The King's Evil

Penelope Northcott as so overjoyed that she could not stop smiling. As she sat in the parlour of the house in Westminster, she showered her guest with compliments and kept asking him to repeat certain details of his story. She was distressed that he had been wounded in pursuit of her father's killer but accepted his assurance that it was a minor scratch even though his left arm was in a sling. Christopher had told her a very diluted version of the truth, recounting the events in Lincoln's Inn Fields but making no reference to the fact that Sir Ambrose Northcott once owned the house. Indeed, he went out of his way to supply her father with a mask of his own.

'Your father was foolishly led astray,' he said. 'Marie

Louise was not his mistress at all but simply a means of ensnaring him. He was the victim of a conspiracy.'

'Why did they have to kill him?'

'Because he had served his purpose, Miss Northcott. And because he was in danger of stumbling on the conspiracy.' He gave a shrug. 'In some small way, I suppose that I am to blame.'

'You, Mr Redmayne?'

'The house was his undoing. Marie Louise insisted on its being built as proof of his commitment even though she had no intention of ever living there. But the work on the house proceeded faster than they anticipated because I urged the builder on. That forced their hand,' he explained. 'Sir Ambrose had to be removed before the house was completed or the situation would have been awkward.'

'He would have expected her to move in with him.'

'When she was, in fact, living with her husband in Paris.'

'It is so complicated, Mr Redmayne. I do not understand.'

'Do not vex yourself with the details,' he advised. 'All that you need to know is that the killer and his accomplice have been arrested. They are now behind bars and will face the sternest interrogation.'

'Thanks to you!'

'And to Mr Bale. Do not forget him.'

'I would like to meet this constable one day.'

'He is a curious fellow.'

'Mother and I owe him a great deal.'

'So do I, Miss Northcott,' he said with feeling. He adjusted the sling for comfort then gazed admiringly at her. 'I am glad the business is concluded. Even if it does mean that we shall lose you.'

'Lose me?'

'You will no doubt wish to return to Kent with the good news.'

'A messenger has already done that, Mr Redmayne. I propose to stay in London for a while to see something of the rebuilding.'

'Indeed?' 'I find the creation of a whole new city very inspiring. Mr Wren has been commissioned to rebuild St Paul's, I hear, and dozens of new churches are to rise up from the ashes.' She became more hesitant. 'Yet I lack a knowledgeable guide. Someone who could take me around London and explain things to me. Mr Redmayne,' she added softly, 'you once recommended the most excellent accommodation to me. I wonder if I might trespass on you again?'

'As often as you wish, Miss Northcott.'

'Could you suggest the name of a guide?'