The Stuart Sapphire Page 5

  ‘Does she not require assistance with her toilette?’ Tam asked delicately, aware that he travelled in an age when women of substance were helpless even to dress themselves.

  Was it possible that the Prince Regent had hidden talents as a lady’s maid, he wondered, when suddenly he was hearing the solution to such a problem.

  ‘Her ladyship merely wears her sable cloak – over the chair there.’ Clearing his throat, he added: ‘Nothing under it.’ A naughty twinkle and an arch look at Tam. ‘You understand me, sir. We are both men of the world and such a prospect, you must agree, is daring in the extreme and most stimulating.’

  Men of the world they were, thought Tam sourly, but of two entirely different worlds. Separated from the Regency by four hundred years of decadence, and without being in the least ‘holier than thou’, he was beginning to dislike his royal host exceedingly.

  He glanced around the room. ‘How does the lady make her exit? Does she not proceed through the withdrawing room under the close observation of the grooms?’

  The prince laughed at his naïvety and shaking a finger said: ‘That would never do – utmost discretion and all that.’ As he spoke, he walked over to one of the elaborate painted panels on the walls and touched a piece of the ornate dado, which responded as a secret door invisible from the walls of the room. It slid open to reveal a steep narrow stair.

  ‘Down there,’ whispered the prince, glancing nervously over his shoulder as if in danger of being overheard. ‘Down there – a door built into the exterior walls – ivy-covered, can’t be seen. Leads out across the garden to a gate in the Steine where a carriage awaits in readiness.’

  He seemed very pleased and nodded excitedly as if expecting approval for this piece of architectural ingenuity. Obviously, thought Tam, the sinister implications had not occurred to him, that anyone who knew this secret, one that the marchioness and doubtless many before her were privy to, realised that the door could also be opened from inside this room giving access to the interior of the Pavilion.

  Indeed the staircase would be a perfect hiding place for an assassin, Tam thought grimly, whose target, the Prince Regent, might subsequently be found dead one morning, not a mark upon him, having been smothered while he slept. Before the birth of forensic medicine, death dismissed as heart failure would not be received by the populace as any great surprise, considering that he was grossly overweight and given to perpetual over-indulgence.

  Deciding to keep this dangerous observation to himself for the time being, Tam said: ‘Might I suggest that Your Royal Highness confirms that no message was received by the stables from this room at any time during the last night or the early hours of this morning.’

  The prince considered the matter, frowned, nodded and hastily made his exit, leaving Tam to his own devices.

  The marchioness had been murdered. The evidence was there. All that was needed was the identity of her killer. How had her assignation with death been achieved? Was it the result of an insatiable woman’s lust for some exotic lovemaking to fill in an hour of boredom? If so, what had gone wrong?

  The prospect of a transient exciting experience with a new young lover – yes, he would certainly need be young and naïve too, Tam decided, to put any faith in the affections of this royal whore.

  From the little that Tam had been told about the marchioness, and what he had seen – he shuddered, all too much – he did not feel that her morals were in very good repair, and greedy and acquisitive by nature, blackmail might not be beyond contemplation should the need arise. Only a frightened young man, his whole future at stake should she betray him to Prince George or Prince Frederick, had seized upon that rope of pearls so conveniently around her neck as the only way out of a particularly nasty dilemma, of ruin posed by exposure to the royal displeasure.

  Glad to turn his back on the now decently covered corpse in the prince’s bed, Tam walked around the room reconstructing the scene from the dead woman’s angle. There were no signs of a struggle. Quite the opposite, and, bearing in mind the implications of the secret door, he was fairly certain that the marchioness had not been taken by surprise. The scene suggested that she might already be on terms of intimacy with her killer, since she had not considered it necessary to cover her nakedness, the natural reaction before an interloper.

  Tam rubbed his chin thoughtfully. What had she to gain apart from an hour’s titillation? And a measure of paying the prince back for abandoning her to look elsewhere for his pleasures – the novelty of a shipwreck as rival to her voluptuous charms.

  Whatever this crime, it had not been planned, that was for sure. It was a crime of passion and anger, of terror, and doubtless somewhere in the Pavilion at this very moment, the killer sat trembling at the consequences of exposure, and the dreadful payment for his dalliance with the insatiable marchioness.

  While Tam was still walking round the room, picking up and laying down objects, deep in thought, the prince returned. ‘You were quite right, Mr Eildor. No message was received at the stables, no carriage summoned. The bell pull was silent all night.’

  Tam nodded. He would have been surprised at any other information. ‘May I ask Your Royal Highness, who else has access to this room – in your absence?’

  ‘During the day, servants and so forth. But from the hour when we take our evening repast at eight o’clock until five in the morning, when we depart for our sea bathe, no one – absolutely no one – is allowed access beyond the Grooms of the Bedchamber who are on constant alert. Beyond their quarters in the withdrawing room, guards of the Tenth Dragoons, our own regiment, sir, are on duty patrolling the corridors approaching our apartments.’

  A pause for Tam’s reactions, and he continued: ‘All these measures, you will realise, are of vital importance for the safety of our realm since several attempts have been made on the life of our royal father, especially during the last year when he has so unfortunately declined in health and spirits.’

  So the killer had to come from within the Pavilion, someone known to the duty guards who would go unchallenged. Someone aware of the prince’s daily sea-bathing and that he was absent watching the shipwreck. Which put an end to any theory that the fatal assignation was prearranged.

  ‘London is not Brighton, Your Royal Highness,’ Tam pointed out tactfully and was rewarded with a scowl.

  ‘Is it not, sir, is it not? Upon my soul, we have to inform you that the conclusions you have drawn are quite incorrect. Remarkably so! Brighton is no longer the genteel spa where we chose to build a retreat far from our capital city.’ Pausing, he shook his head sadly. ‘During the last few years, our residence here has become a magnet for the activities of that vile underworld which has followed us down from London.’ And with a sniff of disgust, ‘Encouraged, we do not doubt, by the wicked and false insinuations of our former wife, the Princess of Wales.’

  Allowing a moment for Tam to digest this interesting piece of information regarding his domestic life, the prince continued: ‘We have narrowly escaped with our lives on two occasions in the past few weeks since we were created Regent. Out riding on the Steine, as is our habit, shots were fired at our person. But before the criminal could be seized and identified, he vanished into those narrow lanes and alleys, seeking the protection of a thieves’ kitchen, which few of our law officers dare to penetrate. We expect it is there you will find the monster who committed this dreadful deed.’

  Tam had his own reasons for considering that extremely unlikely as the prince boomed:

  ‘The Watch will give you any assistance that you require, although they are notoriously lacking in able-bodied men. We have as yet no force to equal the Bow Street Runners who take care of such matters in our capital under the admirable supervision of Mr John Townsend. If you fail to make an early arrest, we shall summon his assistance to track the villain down.’

  Tam detected a little reluctance in that suggestion as the prince continued: ‘Well, sir, and what are your conclusions now?’

  Tam bowed,
sought refuge in: ‘Without having access to all the facts, one must not be too hasty, Your Royal Highness, but be assured that I am giving the matter careful thought.’

  A secret entrance, invisible and inaccessible from the outside, that could, however, be activated from within the Pavilion, and no signs of a struggle, were facts whose significance he was unwilling at this stage to share with the prince, or the obvious indication that his marchioness was playing him false. Further, that the identity of her killer was well known to her, would possibly be received with anger and astonishment by her royal lover.

  Suddenly the room seemed unbearably oppressive. This sordid scene, the smell of stale human sweat, stale perfume – and death.

  Tam felt badly in need of some of the sunshine and fresh air that filtered in from the gardens deep in birdsong. For a glimpse of the sea, which he was certain would be an undiminishing blue line stretching to the horizon. A whole new exciting world waiting to be explored.

  An insect trapped in the window pane buzzed frantically seeking an escape route. The prince glared at it angrily and, rising to his feet with a creaking that put in jeopardy the future of the frail gold chair, he indicated that Tam should follow him.

  Chapter Six

  In the withdrawing room the two grooms sprang to their feet, their countenances registering embarrassment, and Tam decided he would have enjoyed being a fly on that particular wall. What were those two polite scions of the nobility – one a royal bastard – making of this latest conclusion of an episode in the prince’s love life?

  Tam paused. ‘With Your Royal Highness’s permission, I should like to ask these two gentlemen a few questions.’

  The prince frowned, stared from Henry to Percy and back again, as if the request was a matter requiring intense deliberation. Tam thought he was about to refuse, then with a brisk nod he said:

  ‘Of course, of course. Proceed. We will leave you to it, Mr Eildor.’ And to the grooms, ‘And when Mr Eildor has completed his enquiries, you will attend us in the salon. We have our duties to attend, our appropriate uniforms of the day to consider,’ he added sternly. ‘Life must go on,’ and with a shake of the head, that wry philosophy completely inadequate to the occasion, he quit the room, leaving Tam to explain that he was an Edinburgh lawyer and that, as such, the prince had asked him to look into the night’s events. The two grooms looked increasingly uncomfortable, frowning sternly at their well-polished Hessian boots as if such elegant footwear might be expected to provide reassuring answers to the problem.

  Endeavouring to put them at their ease, Tam said: ‘Won’t you please be seated, gentlemen,’ and indicating the table nearby he took the seat opposite.

  ‘This is a very unpleasant business,’ he said in what he hoped would pass for a good imitation of a member of the legal profession. ‘And as both of you gentlemen were on duty in the vicinity at the time of death,’ he continued gently, ‘I have to ask – did either of you have cause to leave this room unattended during His Royal Highness’s absence?’

  Uneasy looks were exchanged, then Lord Henry spoke up, keeping a sharp eye on the closed bedroom door as if it might suddenly spring open and reveal its fearful contents. Then, clearing his throat in an exact imitation of his royal father, he whispered: ‘We went upstairs – just for a short while, to see how the shipwreck was progressing.’

  ‘There’s an excellent view from the windows,’ Percy explained. ‘We wanted to see what was happening – not to miss all the fun, y’know.’

  A well-directed kick under the table alerted him to the insensitivity of such a remark, as Henry interposed quickly:

  ‘We are delighted, sir, fortunate indeed, that you survived such a disaster.’

  Tam nodded, thinking how fortune had misdirected him into what had all the elements of a worse one. Already the path was lined with lies and deceit and a situation which promised to be increasingly difficult to escape from.

  He said to Henry: ‘You mentioned that you were absent for a while – can you be more exact – about how long would you estimate that to be?’

  Frowns and looks between the two indicated that calculations were being exchanged. ‘Until it got too dark to see anything more of significance,’ said Percy. ‘Of the ship’s final moments, you know,’ he added in tones of disappointment. ‘We understood that bets were being taken—’

  A scowl and a cough from his more sensitive companion who said: ‘We were absent for about half an hour, sir.’

  Tam made a mental note and asked: ‘When you returned did you by any chance hear any sounds suggesting a disturbance in His Royal Highness’s bedroom?’

  ‘None at all, sir. But then there never are any sounds – the walls are exceedingly thick in this part of the house.’ Percy tried and failed to restrain a raised eyebrow, an arch look, indicating that it would never do for such intimacies of the royal love life to be overheard.

  ‘And in the corridor – out there?’

  ‘Four household guards. Tenth Dragoons, sir, on duty all night.’

  ‘I shall have a word with them. Thank you, gentlemen, for your assistance.’

  Relief was so clearly indicated on their countenances, the door opened for him with such alacrity, as they followed him out, he was left wondering whether it was merely an unpleasant interview over or if they had something to hide, some vital clue withheld.

  As Henry was making the introductions, explaining to the guardsmen that Mr Eildor was an Edinburgh lawyer, Tam caught a glimpse of the grooms’ faces in the mirror. Bland, innocent faces in this nest of corruption and iniquity, as they bowed out to mull over his questions, their answers and, he did not doubt, the many worrisome speculations that their imaginations might invent.

  They could not be much younger than himself in years, but catching sight of his own reflection, he felt intensely old at thirty, as if too many of the world’s past sorrows, inhumanities and follies had been thrust upon his shoulders.

  He turned his attention to the four guardsmen who regarded him with carefully suppressed curiosity. Standing at attention, politely awaiting his questions, identical as painted tin soldiers who had leapt from a child’s toy box, their fresh young faces clean-shaven and helmeted, the only difference being that the weapons they carried were primed and ready for instant action.

  ‘There was an incident last night while His Royal Highness was absent watching the shipwreck, and he has asked me to ascertain the whereabouts of everyone in the vicinity of the royal apartments at that time.’

  Puzzled anxious looks were exchanged. Clearly they did not know the nature of the incident and nor was Tam about to enlighten them.

  Finding their unmoving rigid presence a little intimidating, he indicated that they should be seated.

  ‘Perhaps I might start with you, sir,’ he said to the one sitting nearest to him, who had been introduced as Warren and was the senior officer.

  ‘I was here, all night, sir. And I can vouch for these three fellows.’

  His gaze was quite direct, no cautious exchange of doubtful glances with his comrades here. All perfectly correct and right.

  ‘As a matter of fact, sir, we were playing at cards – our usual evening pursuit when we are on duty. The hours can seem very long and very boring.’

  Nods of approval from fellow officers.

  ‘Where do you sit?’

  ‘At the table, right here, as we are now.’

  Tam looked round the table with its direct unbroken view. The players would be alerted instantly to anyone approaching the royal apartments, unless their powers of concentration were absorbed by a losing hand and the probable financial loss involving a large bet.

  ‘So you would observe anyone coming or going?’

  Warren nodded. ‘We would indeed, sir. But there rarely is anyone but ourselves. And,’ he added confidently, ‘there is an outer ring of guards downstairs any interloper would have to get through first.’

  A nod from the guardsman sitting next to him, whose name was Toby:
‘Very strong security, sir, particularly since attempts on His Royal Highness’s life—’

  A delicate cough, the suspicion of a warning nudge from Warren and, clearing his throat apologetically, Toby subsided.

  Tam said: ‘You mentioned that there never was anyone – usually.’

  Again Warren nodded. ‘Last night Lord Henry and Lord Percy went upstairs to watch the shipwreck. They gave us the nod and we promised to keep an eye on everything.’

  ‘And when would that be?’

  ‘Before nine o’clock. They were only gone for half an hour.’

  ‘And that is absolutely all? There was nothing unusual during their absence?’

  Looks exchanged, heads shaken. ‘Nothing in the least unusual,’ said Warren.

  ‘Unless you would consider it significant for one of our fellows from downstairs,’ prompted Toby, ‘walking along the corridor, inspecting the condition of the light sconces.’

  Warren nodded. ‘There had been complaints.’

  ‘And who was this fellow?’

  Warren shook his head. ‘One of our lads, wearing a uniform jacket, a bit casually dressed,’ he added rather severely, ‘but the light was too dim to make out any details. But he knew us, greeted us by name, gave us goodnight.’

  ‘He forgot to salute, which he should have done to his superior officers,’ said Toby severely.

  ‘We don’t make too much insistence on such details,’ Warren interrupted hastily, ‘not during the night. Keep it informal, we’re not in battle rank ready for inspection.’

  ‘Did you see this officer return again in the direction of the stairs?’

  Again heads were shaken. ‘We weren’t watching him every moment, sir. We were somewhat involved in our game – a crucial stage—’

  ‘So you presumed he had completed his inspection.’

  ‘That is so, sir.’

  ‘Without actually seeing him leave?’

  A frown from Warren. ‘Exactly so, sir. Is it important?’