new, then.’
The landlord brought a jug of beer and two tankards. I paid him and poured it out. The spirit had joined two or three others singing in a corner – there are always drunken spirits in taverns; I was glad of the noise that covered our conversation. ‘Did Gregson not keep much there, then?’
‘Hardly anything, according to Ned. Just enough to pay his bills. The rest he invested.’ Fowler bared his teeth at me. ‘Heron has most of it – good investment, Heron. All that coal, all those ships. Gives four and a half per cent on every pound invested with him, just like government stocks!’
He was in the mood to mock everything and everyone, I perceived; Heron’s the only man who’s ever gained his loyalty and Fowler usually won’t hear a word against him. Years ago, during that disreputable period in London, Fowler took it into his head to rob a mild-looking, slight gentleman. When he found himself at Heron’s swordpoint, he must have expected a hempen end to his career, but Heron somehow saw possibilities in him that no one else ever did, and offered him an unlikely life as a manservant. It would be wrong to say Fowler has led a blameless life since, but his crimes have been small ones, and discreet. As far as I know.
‘Did you ever meet Alice?’
‘Saw her once in the shop while I was waiting for Ned. A wishy-washy little thing, with yellow curls. Dressed up as if she was going to a ball – I’ve seen countesses in London dressed simpler. Wide hoops, material worth a fortune over them. Lace and ribbons on her petticoats, and jewels on her shoes.’
He drank beer, poured more. With any other man, I’d have worried but Fowler knows how to hold his drink. ‘Her father came in and said Go and talk to your mother, Alice. She’s got work for you to do .’
‘And did she go?’
‘She turned to Ned, and said Don’t stand there being lazy, boy. Get me my cloak – I’m going out .’
Defying her father, scandalizing his customers and insulting a harmless boy all in two sentences. ‘And what did you say?’
‘Nothing!’ he said savagely. ‘Nothing, damn it! What could I say? What was there to say that wouldn’t draw attention to Ned all the more?’
That must have hurt. Fowler’s not a man to do nothing. ‘And then?’
‘Gregson told Ned to serve a customer, took the girl’s arm and marched her into the back of the house. Ned told me later there’d been a huge row. Screaming and shouting and swearing.’
‘And this was when?’
‘Thursday, about noon. Told me all about it Friday night when I saw him.’ His mouth twisted. ‘The night before he died.’
He took another long draught of the beer. His lean face was less flushed, more weary – he looked as if he’d not slept. Fowler’s loyalty is rarely given and never retracted. He’d never have betrayed the boy in any way, and wouldn’t let his death go unpunished now. The spirits sang on in their corner; a keelman in yellow waistcoat puffed out acrid clouds of smoke from a long pipe.
‘She was always after getting back to London,’ Fowler said. ‘Ned thought she’d decided to annoy everyone so they’d get exasperated and send her back. Not that there was ever any chance of that.’
‘No one left there for her to go to, I take it.’
‘There was a brother but he wouldn’t have her. Got a wife and family of his own and she was always arguing with them, or something of the sort. Besides, the other girl was getting married.’
‘Sarah? The youngest daughter?’ I was surprised.
He nodded. ‘She was the one supposed to stay at home and care for her parents in their old age. But one of the Baltic merchants took a fancy to her – he’s old but she liked the look of him. And his money, no doubt,’ he added waspishly. ‘If she married, Alice would have to stay at home.’
From what I’d heard of Alice, she’d not have liked that in the least. I sipped my own beer. It was surprisingly good, and my estimation of
The landlord brought a jug of beer and two tankards. I paid him and poured it out. The spirit had joined two or three others singing in a corner – there are always drunken spirits in taverns; I was glad of the noise that covered our conversation. ‘Did Gregson not keep much there, then?’
‘Hardly anything, according to Ned. Just enough to pay his bills. The rest he invested.’ Fowler bared his teeth at me. ‘Heron has most of it – good investment, Heron. All that coal, all those ships. Gives four and a half per cent on every pound invested with him, just like government stocks!’
He was in the mood to mock everything and everyone, I perceived; Heron’s the only man who’s ever gained his loyalty and Fowler usually won’t hear a word against him. Years ago, during that disreputable period in London, Fowler took it into his head to rob a mild-looking, slight gentleman. When he found himself at Heron’s swordpoint, he must have expected a hempen end to his career, but Heron somehow saw possibilities in him that no one else ever did, and offered him an unlikely life as a manservant. It would be wrong to say Fowler has led a blameless life since, but his crimes have been small ones, and discreet. As far as I know.
‘Did you ever meet Alice?’
‘Saw her once in the shop while I was waiting for Ned. A wishy-washy little thing, with yellow curls. Dressed up as if she was going to a ball – I’ve seen countesses in London dressed simpler. Wide hoops, material worth a fortune over them. Lace and ribbons on her petticoats, and jewels on her shoes.’
He drank beer, poured more. With any other man, I’d have worried but Fowler knows how to hold his drink. ‘Her father came in and said Go and talk to your mother, Alice. She’s got work for you to do .’
‘And did she go?’
‘She turned to Ned, and said Don’t stand there being lazy, boy. Get me my cloak – I’m going out .’
Defying her father, scandalizing his customers and insulting a harmless boy all in two sentences. ‘And what did you say?’
‘Nothing!’ he said savagely. ‘Nothing, damn it! What could I say? What was there to say that wouldn’t draw attention to Ned all the more?’
That must have hurt. Fowler’s not a man to do nothing. ‘And then?’
‘Gregson told Ned to serve a customer, took the girl’s arm and marched her into the back of the house. Ned told me later there’d been a huge row. Screaming and shouting and swearing.’
‘And this was when?’
‘Thursday, about noon. Told me all about it Friday night when I saw him.’ His mouth twisted. ‘The night before he died.’
He took another long draught of the beer. His lean face was less flushed, more weary – he looked as if he’d not slept. Fowler’s loyalty is rarely given and never retracted. He’d never have betrayed the boy in any way, and wouldn’t let his death go unpunished now. The spirits sang on in their corner; a keelman in yellow waistcoat puffed out acrid clouds of smoke from a long pipe.
‘She was always after getting back to London,’ Fowler said. ‘Ned thought she’d decided to annoy everyone so they’d get exasperated and send her back. Not that there was ever any chance of that.’
‘No one left there for her to go to, I take it.’
‘There was a brother but he wouldn’t have her. Got a wife and family of his own and she was always arguing with them, or something of the sort. Besides, the other girl was getting married.’
‘Sarah? The youngest daughter?’ I was surprised.
He nodded. ‘She was the one supposed to stay at home and care for her parents in their old age. But one of the Baltic merchants took a fancy to her – he’s old but she liked the look of him. And his money, no doubt,’ he added waspishly. ‘If she married, Alice would have to stay at home.’
From what I’d heard of Alice, she’d not have liked that in the least. I sipped my own beer. It was surprisingly good, and my estimation of
Similar Books
