"Strange timing, I was in the company of James Cromwell just three days ago. He didn't mention anything about a letter."
"It was written by Mrs. Cromwell and it must have slipped his mind,” Mary responded to her husband.
"I see how the oversight could have been made, or perhaps he was not informed about the letter at all. I predict Mrs. Cromwell took some more liberties and issued the letter without even informing her husband about the contact. She is sometimes too wild and unpredictable and cannot be reasoned with," Edward said without holding his tongue.
"Edward," Mary began. "Do not speak of Mrs. Cromwell in such a manner. Monsieur Levasseur is a mutual friend of Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell so it is certainly unwise to insult such a dear friend in a shared company."
The wrinkles on Edward's forehead began to crease when he heard the name with which I was attributed. His eyes turned immediately from his wife back to me. He studied my facial features. The name Levasseur had raised some alarm in his head.
"That is not a very common name."
"No, it isn't," I responded.
"Is it French?"
"Of course it is."
"Of course," Edward repeated my words before a silence swept over the room.
Edward stared at me as if he was trying to read my mind and see what intentions I had swirling around my head. During the silent study, his wife then issued an order that we should all sit down near one another and enjoy the snacks and tea that she had graciously prepared for us. I immediately sat down where I was before, next to the cushion where my loaded pistol was hidden. Mary sat down, but Edward remained standing.
"I just heard the babies crying," Edward said to Mary. "Go and see to them, please."
"My goodness, are you sure? I can't hear anything," Mary responded.
"Yes, please go and see to them and I will play the perfect host to Monsieur Levasseur."
Mary insisted that she did not hear a sound, but Edward repeated the command to his wife that she should exit the room and go tend to the children. Edward's voice was raised in anger after his wife refused to believe that the children were crying. I saw Mary's face turn in surprise and grief at being shouted at by her husband. My heart was a little sore for her, but I was happy that she left the room.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Edward spoke directly to me once we were alone. All smiles and pretences of pleasantry were dropped. Now the aged sailor looked like the monster I knew him to be.
"I beg your pardon. I don’t understand what you mean?"
"If it is gold you're after, you'll find that I have none. Although what I do have in my possession is a musket and if you don't answer quickly or honestly, I'll fetch it from my library and use it on you."
Edward didn't flinch as he spoke in anger. He spat saliva on the floor near him as he stared steadily at me. His wrinkled face turned red with anger and he felt threatened as if he was coming under attack in his own home. I didn't let more than few seconds pass until I revealed the pistol hiding under one Edward's cushions and I pointed the weapon and the barrel directly at him. The redness of his face dissipated and gave way to a colour as white as snow.
"I don't want anything from you. I just came to settle an old score."
"Who are you?" Edward said as he raised his hands skywards to signal obedience to my dominant position.
"My name is William Underhill. The man you tried to kill and the man you thought you had killed. I am the man you wished you had killed and the man who will now get his revenge for it. "
Although I didn't think it was possible, Edward's face went even whiter still. He dropped his walking aid and sat down on a nearby couch. His body was shaking violently as he began to comprehend the weight of the revealed revelation. He dropped his raised hands and breathed a deep sigh as he now realised the position he was in and the foe he was against.
"You killed Charles," Edward stated.
"I did," I confirmed.
"You're here to kill me?"
"Yes."
"What about James? He is now married to your sister. Do you intend to kill him too?"
"Yes, he will die after you."
"Can we not repent for our sins and be forgiven?" Edward asked.
"I don't know, but you will soon learn the answer to that. Heaven or Hell awaits you and soon the angels will raise you high or the demons will drag you down."
There was a pause in the conversation and some colour came back to Edward's face. Tears began to fill up with eyes but he did not let them run down his cheeks. As much as I hated the man and was determined to kill him, I rather admired his bravery. He always kept his attention focused on me and the gun. He knew that there were no words that he could say now that would stop me from killing him.
"Please, don't hurt Mary or my children," he uttered. “They are innocent and should be left unharmed.”
If I killed Edward then I knew I would need to kill Mary to stop her from telling the authorities that I was the only person with Edward when he was shot and killed. She knew my name and my face which made her too dangerous to be kept alive.
"She didn't do anything. She doesn't deserve to die," Edward repeated, his voice wavering.
"You brought her into this equation with your deeds. She is guilty by association," I responded.
"Let her leave the house and be free of this business."
"She knows my face and knows that I am here with you. She has seen and she knows too much."
Ashamedly, during those brief few seconds, I felt no remorse for Mary and I was content in the notion of killing her too. It wasn't my business or concern if the children grew up orphans, or if I removed an innocent and well-hearted lady such as Mary from this world, it was all the doing of Edward and his two companions. I gripped the handle of the pistol tighter as I thought about how I would need to squeeze the trigger twice today and in quick succession of each other.
“I have a solution,” Edward said.
“What makes you think that I care about what you have to say or that I should show you any mercy?”
"I will go to my library, where my own pistol rests, and I will use the weapon against myself. That way I will kill myself and Mary does not need to be aware of any of this and she can continue living.”
"How do I know that you will carry out the task and kill yourself? Maybe you are just trying to bide more time."
"I am a man of honour and I will take my own life to secure the life of my wife and my children," he responded.
I told Edward that I would accept his terms and that I would go to the library window to watch him carry out the task that he had proposed. I also issued him with a stern warning that if he was lying and trying to trick me, then I would not only kill him, Mary and their children, but that I would track down any family member or loved one he had and put a bullet in them too. I spoke harshly in the heat of the moment, but I said it with such conviction that I think I truly meant those words.
With the accord struck, I left the drawing-room and concealed my weapon back inside my trousers. I shouted farewell to Mary so that she would hear me leave the house and know that I was no longer present. She appeared in the corridor, asked me to stay but I told her I couldn't and then she wished me goodbye and said that she hoped she would see me again soon. She was oblivious to the conversation that Edward and I had just finished because if she saw me again it would only be so that I could kill her. I thanked her for her hospitality and left. While I exited the house, Edward remained in the drawing-room and did not come out. Upon leaving the house and closing the door behind me, I tiptoed around the side of the house, towards the back where the servants would enter and exit from, and through an open window, I saw the library room.
The library room had an impressive collection of books all around the room. There was also a fireplace and a large wooden desk and chair in the centre of the room with a large bundle of paper on top of the desk. I waited around three minutes at the window, peering in, and waiting for Edward to enter in
to the library and to do the deed he swore to. While I was waiting I began to grow impatient and fearful that he had deceived me. I was almost ready to knock on the front door again and gain admittance into the house to shoot him myself when the library door opened.
Edward walked into the room with his walking stick as an aid and made his way towards the fireplace. There was a well-varnished mantelpiece around the fireplace and from it, Edward picked up a pistol. He did some work loading it and preparing it to make it functional, and when he was finished he took a seat by the desk. He turned his attention to the window, where he saw me watching, and then he turned his focus back to the weapon. First, Edward blessed himself, then he aimed the weapon at the side of his head and then he pulled the trigger. There was a bang that was so loud that it made me flinch. I instinctively ducked away from the window upon hearing the bang and when I peeked through the glass again I saw Edward's limp body sat on the chair and the unmistakeable sight of blood present and splattered around the room.
Chapter 24 - London City
I allowed a month to pass between the time of Edward's death and when I began my return to the capital city. I thought it best that I should stay away from London for a while so as not to arouse any suspicions with any of the connections I had made in the city. I didn't want people to think that wherever I went death followed or to piece together the fact that it was no coincidence. I must admit that while I was travelling on the road, making my way back to London, I was quite anxious to see how the lives of my newfound acquaintances were progressing. I was also very excited to see my sister Alice once again. I wanted to find out where our parents and brother were buried so that I could go to their graves with flowers and say a prayer for them.
Although I remained away from London for a month after the passing of Edward, I did not remain in Liverpool. Not wanting to remain in the city where I had carried out the second phase of my revenge, I instead headed south and settled in Clifton for a month. There is nothing much to comment about the place except that I found the place pleasant and wholly uneventful. I did nothing of value in Clifton, nor could I find anything worth doing that I almost decided to take a short journey to Bath to visit Aunt Tilney. The idea about visiting Aunt Tilney came to me more than once, but I never acted upon it and I'm glad that I did not because when I returned to London I learned that Aunt Tilney was not in Bath, but instead in London.
Upon arriving in London I returned to the same hotel in Mayfair that I had stayed throughout my previous time in the city. Although the room I had originally stayed in was occupied, I was given a different room which was vacant and it served its purpose just as well as the one before had. For the first full day, I did very little other than rest in my hotel room. My journey had been long and I wanted some time to replenish my energy before reappearing in the city of London. Apart from the comfortable bed that I rested on, I also spent a part of the day writing in my journal and counting how much money I had remaining. The journal was up to date with all of my activities and actions, as well as all my feelings, it was a window into my mind and soul and as well as writing in the journal daily I often read it. The purse of gold was beginning to feel light in my hand and as I counted how much money I had remaining I discovered that I had spent over three-quarters of the coins that Francis Farewell had given me. I calculated that at the current rate I was spending the money it would all be diminished within two and a half months. It was a worrying thought as I had previously tried to budget myself, but that had failed.
"Once I get possession of the buried treasure, which is rightfully mine, everything will be ok again," I reassured myself.
The first point of contact I made with a familiar person in London was the night porter of the hotel. I spoke with him superficially and said that my work had led me away and now brought me back to London. He asked if there were any more errands he could carry out for me or if there was anything he could do to make my stay more enjoyable, but I said that for now everything was in order and I was immensely satisfied. I liked the night porter's hustle and his willingness to do anything to earn a little bit more money.
The second point of contact I made with previous acquaintances came the second morning after I arrived in London. After breakfast, I walked to the park where I enjoyed the scenery and the fresh air. Then I made my way to the house of Mr. and Mrs. Campbell. Although I had never been to their house before, throughout the many conversations I had with Christopher Campbell in the evenings, I got to know their address and where they lived.
When I was admitted into the house, Phillip and Mrs. Campbell were there to greet me and welcome me back to London. They said that my presence was sorely missed and that my re-emergence in the capital city was at a fantastic time. They told me that so much had happened during my absence.
"May I enquire where Mr. Campbell and Christopher are?" I asked the mother and son politely.
"Their current location has to do with wonderful things that have been taking place in London," Mrs. Campbell informed me.
The absent father and son had been sent to a tailor's store to have adjustments made on their suits. Mrs. Campbell then told me that there was a ball that had been arranged to take place that very evening, so the errand that the father and son were on was an urgent one.
"The ball will be magnificent. I expect such wonderful things will come from it," Mrs. Campbell added.
"Will you attend, Monsieur Levasseur?" Phillip asked me.
"Of course he will," Mrs. Campbell responded on my behalf.
I enquired who was holding the ball and then was told that Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell had arranged to host a party for all dear and close friends. Mrs. Campbell then bragged about how Mrs. Cromwell and Mr. Cromwell seemingly enjoyed her company and how they were always thankful when she made suggestions to them about all manner of things.
"Where is the ball to be held?" I enquired.
"It is going to be at the Cromwell house. I was there just yesterday for lunch with Mrs. Cromwell and we discussed the space in the drawing-room and dining room. She asked me my opinion on whether or not the space in her home was large enough for such an event and I told her that no single room was large enough, but if she opened up two rooms on the same floor for such an occasion then it would be more than sufficient. Mrs. Cromwell and Miss Jane were very fast to agree and thank me for my advice."
"Miss Jane was there discussing the details of the ball, too?" I enquired.
"Yes, of course. Mrs. Cromwell treats Miss Jane much more like a daughter than a governess. Every time there is a gathering, and there have been many, Miss Jane is always present on account of Mrs. Cromwell."
There was no doubt in my mind that the conversation about space and hosting the party in the Cromwell household was not defined and settled upon by Mrs. Campbell's words. Nor did I believe that her opinion was as vital as she was proclaiming it to be. I did, however, fully believe that Mrs. Campbell believed in her own self-importance regardless of how wrong she was. I found it comforting to learn that my sister had treated Miss Jane so well and it was evident that Alice was trying hard to associate Miss Jane in the higher circles of society is as to be seen as a perfect match for Christopher Campbell. I felt a little jealous when Mrs. Campbell went as far as saying that there had been many gatherings in my absence because it felt as if I had missed much activity and excitement.
Footsteps soon became audible outside of the drawing-room and Mr. Campbell and Christopher soon appeared in the room. They both wore long and happy smiles on their faces. Each of them immediately stepped forward to shake my hand and welcome me back to London. Mr. Campbell's handshake had a firm grip and he spoke jovial words about my return, while Christopher's handshake was much less firm but more prolonged and contained a lot more energy.
"I have missed you. I wanted to write, but I had no address," Christopher said to me.
"I apologise, my business brought me to a few different places so I never had a fixed address. I'm also sorry that I didn't wr
ite, I thought about every one of you constantly but I was very busy with my work," I said to Christopher and the entire Campbell family.
Mr. Campbell was the first to respond to my words and he said that there was nothing to be apologetic for. He said that he was happy, as were all the family, that I had returned and upon returning went directly to visit them. Mr. Campbell said that it was a testament to the bond and friendship between the family and me. I found myself agreeing with Mr. Campbell's well-spoken words.
"Christopher has been a little lost without you. He still goes on evening strolls around Mayfair where you two used to meet. I'm sure he has missed having you as a friend and confidant," Mrs. Campbell said.
"I have missed our conversations too, but I have returned now so I am glad they may resume."
"How long are you expecting to stay in London for this time, Monsieur Levasseur?"
"I am not certain. I predict around a month or two."
There were mixed feelings from the family about my estimation. Some of the family members were optimistic and said that the duration was lengthy, but some were sad and said that it was such a small amount of time.
"Well, then you must certainly attend the Cromwell’s ball tonight," Mrs. Campbell stated to me matter-of-factly before turning her attention to Mr. Campbell and Christopher and asking them about their trip to the tailor.
"The adjustments have been made and everything is fine," Mr. Campbell told his wife.
Revenge of an Englishman Page 23
