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Daniel rose to his feet. He was shaking. ‘The man who finds out who killed your wife,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘Whether it’s you or not. If it isn’t you, I’ll get you out of here. And if it is, I’ll see you hang with pleasure.’
Daniel went to the door and banged on it to be let out. He did not look back at Graves when the guard came, but walked away.
Chapter Twelve
Daniel made up his mind that he must go and see his father that evening. He set out with the intention of arriving about six o’clock. It would be before dinner, and it would be an interruption to his parents’ evening, but it was the best time to catch him, in the event that they had planned to go out. If so, their plans might have to be cancelled. This matter would not wait.
Several times on the way there, he wondered if it was wise to appeal to his father, and if it was even necessary. It could be left until he knew more, in fact until after he had found out who might be behind Ebony’s death. But he did not hesitate in his stride. He knew these were all excuses, because it was going to be difficult. Unpleasant, at least; at worst, disastrous.
He turned the corner into Keppel Street. Every house was familiar. He had walked this way almost every day since he was four or five years old, right until he went up to Cambridge. He did not hesitate, although he was forcing himself in every step.
He was glad they had not moved to a newer, grander house with Pitt’s promotion, and higher salary. This was home. He pulled the bell rope and stepped back.
It was answered almost immediately. They had a manservant now. That was fairly new. They’d always managed before with one maid, and a woman a couple of days a week for the heavy work.
‘Good evening, Mr Daniel. Is Sir Thomas expecting you?’ The servant opened the door wide and moved aside to allow Daniel in. He must know that Daniel was not expected, but it was a courteous way of asking.
‘No, Yeats, he isn’t. And I’m sorry if it causes inconvenience, but it’s really urgent. Will you please tell him I’m here? And I’ll say hello to my mother.’
‘Yes, sir. Lady Pitt is in the sitting room.’ Yeats went ahead of him, knocked on the sitting-room door and went in immediately. Daniel heard him say something in a murmur, and the next moment Charlotte was in the doorway.
‘Daniel!’ Her face was alight with pleasure and she hugged him immediately. He felt the warmth of her and responded. Since he had lived away from home, he had missed her enthusiasm, her interest in everything, even her desire to be involved in whatever was his latest interest. He had never known anybody more alive. It had driven him frantic, and frequently embarrassed him when he was a child. But he looked back on it now with pleasure.
He hugged her in return. ‘Hello, Mama. Sorry to come without warning, but I have to talk to Father rather urgently about something very serious. And it’s a case I can’t tell you about, so don’t ask me. I know I’m interrupting, but it won’t wait.’
‘Oh!’ She seemed about to add more, but the gravity in his face, even perhaps a degree of pain, kept her from arguing. She could be amazingly discreet at times, which still surprised him. ‘I’ll fetch him. He’s in the study.’
‘I’d rather go in to him there,’ he said. ‘It’s . . .’
‘Serious?’ she asked, the light slipping out of her face. ‘Before dinner?’
‘Please.’ He wanted to talk as if everything were normal and not tell her he was too nervous to eat. He thought he had more control than that. He had stood up in court and defended a man, knowing that the man would live or die, depending on his success. He might even have turned the tide for Graves, temporarily. Was that an achievement, or a disaster? But telling his father about Graves’ accusations was different. It struck at the root of who his family was, who he was himself. And Graves knew it! He had seen that in his eyes, the knowledge of leaving a deep wound. It was what he had meant to do.
Charlotte did not press him any further. She might ask Pitt afterwards, but that was up to them.
She took him to the study door, knocked, and then went in. ‘Thomas? Daniel is here to see you about something very important. He says it’s better to get it over with before dinner.’ She held the door open for Daniel.
Pitt was sitting at his desk. As usual, there were papers spread all over it. None of them would be secret. Those did not leave the office. Even so, Daniel did not glance at any of them, but straigh
t at his father.
Pitt was tall and loose-limbed. He had improved on his natural untidiness a little over the years, but not a great deal. His hair was still too long and unruly, and lately there was a good deal of grey in it. Actually, it became him. It gave him a certain gravitas he had lacked before. He looked at Daniel steadily for several seconds.
‘You’d better sit down and tell me what it is,’ he said at last. ‘And if you are going to ruin your mother’s dinner. I hope you have already informed her?’
‘I don’t know . . .’
Pitt saw the concern in his face. ‘Tell me . . .’
Daniel sat down in the chair opposite the desk. He still did not know how he was going to approach this. He had thought of half a dozen ways on the journey here, and cast them all aside. Was the whole thing foolish, and he should not bother his father? Or was this going to be a turning point in the family, the beginning of a damage that would never be undone, never be completely healed over?
Pitt was waiting, a shadow in his face now.
Should Daniel start with Marcus fford Croft? Or defending Graves, and the outcome? Or go straight to Graves’ accusation?
‘Daniel?’
‘I have a defendant accused of a murder,’ he began. ‘I was only assisting at the trial, because the lawyer who was doing it had met with a street accident.’ He was making a mess of it already.
