Michael Cox (48 page)

31

A Fatal Correspondence

I
Letters from Miss Emily Carteret to the Late Lord Tansor JANUARY–MARCH 1855

I
PLACE
Mr Barley’s black box on a table by the window of the back parlour, and open it.
Inside are two bundles of folded letters, both tied with a piece of frayed and dirty string. With every copied letter is a photograph of the original each one written in Emily’s graceful hand; and, in the bottom of the box, lie three separate documents.
The letters in the first bundle contain little of significance – mostly brief
résumés
of journeys undertaken, places seen, persons met along the way, the conditions and amenities of hotels,
et cetera
. Setting these aside, I turn my attention to the second, smaller bundle.
Here, on these dozen or so sheets of paper, must lie the final fate of the woman under whose roof I have lived for the past months; who, despite her mercurial temper, has shown me genuine kindness and consideration, and who had implored me – with such touching earnestness – to be her friend. Yet I had been sent to destroy her, for my dead father’s sake.
For some minutes, I sit looking out, across the tree-studded Park, glistening under a patina of thin rain, towards the needle spires and battlemented turrets of the great house. At last, drawing up a chair, I take a deep breath, smooth out the first letter, and begin to read.
Here, then, are the ten letters, written from the Continent, by Miss Emily Carteret to her second cousin, patron, and protector, Lord Tansor, during the years 1855 and 1856. In them lurk the dark and dangerous secret that she has sought so desperately to conceal, and which is now about to be brought forth into the light at last, with consequences for my own life that I could never have imagined.
Words on paper, Mr Vyse had warned her, could be fatal. He was right. If only she had heeded his advice, how different things might have been – for her, and for me.
So sit with me now and read these letters, as I read them, and learn what I learned, on that dull, grey afternoon, with rain pattering against the window, in the back parlour of North Lodge.

LETTER 1

Grillon’s Hotel
Albemarle Street
London

18 th January 1855
MY LORD,—
Since coming here from Evenwood yesterday, I have not ceased to think of the great kindness & sympathetic understanding yr Ldship has shown me – yes, & to weep, too, for joy! I feared – oh so greatly feared! – that you would condemn me, as a lesser man might have done, when I confessed all to you. But you did not! You saw how necessary it was, under the terrible circumstances of those last days, to put aside petty convention for a
far greater cause.
This I did – & most willingly, expecting no favour or recompense from you, only stern censure. Yet yr compassion was as wonderful to me as it was yearned for, & I cannot conceive how I can ever repay you. An eternal love – for my dear lost Phoebus, yr Ldship’s shining hope – and a duty, no less than sacred in my eyes, to the noble line, amongst which I am proud & honoured to be numbered, now bind me indissolubly to yr Ldship’s interests, and to those of our family.
The Kraus woman came to see me this afternoon, with her son. She will do very well, I think, & her thorough knowledge of German will be of great service. The son I am less sure of, I admit, but his doting mamma swears that she will not go without him. He said not a word, & never looks me in the eye; but, although simple, he is a tall, well-muscled fellow, & that is the main thing as far as my protection on the journey is concerned.
The tidal-train leaves at eleven tomorrow. I shall send a note – through the arranged channel – of our safe arrival in France, and with directions for our onward journey.
I am, my Lord – & I pray that you will accept the heartfelt designation I give myself – your most loving daughter in gratitude and trust,—
E. CARTERET

LETTER 2

Hotel Baltazar
Carlsbad

3 rd February 1855
MY LORD,—
We arrived here last evening, & I am now comfortably settled in respectable accommodation, obtained by Herr Kraus, a most obliging man who appears to cherish a great regard for his daughter-in-law.
The latter, I regret to report, has been a mixed blessing. Her ability to speak fluent German has certainly been useful at times (my own facility in the language being somewhat limited); and she performs her duties creditably enough. But she often over-reaches herself in point of manners, seeming to believe that she has a claim to consider herself well bred! This, although she has acquired some superficial accomplishments, she most certainly is
not,
being in truth ill-educated and often uncouth. As she is small of stature, and darkly complexioned, with a low, simian hairline, I have come to think of her as a kind of monkey in fine clothes
(my
fine clothes, I should add, although cut down to fit her).
To give you an instance of her presumption, in Baden-Baden I overheard her describe herself to the maid of a Russian lady as my companion! For this most unwarranted piece of audacity I was obliged to reprimand her severely, which brought forth an immediate, and rather threatening, scowl. Such a thing I cannot & will not tolerate in a servant. And so more warm words were said, on my part, to the effect that she must immediately mend her ways or be sent back home. All this time, Master K stood in the shadows, silent as usual. If he has said a dozen words on the whole journey here from Baden, I shall be amazed.
Today, however, Mrs K is all smiles, and the light of bloody rebellion has gone from her eyes. She apologized most contritely for trespassing so far beyond her place, & promised that she would be more mindful of her position in the future, which I was glad to hear.
This evening we are to attend an entertainment, at which we are promised fire-eaters, a ventriloquist, & Tyrolean minstrels! A very different prospect to yours tonight at dear peaceful Evenwood, I dare say!
All, then, goes as well as we could hope. I am here, safe & sound, & shall not leave until our business is successfully concluded.
I am, dear sir, your very affectionate,
E.G.C.
P.S. I put off my mourning in Baden. Although it pained me greatly, I thought it best to do so. However, the locket you were so kind to give me, containing my dear love’s hair, I shall always wear close to my heart, even when I am laid in my grave.

LETTER 3

Hotel Baltazar
Carlsbad

10th February 1855
MY LORD,—
He is found. I am sure of it. His name is Tadeusz Zaluski, a former colonel in the Prussian Army, although born the youngest son of a Polish nobleman from Lodz. He arrived here a few days since from Gräfenberg, where he had wished to take the water cure; but the place has deteriorated since the death of Herr Priessnitz,
*
& so he has come here instead.
He speaks excellent English, is forty years of age, in somewhat poor health, & was cut off some years ago by his father. The reasons for this are unclear to me at present, but the separation is apparently permanent, & this has rendered his financial position increasingly precarious. All this I learned within fifteen minutes of being introduced to him.
Mrs K has further discovered, from servant talk, that he travels constantly, to avoid his creditors. It is therefore likely that he will not remain here long, having no doubt already run up debts. All this encourages me greatly, for it demonstrates an acute
need
– & that is what we seek. He is, besides, cultivated, handsome enough, and – despite his troubles – good-humoured; and so, all in all, I think that he will do very well, if I can get him.
Mrs K, you will gather, continues amenable. I have increased her remuneration, as you suggested, & this, together with the present of another gown (she is inordinately proud of her appearance, & takes the most ludicrous pains to appear à la mode), has, I think, re-invigorated her loyalty. Of course we are taking a risk with her; but I know that I cannot accomplish this on my own, & yr Ldship’s judgment with regard to her trustworthiness must override any doubts that I may have on that score.
Colonel Zaluski will be at the Grand Ball tomorrow evening, to which I have also been invited by a pleasant French diplomat and his wife, with whom I have passed several promenading afternoons lately. I hope to send you further news very soon.
Until then, I remain, my dear sir,—
Ever yours in respect and daughterly love,
E. CARTERET

LETTER 4

Hotel Baltazar
Carlsbad

12 th February 1855
MY LORD,—
The Polish Colonel escorted me back to my hotel, after the Grand Ball last night, and I took the immediate opportunity to lay my proposal, in the most general terms, to him. My heart was in my mouth, I freely admit, for I feared that he would be shocked by my extreme forwardness, and by the audacity of the business. But my fears proved as unjustified as my first instinct was correct as to his suitability for the role I wished him to play.
We arranged that he would visit me again here at the hotel this morning. He has just left, after two hours, and I hasten to write this to you, so that you may share with me, as soon as may be, the satisfaction of knowing that we have succeeded in achieving the first, and essential, part of our plan, and so soon after arriving here.
He was thoroughly charming throughout, needed no unnecessary justification for our enterprise, and, being of elevated birth himself, professed genuine – indeed, profound and moving – sympathy for the great cause, to which you and I are dedicated. He was unconcerned about the pecuniary arrangements, which only served to reinforce the excellent impression I had already formed of him, saying that all that sort of thing could be discussed in due course. He returns tomorrow to take a room in the hotel.
And so it is done. The heir will have a father.
I remain, dear sir, ever yr loving,
E. CARTERET

LETTER 5

Hotel Baltazar
Carlsbad

8 th March 1855
MY LORD,—In haste.
Colonel Zaluski and I depart from here early tomorrow morning for Franzenbad. Mrs K has been told of a legal man there who will draw up the necessary documents with regard to Colonel Zaluski’s position. He will also advise us on making the further arrangements that will be necessary in due course. Mrs K says that the man no longer practises his profession, having been implicated (though never convicted) in a financial scandal in his home city some years back; but she has assured us that he is well able to help us – for a reasonable consideration, of course. From her account, I gather that he has never been over-scrupulous in his professional dealings, even before the scandal, and that one more lapse will not incommode his conscience in the least.
Ever yr devoted,
E.

LETTER 6

Hotel Adler
Franzenbad

18 th March 1855
MY LORD,—
A dreadful crisis has occurred.
Yesterday morning, while we were in conference with the lawyer, Herr Drexler, at his house, Mrs K’s son was apprehended in the act (it is claimed) of accosting a local girl. He escaped, however, & has now fled to the town of Egra, whither his mother (we think) has gone to find him.
After we had come out of the lawyer’s house and had been informed of the incident, we returned to the hotel to await developments. The time for dinner arrived, but there was still no word or sign of Conrad. We learned from Herr Adler, the hotel’s proprietor, that the girl had not been seriously harmed, & that nothing unmentionable had been done to her, for which we were very grateful. However, the girl’s father is an important man in the town and is determined that Conrad must be found and prosecuted. Fortunately for us, no one has so far recognized Conrad as belonging to our party – he and Mrs K were lodging together in a house some distance from the hotel, & we have rarely been seen with him since we arrived.
Mrs K went all about the town looking for her son, & did not return to the hotel until past eleven o’clock. She begged us to take a lenient view of the matter, insisting that Conrad was a good boy at heart and had meant no harm to the young woman. She also promised that there would be no repetition, for she would make sure that he was never again left alone, & assured us that she knew he would be sorry for what he had done.
I told her I found it impossible to accept her assurances, having been deeply alarmed by the wholly unexpected turn of events, which could put all our careful plans in jeopardy. Just then, a messenger arrived with a note for Mrs K. It had been written on Conrad’s behalf, being unable to write himself, and bore the three words ‘Mother. Egra. Conrad’, by way of advising Mamma of his present place of refuge.
The colonel agreed that we must instantly inform the authorities; but on hearing of our intention, Mrs K, with a face of fury, and letting out a kind of howl, rushed to the door, removed the key, and quit the room, closing the door behind her. In a moment, we heard the sound of the key turning in the lock! It took five minutes or more for someone to come, & then another key had to be found to let us out, allowing Mrs K even more time to make her escape.
This morning we learn that the authorities have begun making a search of the lodging-houses in Egra, but with little expectation that they will find either of the fugitives. And so Colonel Z and I must proceed as best we can without the aid of Mrs K, which has not been wholly unwelcome until now. Luckily, the colonel speaks excellent German, & we have already made the acquaintance of Herr Drexler, who, although a little coarse in his manner, & rather too obviously fond of drink, is, in other respects, a man who knows how things are done here, & is willing to do them for us.
Do not be alarmed, my dear sir, by this news. The situation was grave for a time, certainly, but the danger, we are sure, has passed, & we are determined that nothing shall now prevent us from completing the next stage of our enterprise.
We leave here tomorrow, returning through Carlsbad, and then on to Toeplitz. The ceremony will take place there on Saturday week. Herr Drexler is confident that the money we have disbursed will ensure that everything is done as we wish.
With regard to the other impending event, we think of taking a house in Ossegg until the end of the summer, and then move on to somewhere else, before we go to Prague, where the colonel has a sympathetic uncle.
The prospect of being so long away from dear Evenwood, and from yr Ldship, is a dreary one; but the pill must be swallowed, & I am happy to endure any hardship, undergo any deprivation, for yr sake, & for the cause to which I have pledged myself.
Ever yr loving,
E. CARTERET