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THEY FOUND RAVENSWOOD WITH no difficulty and, an hour later, were shown into his quiet study.
“I cannot spare you very long, Mr. Monk.” He glanced at Hester to include her in the apology. “I have to close tomorrow. And I have no idea what I’m going to say. Miss Darwin’s testimony caught me completely off balance. When I spoke to her a few days ago, she gave me no inkling whatsoever of this.”
Monk had been considering how much to tell Ravenswood of the truth and now felt that, as much as he wished to protect Hooper, he must tell all.
“She didn’t know then any reason not to speak as she did,” he said. “I can’t tell you how to proceed, but she was lying and will now, I think, tell you everything.”
Ravenswood looked dubious.
Monk spoke without hesitation. He told Ravenswood the whole story of the mutiny, as Hooper had told him, and then about the pressure put upon Celia with the threat. Then he explained how he believed the murder of Kate Exeter had happened, with no more than Exeter and Lister on Jacob’s Island. There had been no betrayer among Monk’s men. He knew that now with certainty. It was all Exeter’s deliberate creation. The relief was wonderful, like a dawn light spreading through everything. But it showed many things unseen before. The distrust and misery that had been sown by the suggestion had made everything seem different. That was how Monk had heard of the mutiny.
“This man, Fisk,” Ravenswood interrupted, “he would say the same?”
“Yes.”
“And Ledburn was the captain’s name?”
“Yes.”
“I remember the affair, vaguely. Hooper realizes he may hang, in spite of all we can do?” The pain in his face was acute in the lamplight, and his voice carried it as well.
“Yes,” Monk said huskily. “But he won’t live with the lie. Nor will he allow Miss Darwin to.”
“There must be something you can do,” Hester interrupted. “Once the verdict comes in that Exeter is not guilty, he’ll be free for the rest of his life! And he may well kill Celia after a little while, just in case she changes her mind. To…tidy up, as it were.”
“Yes, I see that, Mrs. Monk.” Ravenswood did not argue.
“Exeter’s going to testify. He’s cocksure,” she went on. “Can’t you get him to say something that will open up a…chance to trip him? Then another…and another?” She leaned forward a little. “He thinks he’s got away with it. Three murders, four if they hang Doyle for it. And they’ll have to hang someone! Public opinion won’t let it go. And he’ll have got away with it all!” The anger made her voice sharp, desperate.
Ravenswood was thinking.
“He’s vain,” Hester went on, leaning forward a little further. “He thinks he’s cleverer than all of us—you,” she amended quickly. “He thinks Celia is stupid. Inferior. And he wants the world to think he and Kate were idyllically happy, that she adored him. You’ve got to be able to make something of that. Trip him up. Once will be enough. If you don’t, not only will he get away with it, but the good people—and Hooper is good, really good—will suffer. Celia may even get killed, too,” she reiterated. “You—”
Ravenswood held up his hand. “I understand, Mrs. Monk.” There was a very faint smile on his lips. He turned to Monk. “Are you prepared to work all night?”
“Yes,” Monk said immediately.
“Of course,” Hester agreed.
Ravenswood looked slightly taken aback. He started to speak, but she cut across him.
“I was with Miss Nightingale in the Crimea,” she said simply. She saw in his face that it was enough. She did not ask whether he had lost anybody he loved in that senseless and bloody war. Everyone knew Florence Nightingale’s name.
“Very well,” he said with a new respect in his voice. “We need to find this man Fisk, which should not be difficult if he works for Runcorn. And if we are to save Hooper, then we need to find the survivors of the Ledburn family. If possible, one of them may tell the truth about the captain, or at least enough of it to substantiate what Fisk and Hooper say of events. And we must persua
de Miss Darwin to amend her testimony, regardless of what it costs her. That may not be easy. She will be admitting she lied to protect a man she loves, who has made no such commitment to her. Rathbone will not like doing it, and he will have to attempt to destroy her credibility. And that will involve embarrassing her profoundly, humiliating her even.” He looked from one to the other of them.
Monk turned to Hester. “Would she do that?”
“We must give her that choice,” Hester replied. “We have no right to make it for her.”
“She may not realize—” Ravenswood began.
“It is very gracious of men to protect us,” Hester snapped. “It is also extremely condescending. We would like the dignity of making our own decisions.”
“Even if they are wrong?” Ravenswood said quite gently.
She gave a tiny shrug. “I am tempted to say that we are never wrong. Which would be ridiculous. All of us are wrong at times. Even men! But you never grow up if you are treated like a child and someone else makes all your big decisions for you.”
