Free Black Gold by Charles O'Brien

messages from Mr. Braidwood and her solicitor, Mr. Barnstaple.
    â€œWhere is she living?” asked Saint-Martin, almost as an afterthought.
    â€œWith the family whose son she’s tutoring. The Rogers. Sir Harry and Lady Margaret. They’ve leased Combe Park, a large fine estate complete with servants. Near the city.” Cartier smiled with satisfaction as he spoke.
    Saint-Martin felt the blood drain from his face. His heart missed a beat. My God! he thought, Fitzroy might live there with his cousin Lady Margaret.
    Cartier glanced sharply at Saint-Martin. “What’s the matter, Colonel?”
    â€œAt supper last night, I heard a disturbing report about a certain army officer who has accompanied his cousin Lady Margaret to Bath. I’m sure Anne is resourceful enough to deal with him. But, Georges and I shall make certain she’s safe.”
    Cartier breathed a sigh of relief. “Trouble appears when you least expect it. I’m happy you will join her. God has sent her a friend she can count on.”

Chapter 6
    An Accident?
    Wednesday, March 28
    Anne glanced at the faun’s bright eyes staring at her from the mirror and grinned. Charlie had been so pleased with their work. She felt relieved. The boy had rebounded from his depression. Her pleasure, however, was tempered. William and Critchley would eventually discover that their peepholes were blocked. What new mischief would they attempt?
    A young maid arrived to help her dress for the day. Anne chatted with her for a while, putting her at ease. Then, while the maid was hooking up the bodice, Anne seized the opportunity to inquire about Mary Campbell.
    â€œShe was no better than she should be,” remarked the maid dismissively. “She never took notice of me.” Then, sensing her opinion had discomfited Anne, she added, “Mind you, she took good care of Charlie.”
    Other servants reacted to Anne’s questions in a similar way. They told her mostly what she had already heard from Harriet, except that they were annoyed by Mary’s superior attitude as tutor. She had been in the household only a month and had not become one of them. As a tutor, she held a position apart and slightly above the other female servants. That she was young and bold further irritated them.
    The servants lived mostly in the garret rooms far from the site of the accident. None of them observed anything unusual about Mary before going to bed. Nor did they hear any screams or other sounds of violence in the house during the night.
    It was almost ten in the morning when Anne went to Lady Margaret’s apartment in accord with the lady’s wish to discuss Charlie’s tutoring. She sat at a breakfast table in a buff dressing gown with a pot of tea and a half-eaten biscuit before her. She gazed idly out the window. Jeffery stood off to one side attending her.
    Her maid announced Anne’s presence.
    â€œMiss Cartier, do come closer.” She beckoned to a chair.
    Anne sat down facing her, observing evidence of an ill-spent night. Heavy eyelids, lines of irritability at the mouth. After a polite exchange about Bath and its weather, Lady Margaret inquired if Anne’s accommodations were satisfactory. Anne replied she was pleased, avoiding mention of the peepholes. She sensed Lady Margaret did not wish to hear of trouble.
    When the conversation turned to Charlie, Anne explained how she intended to work with the boy. They would practice lipreading and oral articulation. She went on to briefly describe her devices and techniques to make the instruction more palatable.
    Lady Margaret groaned occasionally, due perhaps to a headache, but she listened as well as could be expected, occasionally asking a pertinent question.
    When the lady professed to be satisfied, Anne begged to raise another matter. “Mr. Braidwood would like to know the circumstances of Mary Campbell’s death in order to assuage the grief of her deaf parents.” Out