Part 21 (2/2)

'Good,' said Lady Whitcombe, patting her hand with maternal approval. 'That's as it should be. I'm sure that Egerton will get on with him as well.'

'n.o.body could take a dislike to Mr Redmayne.'

'Precisely. He is truly exceptional. There are lots of people we shall call on while we are in London and Christopher Redmayne will certainly be among the first.'

The coffee house was in a street behind Charing Cross. Jonathan Bale had walked past it many times without daring to venture in but he had no choice on this occasion. One of the customers was just arriving in a sedan chair. He was an elderly man with a walking stick and a servant had to help him up the stairs. The constable followed them. Before he even stepped into the room itself, he could hear the babble of voice and smell the aroma of coffee mingling with that of tobacco smoke. Jonathan was relieved to see that the place was half-empty at that time of the morning. It lessened the degree of discomfort he felt and made it easier to pick out the man he sought. The room was long and narrow with tables set out in parallel lines along both walls. It was an exclusively male preserve for fas.h.i.+onable Londoners. He could see why coffee was sometimes called politicians' porridge for the snippets of conversation he heard from nearby all concerned the affairs of the day. Christopher Redmayne had given him an accurate description of the customer he was looking for so Jonathan soon identified Sir Humphrey G.o.dden. Seated alone at a table in the corner, the man was taking snuff from a silver box.

Jonathan approached him, introduced himself and explained the purpose of his visit. Sir Humphrey was not pleased to be accosted by a parish constable.

'How did you know that I'd be here?' he said with indignation.

'I called at your house,' explained Jonathan. 'I was told that you always visited this coffee house at a certain time of the morning.'

'I come here to see friends, not to be interrogated.'

'I thought that Henry Redmayne was one of those friends.'

'Well, yes,' said the other,' he is. More often than not, he'd be sitting in that chair opposite me. Henry is a fine fellow. But, like me, he loathes any interruptions.'

'He needs your help, Sir Humphrey.'

'He has it, man. He knows that I'll speak up for him in court.'

'There are a few questions I wish to put to you first.'

'This is not a convenient moment,' said Sir Humphrey testily. 'I've arranged to meet someone and he'll be here at any moment.'

Jonathan folded his arms. 'Then I'll wait.'

'I can't have you standing over me like that.'

'Would you prefer that I sat down?'

'No!'

'The questions are important, Sir Humphrey.'

'So is drinking my coffee in peace.'

'I won't disturb you.'

Jonathan stood there obstinately with his feet wide apart. Other customers were glancing across at him and speculating audibly on why he was there. Though he felt incongruous among the moneyed and over-dressed habitues of the coffee house, he was determined not to budge. Sir Humphrey eventually capitulated.

'Very well,' he snarled. 'Ask your questions then get out of here.'

'My first question is this. Why are you so unwilling to a.s.sist your friend?'

'I'll a.s.sist Henry in any way that I can.'

'That was not his brother's opinion, Sir Humphrey, nor is it mine. Both of us have seen how you put your own interests before those of a man in a desperate situation.'

'What more can I do?'

'You might visit him in prison to offer your sympathy.'

'Go to Newgate?' said Sir Humphrey, offended by the suggestion. 'The place is rife with disease, man. You'll not find me going into a fetid swamp like that.'

'Mr Crenlowe had enough compa.s.sion to call on a friend.'

'Then Martin will have spoken for both of us.'

'Are you trying to disown Mr Redmayne?'

'That's a scandalous suggestion, Mr Bale, and I resent it.' He made a visible effort to sound more reasonable. 'Look, man,' he said. 'Nothing can be achieved by my visiting Henry in prison. I know him. He'd be mortified to be seen in such dire straits. It's a kindness not to trouble him. But that does not mean I've forgotten the poor fellow. Only yesterday, I spent half an hour with the lawyer whom his brother has engaged to defend Henry. I spoke up strongly for him.'

'Could you offer any firm evidence to prove his innocence?'

'It does not need to be proved. Henry would never do such a thing. It's as simple as that. You do not spend so much time in the company of a friend without understanding his essential character.'

'He's p.r.o.ne to lose his temper.'

'Most of us are, Mr Bale,' said the other, glaring at him. 'When provoked.'

'Were you sorry to hear that Signor Maldini had been murdered?'

'Not at all. I was delighted.'

'Did you dislike him so much?'

'I dislike all foreigners, sir. They should be sent back where they belong.'

'The Queen is a foreigner,' noted Jonathan, arching an eyebrow. 'Would you have Her Majesty sent back to her own country?' 'Of course not, you idiot! Royalty is above reproach.'

'That's a matter of opinion, Sir Humphrey.'

'Jeronimo Maldini was a scheming Italian without a decent bone in his body. He was a fine swordsman, I grant him that. I've never seen a better one. But he did not respect his betters, Mr Bale.' His eyes ignited. 'He did not know his place.'

'Who stabbed him in the back?'

'It was not Henry Redmayne.'

'Who else could it have been?'

'I wish I knew, sir. I'd like to congratulate him.'

'Do you condone an act of murder, then?'

<script>