by Lyn Gardner
“That’s very brave of you, Rory,” said Thomas.
Rose thought so too, particularly as there was no certainty that the Inspector would ever solve the mystery. The Plockton and Fitzcillian robberies were still unsolved. She frowned.
“There is one thing that definitely doesn’t fit the scenario of you stealing the emeralds, and the Inspector must realise it. This robbery bears an uncanny resemblance to the Fitzcillian and Plockton robberies. There must be a connection between the three thefts, and the connection clearly isn’t you.”
“Well,” said Aurora doubtfully, “we do know both families, and I’ve been to their houses.”
“Maybe you have, but you weren’t present in their homes when the robberies took place. There must be something else that connects the thefts. Whatever it is, I’m certain it’s not you. If only we could work out what it is.”
Everyone started discussing excitedly what they thought it might be, and Rose took a moment to speak to Grace.
“Are you all right, Grace?”
“Never better. I am so relieved to be rid of Sir Godfrey. I’ve had a lucky escape.” She paused and looked at Rose. “Do you think he could be Ivy’s killer?”
“I don’t know,” said Rose. “He is undoubtedly a hypocrite and a liar, but that doesn’t mean he’s a murderer too.”
There was a knock at the door, and Lucy entered with a silver tray piled high with white envelopes. She looked on the verge of tears and couldn’t meet Edward’s eye.
“These have come,” she said in a whisper.
Edward looked puzzled as he took the top envelope and opened it. He glanced at the contents and tossed it away with a curl of the lip. He opened the next and crumpled the contents up. He picked up a third and opened it.
“What is it, dear boy?” asked Thomas, seeing his face. Edward raised the embossed letter and with a raised eyebrow read out loud. “Lord and Lady Fortune regret that they will not be at home this Thursday or at any Thursday in the future.” He pointed at the other envelopes, “They are all in a similar vein. Every drawing room in London is closing its doors to us. Clearly Sir Godfrey and his sisters are very quick workers. The Easingfords are outcasts in London society.”
“Oh, Edward, I’m so sorry,” said Grace.
Edward laughed. “I’m not.”
“Me neither,” said Aurora.
“The only thing I’m sorry about is that I let myself be ensnared by high society for so long.” Edward picked up the remaining envelopes and tossed them into the fire without reading them.
“This is over. Let’s gather our belongings and go back home to Campion’s as soon as we can. I’ll tell the Inspector where he can find us.”
Rose gave a little smile at his use of the word “home”. She caught Rory’s eye, who smiled back.
“Of course,” said Thomas. “I must get back anyway and cancel the pantomime for tonight.”
“Cancel the pantomime?” asked Edward.
“Well,” said Thomas. “I thought that nobody would feel like doing it after everything that’s happened.”
“I’ve never been more up for doing it,” said Edward. “But I think it’s up to Rory and Grace. They may feel very differently. It’s their decision.”
Grace looked at Aurora. “I’d like to do it, but it’s your choice, Rory. Everyone will understand if you feel you can’t.”
“But I can do it,” said Rory. “It will take my mind off what has happened. There’s nothing like being on stage for forgetting your worries. But I will only do it on one very important condition.”
“What?” asked Grace.
“I’m going to perform using my own name, Rory Easingford.”
“And I will play Prince Charming under my own name too,” said Grace. “No more pretending to be what I’m not.”
In the end it was already late afternoon and the sky was darkening by the time that Rose, Effie and Aurora made their way back to Campion’s alone. They had spent part of the morning playing with Freddie, who, despite his injuries, was in high spirits now that the threat of having to return to school had been lifted. Perdita had come to find them, and Rose was struck by how gentle and loving she was with him. On occasion, Rose looked up and found Perdita staring at her with a strange expression on her face, as if she was about to say something to her.
Grace and Perdita were still busy packing, and Grace also wanted to spend some time alone with Freddie, so the girls had set off to Campion’s alone. Thomas had already left, as he had other business to attend to in the city.
After he had drafted a statement announcing that the wedding had been cancelled, Edward had set about organising the closing-up of the house. It would take until well into the new year, and he was determined not to do it until everyone who worked there had secured a new position.
All day there had been a steady stream of cards and letters from members of the aristocracy, making it quite clear that Edward, Aurora and Grace would no longer be welcome in their homes. Rose wondered if Sir Godfrey would receive the same treatment if his behaviour ever became public.
Rose and the others walked across London Bridge as new flurries of snow began to fall. They cut down the side of the river, past the mudlarks, who called out to them.
“We saw that big cat last night. It’s almost fully grown.”
Rose nodded, but she was worried – not just for the tiger itself, but also for the citizens of Southwark and Bermondsey. It may have been playful as a cub, but a fully grown tiger stalking the streets could pose a significant danger, particularly if its food sources dried up.
They arrived back just in time to see Madame de Valentina disappear through the stage door, ready for the early show.
“She’s leaving after tonight’s show,” whispered Rose to the others.
Both of them were surprised.
“But why, when she’s indisputably top of the bill?” asked Rory.
“That’s what Thomas asked when he told me,” said Rose. “He said we must have served our purpose.”
“But she was so keen to come here,” said Effie. “Even before poor Ivy was killed.”
“I know, it’s so odd,” said Rose. “She—” Suddenly she stood still and touched her forehead. “Of course! That’s it! A motive for Ivy’s murder.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we already know that when Hopkin and Dent were booked to replace Ivy, they were threatened to the point that they were sufficiently frightened into deliberately performing so badly that Thomas asked them to leave. That left a vacancy – one that Elenora filled. Maybe Ivy was murdered because she was too good. Nothing except death was going to knock her off the top of the bill at Campion’s!”
“So are you saying that you don’t think Sir Godfrey had anything to do with Ivy’s death, but perhaps Madame de Valentina did?” asked Effie with a frown.
“Or maybe the two of them were working together,” said Rose thoughtfully.
“But why – and to do what?” asked Rory. “Thomas must be paying Madame de Valentina handsomely, but surely not enough to make it worth killing Ivy.”
“Rory’s right,” said Effie. “It doesn’t add up. You need to slow down, Rosie. You practically accused Elenora of killing Pru’s mum, so maybe you should speak to the Inspector and hold back before you start going around saying you think it’s probable she’s a murderess.”
Rose nodded, but then she said excitedly, “But maybe I was right about her killing Pru’s mum. If she would kill to make sure she got top spot at Campion’s, wouldn’t she also be prepared to kill to make sure she stayed there? Appearing to commune with the recently deceased would be a sure-fire way of doing it.”
“Maybe,” said Effie. “But she would have had to have accomplices to make that happen, because she couldn’t be in two places – Campion’s stage and Pru’s home on Lant Street – at the same time.”
“That’s true,” said Rose. “But don’t you remember, Effie, that when we went to Lant Street to c
ollect Pru’s suit from Mrs Smith in the afternoon, she apologised for not having it ready and said she was delayed because a woman she didn’t know had knocked on the door claiming to have lived there previously, and she had shown her around? She even made her tea. Maybe that woman was trying to get a sense of the layout of the place. Perhaps Mrs Smith even showed her the hiding place where the St Christopher was found.”
“And,” said Effie excitedly, “Pru mentioned answering the door to another woman when she came home. Perhaps it was a deliberate distraction, so that the murderer could get in through the back door, kill Mrs Smith and put the St Christopher in the hiding place.”
“Whoa,” said Aurora. “Until we’ve got a good reason for why Elenora was so keen to stay top of the bill, it’s all just speculation, Rosie. You don’t have any real evidence that she has committed any crime at all.”
“Rory’s right,” said Effie. “You can’t go round making accusations until you’re sure. Believe me, I know what it feels like to be accused of something I’m sure I didn’t do.”
“Me too,” sighed Rory.
An hour later, Rose and Rory were helping Ella in the kitchen, while Effie helped backstage, setting up the props for the evening show. They were telling Ella what had happened at Silver Square. Rose thought how easy Ella was to talk to, and she idly wondered about trying out her theory about Madame de Valentina on her. She had noticed Ella’s antipathy towards de Valentina, so maybe she would be more receptive than Effie and Rory. But Ella was very interested in what had occurred at Silver Square, and had stopped washing dishes and was listening to Aurora carefully.
“Oh, you poor child,” she said, as Rory explained her hurt and confusion when Rose and Effie spoke about seeing her at Grace’s dressing table, holding the box containing the emerald necklace. “How deeply distressing. You must have been distraught to have your friends so insistent about what they saw.”
Rose suddenly thought of Florrie, who had been similarly accused by her friends of being out of her bed on the night of the Plockton robbery.
Ella frowned and asked if anything unusual had occurred early in the evening.
“No,” said Rose. “It was an immensely dull evening. I’d have much rather have spent it here at Campion’s. The food was lovely, particularly the chocolate cake, but Sir Godfrey and his sisters were terrible snobs. I hate to say it, Rory, but even when Madame de Valentina hypnotised you so you said the alphabet backwards it wasn’t very interesting.”
“Elenora hypnotised Aurora?” asked Ella sharply. The girls nodded. Ella sat down on the kitchen stool as if her legs had buckled. “Well, that explains it,” she said, but she almost seemed to be speaking to herself. “I knew there had to be a bigger reason for why they did what they did.” She had turned very pale, making the pink scar on her forehead even more visible.
“Ella!” said Rose. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not entirely sure yet,” she said slowly. “You may be able to help me. But if there is one thing of which I’m quite certain, it is that Rory is telling the truth when she claims to have no memory of leaving her bed, and that you and Effie are also telling the truth about what you saw. Rory doesn’t recall being in Grace’s room holding the box with the emeralds, because she wasn’t really herself. She was acting under the influence of hypnosis.”
The girls gasped.
“Is that possible?” asked Rose. “I know Madame de Valentina can make people bark like dogs, but can she make them steal emeralds? Because if she can it would explain why she was so keen to come to Campion’s, and why she wanted to ensure that she stayed here.”
Ella nodded. “I’ve been asking myself the same question,” she said. “Do you trust me, Aurora?” asked Ella. Rory nodded. “Then I will demonstrate. In fact, it might throw some light on exactly what happened. Rose, go and get me Madame de Valentina’s silver bell. I imagine it will be on the props table, ready for her performance.”
Rose ran to the table, picked up the bell and then called down the trap for Effie, who emerged, covered with grease, as Rose beckoned her to follow her back to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was that Ella was going to demonstrate, but she felt a frisson of excitement about it and wanted Effie to be there.
Back in the kitchen, Ella locked the back door and the door leading into the auditorium.
“Are you ready, Aurora?” she asked.
Aurora nodded. Ella rang the bell, and as its tinkle sounded, a frozen look crossed Aurora’s features. It was uncannily similar to the look that Rose had witnessed on Florrie’s face in the kitchen, that day when the sound of Madame de Valentina’s bell had penetrated the kitchen from the auditorium.
“Aurora,” said Ella gently. “Can you hear me?” Aurora nodded. “Aurora, I want you to show me what happened in Grace’s bedroom last night.”
Rory glided forward like a ghost, her eyes unseeing.
“You are in front of Grace’s dressing table,” intoned Ella. “What are you looking for?”
“The emerald necklace,” said Rory, and her hands started moving over an invisible surface, as if looking for something.
“Why do you want the emeralds?” asked Ella.
“I’ve been told to get them,” said Aurora.
“Who told you to get them?” asked Ella.
Aurora frowned and became distressed. “I am not allowed to say,” she whispered, and then she started reciting the alphabet backwards. Rose and Effie looked at each other. Madame de Valentina had made Rory do that when she hypnotised her.
“Can you see the black velvet box on the dressing table?” asked Ella.
“Yes,” whispered Aurora, her eyes still spookily unseeing.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Pick it up,” whispered Aurora.
“And then what will you do with it?”
“I will check the necklace is inside, and then I will take it downstairs to the kitchen, where I will open the small window by the back door and drop the box out of it.”
“Show me what you did last night,” said Ella.
Aurora’s hands floated in front of her, and suddenly it was as if she had picked a box up. She shook it and then she frowned, and then made to open the invisible box and stared down into it. She was whispering to herself frantically.
“No necklace. Where emeralds?” As her distress increased, her language broke down. “Emeralds … stairs … emeralds … window … drop … no good … gone…”
“Show me what happened next,” commanded Ella.
Aurora turned around and appeared to be walking down imaginary stairs, and then she walked again and seemed to be miming opening a window and dropping something outside.
“What are you dropping Aurora?” asked Ella.
Aurora frowned. “Box. No emeralds.”
“Aurora,” said Ella very quietly, “are you telling me that the velvet box you threw out the kitchen window was empty?”
Aurora nodded. “No emeralds in the box. I looked. But not there. Angry voices outside window.” She began to cry. Ella rang the little bell, and immediately Rory stopped crying, put her hand to her wet cheek, as if surprised to find it damp, and said, “So when are we going to start the demonstration?” She looked dazed.
Ella took her hand and said very kindly, “The demonstration is over, Rory.”
Aurora laughed. “But I haven’t done anything yet.”
Ella smiled softly. “You’ve shown us everything we need to know.”
“But I don’t remember anything,” said Aurora, looking scared.
“No, you won’t,” said Ella. “You were acting out what you did at Silver Square, after Madame de Valentina implanted instructions in your mind when she hypnotised you. You were to go to Grace’s room, find the box containing the emeralds, take it downstairs and drop it through a pre-planned window, where the thief would be waiting to catch it. She implanted the idea in your head in the Chinese drawing room after she hypnotised you. When she whispered
in your ear, she wasn’t just whispering that you were to recite the alphabet backwards, but also telling you that later that night you were to steal the emeralds and drop them out of a designated window. The signal that you were to act upon that order would have been the ringing of a bell, just like this one. It may be small, but the sound is unexpectedly penetrating, and even the most distant tinkle would make the hypnotised victim – in this case you – comply with the instructions Elenora had sown in your head to steal the emeralds.”
“She must have done the same thing to Florrie, who worked at Lady Plockton’s,” said Rose excitedly. “And, Rory, I remember you saying that some of the Fitzcillian servants had been hypnotised too – and then that house was robbed shortly afterwards.”
“And it would explain why she wanted to come to Campion’s, because of the number of toffs and their servants who come here.”
“Yes, it would explain why she would go to any lengths to be top of the bill,” said Ella grimly.
“And why she told Thomas that she would be leaving. She knew that she was about to get the greatest prize of all: the Easingford Emeralds,” said Rose.
“Except that she hasn’t got them,” said Effie. “Ella’s demonstration proves that Aurora didn’t steal the necklace. Under hypnosis, she did indeed go to get it, but the box she dropped out of the window was empty.”
Rose thought about the two figures she had seen hurrying across Silver Square, and the empty box found tossed in the bushes. Had they flung it away in their disappointment?
“You mustn’t get your hopes up,” said Ella. “If it came to it, and Aurora was arrested and stood trial, what I’ve demonstrated probably wouldn’t be admissible in a court of law.”
