Revenge of an Englishman

by Kevin Patrick

  "He won't know any English prayers. Monsieur Levasseur probably only prays in French," Christopher Campbell said.

  "Are they not just the same?" Phillip Campbell then asked me in a perplexed tone.

  "No, they are very different. That is something I learned to my misfortune," I lied with a straight face.

  The conversation passed on and Mr. Campbell did the honours of saying the prayer before dinner. The concept of saying grace before dinner was not alien to me, but I had never done it. I could tell by the reaction of the others around the table, except for my sister, it was a common practice to do it when eating in someone's house. Regardless, the prayers were said and after that, the servants started to bring forth the food for the dinner.

  The dinner was delicious and everything was abundant. There was fruit, to begin with, then vegetable soup and then a plate with tender fish on it and then roasted duck which was subsequently followed by some pudding. I had not expected the quantity of food to be as much as it was, and had I known about it beforehand then I would not have eaten for three days before the engagement. I could not finish all of the food that was on my plates throughout the several courses, but I tried my best. The remaining food that was leftover was not due to me disliking it or because of disagreeable flavours, but rather that if I ate any more then I was certain that my stomach would explode from fullness and the buttons of my shirt would tear off under the extreme pressure from my expanded belly. Many beverages were also available for consumption. Alice's servants brought out fruit juice, water, wine and tea and coffee. I chose to drink red wine at the beginning and then continued to drink it throughout the meal.

  For much of the dinner, we all sat around the table in silence. There were the occasional words of approval about the standard of food and everyone took it, in turn, to compliment Alice on her beautiful home too, but other than that the only noises that emanated from the table were the clashing of cutlery against the plates or the sound of people chewing their food. Each time that I looked up from my plate and at the guests around the dinner table I saw that they were mostly too preoccupied with their food to talk. Christina Alexander always caught my eye as I looked around the table, but most others had their heads down and their mouths open. This scene played out until each of us had finished our dinners and the plates were carried away by the servants.

  "So you have selected a day for your travels?" Alice Cromwell, my sister, asked me after we had all finished our dinner.

  "Yes, I have. I will leave London tomorrow morning," I responded.

  This news came as a shock to both the Campbell and Alexander families as they thought that I was going back to Paris and that my business had been concluded. They began protesting and asking whether I would not consider staying in London a little longer. They were then relieved when I told them that I was travelling to fulfil other business in England and that I would return to the capital city before long.

  "You will return in a few days or a few weeks?" Mrs. Campbell asked.

  "Honestly, I am not sure," I responded.

  "But you are scheduled to return to London?" she quickly followed up.

  "Yes, my business in London is not concluded so I will not be leaving until then."

  "That is good news to us all, but I imagine it is especially good news for Christopher. I have never seen my son happier than he has been since you entered into our lives and now he visits you daily at your hotel and you speak about all manner of things worldly. I am selfish when I say you cannot leave London yet because I worry that if you depart too soon then all of the positive changes that have happened to Christopher will be undone."

  Mrs. Campbell's speech, which was long and consistent for her, brought the discussion of her son to the table. My sister pounced at the opportunity to discuss Christopher. She told Mr. and Mrs. Campbell that she was only recently acquainted with Christopher through me and that she found him to be a very intelligent and remarkable young man. She said that she had known many people of high regard and was on first name terms with many famous Londoners, but she said that Christopher possessed much more character and charm than most of them.

  "I can spot people with talent and potential and I enjoy watching them grow into great people. In all honesty, it's happened more times than I can remember. Christopher has that spark of greatness inside him. I am good at spotting that sort of thing, you know," my sister said to the guests at the table, but she directed it primarily at Mrs. Campbell.

  I am not certain if anyone sitting around the table truly believed Mrs. Cromwell's words, but Mrs. Campbell was too chuffed at the compliments her son was receiving to question the praise. Instead of humbly accepting the kind words of Alice Cromwell, Mrs. Campbell instead tried to get my sister to repeat the warm words about Christopher over and over again. Alice did comply with Mrs. Campbell's wishes.

  "Of course, I cannot leave out Miss Christina Alexander. I have said it many times before and anyone who looks at her and speaks to her for any more than a few seconds will know that she is a delightful creature," Alice continued.

  "Yes. Christopher and Christina are both young and have prosperous lives ahead of them," Mr. Campbell said.

  Although I could not read his mind, I was sure that he was probably thinking that a match between Christopher and Christina would be beneficial to the Campbell family. After all, the Alexander family was a well-known and respected family around London.

  "I can't comment on young Phillip because I only met the young gentleman tonight and I need more time to study him and get to know him," Mrs. Cromwell went on. "Though, if his heart and mind are as lovely as his appearance and smile then I am certain he will go on to be a great man too."

  Mrs. Campbell again was overwhelmed with the words of praise from a lady who was wealthy, respectable and well-known around the high circles of society in London. She raised her glass to make a toast. She wanted to thank the host for her kind words, the beautiful food and the hospitality that they had received. Mrs. Campbell raised her glass and the rest of the party members mimicked her action until Mrs. Cromwell interrupted.

  "Lastly, I think it would be wrong of me not to speak about Miss Jane."

  "She is a delightful young woman. I am glad you invited her to dine with us tonight, that was a very gracious act for you to treat your new governess with such respect," Mrs. Campbell said.

  I looked over to Miss Jane and saw that she was sitting quite uncomfortably now that the conversation had been directed about her. She was shy and had always been since the first time I met her at Aunt Tilney's. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander gazed at her too for a few moments, but their faces remained unchanged. I am certain that both the Alexander's and the Campbell's, who may have thought Jane to be a good person, didn't believe for one second that Jane was comparable to their children.

  "Yes, she is delightful," Alice Cromwell responded to Mrs. Campbell on the topic of Jane. "She is also smart and attentive and very talented. Coming from Bath she has done very well to have filled the position she is currently in, especially considering her upbringing. Miss Jane managed to educate herself in both books and arts and she has a good heart. I do not doubt that now that she is in London she will reach the dizzying heights of popularity and admiration from the lords and ladies of the city."

  I must admit that even I thought Alice had complimented Miss Jane too much and that as the lady of the house, and Miss Jane as the governess, there was a protocol that Alice seemed to overstep. Mrs. Campbell nodded and hummed at the speech but did not respond in the affirmative or negative to my sister's comments. On the other hand, Mr. Campbell said that he hoped that such high prospects for Miss Jane were reached as he had always found her to be a nice person. The Alexander family members had no comments to make on the matter, instead, they praised Mrs. Cromwell for the good treatment she gave the workers in her house and the good treatment she had given to her guests.

  Once the dinner talk was concluded all the members of the party made their way back to the
drawing-room. There was a piano in the room and although I had not spotted it before, I was not surprised to see its presence. Christina Alexander was pushed towards the piano by her mother who insisted that Christina played the instrument well and the mother insisted that Christina also had an angelic singing voice. We gathered around the piano to listen. Miss Christina played two songs and she sang beautifully.

  "I would like to learn a French song," Christina Alexander stated after she had finished playing and the applause from us spectators had ceased.

  "When I return from business, I would be honoured to teach you," I said lying. It was a lie I had to tell to bide my time and avoid having to perform a French song in front of the party. Also, I was not very familiar with any French songs, except for children's songs.

  "I look forward to your lesson then, Monsieur Levasseur," Miss Christina responded to me.

  Next to speak was Mrs. Cromwell again. She said that her aunt, Ms. Tilney, had spoken many times of Miss Jane's ability at the piano. Alice Cromwell asked Miss Jane to play a song for us. I saw Miss Jane was reluctant to fulfil the wish, but she made her way to the piano and sat down on the seat before it. I think if anyone else but Mrs. Cromwell had asked Miss Jane to play the piano then she would have said no. But since Miss Jane was bound to Mrs. Cromwell through employment and now through secrecy, she complied with the request.

  Miss Jane only played the piano for one song. She also sang as she played the instrument. The song she selected to play was a common English tune and although it was not as popular, nor as grand as the choice of songs that Miss Alexander had previously played, there was no denying the fact that Miss Jane played and sang much more beautifully and naturally than Miss Alexander.

  "Well, it has been a joyous evening," Mrs. Alexander said once the piano playing had ceased. Mrs. Alexander had spoken a few times during the evening, but she never spoke about anything worth recording or reiterating. "However, I think it is getting late now and we should take our leave."

  Following closely behind Mrs. Alexander's words were the Campbell's who agreed that the festivities for the night had been wonderful, but it was getting late and they should leave. As I wanted to keep up appearances, I too then agreed that the dinner party should come to a close. We all thanked Mrs. Cromwell for her hospitality and then spoke pleasant words to one another hoping that we would see each other soon or arrange another activity for all the party members involved. My sister then called forth her servants and told them to alert the carriage drivers of the departures that would be happening within a matter of minutes.

  "So, you will not be in London tomorrow evening?" Christopher Campbell asked me.

  "No, I suspect I will be away for at least a week or two."

  "I see. I will miss our evening chats."

  "As will I, but we will have our chats again soon. The time apart only means that when we meet again, we will have many new things to talk about and discuss."

  "Hopefully it will all be good news," Christopher said to me with a knowing smile.

  "I have no doubts, my friend."

  I was the last person to get into a carriage and when the Campbell's and the Alexander's had left the house my sister asked me if I thought that her kind words about Miss Jane were sufficient. I told her that she did a good job and that although the two respective families may not have entirely believed her words, Alice Cromwell's fortune and place in high society would mean that they would need to take her words as reliable.

  "You leave tomorrow, Monsieur Levasseur?" my sister asked me. She kept up the charade of my French persona because Miss Jane was still present.

  "Yes, I believe you have letters for me which you wish me to deliver."

  "I do," she told a servant to go fetch the letters for me, and when the servant returned the letters were placed directly in my hands.

  "The addresses are on the front of the letters as you can see. One is for Birmingham and one is for Liverpool," my sister said.

  "Thank you, I shall deliver them promptly on your behalf. I hope to be back in London in a week so I shall hopefully see you again very soon."

  Alice Cromwell, my sister, bid me farewell and a safe journey, as too did Miss Jane. They were ready to close the conversation and put an end to the night's event. I, however, was not prepared to leave my sister's presence yet. I had just been reunited with her the previous day and I found it difficult to have to leave her side again. Apart from my emotions of attachment, there were also questions that I still had to ask her.

  "Before I go, I have one last question for you, Mrs. Cromwell, if I may be so bold to ask it."

  "Please ask."

  "Where do your parents now reside? I went to visit their house, but was saddened to find that they no longer live there."

  "I regret to inform you that they are dead. They and my two brothers are deceased. I am all that is left of the Underhill family and I will forever be an orphan."

  "I am extremely sorry to hear that," I said. "I apologise for asking and I will now bid you and Miss Jane goodnight and farewell. I will see you soon and you will both be in my prayers."

  I left the property and went back to my hotel with a heavy heart upon hearing about my family's demise.

  Chapter 22 - The Foot Soldiers of Birmingham

  The stagecoach's carriage, the one that was tasked with bringing me to Birmingham, was large and was pulled by only two horses. The pace of the journey was slow but quite enjoyable. The weather throughout the afternoon and evening stayed bright and sunny, so there was a lot of scenery for me to see once I had left London behind. Similar to the previous stagecoach I had experienced, my travelling trunk was placed on the top of the carriage. However, this time I was the only passenger in the carriage which meant that I did not have to sit in a compact area and worry about other people. Instead, I could stretch my legs out and travel comfortably. There was a driver for the stagecoach, but no guard was accompanying us. I hoped that the lack of a guard present to protect us was due to the low-risk of being robbed rather than just an economic decision by the stagecoach company so that they would not have to pay an additional person a wage.

  The route to Birmingham used some of the same routes that I had travelled on my journey from Bath to London. That meant that some of the different stages that the stagecoach stopped at to get fresh new horses for the journey were ones that I had previously stopped at. It was hard to imagine that not long ago I had travelled from Bath to London, but so much had taken place in that small amount of time. So many new friends, schemes and revelations had happened since I arrived in London. The saddest piece of news that came to me throughout my stay in England's capital city was learning about the passing of my mother and father and elder brother. The news had only been revealed to me the night before, so as I rode in the carriage my mind couldn't help but begin to wander and think about my family.

  When I had left Dover only a few short years before, in search of Levasseur's treasure, my parents were fit and healthy. There was no illness or abnormality in either of them and nor had there ever been throughout their lives. There was sadness inside of me and also a lot of shame and guilt. I was certain that my supposed death must have harmed their health which ultimately led to their early deaths, especially my brother who was only a few years older than me. Their premature deaths motivated me even more so to get revenge on the three people who had tried to kill me because inadvertently they played a role in my family's death. I could have possibly forgiven the three sinners for my ill-fortune, but the harming of my family could not be excused or forgiven.

  The envelopes that my sister had given me contained the two addresses of Charles and Edward. Inside the envelopes, she had written genuine letters that appeared to be directed to the ladies of the households. I do not know if my sister had expected me to deliver such letters, but I had no intention of doing so. Instead, I suspected that my sister had written the letters as a way of providing me information about Charles and Edward's lives in a cryptic way s
o that her involvement would not be uncovered. I read the letters two or three times to fully take in the details and from the style and way that my sister wrote to their respective wives. I could tell that Alice knew them intimately.

  Charles, who lived in Birmingham, was recently married and the Cromwell's attended their wedding. Alice's words in the letter suggested that Charles was an adamant reader and that he was a fan of brandy. There were also strong hints in the letter that the house where Charles and his wife lived was luxurious in contrast to the other houses in Birmingham. They had several servants and maids, and Charles had since left the navy and now did not work but instead operated as a wealthy landlord. His properties, and tenants, were in Birmingham city and the neighbouring towns.

  Edward who lived in Liverpool had been married for several years and had two children. Two twin girls who were now just over one year old. In the letter addressed for Edward's wife, Alice wrote about how she had missed them the last time they travelled to London and how she was regretful that she couldn't travel with him when Edward had organised a hunting trip for the respectable families. From the letter I surmised that Edward was a keen hunter and he would go on many hunting trips with his associates, regardless of season or animal. He was still a member of the British Royal Navy, though Alice did not record his rank in the letter.

  The letters did not contain any more information about the lifestyles, vices, and shortcomings of the two men and families, but there were enough details inside the letters, including the addresses, for me to start my work. My pistol was packed in the travelling trunk that was fastened around the roof of the stagecoach's carriage, but I had planned not to need it.