Kitty did-open your mouth and shriek for a.s.sistance."

"Quite so, ma'am. May I ask, do you know where Cobb is now?"

"Still in the Roundhouse, for aught I know or care."

"I see," said Joshua, looking away from her. He was uncertain how to proceed now that she had delivered this astonis.h.i.+ng blow. Bearing in mind Cobb's unsavory demeanor and his idiotic behavior, he had to admit she had reason to be alarmed. Indeed, remembering his own doubts about Cobb, perhaps the Roundhouse was the safest place for him.

"Of course, I comprehend your awkward dilemma. Indeed, I cannot think how I overlooked it before. My profound apologies for the inconvenience, madam."

"Won't you wait for my daughter?"

"No," Joshua said. The last thing he wanted was to see Bridget again under the scrutiny of her mother, who would monitor every word and give them no peace. "There is no time just now to wait. There are matters I must attend to immediately. Be so kind, madam, to tell her I will call on her tomorrow morning at nine."

Mrs. Quick gave him a knowing grin. "It's no use you going to visit your other lady friend, Mr. Pope."

"What?" said Joshua, blanching at this astonis.h.i.+ng remark. "What lady friend?"

"That widow you've been calling on. Mrs. Dunn, isn't it? No good going there. She's going to be married to some cousin of her husband's. Came round two or three days ago to break the news to you. Bridget spoke to her."

"I see," he said, nodding curtly, as he took his leave.

Joshua mounted the stairs to his rooms with a heavy heart. Was there anything more that could possibly go wrong? Although he had half expected something of this kind, he was surprised how dejected he felt to have his suspicions confirmed.

He wished it had been Bridget rather than Mrs. Quick who had greeted him. Her practical sense and good heart might have helped him decide what he should do about Cobb, who languished in a cell not a hundred yards from his door.

Whatever Cobb's role in this intrigue, he could not have killed Caroline Bentnick, and thus it seemed doubtful he was the murderer of h.o.a.re. a.s.suming Cobb was innocent, his misfortunes were even worse than Joshua's. In sending him to his lodgings-believing he would be safe there-Joshua had directed him straight into the jaws of peril in the unlikely form of Mrs. Quick. How could he feel otherwise than honor bound to save him?

THE ROUNDHOUSE was the headquarters of the local watch, where malefactors in this part of London were held prior to being brought before the magistrate. The building stood in the main thoroughfare of Saint Martin's Lane, opposite Saint Martin's Church, a mere three hundred yards from Mrs. Quick's house. Joshua picked his way past a cl.u.s.ter of spectators at the stocks that stood outside it-currently occupied by two men who had been found guilty of cursing and swearing in the street-and a whipping post, currently vacant. The building was about the size of a summer pavilion, with the guards' office and an entrance hall on the ground floor and a holding cell in the bas.e.m.e.nt beneath. On questioning the guard, Joshua learned to his surprise that Cobb was still held a prisoner in its cell and had yet to be charged with any offence. Mrs. Quick, being uncertain whether or not he was a vagabond, had paid the constable a florin to hold him till Joshua's return, whereupon, if Joshua was willing to vouchsafe his good character, she would drop all charges. This action, thought Joshua, might well have saved Cobb from heinous punishment. It was also the only sign he had ever seen of Mrs. Quick's supposed compa.s.sion.

Thus encouraged, Joshua pleaded Cobb's case. He was told it would be impossible to release him that night, since it was late and the constable was no longer on the premises. Joshua handed a s.h.i.+lling to the guard and reiterated his wish to see Cobb freed as soon as possible. The sweetened guard swiftly changed his tune. Joshua might view the cell. Provided he could identify Cobb, the guard saw no reason why Joshua shouldn't take him away.

Two guardsmen escorted Joshua down a spiral staircase to a circular cell in the bowels of the building. In this crowded, unventilated s.p.a.ce, the air was foul with the smells of human sweat, rank breath, and excrement. There was naught but damp straw on the floor and open buckets were the only method of sanitation. Through the gloom he glimpsed the dismal prisoners. Males and females of every age, size, and demeanor imaginable lay or sat in uneasy poses, some hunched and stooped or prostrate, while others stood immobile, as if frozen by their dreadful predicament.

As Joshua and the guards approached the door, several of the more energetic prisoners, alerted by their lantern, began crying out and rattling the bars, in the vain hope that Joshua might take pity on one of them and pay to have him released. Cobb wasn't among these more strident prisoners. Joshua searched about and eventually he discerned him by his rasping cough. He was crouched against the wall, at the furthest point from the door. His head was slumped forward, resting on his knees. Despite the commotion he didn't raise his head.

"Cobb," Joshua called out to him, "it is I, Joshua Pope. I am here to have you freed."

Cobb lifted his head slowly, as if its weight was almost more than his neck could bear. Joshua heard another racking cough. "Pope! Not only have you taken all I have, look where you have put me!" he spluttered, before sinking back to his former position.

Joshua nodded to the guards that this man was indeed Cobb, whereupon one unlocked the door and ordered the other in to retrieve him. Before entering, the guardsman picked up a club, and as he walked through the miserable melee, Joshua saw him swing it and kick viciously at anyone who attempted to approach him. He reached Cobb, pulled up the poor fellow by his collar, and half dragged him out of the cell.

Cobb was thin as a toasting fork; his flesh was grimy and unwashed; a rank odor, the origins of which Joshua couldn't bear to contemplate, emanated from him. He was incapable of walking, incapable almost of standing, and the wound to his arm looked foul and infected. He had been ill when Joshua last saw him, yet how much worse his condition was now. Joshua recoiled from this miserable, stinking wreckage. Then he sharply reminded himself that he was partly to blame for Cobb's state. Cringing inwardly, he draped Cobb's arm about his shoulder, and, Joshua battling to prevent himself from retching, they staggered back to his lodgings.

As they entered the door, Joshua prayed fervently that Mrs. Quick would not apprehend them, for there was little doubt that if she caught a glimpse or a whiff of Cobb, she would banish him. However, Mrs. Quick did not emerge.

In the sanctuary of his parlor, Joshua lowered Cobb onto a daybed and rang for Kitty, whom he ordered to fetch hot water and a bathtub and towels. Cobb lay semicomatose, muttering insensibly to himself. Beneath the grime his skin was pallid and damp. Joshua put a palm on his brow; his flesh burned with fever. He poured a tankard of ale from a flagon he kept on a side table and held it to Cobb's lips. Most of the liquid dribbled down the side of his mouth, but he managed to swallow a little and he lay a little more peacefully after that.

Presently, Joshua asked Kitty to a.s.sist him, telling her that there would be sixpence for her trouble if she mentioned none of this to Mrs. Quick. They stripped him of his stinking clothes and bundled them up for Thomas to burn. Then they lowered him into the bath. He gripped the rim with k.n.o.bbly fingers, as if fearful he might slip and fall under the water. Kitty seemed to take the shocking sight of him naked entirely in her stride, scrubbing his arms and back and belly as if there were no more to it than scouring a copper pan.

The water seemed to soothe him, for he released his grip on the rim of the tub and lay back with eyes half closed, smiling to himself. Every now and then, however, he was racked with a spasm of coughing, and when Kitty held a cloth to his mouth, Joshua saw that his spittle was stained with blood.

They lifted him from the tub, dried him, and having dressed him in a nights.h.i.+rt taken from his bag, laid him back on the daybed. Kitty then departed in search of some nourishment.

Cobb seemed a little revived, for he opened his eyes and looked at his clothes. "Did you bring my bag?" he suddenly said.

"Yes," said Joshua. "I have it safe. You are wearing your nights.h.i.+rt from it. Do not concern yourself about it anymore."

"I thank you, Pope, for what you have done for me just now. You are not entirely the bad fellow I took you for."

This sudden display of grat.i.tude reminded Joshua of his earlier doubts. "Perhaps, on the contrary, it is you who are the bad fellow, Mr. Cobb."

He looked alarmed. "What d'you mean, Pope? I came here at your invitation. You said I would be safe, yet I found myself arrested like a common prisoner. You have extracted me from that h.e.l.lhole of your own volition."

"I am sorry for your ordeal, but I fear it was partly your own fault for going scavenging downstairs at the dead of night."

"I was half dead with hunger. What would you expect me to do?"

Joshua refrained from telling Cobb that if he had had an ounce of intelligence, he would have washed himself, waited till morning, and sent for the maid to announce his arrival in the proper manner. Although he had determined to dwell no more on the events at Astley, having Cobb before him once more rekindled Joshua's curiosity. Incarcerated in the Roundhouse, Cobb could have had nothing to do with Caroline Bentnick's death, yet he was irrefutably involved with much that had pa.s.sed earlier. "Tell me frankly, Cobb, what it was that brought you to this country."

"I came because I was charged to do so. I am an attorney-at-law. I was engaged in a matter of disputed property."

"Yes, yes, I know all that. But as I understand it, h.o.a.re took care of things at this end. You were employed to work for him in Barbados. You had no real reason to come to this country."

Cobb looked thoughtful a moment. Joshua thought he caught something hidden in his expression. "Very well, I will tell you in all honesty what I told you before. Violet was my reason. You have seen her, Pope. Surely you can understand how I was driven to follow her."

"And did she offer you any encouragement?"

He paused. "She was fond of me in Bridgetown. Otherwise I would not have come here. It was only after she came to Astley her mother found out and tried to intervene."

"What did Violet do?"

"She said it wasn't wise to cross her mother. That was why she pretended to fall for Francis Bentnick and said she wanted no more to do with me."

"Pretended?"

"Aye. We still communicated from time to time, by letter and rendezvous in the garden."

"But in Herbert's desk I found a letter addressed to you in which she declared the relations.h.i.+p at an end."

"She wrote that as a ploy, to convince her mother that our relations.h.i.+p was over," said Cobb.

Joshua was unsure whether or not Cobb was deluding himself; certainly he seemed convinced of his own veracity. But would Violet really be capable of such duplicity? "How did Sabine know about the letter?"

"Sabine sent Herbert to the inn to plague me over my relations with Violet. I showed him the letter, as proof there was no longer anything between us."

"In that case how did it find its way into Herbert's desk?"

"When h.o.a.re came he also pursued the matter with me and I gave him the same letter to read. But he took it from me and refused to return it."

"So h.o.a.re also took exception to your relations with Violet?"

Cobb swallowed thoughtfully and nodded. "He said my behavior was extremely unprofessional. To grow romantically involved with a person opposed to one's client defied common sense as well as every legal rule of conduct he could think of. I was dangerously jeopardizing the outcome of our client's case. He tried to get me to leave. But I wouldn't. I wanted Violet, you see, Pope. Wouldn't leave without her."

"Tell me about the day h.o.a.re died. You said you believed your life was in danger and that you were the intended victim. What makes you say so?"

"The evening before h.o.a.re was found dead, I received a message. I believed it to be from Violet. The note asked me to meet her in the pinery at ten. It said she had something to tell me that would lift my spirits. I hoped that meant she would agree to come away with me."

"So why did h.o.a.re go in your stead?"

"h.o.a.re happened to be present when the message was delivered and grew suspicious that there was still something between us. We sat together for some hours arguing about it. I denied that the message was from Violet and refused to say who it was from. I said it was no concern of his. During this time he made me take too much brandy. I fell asleep. He had drugged me, Pope, I'm certain of it."

"What happened when you woke?"

"It was after midnight, so I had missed my rendezvous. I looked in my pocket and found the message gone. I went to h.o.a.re's room and found it empty. Guessing he had gone in my place to turn Violet against me, I went to the pinery to try to rectify matters.

"When I got there I found the place was like a furnace. I could hardly stand the heat, but I saw h.o.a.re lying there. I don't know if he was dead, but before I could ascertain what had happened to him, I heard footsteps approaching. Not wis.h.i.+ng to be apprehended for trespa.s.s or whatever misadventure had befallen him, I followed my instincts and ran. I grew terrified. I dared not go back to my lodgings, for fear of being apprehended there. So I went into hiding, intending to bide my time till I could recover my belongings. But then you appeared and took them. And when you told me about the corpse, I realized that h.o.a.re had been killed in my stead."

"What made h.o.a.re so anxious to keep you from meeting Violet? She wasn't directly involved in the disputed property. Did he believe you wanted to persuade her to steal the necklace? Was that why h.o.a.re wanted you away, because he thought you were after the necklace for your own gain? Did you kill him on account of his objections?"

Cobb gazed incredulously at Joshua, then broke into a mocking laugh. "What an imbecile you are, Pope, even to entertain such an idea! I had no need of the necklace. I told h.o.a.re as much. That was partly why he grew so incensed with me."

"So he did accuse you?"

"Yes, until I showed him my fortune. That maddened him still more, for despite my protestations, he knew I was lying. He could see there was no way to hold me from pursuing Violet, and as I said, the prospect of us eloping jeopardized the case and contradicted his notions of professional etiquette."

"A fortune?" Joshua repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I had a stroke of good luck not long after arriving here." Joshua's face must have shown his bewilderment, for Cobb elucidated. "The tables, Pope."

"I had no idea you were a gambling man."

"I have found that for a stranger in any town it's an efficacious way to forge acquaintances and pa.s.s a convivial evening."

"Is that what you did when you got to Richmond? Went gaming?"

"Haven't I just told you as much?"

The memory of raucous laughter now began to reverberate like an echoing gong in Joshua's head. He vividly remembered his encounter with Arthur Manning and Manning's reaction to the mention of Cobb's name. "And do you recall with whom you played?"

For a moment Cobb tilted his head and swallowed silently. When he spoke he looked Joshua directly in the eye. "Of course," he said evenly. "I won two thousand pounds in a run of only three nights from a man called Arthur Manning. Never dreamed of making such riches so easily. That was what I told Violet when I met her in the gardens. I had money enough to allow us to go back to Barbados, buy a house and some land, and our future would be a.s.sured. We had no need of the necklace or her mother's approbation. It was only later I understood that making a fortune overnight is only a good thing if you live to enjoy it."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? A fortnight after I had beaten Manning so roundly, h.o.a.re was killed after he went to a rendezvous in my place. The message I was given agreeing to the rendezvous can't have been in Violet's hand, though it was close enough to fool me. Two days after h.o.a.re's death I was a.s.saulted on the road up to the Star and Garter by a masked highwayman, whose physique bore a remarkable resemblance to Manning's. The man shot me in the foot, giving me the limp that now afflicts me. That is why I determined to hide out until such time as I could regain my bag, and then save my skin by returning to Barbados. Give it to me now, I beg you."

Joshua went to the corner, retrieved Cobb's bag, and carried it over to him. "I will gladly give it to you, but I regret to tell you I doubt what you left there is still inside. I searched twice and found nothing of value."

Cobb smiled grimly. He grasped the bag, delved inside, and retracted the leather case containing his traveling walking cane. He opened the case and took out the top section with its carved pineapple top. "I bought this before leaving Bridgetown to store my correspondence from Violet. It is made with a hollow compartment inside," he said, uns.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the pineapple finial.