“Jeremy here was abducted by one of the claimant’s party.”
Lord Mansfield gave me a surprised look. “Indeed? And I was depending upon him to see that no harm came to you. “
“Well,” said Sir John, “no harm did. And as for the rest of it, all in Oxford went about as you might expect.”
There he let things rest. He must have been as sure as I was that the Lord Chief Justice had not come to get an early look. He had other matters to present, if not perhaps to discuss. I had noted that our guest had in hand a few papers. They no doubt had to do with the reason for his visit.
“I have here,” he began, waving the papers aloft, “a letter from Mr. Thaddeus Bester, Magistrate of the City of Bath, which encloses the coroners report upon the death of Margaret Mudge Paltrow by one Thomas Diggs, medical doctor and coroner for that city. I shall leave both with you that you may learn their contents. “
“I’m sure I know them already,” said Sir John with a wave of his hand.
“Oh? And what do you suppose them to say?”
“I would suppose that Dr. Diggs’s report declares that the Widow Paltrow died by result of a misadventure and that Mr. Bester concurs with the finding and lodges a complaint against my conduct in the matter.”
“Why, that is a fair summary, so far as it goes, “ said the Lord Chief Justice. “What did you do to earn such opprobrium?”
“What indeed? Well, I referred to them as boobies within their hearing. I am sure they did not like that — no, neither of them. But as to how I managed, specifically, to inflict the greater wound upon Mr. Bester — so great, in fact, that he complained to you of me — I confess I am somewhat in doubt. Yet, putting my mind to it, I do recall that at our second and last conversation, I’m afraid I shamed him somewhat and went so far as to suggest he had not pursued the inquiry into the death of the Widow Paltrow with quite the energy he ought. And, alas, it was true. He was, if anything, a bit under-zealous in his efforts.”
“And you called this to his attention?”
“I did.”
“Ah! But you managed to satisfy yourself on the cause of her death?”
“Indeed. As I told you upon our return, it was murder, plain and simple.”
“By the claimant?”
“More likely, I think, by his constant companion, one from the colonies named Eli Bolt. It was he, by the bye, who saw to the abduction of Jeremy.”
“Have you enough to hold him for either crime? I can deal with Bester, should it come to that.”
Sir John sighed and, with a shake of his head, dismissed that possibility.
“Well, what, then?” The Lord Chief Justice put the question to Sir John rather aggressively. “It would seem that the claimant keeps this fellow — what is his name?”
“Bolt.”
“Yes, Bolt — that he keeps Bolt to do his crude work for him.”
“Perhaps,” said Sir John. “I’ll not dismiss it as a possibility. Yet it seems to me that another is truly in charge. The claimant lacks the requisite ruthlessness. It seems to me that he is but a puppet. There is another, a third party, who is the puppet master. Remaining hidden, he pulls the strings for both the claimant and his brutish companion.”
“That is most interesting,” said the Lord Chief Justice. “I have myself had the notion for some time that there was at least one other involved in this matter, and that it was he who both planned and financed the enterprise.”
“As you say, Lord Mansfield, it is most interesting.”
“More perhaps than you realize, Sir John, for I have received a most tempting offer in this morning’s post.”
“Oh? And what is that?”
“Quite unbidden, a letter arrived from the claimant. In it he stated, bold as brass, that he had been gathering statements and had every intention of claiming the Laningham title and property. He had heard that a secret commission had been formed to thwart his action, and that I was heading it. In order to save both sides the time and expense of a trial, he was willing to meet with the members of the commission, that he might convince them that his intentions were good and honorable. To do this, he was willing to submit to questions by the members. If he might thus convince them, said he, then there would be no need to carry matters further. He then suggested the date when he would next be in London — it is but three days hence — and asked if it would be satisfactory for the commission to meet with him then.”
“Well,” said Sir John, “I call that a stroke of good fortune.”
“Then you see it as I do,” said the Lord Chief Justice. “There can be only advantage to us, for even if he astounds us all with his knowledge of the Laninghams and their history, his appearance before us should give us some idea of how we might treat him as a witness when the matter comes up in court.”
“You feel, then, that it will go into Chancery no matter what the results of this meeting?”
“Oh, I daresay it will. And because I saw only gain for us, I wrote off to him in Oxfordshire and accepted the day for his visit suggested by him and asked that he come in the afternoon at three o’clock. Will that be convenient for you, Sir John?”
“Three days hence? I suppose so.”
“Very good, then. I shall look for you along with the rest at about that time.” At this point, the Lord Chief Justice paused significantly and looked my way. “I wonder how the claimant could have learned of the existence of the commission and the fact that I head it. “
“You pose that question,” said Sir John, “in such a way that you imply that you already know the answer. “
“Perhaps I do,” said the other rather slyly as he continued to stare at me. “Reason suggests that if this young man was abducted, he must have let them know all they wanted to know before they let him go. The fact is, after all, they did let him go.”
My cheeks burned, and my heart beat faster. I longed to shout out the truth in my own defense, yet custom prevented me. The Lord Chief Justice had not directly addressed me, but had made his remarks against me to Sir John. I stood mute before my accuser.
Yet I was not to be disappointed, Sir John took up my defense and did so immediately. Rising from behind his desk, he addressed the Lord Chief Justice directly. “M’lord,” said he, “Jeremy has given me a complete account of his abduction and brief imprisonment, including all that was said to him and by him. I accept his version of these matters completely and without reservation. Let me assure you that it does not include any disclosures regarding the commission.”
The Lord Chief Justice was taken somewhat aback. He said nothing for a moment, taking time to consider the situation. Then did he finally offer this: “I wish I trusted any of my servants as you trust him.”
To which Sir John replied: “Jeremy is not a servant.”
“Oh? What, then? I thought …” Indeed, we never learned what he thought, for he never permitted himself to say.
Sir John gave him sufficient opportunity to finish the sentence. But having waited ample time, he said simply, “Jeremy is something more.”
What that ‘something more’ might have been he did not specify, yet my heart soared so high as he said it, I could not possibly have wished him to be more explicit.
“Ah, yes, well, mmm — hmm, I see,” said the Lord Chief Justice, “well, then, Sir John, I shall see you in three days — Wednesday, that is — at three. I shall depend upon you to ask most of the questions of this fellow.”
During that space of time, Sir John Fielding made special preparations for the coming of the claimant. Letters were written, and were delivered or posted. An invitation was extended. But for the most part, Sir John made ready by spending long periods of time alone. No sooner was he done with his court than he would set off pacing the long corridor which led from the Bow Street door as far back as the door to his chambers. As he walked, he muttered, and as he muttered, he moved his head this way and that, nodding it and shaking it, altering his expression according to the flow of his thoughts. Mr. Fuller, the gaoler, remarked upon it. Mr. Marsden, the clerk, ignored it. I, who knew something of what was passing through his mind, sought on a number of occasions to read Sir Johns lips, or puzzle through the encrypted rumblings generated within his voice box. All I did ultimately gain from such efforts were a few words, particularly an oft-repeated “Who? who? who?” and a variety of names, such as Bolt, Mudge, Inskip, Fowlkes, some of which I was not then familiar with.