The Mammoth Book of Historical Crime Fiction

At last Clark sat down. “He has refused to give it, but in fact I recognized him from a State Assembly I attended in the summer. Henry de Bellfont. He was thrown out of the Assembly for making a fracas, and I learned his sorry history. No doubt he hatched his plot then. With apologies, Miss Byron, he is the bastard son of a Duke and, although his father did provide enough money for a good education, he has refused to acknowledge him publicly, for the sake of his legitimate children. Henry was sent down from Oxford University for underhand dealings and general misbehaviour, at which point the Duke stopped sending money altogether.”

“He felt he wasn’t getting what he was due — despite the rest of us having to earn our living, or our position in society,” Robert observed.

“He was cold and calculating,” Ada said, remembering his green eyes. “All he wanted was riches.”

“Pure self-justification. But he is very clever,” Charles said. “The codes were the work of a brilliant mind, only used for the wrong purpose.”

“Now,” Clark was suddenly serious. “I must ask each of you to keep all the details of this affair secret. As far as the police are concerned we have captured a thief and dealer in stolen goods. I have tried to protect Miss Byron’s identity.”

“Why a secret? Sir?” Robert asked. His tankard of porter was already drained.

“No good cause would be served by tarnishing those close to the king. We must preserve stability at all costs. And we don’t want speculation and gossip about Henry de Bellfont’s claims that he burned down Parliament and is capable of blowing up St Paul’s Cathedral.”

“They were empty threats?” Ada asked. “He didn’t have a hand in that fire? Or the collapsing buildings?”

“With that mind, he could plan anything,” Charles said, “but would he have been able to carry it through?”

“I shall make very discreet investigations, but I believe not. He seized on two events and pretended he caused them, so we would pay to save St Paul’s. I doubt he had any intention of blowing it up. Abducting Miss Byron was to add strength to his claims.”

“What about his trial? He might take the opportunity to boast of these deeds?” Robert said.

“We shall find another way of dealing with him,” Clark said. Ada saw a glint of ruthlessness in his eyes that made her wonder if Henry de Bellfont would ever reach a courtroom. Perhaps he’d be encouraged to go to Tasmania, or America. She caught Robert’s eye and saw he’d come to the same conclusion.

The door opened and two serving-women came in carrying trays of food. Once everything had been laid out, the porter topped up, and the women gone, Clark said, “I propose a toast. To Miss Ada Byron, without whose mathematical genius, ably assisted by Mr Charles Babbage, we would not have averted this crime.”

As the three men raised their tankards, Ada laughed, and felt herself go pink. She wondered if she would ever be so content again.

Brodie and the Regrettable Incident

ANNE PERRY

Anne Perry has written over fifty books including two long-running series set in Victorian England. The first features Thomas Pitt who, though he rises through the police ranks, finds it difficult to mix with members of society because of his lowly background. The series began with The Cater Street Hangman (1979). The other main series, which began with The Face of a Stranger (1990), features William Monk, who manages to join the police force despite having lost his memory. He also has a rather chequered career, as he struggles to find his past. Both series have proved popular, though Perry has found time to dip into other periods, ranging from the French Revolution to the First World War. The following story fits into neither of these series, but clearly begs for one of its own. It features Miss Brodie, a highly inquisitive middle-aged lady’s maid in 1890s society, and Mr Stockwell, the butler.