‘And he was not troubled by poor health? Despite his business difficulties? There are men whose health would suffer in such a situation. You said you thought he was working too hard.’
Mrs Vardy looked wistful and Mina guessed that she was reliving the early days of July 1864, wondering perhaps if there was anything she ought to have seen or done which would have prevented the catastrophe. ‘In the weeks leading to his disappearance he had been working much longer hours and seemed wearier than usual, but that is often the sign of a flourishing business, is it not? At least that is what I thought. How could I know differently? In fact, I recall suggesting to him that in view of how busy he was, he should think of engaging another assistant, but he said that it was only a temporary situation.’
‘But what about his general health? Was that good, or did you have any concerns?’
‘His general health was always good. I was worried about him for a time, since I knew that his father had died at the age of fifty-two from a failure of the heart, but Jasper reassured me that having observed his father’s decline, he was familiar with the symptoms, and did not suffer in that way.’
‘When he initially disappeared did you believe that there was a chance that he might have survived the fall in the water? Was he a strong swimmer?’
She smiled, and it was a proud, fond memory. ‘Oh yes, very. In his youth he won prizes for it. Later he tried to swim whenever he had the chance, but of course he had not done so much in recent years because of the demands of his business. But from what I read in the newspapers the accident happened when the yacht was not far from shore. I would have thought a competent swimmer could have reached it. He might almost have floated to safety on the tide,’ she added dreamily, as if conjuring up the scene in her imagination.
‘I am told that according to Mr Sutherland he wished to sail to Shoreham?’
‘So I understand.’
‘Why was that, do you think? Do you have friends or relations there?’
‘I don’t know why. We know no-one who lives there. I asked Mr Benton, the assistant at the shop, if he knew anything, and he was just as mystified as the rest of us. He said that they had never done business with anyone in Shoreham. When Jasper and I were courting we took many excursions along the coast, and Shoreham was one of the places we passed through, but we never stayed there. I am wondering if Mr Sutherland’s memory was faulty from the shock. Or maybe he misheard.’
Mrs Vardy took another packet of papers from her bag. ‘There are letters here —business letters. I’m not sure what you will make of them. When Jasper disappeared, Gordon spoke to his accountant Mr Westbury but afterwards he told me not to trouble myself about it. He said that there were questions that only Jasper could clear up and he hoped that when Jasper returned all would be well.’ Her lips trembled.
Mina received the packet and opened it. Inside, a bundle of neatly folded letters was tied in thin ribbon. She selected the top one and began to read.
Westbury and Graydon Accountants
North Street, Brighton
10 July 1864
Dear Mr Holt,
A serious matter has arisen concerning the accounts of Holt and Co, for the year ended 31 December 1863, which were completed and signed last month. Mr Livermore has been making some enquiries and received information which has caused him considerable unease. Since my signature is on the accounts I have been placed in a very difficult position, and I am quite unable to alleviate Mr Livermore’s anxieties.
Please could you come and see me as a matter of urgency. I trust that there may simply have been an innocent error, which can be easily corrected, although Mr Livermore is putting quite a different cast on the situation and is insinuating that I not only knew of the irregularity but was complicit in its arrangement. Naturally I wish to resolve the question as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully
H Westbury
Westbury and Graydon Accountants
North Street, Brighton.
13 July 1864
Dear Mr Holt,
I am astonished to find that I have not yet received a reply to my letter of 2nd inst. I must emphasise that the matter is extremely urgent, and becomes more so with each passing day, as Mr Livermore has now consulted a solicitor. My clerk delivered a message to your place of business yesterday and found only your assistant Mr Benton on the premises who stated that you were not there, and he should look for you at home. My clerk then made enquiries for you at your residence only to be told by your servant that you were at your place of business.
I am extremely anxious to speak to you. If it is not convenient for you to come to my office, we may meet at any other reasonable location you prefer.
I should also mention that the cheque you used to pay my recent invoice has been returned due to an insufficiency of funds in your bank account, a situation which causes me considerable disquiet. If you wish me to continue to act for you, I shall first require payment in full.
Yours faithfully
H Westbury
‘Who is Mr Livermore?’ asked Mina.
‘According to Gordon, he is a hotelier and was one of Jasper’s most important customers. He was also one of Mr Westbury’s clients. He loaned Jasper some money. At least I think it was a loan, but Mr Livermore claimed that it wasn’t. He said that Jasper had approached him offering to make an investment for him as he had seen a good opportunity in the wine trade that needed to be taken advantage of at once.’
‘And did he make the investment?’ asked Mina, although she was fairly sure of the answer she would receive.
‘It appears —’, Mrs Vardy gave a soft unhappy exhalation, ‘that he did not. He may have been intending to, of course. I would like to believe that he was. But he owed the bank a lot of money at the time, and they were sending him horrid letters demanding immediate payment, so it seems — I suppose the temptation must have been too much for him — it seems that he used Mr Livermore’s money to pay off some of what he owed, just to gain time. There are so many conflicting stories and not one piece of paper to support any of them, that I don’t know what to think.’
Mina was extremely grateful for the fact that since she came of age, she had insisted on managing her own modest finances. She would never be so bewildered as Mrs Vardy was, never be the victim of a husband who had promised to protect her interests but neglected to do so. ‘Do you know what it was that Mr Westbury was concerned about regarding the business accounts?’ she asked.
‘Gordon had a long meeting with him after Jasper disappeared, and I did ask him to explain it to me. I think the suggestion was that Jasper had put some wrong figures in the accounts to make it look as if the business was doing well when it wasn’t. I’m not sure why he did that, but Gordon says Jasper was hoping to borrow some money to keep the business going. Apparently, people will lend you money if you already have it, but not if you don’t, which seems the wrong way round to me, but then I don’t have a head for business. But Mr Livermore accused Mr Westbury of conniving with Jasper and for a man in his position that is a very serious accusation.’
Mina turned to the next letter in the bundle.
Westbury and Graydon Accountants
North Street, Brighton
14 July 1864