The Last Days of Newgate - Andrew Pepper [136]
Pyke nodded.
‘Then why not let us see the rest of this affidavit?’
‘I might do, but not before I have received an official pardon from the Home Office.’ This time he looked at Peel.
‘You will not receive any such pardon without revealing the contents of that document.’
Pyke shrugged. ‘Then I shall take my chances with the press.’
‘This is most vexing. Most vexing indeed.’ Peel was scowling. His face had reddened. ‘It is even more vexing in the light of the robbery and unwanted disturbances on land owned by Lord Edmonton.’
‘I had no hand in the Shoreditch robbery,’ Pyke said.
‘For some reason, I find that difficult to believe,’ Tilling responded.
Pyke shrugged. ‘If someone were to steal the crown jewels from the Tower, I would no doubt be blamed for that, too.’ Pyke walked over to the bay window and looked out at the view over Hampstead Heath. ‘But the disturbances on Edmonton’s land are a different matter. What if I could arrange for them to cease?’
‘And how could you manage that?’ Peel demanded.
‘The point surely is, if I could manage it, and in light of the damage I could potentially cause you by revealing that you knowingly executed the wrong man for the St Giles murders, then wouldn’t it seem appropriate to come to some kind of arrangement with me?’
Peel still seemed unconvinced. ‘You have the ear of this particular mob?’
‘I think it is fair to assume that Pyke has played some role in fermenting and channelling their unhappiness,’ Tilling said, arching his eyebrows.
‘I don’t have any control over their righteous anger, but at present their grievances are limited in scope. I could perhaps broker an agreement to ensure fairer conditions of service and a slightly improved wage.’
A long time ago, Pyke might have comforted himself with the notion that he was not, nor had ever been, part of the system of rule and law enforcement that he occasionally served, but his belief in his own independence had long since been eroded.
Peel frowned. ‘But surely that would mean having to negotiate a deal with Edmonton, wouldn’t it? And from what I hear, you would be unlikely to elicit a favourable response from him.’
‘Leave Edmonton to me,’ Pyke said, walking over to the fireplace. ‘But if I can placate the mob, with or without Edmonton’s assistance, would I be right to think that we have an agreement?’
Peel glanced at Tilling. ‘I have given no such assurance.’
‘But you will.’ Pyke smiled amiably. ‘Because you don’t have a choice.’
Tilling looked at Peel, and then at Pyke, and shrugged. ‘Pyke would seem to be holding a strong hand.’
Peel’s face reddened further.
‘So we have an agreement?’
In the end, Peel gave him a grudging nod. But he did not stand or offer to shake Pyke’s hand.
Later, as Tilling followed Pyke to the front door, he patted him on the shoulder. He was smiling. ‘You handled yourself well.’
Pyke accepted the compliment. ‘But you’ll make sure Peel’s true to his word?’
‘You still don’t understand, do you? Peel is not your enemy here.’ Tilling started to shake his head.
‘Can I ask you a question?’ Pyke said, buttoning up his jacket.
‘Of course.’
‘The last time we met, you said something about Vines and Sir Richard Fox, the two of them being closer than I thought.’
‘So, ask them about it. Not me.’
‘I can’t ask Vines. Apparently he’s in Scotland at a family wedding.’
The interest in Tilling’s face faded. ‘Scotland? I saw him the other day walking down the street.’
They shook hands and Pyke wandered down the steps towards the heath. It was only then that the implication of Vines being in London finally struck him.
It was after midnight when Pyke made it back to the Old Cock tavern in Holborn. He entered the building through the back door and went straight down to the cellar. He lit a candle, jammed it into a tin sconce and carried the flickering light carefully through to the room where Villums had built a cage for the creatures used in the ratting contests. Villums paid sewer hunters sixpence per rat; the hunters themselves worked in pairs, for if they worked alone they ran the risk of being