The Parliament House

by Edward Marston

  'I acted with the best of intentions,' said Christopher.

  'And the worst of results.'

  'Sir Julius-'

  'I'll hear no more of this,' yelled the old man, interrupting him with a vivid gesture. 'Instead of pestering me, you should be out there, trying to catch the man who killed Bernard Everett.'

  'I only came to issue a warning.'

  'Then let me give you one in return. If you dare to bother me again in this way, you'll no longer be allowed into this house.'

  'That's unjust.'

  'Good day to you!'

  Fuming with anger, Sir Julius turned on his heel and left the room. Christopher could hear his footsteps, ascending the staircase. Shortly afterwards, Susan came into the parlour.

  "Whatever did you say to Father?' she wondered.

  He swallowed hard. 'Sir Julius and I had a slight disagreement,' he replied. 'Nothing more.'

  'He swept past me without a word.'

  'I must take the blame for that, Susan.'

  'Why? What happened in here?'

  'I inadvertently upset him.'

  'But he was in such good humour when he arrived home,' she recalled. 'What can have happened to deprive him of that?'

  'A few ill-judged words on my part.'

  'On what subject?'

  'That's immaterial.'

  'Not to me, Christopher. This is the second time you've called here today and only something of importance could make you do that. Is it connected with the murder?'

  'Yes,' he conceded.

  'Then why did it put my father out of countenance?'

  Christopher was in a quandary. Wanting to tell her the truth, he knew how distressed she would be if she heard that someone was stalking Sir Julius Cheever. Susan's immediate reaction would be to tackle her father about it and that would expose her to the kind of brutal rebuff that Christopher had just suffered. For her own sake, she had to be protected from that. He decided, therefore, to leave her in the dark.

  'I asked you a question,' she pressed. 'Why?'

  'Because your father was unhappy about the way the investigation is going,' he said, trying to put her mind at rest.

  'These things take time and Sir Julius is demanding instant results.'

  'And that's all it was?'

  Christopher took a deep breath. 'That's all it was, Susan.'

  It was the last call of the day and, though it involved a long walk to Cripplegate Ward, Jonathan Bale did not mind the exercise. On the trail of a murder suspect, he never complained about sore feet and aching legs. As he strolled up Wood Street, he was interested to see the changes that had been made. Like other wards in the city, Cripplegate had been devastated by the Great Fire of 1666. Robbed of its churches, its livery halls and its houses, it had also lost much of its earlier character. The rebuilding had started immediately and Bale was intrigued to see how many streets, lanes and alleyways had risen from the ashes.

  The man he sought lived in Aldermanbury Street, a thoroughfare in which several fine residences had already been completed. He had come to the home of Erasmus Howlett, a leading brewer in the city, and it was evident from the size and position of the house that Howlett's business was an extremely profitable one. Bale was admitted at once and shown into the parlour. Howlett soon joined him.

  'You've come from Baynard's Castle Ward, I hear,' he said.

  'Yes, sir,' replied Bale.

  'What brought you to the north of the city?'

  'A murder inquiry, Mr Howlett.'

  The other man gulped. 'Murder? Can this be so?'

  Bale told him about the crime in Knightrider Street, and, being a friend of Francis Polegate, the brewer was visibly disturbed. Nearing fifty, Erasmus Howlett was a portly man of medium height with a chubby face and a voluminous paunch only partly concealed by a clever tailor. His podgy hands kept twitching involuntarily.

  'These are sad tidings, Constable,' he said, 'but I don't understand why you felt the need to bring them to me.'

  'I came on another errand, Mr Howlett.'

  'Ah, I see. In that case, perhaps you should sit down.' 'Thank you,' said Bale, taking a chair. 'Yours was the last name on my list. That's why I'm here.'

  'List?' repeated Howlett, sitting down.

  'Of people who might be able to help me.'

  'I'm more than ready to do that.'

  'Thank you. I called on Mr Polegate first thing this morning, before he set off to Cambridge. What perplexed me from the start,' Bale went on, 'was how the killer knew that his victim would be in the house on that particular day. Mr Everett had never stayed in London before. The first time that he does, he is shot dead.'

  'Quite horrifying!'

  'I asked Mr Polegate to give me the name of anybody - anybody at all - to whom he may have mentioned that his brother-in-law would be coming to celebrate the opening of the business. At first, he could think of nobody until he remembered dining with some friends a week ago.'

  'That's right,' said Howlett. 'I was one of them.'

  'I've spoken to the other two gentlemen, sir. They all agree that Mr Everett's visit was mentioned in the course of the meal.'

  'It was, constable. I recall it myself.' He laughed heartily. 'You surely do not think that any of us was responsible for the crime, do you?' He extended his trembling palms 'With these wretched hands of mine, I could not even hold a weapon, let alone pull the trigger.'

  'I didn't come here to accuse you, Mr Howlett.'

  'That's a relief.'

  'And I'm sorry about your ailment.'

  'Three physicians have tried to cure it and each one has failed.'

  'It must be an inconvenience.'

  'One learns to live with one's disabilities,' said Howlett, clasping his hands together. 'Most of the time, I hardly notice the problem. On the question of your errand,' he continued, why has it brought you to my door - if you've not come to arrest me, that is?'

  'I wondered if you'd passed on the information to anyone else.'

  'What - about the visit of Mr Everett?' 'Yes, sir.'

  'I don't think so, Constable. To be honest, there's nobody in my circle who would be at all interested to hear about it. Until today, I'd forgotten that the subject had ever been raised. When I dine with friends,' he said with a chuckle, 'I like to drink my fill and that means I remember very little of what was said.' His brow furrowed and he pursed his lips in concentration. 'No,' he decided at length, 'I told nobody - not even my wife.'

  'Then I'm sorry to have taken up your time.'

  'Not at all, Mr Bale. I'm glad that you came. I must call on Francis and offer my condolences. He's off to Cambridge, you say?'

  'Yes, sir. Mr Everett's wife and family have yet to be told.'

  'My heart goes out to them.'

  'I do not envy Mr Polegate's task.'

  Howlett sighed. 'It's never good to be the bearer of sad news.'

  'No, sir.' Bale got to his feet. 'I must be off.'

  'Give me your address before you go, constable.'

  'My address?'

  'Yes,' said Howlett, getting up from his chair. 'I'm fairly certain that I spoke to nobody about Mr Everett, but memory sometimes plays tricks on me. If, perchance, I do recall telling someone about his visit to Francis Polegate's house, then I'll send the name to you at once.'

  The unexpected arrival of Lancelot and Brilliana Serle threw the house into a state of mild turmoil. Susan Cheever was taken by surprise.

  'We had no idea that you would be coming today,' she said.

  'Your letter more or less begged us to set out at once,' argued Brilliana. 'You may not have requested our help in so many words but I could read between the lines.'

  'I merely sought to keep you abreast of developments, Brilliana.'

  'A murder is more than a mere development.'

  'I'll not gainsay that.'

  'We are here now so you may count on our support.'

  'Yes,' added Serle, doffing his hat. 'Delighted to see you again, Susan. This whole bu
siness must have been very trying for you.'

  'Indeed, it has, Lancelot.'

  Susan had the feeling that their presence would make it even more trying but she did not say so. Instead, she summoned up a smile and made an effort to be hospitable, inquiring about their journey and asking what their immediate needs were. Her brother-in-law, as ever, was polite, attentive and innocuous. Susan was very fond of him. She also pitied Lancelot Serle for taking on the dazzling burden that was Brilliana. Duty obliged her to love her sister but Susan had never been able to bring herself wholeheartedly to like her. Years of being under the thumb of her elder sibling had left their mark upon her.

  Conducting the visitors into the parlour, she did her best to adjust to the fact that the house would be considerably noisier and more crowded from now on. Peace and quiet were alien to Brilliana. She liked to fill each day with inconsequential chatter. She was still complaining about the condition of the road to London when Sir Julius entered.

  'Father!' she trilled, going to him.

  'Good evening, Sir Julius,' said Serle.

  'What the devil are you two doing here?' demanded Sir Julius.

  'That's a poor welcome, to be sure!' protested Brilliana. 'Can you not even rise to a kiss for your daughter?' Her father reluctantly planted his lips on her cheek. 'That's better,' she said, standing back. 'Now, let me look at you properly. Has Susan been taking care of you?'

  'I can take care of myself, Brilliana.'

  'And you do it tolerably well, Sir Julius,' said Serle, hoping that a compliment might endear his father-in-law to him. 'I've never seen you in such fine feather.'

  'Then you need spectacles,' chided his wife. 'Father is not well.'

  'I was perfectly well until you appeared,' said Sir Julius.

  Brilliana gave a brittle laugh. 'You always did have a weakness for a jest, Father,' she said. 'But the fact is that you look pale and drawn

  to me. Your diet is patently at fault. I need to take it in hand.'

  'You'll do nothing of the kind.'

  'No,' agreed Susan, smarting at the implied criticism of her. 'Now, why don't we all make ourselves comfortable?'

  Brilliana chose the sofa and patted it to indicate that her husband should sit beside her. Sir Julius sat on the other side of the room. Susan occupied a chair that was midway between her father and her sister. An unlikely silence descended. It was broken, improbably, by Lancelot Serle.

  'We are waiting to hear what happened yesterday, Sir Julius.'

  'Are you?' grunted his father-in-law.

  All that we know is that a friend of yours was murdered,' said Serle. 'May one ask where you were at the time?'

  'Not a foot from where Bernard was standing.'

  'Heavens! Then you could so easily have been killed yourself.'

  'I don't need you to remind me of that, Lancelot,' said Sir Julius with asperity. 'He was not the first man to perish beside me. Those of us who have fought many times in battle know the anguish of losing dear comrades - and that's what Bernard Everett was.'

  'Yet he did not die in battle,' noted Serle.

  'You're being pedantic.'

  'Let father tell the story, Lancelot,' ordered Brilliana. 'He'll be able to be more explicit than Susan's letter.'

  'How explicit do you wish me to be?' asked Sir Julius, sourly. 'One second, he was alive; the next, he was dead. Do you want to know how much blood was shed, Brilliana, or what a man's skull looks like when it's been split open by a musket bullet?'

  'Father!' she protested.

  'I thought not. I'll stick to the bare facts.'

  He gave them a terse account of what had happened and told them what steps had been taken to catch the malefactor. Serle picked up on one of the names that was mentioned.

  'Christopher Redmayne, did you say?'

  'He was a witness to the crime.'

  'Then you have fortune on your side, Sir Julius.'

  'Do I?' 'Yes,' Serle went on. 'Mr Redmayne is a most resourceful young fellow. If he is involved, then it is only a matter of time before the villain is brought to justice.'

  'I beg leave to doubt that,' said Sir Julius.

  'Why?'

  'He and I have contrary opinions as to what exactly happened in Knightrider Street yesterday. I fear that he will be misled into looking in all the wrong directions.'

  'You're being very unkind to Christopher,' said Susan, hotly. 'I have more faith in his abilities. He has never failed before.'

  'I endorse that,' said Serle. 'Have you so soon forgotten that it was Mr Redmayne - with the help of that constable, of course - who solved the murder of your own son, Gabriel?'

  'Lancelot!' snapped his wife.

  'It's true, isn't it?'

  'There's such a thing as tact.'

  Sir Julius blenched. He needed time to compose himself before speaking. A wound had just been reopened and the pain made him gasp. He had suffered so much remorse over the untimely death of his son that he tried to put it out of his mind. He glowered at Serle.

  'Some things are best left in the past,' he said, pointedly, 'but I am saddled with a son-in-law who has a compulsion to haul them into the light of day. Please, Lancelot - spare me any further reminders.'

  'He will,' promised Brilliana, calling her husband to heel with a malevolent glance. She conjured up a bright smile and distributed it among the others. 'Let's talk about something else, shall we?'

  'What did you have in mind?' said Susan.

  'What else but this attachment that Father has made?'

  'This is not the time to bring that up, Brilliana.'

  'I think that it is. Your letters have whetted my appetite.'

  'Letters?' echoed Sir Julius, eyebrows bristling. 'Have you been spreading tittle-tattle about me, Susan?'

  'No,' she replied, quickly. 'I simply mentioned that…' She paused to choose her words with care. 'Well, that someone has come into your life, and that you seem to spend a lot of time with your new friend.'

  'Do you have any objection to that?'

  'None at all, Father.'

  'What Susan objects to,' said Brilliana with the boldness of an older sister, 'is that you pretend to be visiting your parliamentary friends when, in fact, you are sneaking off to be with Mrs Kitson. I don't think it's unreasonable of her, Father. Do you?'

  Sir Julius scowled. The tension in the room was almost tangible. Susan braced herself for an explosion that would be largely aimed at her, and she wished that she had never even told Brilliana about their father's growing interest in a certain lady. It had been a serious mistake on her part. When she was kept safely down in Richmond, her sister was comparatively unthreatening. Brought to London, however, Brilliana Serle had an uncanny knack of introducing maximum embarrassment into any family discussion.

  Susan closed her eyes in readiness but the expected onslaught did not come. Instead, repenting of his evasive behaviour, Sir Julius chose to be more honest with his daughters. He cleared his throat.

  'You were right to upbraid me, Susan,' he confessed with a forgiving smile. 'My friendship with Dorothy - with Mrs Kitson - has been cloaked in too much secrecy. My only defence is that I feared our acquaintance would only be a short one, and that I would be left looking foolish if I had set too much store by it.'

  'Tell us about her,' coaxed Brilliana.

  'It's difficult to know where to start. Suffice it to say that she's one of the most remarkable women I've ever met. Mrs Kitson has so many accomplishments that she takes my breath away.'

  'How old is she, Father?'

  'Brilliana!' reproached Susan.

  'It's a fair question,' said her sister. 'It would be insupportable if he were infatuated with someone who is younger than we ourselves.'

  'Mrs Kitson does not fit into that category,' Sir Julius assured her, yet neither is she declined in years. I would describe her as being in the very prime of life.'

  'Widowed, I presume?'

  'Yes, Brilliana. Twice.'

  'Comfortably of
f?'

  Susan was shocked. 'You've no right to ask such a thing.'

  'Nevertheless,' said her father, 'I'm happy to provide you with an answer. No, Mrs Kitson is not comfortably off.' He grinned as he saw the look that was exchanged between the sisters. 'She is extremely well provided for, so the pair of you can stop thinking that she is after my money. Mrs Kitson has more than enough of it herself.'

  'That sounds promising,' observed Serle. 'May one inquire how you first met the lady, Sir Julius?'

  'Through a mutual acquaintance who was at Newmarket one day. It was pure accident,' he said, 'but she has transformed my life. Mrs Kitson has been kind enough to say the same of me. That's why I'm glad that you and Lancelot have descended on us, Brilliana.'

  'You were not so pleased a minute ago,' commented Susan.

  'I was still trying to hide and dissemble then. Now that it's out in the open, I can speak freely at last.' He looked at his younger daughter. 'I know that you disapprove, Susan, but only because you have never met Mrs Kitson. That can soon be remedied. Only today,' he told them, 'when we dined together, she said how much she was looking forward to meeting my family. I'll arrange it at the earliest opportunity.'

  Sarah Bale made no secret of her fondness for him. When Christopher Redmayne called at the house on Addle Hill that evening, she gave him a cordial welcome and ushered him into the little parlour as if he were an honoured guest. She then took her two young sons into the kitchen so that Christopher could speak to her husband alone.

  'What sort of a day have you had, Jonathan?' said the architect.

  'An exhausting one,' replied Bale.

  'Did you find out anything of value?'

  'No, Mr Redmayne. I've walked far but learned little.' 'Where exactly did you go?'

  Bale told him about the three people whose names had been given to him by Francis Polegate, and how none of them recalled passing on the information to anyone else that Bernard Everett would be at the house in Knightrider Street on the previous day. Christopher felt a twinge of guilt.

  'I owe you an apology, Jonathan,' he said.

  'Why?'

  'I may, unwittingly, have sent you on a wild goose chase.'

  'But it's crucial for us to find out who was aware of the fact that Mr Everett would be at that address. That's why I tracked down those three friends of Mr Polegate.'