A Poisoned Season

7

I stood impatiently on the steps of the Marlborough club, twirling my parasol, wondering what could be delaying Mr. Berry. After leaving Richmond, where Cécile had stayed for tea with Beatrice, I had headed directly for the Savoy Hotel, carrying the letter with me. He was not in his room, but the man behind the desk said that, if the matter was of some importance, the gentleman could most likely be found at his club. I got the distinct impression that the staff at the Savoy were quite accustomed to unaccompanied ladies calling for Mr. Berry.

"Lady Ashton, I am astonished you have come here," he said, when at last he appeared before me.

"You've kept me waiting nearly half an hour."

"Apologies, of course. I was lunching with the Prince of Wales."

I was not impressed. "I'd like to speak with you."

"So I see," he said. "Shall we go to the Savoy? My rooms are quite comfortable."

"Really, Mr. Berry, I'm in no mood to be trifled with. Let's go to the park." The dress I was wearing was one of Mr. Worth's creations, expertly cut from a lovely floral fabric. The neck was high, the sleeves slightly puffed, and lace wrapped tightly around the lower section of the bodice, making my waist look impossibly small with only a moderately laced corset. It flattered my figure and was elegant in a subtle, alluring way. I had selected it that morning in an attempt to improve my mood. It was not, however, a good choice when calling on a man like Mr. Berry, who was looking at me with a rather lecherous intensity.

"Where is your carriage, Lady Ashton?"

"I walked."

"Walked! How industrious you are. At Versailles, you know — "

"No Versailles today, Mr. Berry." I ignored the arm he offered, and we headed across the Mall into St. James's Park. "I would like to talk to you about Mr. David Francis. I believe you have corresponded with him?"

"The name is vaguely familiar."

"I imagine it would be," I said, giving him the note. "Why did he want you to come to Richmond?"

"Impossible to say. I've never actually met him, you know. I believe he had asked if I would dine with him."

"Strange to be invited to dine by a man you've never met, don't you think?"

"I find that my position generates many such invitations. People are likely to overlook formality in an attempt to meet me."

"You do know that he is dead, don't you?"

"Francis? How dreadful. I recall reading something about it in the papers."

"He was murdered, Mr. Berry."

"I'm sorry to hear it, but I don't see how it's any concern of mine." We came to a bench that stood between two groves of trees and provided a fine view of the canal. Mr. Berry sat down, not bothering to first offer me a seat.

"What was the situation about which you thanked him for alerting you?"

"The best I can remember is that Mr. Francis wanted me to buy something from him. He had a number of objects that belonged to my twice arrière-grand-mère. Said I shouldn't allow my family heirlooms to slip away and would offer me a good price for anything I wanted. He invited me to dine with him and look over his collection."

"Do you still have the letter he sent you?"

"Heavens, no. If I kept all the inconsequential notes I receive, I'd be overwhelmed with paper."

"Do you own anything that belonged to Marie Antoinette?"

"No." He scowled. "But I expect that to change soon enough." He grabbed my hand and pulled me down next to him on the bench. "Why have you really come to me, Lady Ashton? Were you distressed by the news of my engagement?"

I am certain that I bristled visibly at this comment and immediately removed my hand from his. "Not in the least."

"It's all right. Isabelle's most understanding."

I was not about to let this nonsense go any further. "Mr. Berry, I am here only because I hoped that you might be able to tell me something of use regarding Mr. Francis. As it appears that you cannot, I must beg your leave." I started to stand, but he yanked me back down and leaned close to me.

"Please don't think you've embarrassed yourself by coming to me like this. I find it surprisingly alluring. I've heard all about your illicit assignations and probably should have suspected that you would approach me so directly. My official position is going to change very soon, and when it does" — he began to massage my hand — "I expect I shall see much more of you."

I pulled my hand away. "You cannot think that I would — "

"I will, of course, need you to be more discreet once I am king, but until then, you may amuse yourself as you see fit. Do you plan to marry Bainbridge, or are the two of you just playing? I imagine he'd be as understanding a spouse as Isabelle."

"You have no right to ask me such a question," I said, furious, and stormed out of the park without uttering another word.

When I arrived at Berkeley Square, Cécile had not yet returned from Richmond. Eager though I was to tell her what had transpired since I left her, I was happy for the opportunity to take a bath, a very long, very soapy bath, and wash any trace of Mr. Berry from my person. After I had dried off and put on a lace-covered dressing gown, I sat in my bedroom and was just starting to comb through my wet hair when my friend knocked on the door.

"It is intolerable that Isabelle should be forced to accept such a husband," she said after I had recounted my conversation with Mr. Berry. "We should have encouraged Pembroke to elope."

"You're right," I said, feeling acutely guilty that I had not done more for the girl. "She's the only person I know who spent most of her youth actively dreaming about romantic fairy tales. For such a girl to wind up with Mr. Berry is not to be borne."

"I'm afraid there is little that can be done about her engagement now."

"He's such an awful man!" I said. "What do you think he was referring to when he mentioned my illicit assignations?"

Cécile waved her hand dismissively. "The most foolish sort of gossip, Kallista. I heard it reported at a party several nights ago. The story is that the Duke of Bainbridge was seen leaving your house at five o'clock in the morning."

"Jeremy? Why on earth would he be here so late?"

"It became clear that the time in question was the second night the intruder broke into your room. Someone must have seen Monsieur Hargreaves and thought he was the duke."

"But they look nothing alike."

"C'est vrai. I cannot imagine anyone would mistake one for the other."

"Colin's being here wasn't inappropriate in the least," I said. "The police came the next morning, and the story was in all the papers."

"That is precisely what I said to correct the story."

"Have you any idea who is the source of the rumor?"

"No one ever owns up to starting such a thing. I wouldn't let it trouble you — soon enough they'll find someone else to gossip about."

"I suppose you're right," I said. "I'm much more interested in Berry's connection to Mr. Francis. Berry's story doesn't sit right with me. If Mr. Francis had wanted to sell him something, why wouldn't Berry have referred to the object in his reply?"

"And why would Monsieur Francis have tried to sell something to a man whom everyone in London knows is at the mercy of his creditors?"

"I should very much like to find Mr. Francis's letter."

"But Monsieur Berry did not keep it."

"Do you think we can trust him to tell the truth? I wonder..." I thought for a moment. "If only there were some way to know Berry's plans for the evening."

"Lady Londonderry is giving a dinner party in his honor."

"How do you know that?"

"I received an invitation." She looked at the watch pinned to her bodice. "If I do not dress soon, I'll be late."

"She didn't invite me," I said. "How odd. She's thick as thieves with my mother."

"I'll gladly cancel if you think she is slighting you."

"No. Go, Cécile, and make sure that Berry doesn't leave early."

"Pourquoi?"

"It would be best if I don't tell you. That way, should I be discovered, you won't have to feign ignorance of my plan."

"I do not like this, Kallista."

"Don't worry about me. So long as you keep Berry occupied, I'll be in no danger."

As soon as Cécile had left for dinner, I changed into a modest, dark blue dress and a veiled bonnet, careful to choose something that would not draw any attention to my presence. I waited until it was safe to assume Lady Londonderry's guests had been seated, then headed to the Savoy, having my driver leave me two blocks from the hotel lest anyone recognize my carriage. Once inside, I walked quickly past the desk. The lobby was relatively quiet, most of the guests already gone for the evening or dining in the restaurant. I slipped up the stairs to the fourth floor and knocked on Mr. Berry's door. There was no answer. Excellent. I went to the back stairs and descended to the lower level, where in short order I found three maids drinking tea in a small room.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you," I said as they all leapt to their feet. "I'm in the most terrible bind. I was visiting a...a gentleman this afternoon and am afraid that I lost a bracelet in his room. It's rather awkward, you see, as he's engaged to a friend of mine."

The maids, wide-eyed, watched me closely.

"There once, long ago, had been an attachment between us, and I only called on him to say good-bye. But if my friend were to discover that I'd seen him alone, she would be dreadfully upset."

"Who is the gentleman?" one of the maids asked.

"Mr. Charles Berry. He's in room 423," I replied. "Can you help me?"

"I don't see what we could possibly do," said the oldest of the three girls, who appeared to have taken on the role of spokesman.

"Couldn't you let me into the room? No one's there now. It would only take me a moment to find my bracelet."

"We could lose our jobs," the maid said.

"He's unlikely to return soon. No one will ever know."

One of the other girls laughed. She had pretty eyes and a pert smile. "From what I can tell, the gentleman in that room wouldn't object to finding you there anyway."

"Gabby!" the spokesman exclaimed.

"Oh, hush up, Bridget. We all know what sort of gentleman he is. I say we let her in and hope she steals something."

"Let me assure you that I would do no such thing," I said.

"I'll let you in," Gabby said. Bridget glared at her.

"I promise there will be no trouble for you."

At this, the third girl broke her silence. "I wish you could cause trouble for him," she said, bursting into tears.

"Has he hurt you?" I asked. She cried harder, and I found it not difficult in the least to believe the worst about Mr. Berry. "Did you tell anyone?"

"Who could she tell?" Bridget asked. "No one would believe her. And even if someone did, it wouldn't matter. He's practically the king of France, you know."

"Well, I believe you," I said, taking her hand. "For what little that's worth. I give you my word that I shall try to find a way to help you."

"Come with me, milady," Gabby said. "Let's get you into that room." Once upstairs, the girl unlocked the door. I thanked her and sent her back downstairs. "Promise you won't forget Molly," she said as she left.

I closed and locked the door, looking at the space before me. There was a sitting room and a bedroom, neither of which was particularly neat. Mr. Berry had left gloves, letters, and discarded papers scattered on every surface. I began to methodically sift through everything, careful to return each object to its place in the mess. The number of bills I found was staggering, and it was clear from the careless way they had been tossed about that paying them was of little concern to Mr. Berry. Most likely that would fall to Lady Elinor's solicitor as wedding plans with Isabelle were solidified.

I went into the bedroom, feeling more than a little uneasy to enter the space where this odious man slept. The wardrobe was full of clothing, all of it Savile Row's best and certainly acquired on credit. I begrudgingly admitted that the man's taste, at least in clothes, was excellent. The pockets of his coats contained nothing but cigarettes and still more bills. I was about to close the cabinet door when I noticed something leaning against the back wall of the armoire behind a row of shoes. It was an oversized book containing reproductions of paintings by Fragonard. If memory served, the artist was a favorite of Louis XIV's. It was the only book in Mr. Berry's suite. I opened it and flipped through the pages, hoping to uncover something between them. Luck was with me. Partway through the book I found a piece of paper folded in half. On it was a list of objects that had been owned by Marie Antoinette, each item followed by the name and address of the person to whom it currently belonged. Everything that had been stolen was marked with a small star. The last two entries were the pink diamond and something described as Personal Correspondence. Both were listed as being in the Francis house. There was no mention of the silver snuffbox.

I jumped at the sound of a key rattling in the lock. Would Gabby have returned to the room? Surely Mr. Berry was not back this early in the evening. Even if he had tried to leave the Londonderrys', Cécile would have found a way to detain him. Desperate, I looked around for somewhere to hide. Using the wardrobe for such a purpose would be too obvious, and if, for some reason, Berry had returned, he would almost certainly open it to change his clothes. Panic filled me, and seeing that I had few options, I clutched the book and ducked behind the heavy velvet curtains. The door opened, and I heard footsteps too heavy to belong to the maid. They circled the sitting room slowly. Drawers opened and shut. Papers shuffled. Eventually, the steps moved to the bedroom. I stood as still as possible, hardly breathing, hoping that I would not be discovered. Whoever it was stopped in front of the wardrobe. More rummaging.

As the footsteps moved back to the sitting room, I could not resist peeking out from behind the curtain. I moved it slowly, just enough to look through the door into the other room, careful not to draw attention to myself. Colin Hargreaves stood not thirty feet away from me, carefully examining a piece of paper before putting it into his pocket.