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“No.” His smile slackened a bit. “I expect that trail is long cold by now. And if your suspicions are correct—one culprit is already six feet below.”
“But, if I’ve not had my fill after these killings are dealt with—perhaps I’ll look into it. Might be a welcome shift in gravity.” His mouth twinged faintly.
“I would welcome your attention to the matter------in truth, I have had to do most all of the 'looking' so far myself.”
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A thin smile crossed his mouth. “He’s made no mention of it to me.”
“Nor, it would seem, to your mother.” He spoke somewhat dryly, surveying the other man, slowly raising a brow. “Yet another example of the ineptitude of law here in Cornwall. I rather doubt if we shall ever see justice done on that front.”
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He blew out a gradual breath, eyebrows risen, nodding a bit as the other man finished. “I see. Well.” He paused, seeming to consider all of this, and then began again, his expression skeptical; mouth creasing inwards.
“I can’t speak for Carrington, but it sounds a mite steep for Valentine. Whatever his gripe with you at the time, whatever his financial concerns—I’ve never known him to enjoy indulging great risks to his person—at least, not of that sort. That wouldn’t have been a comfortable nor easy job in practice, and to be caught in the midst of it likely would’ve been even more perilous than being nailed down afterwards.”
“I have since contemplated such details.” He straightened, brows lifting------looked across at the other man, smoothing fingers down the front of his waistcoat. “I greatly doubt Valentine’s hand in the thing. Besides, I am sure he knows full well that I would not have him prosecuted. Had he played a part, he would have told someone------and I suspect that word of it would have reached my ears by now.”
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He looked up, frowning, eyes narrowing—his expression drawn somewhere between perplexity and disbelief. “—the robbery? God’s my life—you’re not serious, surely.”
He glanced up again, brows lifting, his manner still notably cool.
“For a time. He was planning to cut ties with me when the incident took place. No doubt, he would not have quarreled with acquiring some money to live on. Particularly if that money was mine.” He paused------then added more pointedly, looking down, “He was also associated at the time with a man called Stephen Carrington------your cousin’s late husband, whom I am convinced took part.”
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A grim, faintly somber twinge pulled along the edges of his mouth, chest falling as he sighed. “I expect they would both agree with that statement. Regrettably, there’s little to be done about it now.”
“Regrettably------and now she lives off of my good will.” His expression here grew momentarily more dry; then his eyes fell, and his voice became somewhat cooler.
“Have I ever told you I thought him good for that robbery?”
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He exhaled, brow giving an ironical tilt. “Little enough. A path to most of the necessary rooms, I suppose.” The timbre of his voice had turned rather dry.
He said nothing at this------didn’t raise his eyes, the line of his lips giving a humorless twitch.
“He made a mistake in marrying that woman.” He paused here before looking up finally, hands folding behind his back as he spoke. “Perhaps, I have begun to think, in marrying at all.”
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“Thursday last. And he often calls at Trenwith.” He paused.
“—of course, I advise him to keep his head down, for whatever good that may do.”
“Advice I would imagine he has not been heeding.” He didn’t look up, but continued to turn through the papers he’d been skimming. “Dare I ask if there has been any improvement made to the state of his living?”
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“I shall endeavor to keep him on track, though—truly I’ve no ranking over him.” He shifted, hands joining behind his back. “I don’t believe it’s this task that truly ill suits him. His record is commendable—up until a point. It’s his other interests that do him no credit.”
“May God speed you in your efforts.” He spoke dryly------looked off again, thumbing slowly through a stack of the papers lying atop his desk.
“Have you been of late to see your brother?”
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“No doubt. Expect most of those who try are quick to be trodden on.” He met the other’s gaze for a moment, his faint smile lingering, and then he slackened, eyes lowering. “—but then it’s not a force we need, it’s a few decent investigators, instead of these preventative men who’ve spent the last twenty years doing nothing but ratting out petty criminals.”
“Indeed. Even former soldiers are better suited to the task, it would seem.” He paused------glanced down, trailing a finger along the edge of his desk. “Or------in the least, some of them are.”
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He looked over, the knit of his forehead lifting a little higher. “There is always talk of change in Parliament, I believe it’s the action bit where they get lost.” A dry, though not altogether ill-natured smile tugged at his mouth. “But, of course I should welcome it as much as the next man.”
He looked the other man over, brows lifting, his own expression becoming rather dry.
“Change is slow where opinions are divided. Unfortunately, there are those who do not consider such deficiencies to be among our country’s chief concerns.”
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His mouth twinged bleakly. “They have their pride—and their Cornish disdain for interlopers.” He sighed again, brow lifting a bit. “And no doubt the London officials think they’ve bigger fish to fry as it is—I expect it might take more than a few dead women to truly garner their attention, beyond whatever men they’ve got sitting around who aren’t up to scratch.”
“No doubt. And that is precisely the reason I should prefer to keep this well in hand. It’s only a matter of time before a few dead leads to mass unrest in the county------particularly given the spread of these killings, if the man responsible is not caught.” He looked up again after a moment.
“The reach of the law here in Cornwall is unpardonably short. But in Parliament, there is talk of change. I suspect there will be a reform in that regard before long.”
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He exhaled, eyes lowering, his expression grim and vaguely apologetic. “—indeed, regrettably there are few others of his qualifications who’ve made themselves available.” He paused, grimacing faintly. “—of course his propensity for distraction is no help to us. I’ll see if I can speak to him.”
“Indeed. I would doubt if his qualifications are proving to be of much use to us in light of it, either.” He paused here; looked down, the line of his mouth hardening, hands clasping stiffly behind his back as he spoke.
“I should very much like to see more capable men brought in from London to aid you in your efforts. But of course------the local powers are entirely against it.”
“And if he breathes so much as another word to me in regard to the city’s cleanliness, or lack thereof, he may find himself different accommodations for the remainder of his stay------which, for the sake of my continued sanity, I shall pray is a short one.”
"I appear to have mislaid my wife. Have you seen her?"
“Elizabeth——?” He rounded, brows lifting, a slight frown lining his forehead “I was with her only moments ago. I believe she has gone to take the air.” He paused——looked over the other man and added, somewhat more pointedly, “I trust all is well between you?”
