‘You mentioned that Verity introduced you to Ezra over a year ago, but your sister-in-law has impressed upon me her strong dislike of Ezra and all he stood for. I cannot conceive of them ever being friends.’
‘You really don’t know my late husband’s sister very well, in that case.’ For the first time, a note of bitterness entered Mrs Wendall’s voice. ‘She too was captivated by Ezra.’
‘Blimey!’ Salter said from his position against the wall.
‘Quite so, Sergeant. It’s difficult to imagine Verity being stirred to passion of any type, but such was the addictive nature of Ezra’s charm that even she was drawn in by it.’
‘How did they meet?’
‘Verity took a tumble in the street one day. Ezra, ever the gentleman, picked her up and took her into a private parlour in a local tavern. He even arranged for a doctor to look at her ankle, which she twisted in the fall. She was completely overcome by the attention and, at the time, very angry with her mother-in-law for refusing to give her husband money that he needed to grease the necessary palms for some political campaign or other. Verity, in case you had not already reached that conclusion for yourselves, is spiteful when crossed. She knew that Ezra was a scoundrel but also just the type of man whom Ida would find irresistible.’
‘You imagine that his Sir Galahad conduct after her fall gave Verity the idea of Ezra rescuing Ida from a staged attack?’
‘I know it did. Ezra told me so himself. Verity expected a percentage of any monies that passed from Ida’s hands to Ezra’s once he had ingratiated himself, but Ezra wasn’t quite that altruistic. Verity had served her purpose, and he laughed in her face when she demanded her cut. I rather think that she expected more than just monetary reward, but she was disappointed in that regard as well. So her infatuation quickly turned to anger.’
‘And murderous revenge?’
Mrs Wendall shuddered. ‘I wouldn’t put it past her.’
‘Did Verity speak of revenge?’
‘We are not in regular contact. I only ever saw her if Gordon and I went to central London for any reason and he felt duty bound to call on his sister. On the occasion when I actually met Ezra for the first time, I had gone up to town for various things and Gordon had asked me to deliver papers relating to their late father’s estate that she was required to sign. Why the legal people couldn’t have dealt with her direct, I have no idea. I took no pleasure in her company, nor she in mine, but I think Gordon hoped we would become friends. Something had happened in the past to drive a wedge between brother and sister. I never knew what, but Gordon wanted to mend bridges. Verity, on the other hand, knows how to bear a grudge and did not.’ A lovely smile graced Mrs Wendall’s lips. ‘However, the visit I was dreading turned into the most fortuitous day of my life. Ezra was there, you see, and as I already remarked, I felt it was fate which drew me to her house that day, when I could just as easily have entrusted the document to the postal service.’
‘Was Verity aware of the affair that developed between the two of you?’ Riley asked, thinking how angry and vindictive she would have felt. ‘She didn’t come down here and find the two of you together, did she?’
‘Verity never came to Clapham if she could help it. She was quite determined to improve her circumstances by denying her humble origins.’
‘But she found out about the two of you by other means, one imagines.’
‘Once Ezra and I formed a friendship, I made excuses to go up to town far more regularly than had previously been the case and we always managed to meet. We walked in the park and on the occasion when Verity saw us, we were taking tea together at the Savoy Hotel. I didn’t imagine it was the sort of place she would frequent, but unfortunately she was there with some ladies from a charitable committee.’ Mrs Wendall shuddered at some private recollection. ‘Verity doesn’t have a charitable bone in her body and thinks only of herself. The only reason she was on that committee was because the other ladies were all more socially acceptable than her and had, I suspect, invited her to join them so that she would do all the unglamorous work—addressing envelopes, fund raising—the sort of thing that great ladies prefer to leave to others and then take all the credit for.’
‘How did she react to seeing you there?’ Salter asked.
‘I have never seen her angrier. She came to see me here in Clapham the next day, called me all sorts of unpleasant names and threatened to tell both Gordon and Ida about our affair.’
‘Did she do so?’
Mrs Wendall tilted her head as she considered the question. ‘If she told Gordon, he didn’t mention the matter to me. And shortly after that he was killed, so we shall never know. Verity came to the funeral and privately accused me of causing Gordon’s death so that I could be with Ezra. She said some hateful things that I will never forgive her for. She might regret that the next time she is in need of funds, since she knows she will get nothing more from me.’ She paused and looked Riley straight in the eye. ‘And no, Lord Riley, I did not kill my husband. It was a terrible accident, and one that could not have been contrived.’
‘But it left you free to marry the man you adored,’ Riley said, ‘and as a policeman, I am paid to be suspicious about such convenient coincidences.’
‘It did release me from my marriage, that’s undeniable, and I fully intended to marry Ezra, despite the fact that he was a rogue. One instinctively knows when something is right. Did you know that he planned to open a club and make an honest living from it?’ She sat a little straighter and a soft smile flirted with her lips. ‘He wanted to prove to me that given the right opportunities he could be a good and faithful provider.’
‘I have a question,’ Salter said.
‘I am perfectly sure that you do, Sergeant.’ Mrs Wendall turned to give him her full attention. ‘Please ask away.’
‘Why did Ezra continue to stay with Lady Randall and accept her money to invest in his club if he had you to finance the venture?’
‘He had already asked her, and she had agreed to invest. I don’t think he wanted to ask me for anything. Ezra had his pride and wanted to prove that he could support me without recourse to my inheritance, one supposes. Besides, it’s all still tied up with the lawyers, and Ezra was not the most patient of men when he wished to pursue an idea.’ She waved a hand. ‘Needless to say, Verity is contesting Gordon’s will and nothing can be released before the matter is settled.’
‘Did Verity go through with her threat and tell Ida about you and Ezra?’ Riley asked.
‘I have no idea. As far as I am aware, she and Ezra were still on the best of terms right up until the day of his death.’
‘Did you see him on the day he died?’
‘I did, Lord Riley. I sent a message, I’m ashamed to say, pretending that it was from his mother. He knew it was from me, and that I selfishly needed to see him. He came at once. I was feeling low, you see. Verity had been conducting a vengeful campaign by post. Hardly a day went by without a threat arriving from her, and it was starting to get me down. I knew the threats would magically disappear if I gave her a share of her brother’s estate—to which she was not entitled—but the stubborn part of me refused to crumble beneath her bullying.’
‘Do you still have any of the letters?’ Riley asked.
‘Only the latest one that came the day before yesterday. I have burned the others. Why? Is it important?’
‘Possibly. Do you mind if I take it with me?’
‘Not in the least.’ Mrs Wendall got up, went to her writing desk in the corner of the room and extracted a letter from one of the pigeonholes. ‘You may keep it, Lord Riley. I have no desire to look at it again.’
‘Thank you.’ Riley tucked the letter unread into the inside pocket of his coat. ‘What did Ezra say about her threats?’
‘He had already told me to leave her to him; that he would deal with her.’
‘Do you know what he meant by that?’
‘He said it would be better if I didn’t. He wanted to pr
otect me and I was content to let him. In was a heady feeling to have a man who actually cared about my welfare, and upon whom I could depend. What Ezra and I had was something truly special, Lord Riley, hard as that might be for you to believe, given his past misdemeanours. But I know he loved me and that we were destined to spend the rest of our lives together, until someone so cruelly snatched him away from me.’ Tears glistened on her lashes. ‘Find that person, Lord Riley. If anyone can, it is you.’
‘I will do my very best,’ he assured her. ‘What time did Ezra arrive here?’
‘About four in the afternoon. He had briefly called in to see his mother and then came directly to me. He left at eight, saying he had some business affairs to conduct here in Clapham. We arranged to meet again next week but alas…’ She dabbed at her eyes. ‘That was the last time I saw him.’
‘He was seen in the Plough, arguing with a woman. Do you know who it could have been?’
‘No, unfortunately I do not.’ She shook her head emphatically. ‘It could have been anyone. Ezra was acquainted with a large number of ladies before me, and I’m sure some of them took his attentions too seriously. I didn’t leave this house for the rest of the evening after his departure. My servants will verify the fact, although they are loyal to me so I don’t suppose you will take their word for it.’
‘You mentioned when we arrived that you were expecting us,’ Riley said. ‘May I ask why you didn’t get in touch as soon as you heard of Ezra’s death?’
‘It’s only been a day. I haven’t had…’
‘It makes you look as though you have something to hide, I’m afraid. We only found out about you by chance, and had we not done so, the insights you have given us into your family’s affairs that can greatly assist this investigation might never have come to light.’
‘I am truly sorry, Lord Riley,’ she said. ‘I would have spoken up once I was able to think straight. I hope you will accept my word for that.’ She paused. ‘You are aware that Ezra had someone else helping him to establish the reputation of his club amongst the upper classes.’
‘Mark Buckingham?’
‘Yes, I introduced him to Ezra as a matter of fact. He is a friend of the family.’
‘We have already spoken to him, but he failed to mention your name.’
‘He was being discreet, I expect.’
‘Very well.’ Riley stood. ‘We shall need to speak with you again, Mrs Wendall, but that will be all for now.’
Mrs Wendall stood too and rang the bell. ‘Thank you, Lord Riley, for your discretion and for your honesty. I don’t suppose it matters now who knows about my relationship with Ezra. Gordon is dead and I have no close family of my own left alive. But even so, it would make something beautiful sound tawdry if it were to become common knowledge.’
‘Unless something compelling requires us to make your association with Ezra public, you can depend upon our keeping the facts to ourselves,’ Riley assured her as the butler materialised to show them out.
‘Well, sir,’ Salter said, plonking his hat on his head and fanning his face with his hand as they returned to the pavement and made their way towards the spot where they had agreed to meet the others. ‘I didn’t see that one coming.’
Riley chuckled. ‘Nor me, Jack.’
‘That Ezra wasn’t going to stay a footman for long, was he? And we have definite reason to suspect Verity now,’ Salter said with relish. ‘I always thought it had to be her.’
‘Or Ida, I’m afraid,’ Riley said pensively. ‘She was very attached to Ezra, but his feelings were not engaged. She always entered into these affairs without thought of their continuing for long and was usually the one to end them. Mrs Wendall is twenty years younger than Ida and still in the full bloom of her beauty. Jealousy might have caused her to seek the ultimate form of revenge, but how she would have managed it at such short notice is less certain.’
‘Did you believe Mrs Wendall, sir? Do you really think that Ezra intended to run his club in order to support her and settle down to a life of domesticity?’
‘I think she believed it, Jack. Unless I have lost my ability to judge people, I’d wager a small fortune that she didn’t have a hand in his death, unless for some reason he’d decided against giving Ida up. Two wealthy women fighting for the exclusive company of one man.’ Riley shuddered. ‘I admire his courage.’
‘Being influenced by a pretty face, are we, sir?’
Riley sent his sergeant a droll look. ‘This situation needs to be handled with kid gloves,’ he said. ‘At least until we know whether Verity told Ida about Mrs Wendall.’
‘I find it highly suspicious that Wendall died when he did and ceased to become an obstacle for Ezra’s plans.’
‘The same thought occurred to me, Jack. I don’t think Mrs Wendall arranged for her husband to be killed, but I wouldn’t put it past Ezra. Not that we shall ever be able to prove it—and it would be a waste of resources to try, since both men are now dead.’
‘I still can’t get over the fact that Verity seemed to think Ezra would be interested in her, or that she would return that interest even if he did. She’s as dry as a bone, that one, if you ask me.’
‘Oh, we are all guilty of temptation, Jack. I don’t suppose any man has ever flattered Verity before. Her husband certainly takes no interest in her, but Ezra would flirt with any woman who crossed his path. It was the way he behaved, and he probably found that the plain ones in particular were grateful. It would be an easy way to line his own pockets. For her part, Verity thought she had found a way to extract funds from Ida by inveigling Ezra into her household. Unfortunately, she failed to take into account the possibility that Ezra would transfer his affections to his new mistress and cut her out of the arrangement.’
‘A fatally dangerous mistake.’
Riley flexed his brows. ‘It’s looking increasingly likely.’
‘I thought your Lady Randall said that she introduced Lord Buckingham to Ezra,’ Salter said.
‘She did indeed, Jack.’ Riley chuckled. ‘I think I had better have another word with him. It seems unlikely that both women thought of him. Ida, I can understand. They are old friends. But I don’t think Mrs Wendall would have entered into an assignation with Buckingham.’
‘I assume we’ll be having Verity into the Yard to answer a few more questions,’ Salter said with relish.
‘Indeed we shall, but I want to speak with Ida again first. In the light of Mrs Wendall’s revelations, I don’t think Ida has been entirely honest with me.’ Riley ground his jaw. ‘No one connected to this business has been, and it’s time things changed. Go and find the others, Jack, and tell them to call off their search. We’ll go back to the Yard and decide what to do from there. There’s nothing to be gained from remaining here.’ Riley paused and snapped his fingers. ‘No, on second thoughts, have those three go round to Wendall’s premises. I assume they are close by?’
‘They are, sir. Jubilee Yard.’
‘Have them speak to the managers. Press them about Wendall’s accident. Were there any strangers loitering about the place when it occurred? Had any threats been made against Wendall prior to the accident from disgruntled customers or employees? You know the sort of questions to be asked.’
‘I thought you said it would be a waste of time to try and prove that Ezra killed him, and you’ve already decided that his delicate widow couldn’t possibly have done it.’
‘Perhaps not, but there’s one person still breathing who very well might have.’
‘Ah, Verity.’ Salter nodded. ‘Right. I see where you are going with this. Mrs Wendall reckons that she held a grudge against her brother.’ He scowled. ‘I don’t like the woman but could she really be that vindictive?’
‘Oh, I am absolutely certain of it,’ Riley said. ‘She is bitterly disappointed with the course her life has taken and is out to punish anyone she holds responsible for blighting it. Her brother for not being more generously inclined, I suspect, but most of all, Ida and Mrs W
endall for stealing Ezra away from her, and Ezra himself for being disloyal.’
‘Blimey, sir, that’s some theory and I can’t find no fault with it. My problem is that we don’t have an ounce of proof.’
‘No, Jack, we don’t. But if I’m right, then Verity Randall is one of the most cold-blooded and calculating killers it has ever been my misfortune to come up against.’
‘There must be a weakness somewhere that we can exploit, sir. There always is.’
‘Her weakness will be her accomplice. She didn’t push a stack of barrels onto her brother, and she didn’t whack Ezra over the head herself. We need to find that person, Jack, and find him fast.’
‘Her husband?’
‘I doubt it very much. In fact, he attempted to point the finger of suspicion towards his wife, if you recall.’
‘Won’t that put the kibosh on his political ambitions?’
‘I don’t think he actually has any and would prefer to find another way to keep the wolf from the door. It’s she who is ambitious for him.’
‘Perhaps he’ll help us to get to the truth, in that case. He knows her better than anyone and feels no loyalty.’
‘Now that, Jack, is an inspired suggestion and one that we might very well act upon.’
‘Happy to do the thinking for you, sir,’ Salter replied cheerfully.
Chapter Twelve
Back at the Yard, Riley and Salter mulled matters over as Riley flipped through his messages.
‘I still don’t get why Ezra insisted upon borrowing from Ida,’ Salter said, scratching his head. ‘Once Wendall was out of the way, he had a much richer source to trawl.’
‘We shall never know for sure,’ Riley replied. ‘Perhaps Ezra didn’t intend to return Ida’s investment, if it was done on trust. He was supposedly embarking upon an honest life, but old habits die hard. He’d have faced a long wait for any funds from the fragrant Mrs Wendall, given that Verity was contesting the will. There again, perhaps he really did want to prove that he was a reformed character.’
Death of a Footman (Riley Rochester Investigates Book 8) Page 17
