His Father's Ghost (Mina Scarletti Mystery Book 5) Read online

  ‘We do, although I only know her professionally,’ said Miss Hamid, smoothing the oil into Mina’s calves with firm fingers.

  ‘Oh, well of course I wouldn’t ask you to reveal to me what treatment you give her,’ said Mina, quickly, ‘I know that is confidential. But I am sure that what you do for her is very comforting. She has been very open with me about the trials she has to bear, and I feel that she deserves some peace.’

  ‘She does.’ Miss Hamid’s face clouded a little with concern. ‘I regret to say that certain of my clients have suggested to me that Mrs Vardy ought not to be admitted to the Baths in view of what they refer to as “her reputation”. I have made it very clear to them that there is no proof that she is guilty of any wrongdoing. Some persons really have nothing better to do with their time than imagine themselves to be better than others.’

  Mina understood what circumstances must have provoked that last comment, since the Hamids were of Anglo-Indian descent. She reflected sadly that while there were many who were happy to enjoy the application of the Indian Cham-poo as it was known, while visiting India, those same persons might have been less willing to avail themselves of the same treatment in Brighton. ‘Does Mr Vardy attend the Baths?’

  ‘No, I believe he has no requirement or interest in the healthful effects of the vapour bath, but he is perfectly content for Mrs Vardy to visit as often as she likes.’

  ‘Does she ever seek treatments for her elder son, Franklin?’

  Miss Hamid hesitated, unsure of how much to say.

  ‘I am aware that he is in poor health, and is currently unable to attend school,’ said Mina.

  ‘Hm,’ said the masseuse with a nod. ‘From what Mrs Vardy has told me, I am sure that her son would benefit. In fact, I did offer to pay a visit to the house and see the child myself to determine what might be best for him, but Mrs Vardy said that her husband would not hear of it.’

  ‘How curious!’ said Mina, as Miss Hamid gently turned her over, ‘so Mrs Vardy can avail herself of the treatments but not her son?’

  ‘That is so. Apparently, the boy rests during the day and Mr Vardy does not wish him to be disturbed. That is the excuse at any rate. But there may be other reasons, their doctor’s advice, perhaps.’

  She said no more, but Mina detected in the firm hands that eased the strained muscles of her back that Miss Hamid was not comfortable with the explanation.

  When Miss Hamid had departed, Mina was eager to follow the written instructions she had been given regarding the stretching and moving of her limbs. The ache in her twisted back was gone, and she felt if not exactly stronger, then ready and able to become stronger. She could for the first time since her illness confidently envisage a time when she would rise from her bed and walk unaided, dine with her family, pay visits to her friends, and go down to the seashore to enjoy the sound of the waves as they washed over the pebbled beach in the summer sun.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Over the next few days, Mina began to discover her strength again. Carefully but persistently, she undertook regular exercise, always when there was no-one else in the room. She would have liked to use her little dumbbells but felt that asking for them would be viewed with deep suspicion, so she made do with books. Miss Hamid had been right, of course. There were times when one was obliged to rest but after that, the best tonic was exercise. At last she felt ready to leave her bed, and so advised Miss Cherry and Rose, who to her great relief, did not disagree.

  Mrs Vardy’s eagerly anticipated second visit therefore found Mina seated in a cosy armchair beside her bed, swaddled in blankets. She hoped that the fact she was sitting rather than propped up made her look in better health and less like a memento mori photograph. She had not yet been permitted a mirror so felt doubtful on the subject. At least she wasn’t surrounded by wreaths of fragrant flowers and her favourite books, with dark dots painted on her closed eyelids. She was alone, since Miss Cherry’s meeting with Mrs Phipps had been pronounced a success. The nurse had accepted an engagement to accompany the lady on a visit to enjoy a light luncheon and listen to a recital of Shakespeare’s poetry by Mr Merridew, both of which were keenly anticipated.

  Mrs Vardy arrived carrying a portmanteau bag well stuffed with papers, which Mina thought looked very encouraging. She always felt a little thrill at the sight of a pile of documents, which held the rich promise of discovery, in much the same way as a hungry person might have regarded a plate laden with appetising food.

  ‘I have brought you a portrait which includes my late husband,’ said Mrs Vardy, ‘It was taken the year before he disappeared. As you see we were a united and devoted family.’

  She handed a photograph to Mina who studied it intently. It was a conventional family portrait, mounted on an embossed card, which was printed with the words Premier Tintype Studio, St James’s Street, Brighton, and handsomely framed. The Holts as depicted were a proudly successful family. Mrs Vardy, seen nine years ago was immediately recognisable as a younger and rounder version of the woman who had called upon Mina. The intervening years had worn her with age and sadness. She was thinner and less fresh but had acquired in compensation a controlled dignity. Mrs Holt, as she was then, was portrayed seated on a straight-backed chair beside a round table that was draped in a fringed cloth and wearing what must have been her most expensive gown. She looked composed, confident, untroubled, proud. The elder boy Franklin stood in front of the table, stiff and serious in his best clothes, with straight hair in a severe centre parting, a poutingly sulky mouth and large eyes. The younger, a curly haired handful with a round face, plump cheeks and a mouth that looked about to break into a playful grin, was seated on his mother’s lap, and must have been hard to keep still for the camera. On the far side of the table from his wife, Jasper Holt was standing in a carefully arranged pose, his hand resting lightly on the table top, shoulders well squared. At his fingertips was a cut glass decanter, a set of stemmed glasses and, to Mina’s eyes, an unusually large wine bottle. Mina would have preferred to have seen an individual full face portrait of Mr Holt to gain a better impression of his features, but all she saw was a well-dressed stockily built man, his hair thick and brushed back from his face, worn short at the sides, and a beard of the most common cut. The chain of his father’s watch was draped across the front of his waistcoat.

  ‘You don’t have a better picture?’ asked Mina.

  ‘No, there is only the wedding portrait. This is the best, the most recent one. It is how he appeared on the last day I saw him. I have a description here. Gordon took out an advertisement. We were still hoping, then.’ She passed a printed paper to Mina.

  ‘What date was this?’

  ‘Gordon arranged it before those scandalous articles first appeared in the Gazette. I think Jasper had been missing for about a week. It was in all the newspapers, including The Times. That is one of the handbills Gordon had made. He had some posted up at railway stations. We thought Jasper might read one and then we would receive something from him, if only a note to say that he was well but had gone away for a rest.’

  ‘You thought he might be in hiding?’

  ‘I thought, perhaps that he had been working too hard and was suffering from nerves — that was all I could think of at the time.’

  Mina studied the handbill.

  MISSING

  Mr Jasper Holt, of Holt and Co, purveyors of wines and spirits, St James’s Street, Brighton.

  Age 43. About 5ft 8 inches tall, strongly made, fresh complexion, hair and beard light brown, no distinguishing marks. Well-spoken. Smartly dressed and wearing a silver watch and chain, engraved with the name of his father, F J Holt. Mr Holt went missing after falling from a yacht on 18 July 1864, and was initially presumed drowned, but may have survived. A reward of £100 is offered by his family for any news of his whereabouts, either living or deceased. Details to G Saltmire of Saltmire Fine Porcelain, Hove.

  ‘It says no distinguishing marks,’ said Mina, regretfully. ‘He has no scars, or ble
mishes upon him?’

  ‘None of any significance,’ said Mrs Vardy, ‘although he may have had some afterwards — who knows what injuries he might have acquired in the accident?’

  ‘And he was not troubled by poor health? Despite his business difficulties? There are men whose health would suffer in such a situation. You said you thought he was working too hard.’

  Mrs Vardy looked wistful and Mina guessed that she was reliving the early days of July 1864, wondering perhaps if there was anything she ought to have seen or done which would have prevented the catastrophe. ‘In the weeks leading to his disappearance he had been working much longer hours and seemed wearier than usual, but that is often the sign of a flourishing business, is it not? At least that is what I thought. How could I know differently? In fact, I recall suggesting to him that in view of how busy he was, he should think of engaging another assistant, but he said that it was only a temporary situation.’

  ‘But what about his general health? Was that good, or did you have any concerns?’

  ‘His general health was always good. I was worried about him for a time, since I knew that his father had died at the age of fifty-two from a failure of the heart, but Jasper reassured me that having observed his father’s decline, he was familiar with the symptoms, and did not suffer in that way.’

  ‘When he initially disappeared did you believe that there was a chance that he might have survived the fall in the water? Was he a strong swimmer?’

  She smiled, and it was a proud, fond memory. ‘Oh yes, very. In his youth he won prizes for it. Later he tried to swim whenever he had the chance, but of course he had not done so much in recent years because of the demands of his business. But from what I read in the newspapers the accident happened when the yacht was not far from shore. I would have thought a competent swimmer could have reached it. He might almost have floated to safety on the tide,’ she added dreamily, as if conjuring up the scene in her imagination.

  ‘I am told that according to Mr Sutherland he wished to sail to Shoreham?’

  ‘So I understand.’

  ‘Why was that, do you think? Do you have friends or relations there?’

  ‘I don’t know why. We know no-one who lives there. I asked Mr Benton, the assistant at the shop, if he knew anything, and he was just as mystified as the rest of us. He said that they had never done business with anyone in Shoreham. When Jasper and I were courting we took many excursions along the coast, and Shoreham was one of the places we passed through, but we never stayed there. I am wondering if Mr Sutherland’s memory was faulty from the shock. Or maybe he misheard.’

  Mrs Vardy took another packet of papers from her bag. ‘There are letters here —business letters. I’m not sure what you will make of them. When Jasper disappeared, Gordon spoke to his accountant Mr Westbury but afterwards he told me not to trouble myself about it. He said that there were questions that only Jasper could clear up and he hoped that when Jasper returned all would be well.’ Her lips trembled.

  Mina received the packet and opened it. Inside, a bundle of neatly folded letters was tied in thin ribbon. She selected the top one and began to read.

  Westbury and Graydon Accountants

  North Street, Brighton

  10 July 1864

  Dear Mr Holt,

  A serious matter has arisen concerning the accounts of Holt and Co, for the year ended 31 December 1863, which were completed and signed last month. Mr Livermore has been making some enquiries and received information which has caused him considerable unease. Since my signature is on the accounts I have been placed in a very difficult position, and I am quite unable to alleviate Mr Livermore’s anxieties.

  Please could you come and see me as a matter of urgency. I trust that there may simply have been an innocent error, which can be easily corrected, although Mr Livermore is putting quite a different cast on the situation and is insinuating that I not only knew of the irregularity but was complicit in its arrangement. Naturally I wish to resolve the question as soon as possible.

  Yours faithfully

  H Westbury

  Westbury and Graydon Accountants

  North Street, Brighton.

  13 July 1864

  Dear Mr Holt,

  I am astonished to find that I have not yet received a reply to my letter of 2nd inst. I must emphasise that the matter is extremely urgent, and becomes more so with each passing day, as Mr Livermore has now consulted a solicitor. My clerk delivered a message to your place of business yesterday and found only your assistant Mr Benton on the premises who stated that you were not there, and he should look for you at home. My clerk then made enquiries for you at your residence only to be told by your servant that you were at your place of business.

  I am extremely anxious to speak to you. If it is not convenient for you to come to my office, we may meet at any other reasonable location you prefer.

  I should also mention that the cheque you used to pay my recent invoice has been returned due to an insufficiency of funds in your bank account, a situation which causes me considerable disquiet. If you wish me to continue to act for you, I shall first require payment in full.

  Yours faithfully

  H Westbury

  ‘Who is Mr Livermore?’ asked Mina.

  ‘According to Gordon, he is a hotelier and was one of Jasper’s most important customers. He was also one of Mr Westbury’s clients. He loaned Jasper some money. At least I think it was a loan, but Mr Livermore claimed that it wasn’t. He said that Jasper had approached him offering to make an investment for him as he had seen a good opportunity in the wine trade that needed to be taken advantage of at once.’

  ‘And did he make the investment?’ asked Mina, although she was fairly sure of the answer she would receive.

  ‘It appears —’, Mrs Vardy gave a soft unhappy exhalation, ‘that he did not. He may have been intending to, of course. I would like to believe that he was. But he owed the bank a lot of money at the time, and they were sending him horrid letters demanding immediate payment, so it seems — I suppose the temptation must have been too much for him — it seems that he used Mr Livermore’s money to pay off some of what he owed, just to gain time. There are so many conflicting stories and not one piece of paper to support any of them, that I don’t know what to think.’

  Mina was extremely grateful for the fact that since she came of age, she had insisted on managing her own modest finances. She would never be so bewildered as Mrs Vardy was, never be the victim of a husband who had promised to protect her interests but neglected to do so. ‘Do you know what it was that Mr Westbury was concerned about regarding the business accounts?’ she asked.

  ‘Gordon had a long meeting with him after Jasper disappeared, and I did ask him to explain it to me. I think the suggestion was that Jasper had put some wrong figures in the accounts to make it look as if the business was doing well when it wasn’t. I’m not sure why he did that, but Gordon says Jasper was hoping to borrow some money to keep the business going. Apparently, people will lend you money if you already have it, but not if you don’t, which seems the wrong way round to me, but then I don’t have a head for business. But Mr Livermore accused Mr Westbury of conniving with Jasper and for a man in his position that is a very serious accusation.’

  Mina turned to the next letter in the bundle.

  Westbury and Graydon Accountants

  North Street, Brighton

  14 July 1864

  Dear Mr Holt,

  In view of your continued failure to meet either myself or any member of my firm, or to reply to my letters, I must assume that you no longer wish me to act on your behalf. My invoices remain unpaid, and I shall forthwith be placing the debts in the hands of persons who will be less accommodating than myself,

  Yours faithfully

  H Westbury

  ‘As far as I know, that was the last letter Mr Westbury wrote to Jasper,’ said Mrs Vardy. ‘There were other letters addressed to him at the house after that, but I think he mus
t have destroyed them. I only have those few because they were tumbled in with family documents, or I think he would have destroyed them, too. I believe that proceedings for debt were about to be taken against him, and then we would have had the misery and shame of bankruptcy. When Jasper disappeared and we didn’t know his fate, all that came to nothing as his property could not be touched. After he was declared deceased the estate was valued, what little property remained was sold, and the proceeds used to pay something to the creditors. They received very little. Nowhere near what they were owed.’

  Mrs Vardy handed Mina another bundle of papers.

  ‘There are more pages from the newspapers, and letters from persons who claimed to have seen Jasper. One lady was convinced she had seen him in Australia which is ridiculous. He has also apparently appeared in Scotland, Cornwall and the Isle of Wight. But where the sightings sounded possible, Gordon did employ a man, a Mr Handley, to look into it. You’ll find his reports there. I also received letters from clairvoyants saying that they could locate Jasper, but they always asked for money I didn’t have. There was only so far that I could trespass on Gordon’s generosity.’

  ‘And you feel sure that Mr Holt is deceased?’

  ‘Yes, I must accept it now. At least, what I mean is that his physical form is no more, although his soul, his spirit lives on. Mrs Barnham, the medium I consult has convinced me, and she has passed on many messages from him. He told me that his death was an accident, and that no blame is to be attached to Mr Sutherland. And he is happy and at peace and watches over us. But I can’t make other people believe that, and they whisper against me. If I am sure of it, why is no-one else? Why do they deny the world of the spirit? Can you help me, Miss Scarletti?’