“These stocks were lost in a week!” he said. “Look! Between the fifteenth and the twenty-fourth. How is that possible?” He ran his finger under a total of several thousand pounds, which vanished to nothing on the next entry.
“Um…things happen…”
“Damn things that happen!” Hal stood and walked to the door, unable to contain his fury. “I said I wouldn’t prosecute you. But, if you don’t tell me the truth about this, and smartly, I shall report you to the constabulary and they can decide whether or not to prosecute you.”
“Please, sir…” Mr. Lewis was standing too, now, his face sheened with sweat. “I’ll never recover from the scandal of it! I’ll tell you. But please – tell nobody else?”
“Besides Lady Hestony,” Hal said firmly.
“Besides Lady Hestony,” Mr. Lewis agreed awkwardly.
“Fine.” Hal went back to the desk, and Mr. Lewis took the account book to his side, running a finger down the left column.
“You see, here?” he asked. “This is the first dip – the cotton shares. That really was a knock – just a hundred pounds or so, though…nothing to fuss over in light of the whole account. We’d have made it back on jute within the year’s end.”
“Yes?” Hal inquired, wishing the fellow would hurry up. “You have five thousand pounds to account for from this year alone. That is a hundred.”
“Yes.” Mr. Lewis bent over the books. “As you can see, the shares were sold here…and here…and here. At a loss, all of them.”
“Yes.” Hal frowned. “But why were they sold? And that still doesn’t account for the disappearance of five thousand pounds!”
He saw the solicitor slump. He sensed that he was in the place where he would uncover the secret.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Mr. Lewis said swiftly. “It’s the gentleman with the brocade waistcoat. He was in here, and he paid me a share to hold my peace. Said that, if I divulged this to anybody, he’d make sure Marcie and the children suffered.”
“What?” Hal felt his anger rise. “He threatened you?”
“Yes, sir. To put it plainly, as you say.” Mr. Lewis had his hands under his chin. His eyes were damp and he looked like he was about to cry. “He cleaned out the account and he said that he’d give me a share of what was left, but he also said that…he knew where my house is, in Sailor Row, sir. And he said that he would see to it that Marcie and the children never saw another day alive.”
“We should approach the Town Watch,” Hal said, feeling a blaze of anger. “He had no right. Who is this? Do you know?”
“No idea, sir,” Mr. Lewis said sadly. “He was a well-dressed sort – a bit eccentric, I reckoned, with the brocade coat and a top-hat of gold brocade. Had a cane with a gold top to it. Bit dandified, I reckoned. He was here.” He pointed at the ledger, around the time when the accounts, already taking a knock from the drop in the value of shares, finally dwindled to nothing.
“I see,” Hal said raggedly. “Well, in that case…we should still go to the Watch. This fellow had no right to threaten your wife and children. Nor to steal money.”
“I agree, sir,” Mr. Lewis nodded. He had gone white. “It’s just that…I am here in the office the whole day, and Marcie and the children are alone near the docks. I can’t tell the Watch or he might kill them.”
Hal nodded slowly. “I see. Well, I thank you for this information. I will think on it, and see what I can do. For the moment, it is your job to ensure that the account accrues no more debt. I will leave it to you to see if you can do that.”
“Y…yes, sir.”
“I will see if Lady Hestony wishes to speak further,” Hal said, and, standing, went out of the door. He shut it softly, with a click, and went to where Hestony stood near the front desk, behind the round-paned windows. She was standing tall and silent. Sorrow seemed to flow off her.
“Lady Hestony?” he called.
“Oh, Lord Hal…” Hestony turned to him, reaching out her hand to his. He took it, surprised by how cold her fingers felt.
“Would you like to speak more with him?” Hal asked gently. “Or should we go home?”
“Home…please, Hal? Please take me home.”
Hal nodded, feeling his heart ache for her. He could only imagine how he would feel, had he suddenly discovered that the money he and his family were meant to live on for a year had disappeared. He imagined he would be in a state even worse than she was.
“You have been so brave, My Lady,” he murmured. “We won’t get any more out of him for the moment, I reckon. We should go.”
“Oh, Mr. Ellington,” she murmured, taking his hand as they walked to the main entrance. “I just…can’t believe this!”
“I know,” Hal murmured, feeling his heart ache for her. “I can’t imagine how it would feel.”
“Pretty awful,” she said, and her mouth twisted in some wry humor.
Hal smiled and squeezed her hand. “You are the bravest lady I know.”
“I’m the poorest lady you know,” she pulled a face. “For the moment, at any rate.”
Hal shook his head. “There must be something we can do, to change this.”
“I hope so,” Hestony whispered. “I just can’t fathom what.”
“We’ll think of something,” Hal assured her gently. He glanced left and right down the gray, rainy streets, spotting a Hansom not too far up the path. He raised his hand, waving it down.
“Hartfield House, please,” he requested.
“Get yourself’ in, My Lord,” the coach driver said cheekily from the roof, giving them a wry grin. “It’s going to start raining again.”
Hal nodded, shooting the fellow an annoyed glance. He opened the door and held out a hand to help Hestony into the coach, then swung up and sat down opposite her.
“Oh, Hal,” Hestony whispered. She looked out of the window, tears running unbidden down her cheeks. Her hand was balled around a handkerchief, and she cried soundless tears. “What is going to happen?”
“I don’t know,” Hal whispered. “But we’ll fix it somehow. You and I.”
“I hope so,” Hestony murmured. She lifted her handkerchief and dabbed her eyes dry.
“There’s always hope,” Hal echoed. He leaned back in the seat and tried to ignore his overwhelming urge to sit beside her on the other seat, and take her in his arms, to comfort her.