'But why? That's what I never understood. Why did they conspire against him like that?'
'I had to be silenced,' said Sir Julius. 'My voice was getting too loud in the Parliament House.'
'That was not the reason, Sir Julius.'
'What else?'
'They thought you were the author of that pamphlet that created such a scandal. It attacked popery and unfettered power. When we discovered that copy in your study, I was convinced that you had actually written it. Is that correct, Sir Julius?'
'Unfortunately, it's not,' replied the other. 'I'd have been proud to claim it as my work because I shared so many of its sentiments. But I've neither the wit nor the scholarship to produce something like that.' He smiled at Christopher. 'Since you have fought so bravely on my behalf, you deserve to know the truth.'
'Lewis Bircroft? Was he the author?'
'No - and neither was Arthur Manville.'
'Then who was, Sir Julius?'
'Bernard Everett.'
Christopher gaped. 'Are you sure?'
'He let me read it before it went to the printer.'
'But do you see what this means?'
'I think so,' said Sir Julius.
"Well, I do not,' said Susan. 'What is its significance?'
'A man was sent to shoot your father in Knightrider Street,' said Christopher, 'because it was supposed that he was the author of the pamphlet. It was Mrs Kitson who discovered that Sir Julius would be there that day and Erasmus Howlett who put an assassin in position at the Saracen's Head.'
'Then Mr Everett was killed by mistake.'
'But it was not a mistake,' said Sir Julius.
'We know that now,' Christopher said, 'but they did not. How ironic! In hindsight, all the efforts they took to kill Sir Julius were quite unnecessary. Without realising it, they had already killed the right man.'
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
The Parliament House Page 26
