Mina refreshed the teacups. ‘But as it now turns out you are not married.’
‘Yes,’ said the newly minted Mrs Holt in a firmer voice. ‘Gordon has engaged a solicitor to look at the will, but he feels sure that the current situation means that its terms have not been met, and should he pass away tomorrow, Mr Vardy would inherit nothing. That is why, when Silas discovered that we were not married, realising at once that this meant that he was not after all entitled to the inheritance, his only comment was that the matter was easily put right and we should make arrangements to marry at once. He seemed quite unable to comprehend how I might regard the offer. He thought I would be grateful that he was willing to regularise our relations.’
‘I trust you will not be induced to consider it?’ Mina paused. ‘I am sorry, I should not intrude into your private business and I realised that I have overstepped — ‘
‘Oh, please do not concern yourself about that,’ said Mrs Holt, almost lightly. ‘I will never marry that man. It was a mercy that the police arrived when they did. As soon as he had gone, I packed a few possessions and walked out of the house. I took Franklin to his godfather and then I came to you. But my interview with Mr Vardy yesterday was brief. We had our solicitor with us, who reminded us that since I was not legally a wife, I would not be prevented from giving evidence against Mr Vardy at a trial, though I do hope it will not come to that. I really think he imagined that I would come to see him alone and he would wheedle me with soft words. He was very shocked to see that I came armed and resorted to argument and bluster and threats none of which did him any good. And when I saw my dear brother together with the creature Silas had become, and almost certainly always had been, I recognised what true manliness is. I will never see Mr Vardy again, and I told him so. It seems he is to be charged with some financial crime, but he will have no help from me. I owe him nothing.
‘My sister Marion, who came uninvited to care for Franklin — I can barely bring myself to speak of her. Franklin has told me about how she had been treating him and I was appalled at the harshness and insults my poor child had to suffer. I believe she fed him some soporific mixture so that she — so that she and Mr Vardy — well, I will say no more of that. She has gone back to her family and they are welcome to her.’
‘Where are you living now?’
‘We are all with Gordon and Jane who have made us very comfortable. That is myself, Franklin, Matthew and our new maid, little Maggie who has proved to be such a treasure. Did you know, I was obliged to rescue her from the clutches of that dreadful Mrs Barnham? The things I learned about that woman you would never believe.’ She shook her head. ‘There is such cruelty in the world.’
She gave a sudden smile. ‘Miss Scarletti, forgive me, I have been so wrapped up in my own woes that I have not said how pleasing it is to see you so much better in health. I hope that taxing you with my troubles has not delayed your recovery.’
‘Not at all,’ said Mina. She almost said, ‘rather the opposite,’ but decided not to.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The next day’s post brought more revelations. First was an article in The Times.
CHARGES OF FRAUD
There has been a surprising new development in the Maritime Queen Insurance Company case, which we last heard of in 1863. Our readers will recall that this company was established with the sole intention of extracting funds from its investors and was wound up to the distress and ruin of many.
Mr Silas Vardy, who is currently a manager in the Saltmire and Vardy Fine Porcelain Company of Hove was placed under arrest yesterday and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud. He is being held in the cells at Brighton Town Hall and will come before the magistrates today. It appears that a prominent bank manager of that town, Mr William Cobbe will be the principal prosecution witness. Mr Cobbe has already been acquitted of all charges in relation to the fraud but is currently in custody on another unrelated charge about which we have no information.
In 1863 Mr Vardy was a clerk in the accountancy firm of Westbury and Co. He was acquainted with the other gentlemen suspected of conspiracy, in particular a Mr Taylor who was a cousin, and one of the main instigators of the fraud, who absconded abroad while on bail, and is suspected of having murdered his partner in crime Mr Randall.
It has been alleged that Mr Vardy’s skills were brought into play in forging the documents used in the fraud which were so nicely done that the most knowledgeable man would never have detected their falsity. We have been privately informed that Mr Cobbe retained in his possession some documents which will prove without a doubt Mr Vardy’s role in the conspiracy. Why he has not chosen to produce them until now is a question that we hope will be revealed in due course. It is being widely speculated in the town that Mr Vardy had some power over Mr Cobbe since he knew some of that gentleman’s secrets. The rumours have taken quite an indelicate turn, such that we have taken the decision not to print them here.
It also appears that Mrs Barnham the spirit medium and her servant Miss Stone are also in police custody where they are being questioned in connection with the charge against Mr Cobbe. Our Brighton readers will be well aware that whenever trouble falls upon the head of a spirit medium of that town a Miss Mina Scarletti inevitably has something to do with it, however we are told that Miss Scarletti has recently been indisposed and confined to a bed of sickness, and therefore cannot possibly have had anything to do with these recent events.
Mina had also received a long letter from Mrs Holt.
Dear Miss Scarletti,
Franklin, Matthew and I continue to reside with Gordon and Jane who are kindness itself. Their house is quite substantial, in fact rather larger than they require, and they have decided to convert a portion of it into a separate set of apartments for us. We are all very content with the arrangement.
When I told them of the good advice you had given me, they revealed that they had read about some of your earlier exploits in the newspapers. As a result, they are very eager to meet you. We really must arrange something when you are feeling stronger and are able to pay us a visit.
I thought I would write to apprise you of recent circumstances which have come to my notice and which have gone a long way to improving Franklin’s state of mind. Last week I invited Mr Merridew the celebrated actor to take tea with the boys and myself. I am not sure how much you know of this, but he was once quite briefly a member of Mrs Barnham’s circle. He it was, who was clever enough to see though her trickery, something which had long deceived the rest of us. Although he is a theatrical, he is also a very respectable and gentlemanly sort of person, and I wished to thank him for opening my eyes to the dreadful trade that Mrs Barnham had been practising for so long, from which I believe she has appreciably lined her purse.
As soon as Mr Merridew arrived, I saw Franklin looking at him most particularly, but when he presented me with a portrait of himself costumed and bewigged for his most recent performance, Franklin at once became very excited and addressed our visitor as ‘Hamlet’. Now I was aware that not so long ago the school had taken a party of pupils to the theatre to see a classical play of great renown, but I had quite forgotten its title, and so had not appreciated that Franklin had actually seen Mr Merridew’s acclaimed performance as Hamlet. I am not acquainted with the play, but I have since learned that it concerns a melancholy prince who believes that his uncle has murdered his father. Well, I will not go on but while it may be instructive, and I believe the quality of the authorship is very good indeed, I am not at all sure that this is a suitable play for children to see performed, especially a sensitive boy like Franklin. The play actually has scenes in which Hamlet is confronted by the ghost of his father. The father is also called Hamlet, so that must be very confusing, but he reveals to the prince that he has been done to death by his own brother.