“But…” Skelton was still gaping. Outside, in the hall, a couple of gentlemen’s voices were sounding, one cool and familiar, one loud and cheerful. “He said nothing of this.” He turned on Silas. “If you were there on Lord Richard’s orders, why didn’t you say so?”
“The first rule of my house is that my servants do not chatter about my business, under any circumstances,” Lord Richard said. “Nor do they place their comfort above my orders. You have your answer, Mr. Skelton. Mason was in the area on my command, and your witness who places him in this stable is mistaken.”
“Now, my lord, let’s just piece this out. Mason was at a meeting of the Spenceans on Tuesday—”
“Told them I wasn’t coming back,” Silas put in.
“And as to last night, he could easy have gone to Cato Street on purpose. Deceived your lordship as to his intentions. Gone there to help—”
“Excuse me.” Lord Richard strode to the door. “Ash, Julius, is that you? Will you come in a moment?”
Mr. Norreys entered on command, along with a good-looking fellow in his twenties with bright gold hair and a cheerful look. They were both in black silk knee breeches and black coats.
“Good heavens, Richard, you’re not dressed.” The handsome young man glanced around the room. “Oh God, your bookman. You’re not going to make me look at more books, are you?”
“Mr. Skelton, you may have seen Lord Gabriel Ashleigh, who is of course Lord Maltravers’s younger brother. Ash, dear fellow, this man is of the Home Office. Perhaps you could tell him about your distressing experience with literature last night.”
“What about it? Your chap here showed us that…” Ash made vague opening and shutting motions with his hands.
“Book?” suggested Norreys.
“Book. It had wonderful pictures, I’ll grant you. There was a tiger, and a lot of tumpty-tum poems. The great thing was, they were short. I can’t bear all that business with The Corsair and the Inferno and sitting around looking intelligent while some fellow drones away till one’s legs drop off.”
“How you suffer,” Norreys said. “We did indeed inspect a volume by a poet whose name I forget…?”
“William Blake,” Silas said. “Songs of Innocence and of Experience.”
“And then?” Lord Richard asked Ash.
“Well, we had dinner.”
“Mr. Skelton is interested in Mason’s movements,” Lord Richard said with patience. “Not yours.”
“Oh! Well, you sent him off to see Verona, Mrs. Rawling, didn’t you?”
And the aristocracy dared to claim superiority to his sort. Silas had never met such a pack of barefaced liars in his life. He wondered if the handsome Ash made a habit of seeming more stupid than he was and how often Lord Richard’s valet gave them their script.
“That was, should it be relevant, some little while after eight o’clock, following which we had an excellent dinner here, including a turbot that I cannot praise sufficiently,” Norreys said. “Is that all, dear boy? We do have an engagement.”
“I think so,” Lord Richard said. “Mr. Skelton, you have heard that Mason left here rather after eight. I fail to see how he can have smuggled himself into a stable on Cato Street, in order to commit treason or anything else, before half past the hour. Especially since the newspapers suggest the street was occupied by a body of officers bent on doing their duty.” He gave Ruthven a nod. “Your witness is mistaken. Isn’t he?”
Skelton looked between the gentlemen, face darkening. “Perhaps he misspoke. But—”
“But you know that Mason was here on Wednesday until past eight o’clock, and you have an explanation for his presence on Cato Street at the wrong time.” Lord Richard sounded a little impatient now. “I think it is clear that you have made a mistake.”
Skelton considered it. Then he said, “No.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“No, your lordship, I don’t think I have made a mistake. He is a seditionist of bad character, admitted as associating with the Spencean Philanthropists until the day before yesterday, and closely linked to Mr. Harry Vane.” He glanced between Ash and Lord Richard. “My lords, I have to warn you that this alibi you offer would be well tested in court, and your reasons for giving testimony for Mason might come into question.”
“Excuse me,” Ash said. “Are you doubting my word, sir? What do you mean, my reasons?”
“I simply suggest you should make certain of what you say, Lord Gabriel. After all, we have a witness who places this man at the scene of the crime, and your noble brother will not be pleased to learn you are undermining our work against radicals. Although, of course, I am aware that you don’t get on with Lord Maltravers, my lord, whereas you are a great friend of Mr. Harry Vane.”