“Not a clue. There’s a great deal of speculation, of course, always is in these sorts of situations. It’s still everyone’s belief, even the magistrate’s, Sir Jasper Casworth—can you remember Sir Jasper?”
Rafael nodded, picturing a desiccated, bent old man who habitually pursed his lips.
“Well, yes, Sir Jasper believes that all the members of this so-called new Hellfire Club wear masks so that even the members don’t know who the other members are.”
“That would seem wise,” Rafael said, but he couldn’t believe that they didn’t know each other. Impossible, that, but he didn’t disagree.
“Indeed, my boy, indeed.”
“Have they done anything else save rape young girls?”
“They did murder,” said Mr. Meledor in his most portentous voice. “Yes, murder, and that’s how we found out about them paying fathers to rape their daughters. One of the girls died, bled to death, and the father was very upset, you might say.”
“He didn’t say who had paid him for his daughter?”
“He didn’t know,” said Mr. Meledor in some disgust. “Said it was all done through letters. Stupid man.”
“Does anyone have any idea of how many men are involved in this new Hellfire Club?”
Mayor Meledor cleared his throat, a flush creeping up his fleshy jowls. “Well, after that one girl died, another started talking. She said eight men had had her.”
After a while Rafael shook the mayor’s hand, nodded to other folk he recognized, spoke to some old friends, then took his leave. He pushed his stallion as fast as he could gallop toward Fletcher’s Pond.
As for Victoria, she’d managed to dismount from Toddy’s back without oversetting either herself or Damaris. It was a glorious early October day. “Careful not to fall into the pond, Damie,” she told the wriggling small girl, a litany that Victoria doubted ever penetrated the child’s head.
“I want to feed Clarence,” said Damaris.
“You will, love, you will. I can hear him.”
Victoria spread out a blanket beside the tablecloth to wait for Rafael. She was thinking about the horrible rape when she heard his stallion approach.
He dismounted Gadfly beside Toddy and tethered him to a low yew bush.
“Hi, Victoria. Hey, Damaris, do you need more bread for those greedy ducks?”
Victoria said as she looked up at him, “Did you hear the people saying that you would put a stop to all of this?”
“Yes, I heard them.”
“You’re very popular. I can’t imagine why no one ever spoke of you to me during the past five years.”
“I can.” After giving Damaris more bread for the ducks, he eased down beside Victoria. “It’s easy enough to understand. You were Damien’s ward. It was known that Damien and I parted on neutral terms, at the very best. No one would dare speak of me to you, particularly since Damien appears to have inspired resentment. It’s really that simple.” He paused a moment, pulling up a blade of grass and rubbing it between his long fingers. “I heard people referring to Damien. It seemed to me that they disliked him, perhaps feared him, certainly didn’t trust him. Do you know what he has done to inspire such feelings?”
She shook her head. “People in St. Austell have always been kind to me and to Elaine, only just a bit more standoffish with her. I really don’t know.”
“I shall have to find out, I see.”
“Before you become a detective, should you like to eat your luncheon?”
Rafael gave her that smile of his and nodded. He once again counted on his fingers, sighed, and held up one finger.
“It’s just one, Victoria. How would you like to—”
“Rafael. Don’t you dare say what you are thinking.”
17
The stupidities begin when one takes men seriously.