The Thief Taker (30 page)

T
HE BELLS OF
S
T.
P
AUL'S
struck two as Agnes Meadowes, laden with a basket of provisions, her cloth-bound recipe book, and an assortment of cleaning utensils, unlocked the door to a small house in Watery Lane. Depositing her possessions in the dark hall, she made her way into a shabby front room, furnished with four tables and a counter, all covered with dust. Not for the first time, she remarked to herself that there was a great deal of painting and scrubbing to be done. Striding through to the kitchen, she surveyed a range that was brown with rust, a floor slick with congealed grease, and a blackened dresser, the recesses of which she had not yet dared explore. Upstairs was a warren of sparsely furnished rooms in a state of similar filth and dilapidation. Nevertheless, she felt not in the least despondent. She had used Theodore's five pounds and Rose's fifteen sovereigns to rent these premises, where she would begin a new enterprise as proprietor of an eating house and purveyor of pastries and pies.

She carried a bucket to the pump in the yard outside and filled it with water. She began to scrub the range, but was soon forced to stop. Rose's brother, in recognition of what she had done in pursuing his sister's murderer, had given her Rose's ring and silver box. The ring had caused a blister to appear on her finger.

Agnes pulled it off. She smiled as she remembered coming upon Rose in the larder, locked in an embrace with Philip. In the past, both she and Rose had been forced along unwise paths. But unlike Rose, fate had given her opportunity to set things straight. She slipped the ring into her pocket and returned to her work.

Sometime later, when the range was clean and the blacking of the iron well under way, Agnes heard a knock on the door. “Elsie,” she said, seeing the thin-faced girl, still swathed in her rags and red shawl, and wearing Rose's overlarge boots. Without knowing why, Agnes embraced her. “You are here at last! There's a deal to be done before this house is habitable. Tomorrow, Sarah Sharp will bring Peter. This evening, Thomas Williams might call.” She smiled as she mentioned his name, and thought of his hair spread about his head like a mane, his arms flung out like the spokes of a wheel on his pillow. “And suppose Mrs. Tooley keeps her promise and comes to visit this weekend. You have never known anyone so particular as she is. The smallest cobweb is guaranteed to give her a turn.”

“Then why don't I make a start upstairs and you carry on down here?” said Elsie, her feline eyes surveying Agnes calmly.

“Yes. But first let us take something to eat. I am half starved, and I am sure you must be too. There's nothing in the place save an oyster pie, a piece of gammon, and an orange I brought with me.” Agnes took out Rose's ring. “And since this is too small for my finger, I should like you to have it—for helping as you did, and joining me now.”

Wordlessly, Elsie slid it on her bony finger and rubbed it on her shawl to bring up its luster. Then she cast her eye over the basket. Her hungry look reminded Agnes of the time not so very long ago when she had snatched the orange.

“Thank you, ma'am,” she said. “Mr. Pitt could never have fed me half so well. Did you hear, by the by, that his case has been dismissed for want of anyone willing to give testimony against him, and he's back in Melancholy Walk? I'll set a table, shall I?”

A
GNES'S COOKERY
and the duties of other members of the house are based upon household guides such as
The British Housewife: or the Cook, Housekeeper's and Gardiner's Companion,
by Martha Bradley, 1756;
The English Housekeeper,
by A. Cobbett, 1842;
The Servant's Practical Guide: A Handbook of Duties and Rules,
Frederick Warne, publisher, 1880; and
The Experienced English Housekeeper,
by Elizabeth Raffald, 1997. Other helpful books included
What the Butler Saw: Two Hundred and Fifty Years of the Servant Problem,
by E. S. Turner, 1962;
Costume of Household Servants,
by P. Cunnington, 1974;
Life Below Stairs,
by Frank E. Huggett, 1977.

Descriptions of eighteenth-century silversmithing practices relied upon
Three Centuries of English Domestic Silver,
by Bernard and Therle Hughes, 1952; and
Silver in England,
by P. Glanville, 1987. Details of markings and duty dodging were taken from
Hallmark: A History of the London Assay Office,
by J. S. Forbes, 1999. I am also grateful for the assistance of the librarian at Goldsmiths' Hall.

As ever, my thanks are due to Sally Gaminara and her editorial team at Transworld Publishers; to my agent, Christopher Little, and his staff; and to Ruth Fecych at Simon & Schuster for her hard work on editing the U.S. edition.

1. Consider how Gleeson reveals the book's society and time frame from the very first page. What are the social classes of the main characters? Share some examples of how the author establishes characters and settings with her language, tone, and cadence.
   
2. Why does Agnes keep herself separate from everyone? How does her relationship with the staff change from the beginning to the end of the book?
   
3. After Elsie steals from her, Agnes doesn't appear to be angry. Why do you think this is? Are there other instances of Agnes's compassion? If so, what are they?
   
4. Agnes suffered greatly at the hands of her husband. How do her past relationships with men impact her actions—particularly with Philip, Thomas, and Marcus Pitt—during the investigation? Do her feelings toward men change?
   
5. What are the most powerful instances of station and class affecting how people interact with each other (for example, Agnes and Rose versus Agnes and Lydia Blanchard; Rose and Philip versus Nancy and Nicolas Blanchard)? How does class affect Agnes's ability to investigate Rose's murder?
   
6. When Thomas explains the meaning of the stamps on the pieces of silver to Agnes, it casts doubt on the integrity of the Blanchards. At this point in the investigation, who do you suspect as the murderer and/or the thief—Marcus Pitt, Thomas, Nicolas Blanchard, or one of the servants? Ultimately, were you surprised by the identity of the murderer? If not, what clues led you to suspect who the murderer was?
   
7. Theodore Blanchard promises Agnes twenty guineas—a veritable fortune for her—if she successfully completes her mission with the thief taker and the wine cooler is returned. However, though she succeeds, he cheats her. Were you surprised? Agnes knew that Blanchards' business did not pay proper duty. Did she have any other recourse to make Theodore keep his word? What would she have gained or lost from using this knowledge against the Blanchards?
   
8. After Agnes is intimate with Thomas, she discovers that Rose once had close ties to him. Why doesn't she ask Thomas directly about Rose? How do her assumptions about Thomas affect her behavior?
   
9. Rules were very strict for servants in the Blanchard household—they were not allowed to marry and, for the most part, had only one afternoon off a week. How were their lives similar to and different from slaves? Do the restrictions on their lives, such as the restrictions on marriage, shock you?
   
10. When Agnes is dismissed, what is your opinion of Mr. Matthews when he gives her Rose's money? Do his actions change your opinion of him? Why wouldn't he keep the money?
    
11. How might the events and characters in
    The Thief Taker
    differ if they had been set in the United States?
    

You are already well grounded in eighteenth-century British history. How much further research was required to write
The Thief Taker
? What means did you use (for example, books, the Internet, university professors)?

I consulted many books on eighteenth-century cuisine and on household etiquette. I also spent some time at Goldsmiths' Hall—the center of silver- and goldsmithing in Britain—where I researched the intricacies of assaying and duty dodging.

 

Where did you learn about the thief taker profession? Why is it called “thief taking”?

I learned about thief taking from Lucy Moore's book
The Thieves' Opera,
which details the exploits of Jonathan Wild, an eighteenth-century thief taker who partly inspired my creation of Marcus Pitt. The term was so called because although many thief takers were highly corrupt, they often informed on the criminals they employed in order to receive rewards, thus enabling the thief to be “taken,” that is, apprehended.

 

Are any parts of
The Thief Taker
based on real events? What inspired you to write this story?

The story is not based on any real events. My inspiration came from my fascination with the strange process of thief taking that reflects the inadequacies of law making and policing at the time and also from a desire to write about a female protagonist rather than a male one, as in my earlier books.

 

Do you believe it's more difficult to write mysteries than other genres? How do you plot your novels? Do you know how the mystery will end and then work your way back?

All genres have their difficulties, but since I have written only historical nonfiction and historical mysteries I wouldn't dare claim they are the most difficult to write. What is certain is that mysteries depend heavily upon the plot; and without careful planning it would be difficult to place clues and red herrings and develop the characters and story line with any consistency. When I start plotting I usually have a sense of key characters and how the story will end, as well as a few key scenes in my mind. Then I work on adding more characters and joining the scenes together to build the novel.

 

The English class system plays a major role in
The Thief Taker
. As someone who lives there, do you feel that modern-day England is still a very class-conscious society?

There is a strong sense of class, but class no longer presents the barriers it once did—with talent and luck anyone can do anything in twenty-first-century Britain.

 

Are most of your favorite writers from the eighteenth century, or do you follow the careers of any current authors?

I have always enjoyed eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century literature, but I have very eclectic reading tastes and read widely on a range of subjects. I particularly enjoy and admire the historical fiction of Sarah Walters and the nonfiction of Katie Hickman, who wrote
Daughters of Britannia
and
Courtesans.

 

You've worked at Sotheby's and were an art and antiques correspondent for
House & Garden
. What piece did you come across that impressed you the most?

I remember while I was writing for
House & Garden
that the Badminton cabinet was sold. This was an incredible tour de force of baroque furniture making, covered with inlaid, brightly colored stone decoration, that was made in Italy for an English aristocrat—the Duke of Beaufort—when he was only nineteen years old.

 

The Thief Taker
is very visual in nature. Do you pay greater attention to the setting details because of your art background?

I do try to see what I am writing as I find it helps me get into the mood of the period and to conjure the atmosphere for the reader—an essential requirement if they are to believe they are in the eighteenth century.

 

You were born in Sri Lanka, but you currently live in England. Which do you consider your home? Do you visit Sri Lanka often?

I consider England to be very much my home, although Sri Lanka is very dear to my heart and a great place to spend a holiday. I last visited about ten years ago but hope to go back soon.

1. Agnes Meadowes is an accomplished French chef. Experience the flavor of her kitchen by serving some of the dishes she describes: almond soup, boiled cod, jugged hare, roast venison, apple tart, and so on. For a simpler culinary experience, serve scones and tea, such as Earl Grey or Darjeeling. Delicious recipes can be found on www.joyofcooking.com.
   
2. The Thief Taker
   takes place in eighteenth-century England. Invite a historian from your local university to add historical nuance to your discussion.
   
3. We experience in intimate detail some of the restrictions placed upon the characters in
   The Thief Taker
   because of England's class structure. Enhance your book club discussion by watching
   The Remains of the Day
   or
   Gosford Park,
   which illustrate the restrictions on the servant class. Compare and contrast the lives of servants in both stories.
   
4. If
   The Thief Taker
   were a film, discuss which actors you would want to play the various characters and why.