The Winter Rose (113 page)

"I understand," India said. "And they'll never hear differently from
me. But why did he come here? If Freddie had seen him, he would have
tried to kill him. And if he was prepared to risk Freddie's wrath, why
did he leave when he knew Freddie was dead?"

Seamie sat forward in his chair. "He came here because he thought
Charlotte might be his. He wanted to know for sure. He planned to ride
out here and ask you."

India nodded. "She is his," she said quietly.

"Sid's daughter," Seamie said, smiling. "And my niece. No wonder she's remarkable."

India laughed. She liked this young man immensely. He was brave like
his brother. And good, she could see that. He had Sid's eyes, too. They
were as green, as lively, and in their depths--as sad.

"Yes, his daughter. If he knew that, if he even thought it, why would
he rescue us and then disappear? He didn't even tell us where he was
going. Or if he'd ever be back. Why didn't he stay with me to ask me
about Charlotte? Why didn't he stay with her?"

India thought she might know the answer to her many questions, but she couldn't bear to admit it.

"He was afraid of the law catching up with him," Maggie said. "When
he escaped, he didn't know about Frankie Betts's statement. Didn't know
that Freddie was going to be questioned."

"Perhaps," India said. She looked at her hands, then sadly said, "But
I think the real reason is that he's angry with me. For not telling him
about Charlotte. For keeping the truth from him for all these years. I
almost did tell him. A few weeks ago. But I knew we were going back to
London, and that he might never see her again. I thought it would be
cruel. So I didn't tell him. And now he's so furious that he doesn't
want to see either of us ever again."

Maggie and Seamie exchanged worried glances.

"I'm sure that's not it," Maggie said.

"I'm sure it is," India said. "It must be. Nothing else could explain
his leaving without so much as a note telling me why. Or where he's
going."

There was a noise from outside India's bedroom door. A small, scraping sound.

"Charlotte?" India called.

There was no reply.

"My God. I hope that wasn't her. I hope she didn't hear--"

India didn't get to finish her sentence for Mary came bustling into the room wringing her hands.

"Mary, is Charlotte hiding there?"

"Where?"

"Outside my room?"

"No, ma'am."

"How about those sandwiches?" Maggie said. "Where are they hiding?"

Mary glared at Maggie, then she said, "Lady India, I'm terribly sorry
about the delay with the tea but the kitchen's in an uproar. The men
are

back. They've ey've found Lord Frederick's remains. And the ADC's

...th

arrived from Nairobi with his men. I've told him you're unwell, but
he insists on speaking to you. And to Lord Frederick. He doesn't know,
you see, and I don't know what to do," Mary said, near tears now. "I
didn't know if I should tell him what's happened."

"Tell Joseph to see that our guests are fed, Mary. Tell him to make
up enough beds for everyone as well. Tell Tom I'll be with him shortly,
then please come back and draw my bath."

"Are you certain that's wise, Lady India? You're still weak."

"It's probably not wise, but I've no choice. While I'm with Tom, you may start packing our things."

"Will you leave now?" Maggie asked when Mary had bustled off again.

"As soon as I can. I'll speak to Tom Meade and tell him what
happened. I'll give him the jewelry and tell him what I know about it.
I'll have to make arrangements for Freddie's remains. I'm sure there
will be an inquest in Nairobi. When it's over, Charlotte and I will
return to London."

Maggie nodded. "We must let you dress," she said.

Seamie was silent. He and Maggie were nearly out of the door when he
turned around and said, "Lady Lytton ...India ... stay. Wait for him."

"He's not coming back here, Seamie. I know it. I feel it. I've lost him. Again."

"He will come."

India shook her head sadly. "I had the chance to tell him. I didn't take it. I don't think I will get another."

Joe lowered his weary head into his hands and let out a long,
defeated sigh. He was in his carriage on the way home from the home
secretary's office. He'd just been to see Gladstone again, desperate for
news on his quest to reopen the Dean case, only to find out that there
wasn't any.

The home secretary had summoned Freddie Lytton home, but had received no response. It seemed that no one could find the man.

Joe had made it known to Gladstone--after getting nowhere with Desi
Shaw and Joe Grizzard--that if the Home office continued to do nothing
about Frankie Betts's accusations, he would take Betts's statement to
the papers himself.

"What if you're wrong, Herbert?" he'd asked him. "What if you're
wrong and I'm right, and you do nothing when you had the chance to do
something?

What if I do end up finding out where that jewelry got to? What if I
get a second witness, a second statement? And you never so much as
questioned the accused? It'll look like a double standard. One set of
laws for privileged cabinet ministers, another set for everyone else."

Gladstone had drummed his fingers on the desk, then said, "All right,
I'll do this much. I'll telegraph Nairobi. Tell the governor there
what's occurred. Tell Lytton to return to London. See what he has to say
about it when he arrives. You'll have to give me some time though, Joe.
He's out in the middle of East Africa; I think there's only one
telegraph machine in the whole place and no telephones. It might take a
few days to find him."

Joe had said that was reasonable. He promised to sit tight and do
nothing. But that was a week ago. He'd been so disappointed today to
find that Gladstone had had no meaningful news from Nairobi. Only a
telegram from the governor saying they were still trying to locate
Lytton. That there appeared to be some problem up at Mount Kenya, where
Lytton was holidaying. He would be in touch as soon as he knew more.

He raised his head now and looked out of the carriage window. He was
empty-handed. He had so hoped to do this for Fiona. To give her the gift
of her brother. Safe, sound, and back in her life. He'd tried--pursuing
every avenue he could think of--but he'd failed. Desi Shaw told him
that he'd never heard a word about anyone trying to move Gemma Dean's
jewelry. And Joe Grizzard had said the same thing. Wherever he went,
whatever avenue he tried, he encountered nothing but dead ends. He was
no closer now to clearing Sid Malone's name than he had been when he'd
first sat down across from Frankie Betts. The carriage stopped outside
94 Grosvenor Square. It had been built especially for him, and allowed
him to get in and out easily in his wheelchair. He lowered the folding
ramp--he liked to do these things himself and not have people fuss over
him--and carefully rolled down it. Then he rolled himself up the ramp in
front of his mansion. He reached up to ring the bell, but before he
could do so, the door was yanked open. He expected Foster to be standing
on the other side, but it was Fiona.

"Thank God you're home!" she cried. She was clutching two sheets of
paper in her hands. Her face was streaked with tears. She was talking so
fast, Joe could barely understand her.

He heard the words Charlie, Seamie, Africa, jail, amputation, Kilimanjaro, and rhinofficeros in quick succession.

Rhinofficeros, he thought stupidly. That can't be good.

As he rolled himself into the foyer, he saw that Katie and Charlie
were sitting on the stairs, their faces peeking through the spindles.
Anna, the nurse, sat with them, holding little Peter in her arms.

"Calm down, Fiona," Joe said, mindful of the fact that she was in the
ninth month of her pregnancy and due any day. "Take a breath. Now,
what's wrong?"

Fiona tried again to tell him, but fresh tears overtook her and she couldn't.

At that moment Foster breezed into the hall, a tea tray in his hands.
"Cook's made a lovely jam sponge, sir. And a dish of custard sauce to
go with it," he said.

Joe wondered if the entire household had gone mad. "Mr. Foster, I'm hardly interested in puddings right now!"

Foster inclined his head toward the stairs. "The children, sir."

"Of course. I'm sorry. Katie, Charlie, would you like a nice dish of pudding?"

"Mummy's crying," Katie said.

"A cinoseros bit Uncle Seamie's leg off," Charlie added.

"It's rhinofficeros, and I'm sure nothing of the sort happened. Go
downstairs with Anna. You can have some pudding with Cook. She'll tell
you a story."

"But ..."

"Go. Mummy and I will come down later. You be sure to save us some pudding, all right?"

"I'll put this in the drawing room for you, sir," Foster said, disappearing with the tray.

The children followed Anna to the kitchen as Joe led Fiona to the
drawing room. Foster had already poured the tea. He left, quietly
pulling the doors closed behind him. Joe made Fiona sit down. He moved
close to her. Their knees were touching.

"Fee, luv, you've got to calm down," he told her. "This is no good
for the baby. Whatever's happened, we'll sort it out. Now tell me, what
has happened?"

Fiona handed him the papers she was holding. "It's all there," she said, her voice catching. "It's all in the telegram."

"This is a telegram? It's two bloody pages long! Who's it from?"

"Seamie."

Joe started to read.

Dear Joe and Fiona, the telegram began, Despite what you may soon read or hear, I am well.

Bloody hell, Joe thought.

Seamie continued by apologizing for not contacting them sooner, but a
rhinofficeros had knocked a telegraph pole down a few miles outside
Nairobi and it had taken a week to fix it. He hoped that they had not
yet heard any news out of Nairobi. Joe then learned all about the climb
to the top of Mawenzi, the accident, the cross-country trek, and the
operation.

"Blimey," he said. "That poor lass. It's a miracle she's alive."

"We have to go to the Aldens," Fiona said. "Seamie wants us to. He wants us to tell them what's happened to Willa."

"We can do that, Fee. We'll do it this evening. Willa will make it. Seamie's all right. There's no reason to be so upset."

Fiona wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Keep reading," she said.

Joe did. And saw why she was crying. Sid Malone had been found
working on a coffee plantation in British East Africa, Seamie explained,
and had been arrested by Freddie Lytton. The governor had planned to
send him back to London to answer charges for the murder of Gemma Dean.

"It's all right, Fee," Joe said, putting the telegram down. "It's going to be all right."

"All right? How can you say that, Joe? It's far from all right.
Freddie Lytton is behind this. Lytton! He wanted to hang my brother
years ago. He would've too, if Seamie hadn't got him out of London."

"What does the rest say?" Joe asked. He'd read only to the bottom of the first page.

"I don't know," Fiona said, still distraught. "The telegram arrived
only a few minutes before you did. I hadn't read past the part about
Charlie's arrest."

Joe kept reading.

"Bloody hell!" he whispered.

"What?" Fiona said nervously.

"It appears that Freddie Lytton won't be hanging anyone."

"Why not?"

"Because he's dead. He was mauled to death by wild animals."

"Oh, my God, Joe. Oh, the poor man. What about his wife? India... is
she all right? They have a child. Please don't tell me anything happened
to her."

"Blimey!"

"What, Joe?"

"Lytton tried to kill them."

"Who?"

"His wife and daughter."

"You must be joking."

"Sid stopped him. He saved India Lytton and the girl."

"But how? He's in jail."

"No, he isn't. He broke out. He saved them and then he disappeared.
He's a fugitive. According to Seamie, no one has any idea where he's
heading."

Fiona pressed her hands to her cheeks.

"Seamie says he's fine and he's coming back to London. Along with
India and Charlotte Lytton. On the next ship that leaves Mombasa."

"I can't believe this, Joe," Fiona said, lowering her hands. "We have
to do something. We have to find him. We have to help him. He's all
alone."

Seamie concluded his telegram by saying there was more to the story--
including a coffee planter, a music box, and some diamonds--and he'd
fill them in when he saw them in person.

Some diamonds, Joe thought. Gemma Dean's diamonds? He'd wager the
answer was yes. For the first time in many weeks, hope flickered inside
him.

If his instincts were right, and they usually were, India Lytton had
somehow found Gemma Dean's diamonds, and the discovery had almost cost
her her life. And Sid Malone had somehow learned that Charlotte Lytton
was his daughter. Joe didn't know how, but he'd find out. As soon as
Seamie came home.

Fiona was still talking, still frantic to find Sid. Joe leaned forward in his wheelchair and took his wife's hands in his.

"Fiona, I've something to tell you," he said.

"What is it?"

"Several weeks ago, before any of this happened, I started working to try to get the Dean case reopened."

Fiona looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "You did?" she said. "Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"I didn't want to say anything until I knew I really had something. I
didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing. I've been working on it
for weeks. I've discovered that there was an eyewitness to Gemma Dean's
murder. Frankie Betts."

"You went to see Betts?" Fiona said. "My God, Joe."

"I had a feeling he knew something. I was right. He's given a
statement saying he was there when Gemma Dean was murdered. He's sworn
that your brother didn't do it."