Long Spoon Lane - Anne Perry [50]
“Who?”
Charlotte felt a chill in the sunlit room as she said it. “Charles Voisey.”
Vespasia was motionless, her chin high, her eyes far away. “I see. And is that for love of liberty, I wonder, or hatred of the police, as represented by Superintendent Wetron?”
“Hatred,” Charlotte replied immediately. “But it’s not his hatred of Wetron that frightens me,” she elaborated. “It is the fact that Thomas is involved in the issue, on the same side. He has said very little to me. In fact, he is being evasive, which is not like him at all. I did not press him because I could see that he was most uncomfortable. I might have forced him into a position where he had either to tell me something he didn’t wish to, or else say something that was not true.”
She needed to explain it to Vespasia, as if to herself. “He could even have had to break confidence, or else lie to me. And I don’t want either of those. If he were to lie, it would open up a gulf between us we might never entirely bridge again. We should both remember it.” She watched Vespasia’s face to see if she understood. “So I let it go. But I know Voisey is involved. Thomas admitted that much, and I am afraid of what he will do. I don’t know if Thomas even believes anyone could be as consumed by hate as Voisey is.”
Vespasia nodded slowly.
“I know people like Voisey,” Charlotte went on. “Thomas doesn’t. He thinks gentlemen with a certain background also have certain qualities, acts to which they will not descend. That’s not true.” She looked desperately at Vespasia’s steady eyes. “Thomas will almost always give people a second chance. He doesn’t hate—not implacably, like the hatred I saw in Voisey’s eyes when the Queen knighted him. He’d lose the world to be revenged on us for that.”
Vespasia let out a soft sigh. “And I assume you have no idea what Thomas intends to do that might involve Voisey?”
“No.”
“Then we need to find some ammunition that we could use against Voisey, should we need it. We do not know enough about him. We might do well to recall the story of David and Goliath…”
“Is he really a Goliath?” Charlotte asked miserably. “I know the Davids win in the Bible, but they very often lose in life. I suppose if they didn’t there would be no point in the story.” She smiled a trifle lopsidedly. “I am sure enough that our cause is God’s cause, but I don’t have such faith in our absolute righteousness that I want to go out in front of the entire Philistine army with nothing but a slingshot and a couple of stones. I lack faith, don’t I? Or am I simply more modest, and realistic?” She was joking to cover the sharp, aching fear for Pitt that gnawed inside.
“I have no intention of facing Goliath alone,” Vespasia replied with some asperity. “I was referring to the fact that he was clad in impenetrable armor, which, however, left his temples uncovered—a small but highly vulnerable spot to someone with an accurate aim. Where is Charles Voisey’s vulnerable spot? We need to aim.”
“I don’t know!” Charlotte gulped and took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, I think my fear is running away with me. Thomas is so upset that there is police corruption. At least some of it is in Bow Street, where he used to be. I hate to see him hurt like this.”
Vespasia sighed. “I suppose with Wetron in charge, corruption was a great likelihood. I take it you are quite certain?”
“No, but it is an educated guess,” Charlotte replied, thinking back to the evening before. “Tellman is courting Gracie…”
Vespasia smiled with sudden, genuine pleasure. “My dear, I am quite aware of that. You are going to miss her greatly.”
“I am. I don’t know what life will be like without Gracie’s comments on it. I loathe the thought of having someone else in my house. And Daniel and Jemima will be devastated. But I know it must happen.”
“What has it to do with corruption in Bow Street?”
“Two evenings in a row now Tellman has canceled his engagement to take her out,” Charlotte replied. “That means he must be doing something of intense importance. He would not do it for less. He didn’t explain