The Lazarus Curse (28 page)

S
ir Joseph Banks stood on the terrace of Somerset House looking out onto the Thames. The stretch of river was even busier than normal as ships that had been held captive by the ice for weeks tried to maneuver their way out of port. Thomas joined him.

“A fine sight, Silkstone,” pronounced the great man, his large hands flat on the top of the stone balustrade. His coat flapped gently in the stiff breeze. “Discovery, trade, commerce: the bedrock of the British nation.”

Thomas wanted to venture that slavery should be added to the list, but he did not. He had come to talk about the murder of Matthew Bartlett and was in no mood for polemics. Late into the night he had been reading his postmortem notes. They had thrown up even more unanswered questions and it was these that he now wished to place before Sir Joseph.

A footman hovered nearby on the terrace. Their conversation could be overheard.

“So,” said Sir Joseph, “you have, no doubt, come to update me on your progress with the cataloguing, Silkstone.” His gaze remained on the river. It was evident that he was being cautious.

“I have to admit I have been distracted, sir, as you know,” Thomas replied, phrasing his reply carefully.

Sir Joseph’s shoulders rose and he let out a snort. “Men like you do not allow themselves to be distracted, Silkstone,” he barked, “unless there is very good reason.” He turned and took Thomas by the arm, leading him away from the footman, walking him along the terrace and out of earshot.

Thomas tensed. “I believe murder is reason enough,” he replied, keeping his voice low.

The great man suddenly jutted out his chin. “I told you not to meddle, Silkstone,” he said, switching his eyes to the river once more, “but I am glad you did. The Admiralty seems to have drawn a blank. What news have you?”

Thomas took a deep breath. “I could not help but give the matter a great deal of thought, sir, and there are certain things that do not make sense.” He had tried to rein in his anxiety, willing his tongue to slow down and his words to sound more measured, but his disquiet was plainly evident.

Sir Joseph threw a glance backward to ensure their conversation was not being overheard.

“Very well, Silkstone. You may have your say.”

Thomas took a deep breath. “You see, sir, I know.”

Sir Joseph’s head jerked up, as if tugged by an invisible rope. Thomas saved him the embarrassment of having to further interrogate him with an explanation.

“I know about the extraordinary powers of the branched calalue and how there are those who would seek to exploit them to the advantage of slave owners and the military alike,” he told him.

Sir Joseph made no attempt to deny the truth of Thomas’s words. “How did you find out?” he asked.

“Perrick’s widow entrusted me with the letters her husband sent from Jamaica.”

Sir Joseph’s nostrils flared. “I saw her with you at the memorial service,” he said with a nod.

Thomas could see that, although Sir Joseph was angry, he was prepared to listen to what he had to say. “The letters spoke of obeah and the hold it has over the enslaved peoples, and, as I feared, Mr. Bartlett’s murder appears directly linked to the contents of Dr. Welton’s journal.”

Sir Joseph shrugged and shook his head. “I never actually doubted that myself, Silkstone. Perhaps I should have told you the whole truth before. I rated you highly, but even so, it seems I underestimated you. I had to be careful, because of the relationship between our two countries.” He cleared his throat a little and began to walk further along the terrace. “Tell me what else you know.”

Thomas turned and drew alongside, the wind now sharp against his face. He began by recalling how the previous evening he had been reading
The Gazeteer and New Daily Advertiser
to Dr. Carruthers as usual. “I saw, sir, that on the same day as Mr. Bartlett’s body was found, there was also a spring tide. The river went out much farther than usual.”

“What are you saying, Silkstone?”

“I am wondering, sir, whether it might be possible that the murderer wanted Mr. Bartlett’s body to be discovered.”

Sir Joseph’s brow buckled. “Why would they want that?”

The young anatomist shook his head. “I cannot answer that, sir. But I do know that whoever killed Mr. Bartlett did so on a false pretext.”

Sir Joseph stopped in his tracks. “A false pretext? Explain yourself, Silkstone,” he snapped, before he began walking again.

“I managed to obtain a small quantity of this miraculous formula, said by an obeah-man to contain the restorative powers that Dr. Welton was investigating,” Thomas began.

Sir Joseph’s eyes opened wide. “In London?”

“Yes, sir, from a priest who practiced his black art from an inn.”

“And?”

“I discovered it is a mixture of honey and vinegar.”

“What?”

“Honey and vinegar,” repeated Thomas, his words struggling against the wind.

Sir Joseph’s shoulders slumped and his head shook in disbelief. “But that cannot be,” he said breathlessly.

“I am afraid so, sir. There is no miraculous formula, no herb that can bring men back to life from death and subjugate their wills, no Lazarus plant.”

Thomas saw Sir Joseph’s color drain from his face as he hit the rail of the balustrade in anger. “Then this has all been a waste, of time, of money and”—he drew a deep breath—“of life. The mission was cursed from the very outset.”

Thomas had to agree. “I am sorry to be the bearer of such news.”

Sir Joseph lifted his gaze and looked him in the eye. “You have done a great service, Silkstone. You questioned. That is what all men of science do. They must question and they must experiment until they have an answer.” He turned to look out over the river.

“But sometimes that answer is not what we wanted to hear, sir,” added Thomas.

“How true,” came the forlorn reply.

Aware that Sir Joseph needed time to recover from his revelations, Thomas backed away.

“If I can be of further assistance, sir . . .” he said.

Sir Joseph was still reeling. “What? No, Silkstone. That will be all.”

Thomas’s departure was acknowledged with a nod. It was clear that the great man had much on his mind, not least how he was going to explain to the members of the Royal Society that their most recent expedition was founded on a false premise. They had allowed themselves to fall victim to the propaganda of obeah and shown themselves to be gullible in the extreme. They were men of great learning and intellect, yet, just like Phibbah the hapless slave girl, they had fallen under the spell of a destructive myth.

When Thomas arrived home he heard laughter coming from the dining room. There he found Sir Theodisius Pettigrew tucking into one of Mistress Finesilver’s famous venison pies. Dr. Carruthers was with him, his face almost the color of the claret he was imbibing.

“Sir Theodisius. How good to see you, sir!” greeted Thomas, walking over to the coroner wearing a wide smile. He had last had contact with him at the court hearing, but had been unable to hear all his news from Oxfordshire. “You will have much to relate, I am sure,” he said, seating himself at the table.

The coroner wiped his chin with his napkin. “Veritably I do!” he replied, “but first and foremost I am a messenger for Lady Lydia.” He delved into his pocket and brought out a letter. “Her ladyship was most anxious that I give this to you in person,” he said. The way he winked led him to believe the missive contained good news.

Using a table knife to break the seal, Thomas begged to be excused while he read the letter at the table. He smiled as he saw the familiar script and he scanned the single sheet quickly.

“Her ladyship says that Sir Montagu is much better in himself, growing stronger every day, and he has asked her to host a dinner at Boughton in my honor!” he said, unable to hide his excitement.

“That is most excellent news!” said Dr. Carruthers, clapping his hands.

Thomas’s head bobbed low once more to read a few more words, then rose again. “It seems she believes he may be going to give his blessing to our union!”

In truth Thomas was reading between the lines of Lydia’s letter. What she had in fact written was that Sir Montagu had told her a secret that, she believed, “could be used to our advantage,” as she put it.

“Then let us a drink a toast to you and her ladyship,” declared Dr. Carruthers.

Thomas charged all their glasses with claret.

“May both of you enjoy the happiness you truly deserve together,” cried Sir Theodisius. “To Dr. Thomas Silkstone and Lady Lydia Farrell. Here’s hoping you both prosper.”

Glasses clinked and wine was drunk, and order was soon restored at the table. Mistress Finesilver entered with a large slice of pie and some boiled potatoes that she had kept warm for Thomas. She set down the plate before him with a self-conscious twitch of her lips.

“I am most grateful to you, Mistress Finesilver,” he told her with a smile. He reached for the salt cellar. “So what other news do you have for us, sir?” he asked the coroner, seasoning his pie.

Sir Theodisius leaned forward conspiratorially. “Upon my word, I have plenty,” he began. “It concerns that estate manager chap, Lupton.”

Thomas set down the cellar with a thud.

“I take it you did not approve of him, young fellow,” remarked Dr. Carruthers with a wry smile.

Thomas was rapidly losing his appetite. “I found his manner very”—he sought the appropriate word—“impertinent,” he said finally.

“Pah!” exclaimed Carruthers. “We shall make an Englishman of you yet!”

“Pray continue,” Thomas urged.

Sir Theodisius emptied his mouth, let out a faint belch, and began again. “I recognized the name and quizzed him when I met him. But he said he had no knowledge of the branch of the family I had in mind.”

“And which branch was that?” interrupted Carruthers.

The coroner slapped his palms on the table. “Only the Earls of Farley.”

Thomas pushed his plate away from him. “I knew it,” he growled between his teeth. “I knew there was something about him that could not be trusted.”

“ ’Tis true he seemed to have ideas above his station,” agreed Sir Theodisius.

Dr. Carruthers shook his head. “But what, in the name of Zeus, was he doing at Boughton, working as an estate manager?”

Sir Theodisius nodded and slapped the table once more. “That is precisely what I wanted to know,” he said. “So I made discreet inquiries.”

“And?” asked Thomas.

“ ’Twas not hard to find that he himself is the Right Honorable Nicholas Lupton.”

Thomas flew up from the table. “He has designs on Lydia!” he cried, throwing his napkin down in disgust.

Sir Theodisius nodded, but laid his hand gently on Thomas’s arm, encouraging him to be seated once more.

“I am afraid, Thomas, that you are absolutely right. Lupton’s father is an associate of Sir Montagu Malthus, and I bet the old devil was trying to make a match with her ladyship.”

Thomas’s anger could not be assuaged. Rising from the table, he excused himself. “I must go and see this Lupton and have it out with him once and for all,” he told his friends in a rare show of anger.

“Not so fast!” cried Sir Theodisius, his hand rising in the air. “It would pay you to hear the rest of my tale.”

Thomas, about to open the door, turned. “There is more?”

“If you were to leave for Boughton now, you would not find Lupton there.”

“What do you mean?”

The coroner shook his head. “He has left, taken all his belongings, and disappeared without a word.”

Thomas frowned. “And he did not inform her ladyship?”

“ ’Twould seem not.”

Pausing on the threshold for a moment, as if weighing up his options, Thomas suddenly turned.

“What will you do, young fellow?” asked Dr. Carruthers.

“There is only one thing to do,” he replied, with the certainty of a man whose future happiness teetered on a cliff edge. “I must go to Lady Lydia right away.”

“Y
ou wished to see me, sir?” Dr. Fairweather bowed low in front of Sir Montagu, who sat in a chair by the window, his bandaged leg stretched in front of him, supported on a footstool. The physician was surprised to find him out of bed and looking so robust. Mr. Parker, the surgeon, had been the only medical man Sir Montagu had permitted to examine him since the operation. Fairweather had no idea why.

The lawyer remained staring out of the window, not even turning to acknowledge his physician’s presence. Instead the latter stood awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other, now and again throwing a glance out over the gardens that were bathed in warm sunshine.

“Sir?” he said finally, angling his body into a position that he hoped might be within Sir Montagu’s eye line.

After a few more awkward seconds the lawyer did turn to look at him.

“Is that you, Fairweather?” he asked, his head cocked to one side.

At first the physician feared his patient had perhaps taken too much laudanum.

“It is, sir,” he replied.

Sir Montagu nodded. “I had trouble recognizing you, you see.”

Fairweather frowned. There is something seriously amiss, he told himself.

He edged forward. “Perhaps if I come closer, sir?” he ventured.

Sir Montagu’s eyes narrowed. “No, even that is no better, Fairweather,” he said.

“Sir?” The doctor remained puzzled.

His patient shook his head. “You see, even if you were under my very nose, you would still have as much respect from me as I do for that ant.” He pointed to an insect on the windowsill and promptly reached out and squashed it with his thumb. “Yes, that is how much respect I have for you, Fairweather, after your behavior the other day.”

The physician’s head juddered, as if he was trying to shake away a bad dream. “But . . . but sir!” he bleated. “I . . . I . . . do not understand.”

Sir Montagu shook his head. “From your manner I can tell you do, Fairweather. You are flustered. You are faltering, just as you did when you thought I would die on the operating table.”

The physician dropped his gaze and bowed his head as if reliving the moment he abandoned all his years of training and nearly swooned at the sight of so much blood.

“I let myself down,” he acknowledged quietly.

“You did, indeed, and some would say your reputation is at stake.”

Fairweather’s head shot up. He looked at Sir Montagu, whose piercing gaze was digging into his mind just as surely as if it were a surgeon’s probe. He took a step nearer his tormentor.

“You would not . . . please, sir. You would not tell . . .”

Sir Montagu shrugged his great shoulders. He had the demeanor of a crow about to feast on carrion. “That is up to you, dear Fairweather. Entirely up to you.”