Free The Repentant Rake by Edward Marston

for?'
        'To keep
you company, for a start. And to have the pleasure of seeing Brilliana again.
Yes,' she added as she saw him grimace, 'I know that you hate staying with them
in Richmond but I enjoy it. Brilliana and I can take the coach into the city.'
        'Anything
to get away from Lancelot!'
        'Stop
being so unkind about your son-in-law.'
        'The
man is insufferable.'
        'I
promise to keep him well away from you. There,' she announced. 'Isn't that a
good enough reason in itself to take me with you?'
        'It's
a tempting offer, certainly.' He drained his glass of wine. 'I'll consider it.'
        'Thank
you.' Susan tried to sound casual. 'Father, while you're in London, will you be
seeing your architect at some point?'
        'Redmayne?
Probably.'
        'Where
does he live?'
        'Fetter
Lane, I believe.'
        'Those
sketches of his were remarkable.'
        'He's
a competent architect, Susan. I have it on good authority.' He leaned forward.
'But why this sudden interest in Christopher Redmayne?'
        'A
passing thought,' she said. 'No more. I can come with you, then?'
        He
rose to his feet. 'Give me time to think it over.'
        'London
has so much to offer at this time of year.'
        'Yes,
Susan. Blistering heat, a dreadful stench and too many people.'
        He
moved to the door but she got up from her chair to intercept him. Anticipating
what she was going to say, Sir Julius bristled. His daughter was not to be put
off.
        'Father,'
she began.
        'Do I
really want to hear this?' he warned.
        'Someone
else lives in London as well.'
        'Thousands
of people do.'
        'This
person is rather special.'
        'Not
to me,' he snapped. 'Not any more.'
        'Gabriel
is your son,' she argued.
        'I have no son, Susan.'
        'He
still looks upon you as his father.'
        'Well,
he has no right to do so,' said Sir Julius vehemently. 'Gabriel is a disgrace
to himself and to his family. Ours is a proud name and he has forfeited any
claim on it. I expect a degree of rebellion in a son. It shows spirit. But he
went too far, Susan. It broke your mother's heart to see him stalk out of the
house the way he did - and for what? A life of idleness in the taverns and
gaming houses of London.'
        She
clutched his arm. 'Gabriel may have changed by now, Father.'
        'I
have not,' he said firmly.
        Detaching
her hand, he walked quickly away before he lost his temper.
        
        
        Jonathan
Bale had too full a day to devote much time to the murder investigation and the
enquiries he had been able to make on that score had borne no fruit. As he walked
back home with Tom Warburton, he confided his frustration.
        'I
wish I could devote all my time to it, Tom.'
        'Leave
that to others,' advised Warburton.
        'But
we found the body. I feel involved.'
        'We've
done all we can, Jonathan.'
        'And
where has it got us?' said the other. 'Nowhere. You've knocked on dozens of
doors in search of witnesses but found none at all. I've put a name to the dead
man but I've no idea who he was or where he lived. Nahum Gibbins gave me an
address but they had never heard of him there.' He ran a hand across his chin.
'Why does a customer give his shoemaker a false address?'
        'Maybe
the name is false as well.'
        'I
thought of that.'
        They
plodded on together. As they passed an alley, Warburton's dog came trotting out
to take his place at his master's heels but he soon darted off ahead of them.
Jonathan watched him pause to sniff at the wall of a tavern.
        He
was pensive. 'What puzzles me is that nobody's come forward.'
        'True.'
        'The
man is missing. Someone in the ward must be worried by his absence.'
        'Only
if he came from round here.'
        'Where
else?'
        'Any
part of the city.'
        'Why
drag him all this way to dispose