The Royal Ghost

by Linda Stratmann

  ‘Nor I,’ said Mrs Peasgood. ‘I suppose the printers must have sent them one.’

  ‘Well in the end I lent him mine, thinking that would put an end to the matter. But then he said he wanted to meet the lady who had written it so I told him the lady was dead long ago and had no family. I’m so sorry, Mattie, I didn’t want you to know I’d broken my promise.’

  ‘So of course he then believed that there was no one who might notice the pirating of the work, and thought he could copy it with impunity,’ said Mina. ‘I doubt that he was expecting it to be such a sensation.’

  ‘That was quite a shock,’ said Mrs Mowbray, ‘especially after what he had done with it. It was disgusting. When he came back to Brighton recently he asked to see me, saying that he had found out that the writer was alive. We met in secret a number of times, but he never wore that disguise when I saw him. He was very insistent that I tell him who the author was – I think he suspected that it was really me – he kept on asking, but I wouldn’t say. He told me I must tell no one that I had given him the book and I promised him I wouldn’t. He even offered to share some of the profits of An Encounter if I could get the action for plagiarism stopped. Do you think it will all come out in court? I will look like such a silly woman.’

  ‘Not as silly as I will look,’ said Mrs Peasgood grimly. ‘I do hope that with good advice we can settle it without recourse to a public hearing. Who knows if the culprits can even pay the damages? I fear that after my public outburst it may become common knowledge but if it does not feature in a trial which is reported in the newspapers it may, I hope, be more quickly and quietly forgotten.’

  ‘I promise that I will not reveal the confidences you have granted me today,’ said Mina. ‘I do, however, have one request.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘As the matter proceeds through the usual legal channels you will undoubtedly learn more, and I should very much like, for my own curiosity, to hear the whole story.’

  Mr Peasgood did not hesitate. ‘You deserve no less. I agree.’

  Forty-One

  Mrs Peasgood was true to her word. During the next few weeks the full sequence of events was uncovered and Mina was in receipt of much confidential information that she promised not to reveal. The plagiarism case against the Misses Bland had initially been pursued by Mr Laidlaw, of Phipps, Laidlaw and Phipps, but then, quite abruptly, he decided to retire from practice, and he and his wife left Brighton to reside in a small Scottish estate owned by his family. The reasons for his decision and the suddenness of it were never disclosed, although there was a suspicion that pretty Mrs Laidlaw and Mr Arthur Wallace Hope, as well as a certain private detective, could, had they wished, have solved the mystery. Young Mr Ronald Phipps swiftly and smoothly took up the reins of the enquiry and it was thought that the date on which a third Phipps would be added to the partnership had been considerably advanced.

  Mr Phipps had established beyond doubt that An Encounter had been written by Miss Eustace during her summer residence in Brighton. It had been composed with the intention not only of making money but also of creating more interest in her séances. The text, based on Mrs Peasgood’s pamphlet, a history of the Pavilion, the author’s recollection of her own visit, and a lurid imagination, had been completed shortly before she and her accomplices were arrested. With legal expenses mounting and the proceeds of their fraudulent activities having been seized, when Mr Clee was released on bail it was decided to use the book to raise funds. He had known the Misses Bland’s family for some years and was well aware of the stricken older sister’s attraction to him. He had made use of her weakness before to borrow money when business had not been successful, and approached her once again for a loan to pay the printer, only to find that he had gone to the well once too often. This time, her price had been marriage.

  Thereafter he had stayed in touch with his ‘wife’ by letter in order that she could send him the profits of the enterprise. When Mr Hope, a wealthy and influential spiritualist, had come to Brighton to lecture, Mr Clee had spotted a chance. The friendship of Hope and Dr Lynn was common knowledge amongst magicians, and Lynn, after receiving the business card of Benjamin Clee, purveyor of theatrical supplies, from Miss Eustace, had become a customer. Letters from Dr Lynn placing orders had provided enough examples of his writing to enable Clee to forge a convincing letter of introduction to Mr Hope and launch a new career as Mystic Stefan.

  All was going well for Mr Clee until the shock accusation of plagiarism. The Misses Bland, equally unprepared for the allegation and the predicament they found themselves in, had fled to Brighton to confront him. He had been alarmed to see them at first as he did not want his real identity revealed, but also saw that their presence in Brighton could be made to work to his advantage. He told the sisters that as far as he was aware the author of Confidential Observations was deceased and that they should if challenged say that they had received the book through the spirits. He also instructed that on no account should they tell anyone of his masquerade as Mystic Stefan, and above all they must not speak to Miss Scarletti the crippled lady, as she was his enemy and the reason he was in his current difficulty.

  Clee had strongly recommended that the Misses Bland approach Mr Hope for assistance as he would undoubtedly be sympathetic. The sisters were very adept at the ‘willing game’ as they had since childhood employed a system of secret signals to communicate the answers, and Clee believed that this would easily fool Mr Hope into accepting them as mediums and earn his loyalty to their cause. As predicted, when the sisters came to Mr Hope with their story and performed their mind-reading trick, he was delighted with it and became a fervent believer. Hope had told the Misses Bland that while he could not personally intervene in the plagiarism case at present, he could help promote them in Brighton as psychics, which would assist in their defence. Clee had also become aware of Hope’s obsession with finding Dr Livingstone, and was able to convince him that while lacking sufficient power to transport the good doctor home, he could through the energy of the spirits send the beleaguered explorer comforting messages and much-needed food and medicines. It was a service that came at a price, but it was a price that Mr Hope could afford and was willing to pay.

  Mr Clee’s one remaining difficulty was Mrs Mowbray and he had done everything short of promising marriage to extract more information from her, but the situation had finally concluded with an uneasy truce in which both parties had agreed to be silent about their involvement.

  The trial of Miss Eustace and her confederates duly took place at Lewes Assizes and Mina made sure to be present. A statement was read from Dr Lynn who was currently away on tour, saying that he had never met Mr Clee or Mystic Stefan, and had not written either of them a letter of introduction to Mr Hope. It was also revealed that Miss Eustace had never intended to return to Brighton and appear at the Pavilion. Mr Clee, anticipating an acquittal, had been making plans for them to leave for America and had secured the services of an agent there who would obtain bookings for séances and theatrical performances.

  Miss Whinstone gave her evidence with as much courage as she could summon, and Mr Jellico, with tears of pride in his eyes, sat urging her on with smiles and nods. She barely faltered. Miss Eustace’s counsel offered the defence that Miss Whinstone had lied to the magistrates and was now lying to judge and jury, but in view of the other revelations this rang hollow and was in itself a further proof of the scurrilous depths to which the prisoners would sink.

  The accused were duly found guilty of obtaining money by deception, and in view of the substantial sums involved, the suggestion that there were numerous victims, and a previous conviction for the same offence, they were sentenced to terms of five years in prison. Mr Clee, in a separate hearing, was found guilty on an additional charge of bigamy. As he was removed to the cells, Clee loudly derided Mr Hope as a fool, saying that he had never duped anyone as easily. Hope, he said, had even been taken in by a tawdry glass bead that came from a theatrical costume shop. Mina
surmised from this outburst that the Viscount, who was not in court, had withdrawn all financial assistance from the conspirators.

  Mr Hope was long gone from Brighton by that time, but Mina did hear that he still believed in the Misses Bland, who had been absolved of all blame concerning the plagiarism, and was launching them on a career as mediums and mindreaders. There was a newspaper report that he had asked Mrs Guppy to apport Dr Livingstone to one of her séances. So far she had not been successful.

  Richard had decided to abandon the stage as a career. He said that he had enjoyed the experience enormously and had even made money on the ticket sales, but thought that it was too much hard work to be a regular thing. Mina was obliged to remind him that his profit had mainly resulted from the fact that the venue and advertising had all been paid for by Mr Hope, which was not a source he could rely upon in future, and Richard was obliged to admit that this was true. His early return to London was precipitated by the fact that both the twins had started teething. Before he left he promised Mina to accept their brother Edward’s offer of a position as a clerk. She implored him to try and make a success of it, but was concerned that it would not keep him out of trouble for long.

  Following his magnificent success in The Courtly Prince, Mr Marcus Merridew enjoyed a well-deserved revival of his theatrical career. While continuing his work at the Pavilion, which he would never have given up as he found it very pleasurable, he was able to combine this with a sudden demand for his services as an actor and raconteur. He was soon engaged for a series of public lectures on the history of the legitimate theatre and readings from Shakespeare, and was positively begged by Brighton Theatre’s stock company to ornament their stage in the leading role of his choice.

  Meanwhile, fashion in Brighton changed with the wind, and there was no more talk of ghosts in the Pavilion, although there were visitors aplenty.

  Enid continued to pine for the company of Mr Hope and sat wanly at meals, eating very little and making the occasional suggestion that it would be charming to visit Middlesex as there were so many fine country estates there. She seemed unable to accept that Mr Hope’s attentions had not been genuine. One morning she was absent from the breakfast table and Mina was worried that she might have fled to join her admirer.

  ‘Enid is in her room,’ Louisa explained. ‘She received a letter this morning from Mr Inskip. It seems that his business with the Carpathian Count has been completed earlier than expected and he should be home before winter if the weather holds. Enid was quite overcome by the news and has been bilious ever since.’

  End

  Historical Note

  The principal inspiration for this book was An Adventure, first published in 1911 by Miss Charlotte Anne Elizabeth Moberly and her companion Miss Eleanor Frances Jourdain, under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Morison and Frances Lamont. The ladies had visited Versailles in 1901 and, after comparing notes and conducting extensive research, became convinced that while there they had entered a time-slip and seen Marie Antoinette and members of her court.

  In the summer of 1871 the sensation of Brighton was Christiana Edmunds, a spinster who had attempted to poison the wife of a Dr Beard, for whom she had an obsessive admiration. She tried to deflect suspicion from herself by distributing poisoned food, resulting in the death of a four-year-old child. The police issued a warning notice and newspapers reported that people were talking of the ‘days of the Borgias’ returning. At her later trial she was declared insane and sent to Broadmoor.

  Dr Hamid must have read about the plagiarism case of Pike v. Nicholas, which was reported in The Times on 25 May and 25 November 1869.

  Wondrous Ajeeb the chess automaton was built in 1865 by Charles Hopper, a Bristol cabinet maker. Ajeeb would have been inspired by Wolfgang von Kempelen’s more famous Turk, which was destroyed in a fire in 1854. Ajeeb, like the Turk, was controlled by a hidden operator. From 1868 to 1876 it was exhibited at London’s Crystal Palace, but performed at the Royal Pavilion in October 1870. It was later taken to the United States, where it was destroyed by a fire in 1929.

  Captain William Henry Cecil George Pechell was the son of Vice-Admiral Sir George Brooke Pechell, Bt, Member of Parliament for Brighton. Pechell, a Captain in Her Majesty’s 77th Middlesex Regiment of Foot, was twenty-five when he was killed at the siege of Sebastopol on 3 September 1855. A statue was commissioned by public subscription and placed in the vestibule of the Royal Pavilion in 1859. It remained there until about 1940 when it was placed in Brighton’s Stanmer Park, where it stood neglected until 2015. It was rescued and at the time of writing it stands near No. 22 Waterloo Street, Hove, and can be viewed on Google street view.

  An article about the public viewing of the Royal Pavilion can be found on p. 5 of the Brighton Gazette of 24 January 1850. No one seems to have reported seeing any ghosts.

  The ‘willing game’ was a popular Victorian parlour game played as described in these pages.

  Hugh Washington Simmons (1831–1899) was a stage magician who toured the world performing under the name Dr H.S. Lynn. One of his specialities was the Japanese butterfly illusion, which he claimed to have seen in Japan and first introduced it to the West in 1864. On 17 October 1870 he gave a performance in the Royal Pavilion, Brighton for the benefit of the families of the men lost on HMS Captain that sank on 7 September with the loss of about 480 lives. This performance is described on p. 5 of the Brighton Gazette of 20 October.

  Edward Campbell Tainsh (1835–1919) was a Professor of Literature and author of morally uplifting novels, who disapproved strongly of sensational fiction.

  A paper device that answers ‘yes’ or ’no’ is described in Houdini’s Paper Magic, by Harry Houdini, (E.P. Dutton, New York, 1922). Mystic Stefan must have used an earlier version.

  The ‘floating arm’ and Sphinx’s head were both Victorian stage illusions.

  Dr Livingstone was discovered by Henry Morton Stanley in November 1871, although the news did not reach Britain until the following year.

  William John Smith, bookseller, traded from Nos 41–43 North Street from 1865 to 1913.

  Mrs Guppy did indeed claim to have flown through a wall as described. For more information see Mrs Guppy Takes a Flight by Molly Whittington-Egan (Neil Wilson Publishing, Castle Douglas, 2015).

  Mr Arthur Wallace Hope is a fictional character but his beliefs as described in this book were held by many educated men and women of his day and have not been exaggerated for the purpose of fiction.

  About the Author

  Linda Stratmann is a former chemist’s dispenser and civil servant who now writes full-time. She lives in Walthamstow, London.

  Website www.lindastratmann.com

  Twitter @LindaStratmann

  Facebook www.facebook.com/Books-by-Linda-Stratmann-270261905489/

  In the Mina Scarletti Series

  Mr Scarletti’s Ghost: A Mina Scarletti Mystery

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  In the Frances Doughty Mystery Series

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  Forthcoming:

  A True and Faithful Brother: A Frances Doughty Mystery

  Praise for the Frances Doughty Mystery Series

  ‘If Jane Austen had lived a few decades longer, and spent her twilight years writing detective stories, they might have read something like this one’

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  ‘A gripping and intriguing mystery with an atmosphere Dickens would be proud of’

  Leigh Russell, bestselling author of the Geraldine Steel novels

  ‘I feel that I am walking down the street in Frances’ company and seeing the people and houses around me with clarity’

  Jennifer S. Palmer, Mystery Women

  ‘Every novelist needs her USP: Stratmann’s is her intimate knowledge of both pharmacy and true-life Victorian crime’

  Shots Magazine

  ‘The atmosphere and picture of Victorian London is vivid and beautifully portrayed’

  www.crimesquad.com

  ‘Vivid details and convincing period dialogue bring to life Victorian England during the early days of the women’s suffrage movement, which increasingly appeals to Frances even as she strives for acceptance from the male-dominated society of the time. Historical mystery fans will be hooked’

  Publishers Weekly

  ‘[Frances’] adventures as a detective, and the slowly unravelling evidence of multiple crimes in a murky Victorian setting, make for a gripping read’

  Historical Novel Review

  ‘The historical background is impeccable’

  Mystery People