Southampton Row - Anne Perry [5]
“You have three weeks’ holiday!” She bit back sudden tears of disappointment. “It’s not fair! What can you do? Tell everybody he’s a liar, that he was behind the conspiracy to overthrow the throne?” She shook her head. “Nobody even knows there was one! He’d have you sued for slander, or more likely locked up as a lunatic. We made sure everyone believed he practically single-handedly did something wonderful for the Queen. She thinks he’s marvelous. The Prince of Wales and all his friends will be behind him.” She sniffed fiercely. “And no one will beat them—not with Randolph Churchill and Lord Salisbury as well.”
He leaned against the newel post. “I know,” he admitted. “I wish I could tell the Prince of Wales how close Voisey came to destroying him, but we have no proof now.” He reached forward and touched her cheek. “I’m sorry. I know I haven’t much chance, but I have to try.”
The tears brimmed over her cheeks. “I’ll unpack in the morning. I’m too tired to do it now. What on earth am I going to tell Daniel and Jemima—and Edward? They’ve been looking forward to it so much—”
“Don’t unpack,” he interrupted. “You go . . .”
“Alone?” Her voice rose to a squeak.
“Take Gracie. I’ll manage.” He did not want to tell her how much it was for her safety. At the moment she was angry and disappointed, but in time she would realize he was challenging Voisey again.
“What will you eat? What will you wear?” she protested.
“Mrs. Brody can cook something for me, and do the linen,” he answered. “Don’t worry. Take the children, enjoy it with them. Whether Voisey wins or loses, there’s nothing I can do after the results are in. I’ll come down then.”
“There’ll be no time left!” she said angrily. “Results go on coming in for weeks!”
“He’s standing for a London seat. It’ll be one of the first.”
“It could still be days!”
“Charlotte, I can’t help it!”
Her voice was barely controlled. “I know! Don’t be so damnably reasonable. Don’t you even mind? Doesn’t it infuriate you?” She swung her hand violently, fist tight. “It isn’t fair! They have loads of other people. First they throw you out of Bow Street and send you to live in some wretched rooms in Spitalfields, then when you save the government and the throne and heaven knows what else, they reinstate you—then throw you out again! Now they’re taking your only holiday . . .” She gasped for breath and it turned into a sob. “And for what? Nothing at all! You can’t stop Voisey if people are stupid enough to believe him. I hate Special Branch! It seems they don’t have to answer to anyone! They do whatever they like and there’s nobody to stop them.”
“A bit like Voisey and the Inner Circle,” he replied, trying to smile very slightly.
“Just like him, for all I know.” She met his eyes squarely, but there was a flash of light in hers, in spite of her attempts to hide it. “But nobody can stop him.”
“I did once.”
“We did!” she corrected him sharply.
This time he did smile. “There’s no murder now, nothing for you to solve.”
“Or you!” she countered immediately. “What you mean is it’s all about politics and elections, and women don’t even vote, much less campaign and stand for Parliament.”
“Do you want to?” he said with surprise. He was happy to talk about any subject, even that one, rather than tell her how he feared for her safety once Voisey knew he was involved again.
“Certainly not!” she retorted. “But that’s got nothing to do with it!”
“An excellent piece of logic.”
She poked a stray piece of hair back into its pin. “If you were at home and spent more time with the children you’d understand it perfectly.”
“What?” he said with total disbelief.
“The fact that I don’t want it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be allowed it—if I did! Ask any man!”
He shook his head. “Ask him what?”
“Whether he would let me, or anybody else, decide whether he could or not,” she said in exasperation.
“Could or could not do what?”
“Anything!” she said impatiently, as if it had been obvious. “It