Black Gold by Charles O'Brien Page A

partner in court tennis.”
    â€œHe apparently believes you might be useful to him. That’s how he thinks about everything. What’s most on his mind right now is how to deal with Lady Margaret and Fitzroy.”
    Paul’s jaw tightened. He spoke with steel in his voice. “Perhaps I can help him solve that problem.”

Chapter 8
    Mortal Enemy
    Friday, March 30
    Anne went to her room with the unopened letters Paul had delivered to her and sat by the window to gain its late afternoon light. Her grandfather André’s message was brief but poignant. A deep man of few words, he missed her sorely but hoped she was enjoying Bath. He reported on his visit with Colonel Paul de Saint-Martin. Friendly, a genuine man of honor, he could be trusted. Anne should invite him to stop over in Hampstead on his return journey to France.
    She gazed at her grandfather’s bold signature, her eyes tearing. His reaction to Paul pleased her, all the more because she understood his strong resentment toward officers of the French king.
    The letter from Barnstaple, her solicitor, provoked a frisson of apprehension. He rarely wrote. She quickly broke the seal and read:
    My dear Miss Cartier,
    I should alert you to the fact that Mr. Jack Roach is living in Bath. He may pose a threat to you. Although I’ve known his whereabouts for a year, I’ve had no reason to mention it until today when I heard you were travelling to that city.
    Anne shuddered at the reference to Roach and laid down the letter. Last year she had told her solicitor she didn’t want to hear about the man unless absolutely necessary. Even the thought of him had distressed her. She should have spoken to Barnstaple before leaving Hampstead. With a sigh, she resumed reading.
    I’ve learned of a new development in your case against Roach. The magistrates of Bath had previously chosen to ignore my requests that he be held for the assault he committed upon you in Islington. This morning, I heard from Mr. Dick Burton, a Bow Street officer. Bath’s magistrates have called upon him to look into fraud and extortion Roach is alleged to have committed in their city. The officer believes he may also give you justice. He has your address, so I presume he will call upon you.
    Respectfully yours, Edward Barnstaple, Esq.
    Anne reread the letter, then rose from her seat, troubled by this rash of disconnected, unexpected events—her call to tutor Charlie, Paul’s arrival in pursuit of Fitzroy, and now the news of Roach’s presence in the city.
    A knock on her door startled her. A maid walked in with hot water and towels. Time to wash and dress for this evening’s party. Anne folded the letters and slipped them into a drawer. She would deal with their implications later.
    ***
    When the maid had gone and Anne was alone in her room, she heard faint sounds of music. Without warning, an attack of nerves struck her. She breathed deeply to calm herself. Tonight would be a special evening. She and Paul would dance together for the first time. She nervously smoothed the folds of her light blue muslin gown and studied its delicate pattern, then tightened the dark blue sash at her waist.
    Glancing at herself in the mirror, she pouted half-seriously. Other women would be much more splendidly dressed and adorned with expensive jewelry. They would notice the paste diamonds on her necklace and bracelets. Hopefully her appearance would please Paul. Nothing else mattered. She stepped a country dance around the room, flaring her skirt, and pronounced herself ready.
    She left her room, crossed the antechamber to Charlie’s door and knocked, forgetting for a moment the boy was deaf. Then she remembered the cord hanging to the left of the door that worked a mechanical signal in the boy’s room. Still no response. Tentatively she opened the door and saw Charlie absorbed in a book. He seemed to sense her presence and glanced over his shoulder. Startled at