Callander Square - Anne Perry [103]
Jemima looked bewildered, but there was no accusation in her eyes.
“How did you know?” she repeated. “Does everyone know except me?” She swallowed hard. “Why, Charlotte? Why should he say such a thing? Certainly he lay with Mary Ann, but everyone knew! I never spoke of it, least of all to him—and asking for money! Why should he say I did?”
“Because someone was blackmailing him, and he did not wish to tell the truth of it,” Charlotte replied. “It was easy to blame you, because you are least likely to be able to defend yourself.”
“But why should anyone blackmail him over that? It is rather squalid, it is true, and it is an abuse of Mary Ann, and of his wife; but it is not a crime; it would not even be so much of a scandal: not worth paying to avoid, anyway.”
“I don’t know,” Charlotte admitted. “But come and sit down. Let me make you something to drink to warm you. I think I have a little cocoa. We must plan what to do next.” She busied herself quickly. They were in the kitchen anyway, it being the warmest room in the house. Charlotte could not afford to burn a fire in the parlor except in the evenings. Mrs. Wickes had finished the floor and gone upstairs to sweep, so they were alone.
“You can sleep in the nursery,” Charlotte went on, stirring the cocoa with a wooden spoon to get rid of the lumps. “The bed is a little small, but it will do you for a while. I’m afraid it is all we have—”
“I can’t stay here,” Jemima said quickly. “Oh, Charlotte, I am grateful, but the police will be looking for me soon. Blackmail is a crime, you know. I cannot bring that disgrace upon you—”
“Oh!” Charlotte turned round in surprise, forgetting Jemima knew so little of her. “Don’t worry about that. My husband is a policeman; in fact he is the policeman in charge of this case. He knows you did not blackmail anyone. At least,” she corrected herself, “he does not believe you did. Don’t worry, he will discover the truth. And Dr. Bolsover has been murdered. Did you know that? I found his body this morning. I was on the way again to warn you about Mr. Southeron when I nearly fell over it. Maybe he was the real blackmailer.”
“You—the police—?” Jemima was utterly confused. “But, but you are not married. Are you not Lady Ashworth’s sister? At least that is what General Balantyne said. I obtained your address from him this morning. I had to lie. I said I wished to write you a letter.” She winced and looked down for a moment. “Before Mr. Southeron should tell anyone about me and I should find no one would open their doors to me. I did not know who else to turn to—” Her eyes brimmed over and she dropped her head to hide her distress.
Charlotte put down the cocoa and went to her, putting her arms round her. For a little while Jemima wept silently; then she pulled herself together, blew her nose hard, excused herself to wash her face, and returned downstairs to take cocoa, now ready, and biscuits. Afterward she faced Charlotte and declared herself ready for battle.
Charlotte smiled back at her.
“Thomas will discover the truth,” she said firmly, although she knew that that was not necessarily the case. Sometimes crimes remained unsolved. “And if possible we shall help him,” she went on, “to have it done the more quickly. I think I must send a letter to Emily, to acquaint her with the latest events. She may be able to assist us too.”
“You are marvelous,” Jemima smiled rather weakly. “Are you so used to murders, that they do not frighten you anymore?”
“Oh no!” The horror of Cater Street came back to her with all its terror and grief. She felt a quick prickle of tears for Sarah. “Oh no,” she said quietly. “They frighten me very much, not just murder, but all the other dark things it stirs in even those who are barely involved in the first crime. It seems so often one crime begets another. People do such strange things to cover guilt. We can become so cruel and so selfish when we are afraid. Murder and investigation reveal to us so many things about each other which we would