Crispin hadn’t been silenced. ‘You seem to be well informed, sir. “No evidence whatever,” you say. How do you account for the notice outside the restaurant that was once the Beau’s house stating — and I quote from memory — that “they lived the whole of the latter part of their lives here until the Beau’s death in 1761”?’
‘It wasn’t me who put it up.’
‘But the restaurant was known as Popjoy’s until it changed hands.’
‘Yes, they spelt the name wrong as well,’ Diamond said. He was hitting raw nerves here. A few people smiled, but there were hostile faces out there as well.
Crispin said, ‘I don’t know if you’re aware that some of us are acknowledged experts on Nash.’
Then a woman’s voice cut in and this time it wasn’t Sally’s. ‘Mr. Diamond is right. Juliana never lived with him in the Sawclose house. He dumped her in 1743 when his fortune declined. She declared she’d never sleep in a bed again and went back to Warminster and lived in the tree and they never met again. You can read about that in the annual register for 1777.’
Diamond looked to see where the unexpected support had come from.
Estella, bless her heart.
Considering she hadn’t been in the society long, speaking out had required real courage.
‘Are you sure of this?’ Crispin demanded.
‘I’m writing a new biography using primary sources,’ she said. ‘Believe me, I can endorse every word Mr. Diamond has spoken.’
Ed took back the microphone and he was grinning. ‘Satisfied, Crispin? Some of us oldies can learn a few things from the younger generation.’
Crispin wasn’t done. ‘Perhaps she’d like to take over as Beau,’ he said in a sarcastic aside that caused some amusement.
‘Good suggestion. Why not?’ Ed said in all seriousness.
Crispin’s voice shrilled in astonishment. ‘Because you can’t have a female Beau. I was being facetious.’
Sally Paris immediately took up the cause. ‘You can have a Belle instead. If none of the men are interested in stepping up, let’s see how a woman manages, that is, if Estella is willing to stand.’
Gasps came from some of the members. The pace of proceedings was more than they could cope with.
Ed looked towards Estella. ‘How about it, young lady? Would you care to be the Belle?’
‘I don’t know. Are you serious?’ Estella said.
‘Look at me. I’m not kidding.’
‘He means it, my dear,’ Sally said.
Ed said, ‘I can already see it on the cover of your book: Estella Rockingham, President of the Beau Nash Society.’
Estella took a deep breath. ‘I’ll need to think about it — and in fairness so should all of you. This would be a major change.’
‘A revolution,’ Sally said. ‘I’m all for it. If anyone wants to stand against you, we can have an election.’
Estella was shaking her head at the speed of what was happening, but the mood of most members seemed to be positive.
Ed said, ‘We won’t rush you. Take your time and let me know. And if anyone else thinks of putting up, we’ll work out what happens next.’ He beamed at his audience and said in a blur of words that no one could interrupt, ‘Any other business? I thought not. In the absence of any other business I declare the meeting closed. That’s the formal bit over. Let’s get back to the fizz and fun.’
Diamond went over to Estella and thanked her for the support. ‘Nobody believed what I was saying. The whole atmosphere changed after you said your piece. How do you feel about taking over from Sir Edward?’
‘I can’t believe it,’ she said. ‘I’m not at all sure they mean it.’
‘They do.’
‘Why didn’t anyone else volunteer? Is it a poisoned chalice?’
‘Looking at Ed, it isn’t. How long has he held the post — almost twenty years? That’s a long stint. I expect he made some useful contacts.’
‘This lot won’t be easy to manage,’ she said. ‘There were a few discordant voices.’
‘You can boss them, I’m sure. You know more about Beau Nash than any of them. My guess is that this society isn’t all it claims to be. A lot of them only come for the dressing-up and being seen here.’
She smiled. ‘I’d already formed the same opinion.’
‘Go for it, then. And now I must have a word with Sir Edward.’
He went over to where the Parises were chatting with friends.
Ed broke off in mid-conversation and became playful. ‘Ah, the law has caught up with us. You’ve got me bang to rights, officer. Loitering with intent to tell a dirty joke. If I plead guilty will I get off with a warning?’
‘If it’s one I haven’t heard, you’re in the clear,’ Diamond said. ‘But I’m ready to meet one or two of your long-serving members. You told my boss you’d fix it.’
‘“One or two” was an overestimate. I found the only one who was here before I joined and he’s a basket case.’
All the anticipation drained like water in sand. Had this entire pantomime been a waste of time? ‘Can’t he help?’
‘We’ll see.’
Pausing only to take another glass of champagne from a passing footman, Ed carved a way through the throng to where an elderly man in a wheelchair seemed to be stranded inside a stockade of hooped skirts. The chair was a cumbersome contraption made of wicker with three metal wheels.
The basket case.
At least twice the length of a modern invalid chair, it had a capacious black canvas hood, fortunately folded.
‘Is that an authentic bath chair?’
‘Depends what you mean by authentic,’ Ed said. ‘It’s a bath chair, yes, but they didn’t have them in Nash’s time. It’s Victorian.’
Diamond was impressed by Ed’s bit of knowledge. Don’t underestimate this guy, he told himself. ‘Does he know that?’
‘Algy? You can bet your bottom dollar he does, but we turn a blind eye. He can’t stand on his own two pins any more, poor old bugger, and the scooter he uses normally would look even more out of place. He’s wearing the kosher costume, as you see.’
‘How did disabled people get around in those days?’
‘Sedan chairs, but we don’t have one here. The bath chair’s old-fashioned and it does the job. No one is going to make an issue of it. We don’t want to hurt his feelings, so it’s kept here for him in a shed out the back.’ He called out to Algy, ‘Before you leave, old sport, can you spare a couple of minutes for my guest?’
Algy responded at once — and sounded normal. ‘Can he spare a couple of minutes for me?’
‘Why? What’s up?’
‘I need to get to the accessible toilet. It’s urgent.’
‘You’ve got it made.’ Ed winked at Diamond before turning back to Algy. ‘Pete’s your man. Trained for all emergencies, aren’t you, Pete? First on the left through the far door.’
‘I’m obliged to you,’ Algy said.
Algy may have been obliged, but Diamond wasn’t. The unwieldy chair on its iron wheels had to be tugged from the front rather than pushed, and its occupant was distinctly overweight.
‘So I’ll leave you fellows to it,’ Ed said and darted back to his friends.
The next minutes were ones Diamond would want to erase from his memory. The only way he could get the chair moving was by going backwards, bending double and dragging it, apologising each time his rear connected with someone. Having forced a passage through the crowded room and found the disabled toilet, he learned with relief that Algy could cope inside with the aid of the grab rails, so he stepped outside to stand guard. With the chair jammed inside, there was no way Algy could work the lock.