The Repentant Rake Read online

  'At last!' declared Sir Julius with a smile of satisfaction.

  'I'm sorry for the unfortunate delay,' said Christopher.

  'It was not your fault, Mr Redmayne. But for you, there'd be no house at all. If Wickens had had his way, you'd now be attending my funeral.'

  'I try to hang on to my clients.'

  'This one is deeply grateful to you.' The old man's face clouded. 'I still don't understand why Wickens had to kill Gabriel. His hatred of me is easy to comprehend. In the heat of battle, I did shoot his brother, I can't deny that. But why did Wickens have to go after my son as well?'

  'The answer is simple,' explained Christopher. 'He bore your name. It's ironic, Sir Julius. The one thing that Gabriel did not leave behind when he left home was the family name. He carried it with pride and it proved to be his downfall.'

  'Yet he and Peter Wickens were friends for a time.'

  'That was until you appeared on the scene yourself,' said Christopher. 'His friendship with Gabriel had already turned sour and the news of your imminent return to London only intensified the situation. When Sir Marcus Kemp mentioned that he'd seen Gabriel in Knightrider Street, Wickens was determined to kill him. And as we discovered' he sighed, 'h? had an accomplice to strengthen his resolve.'

  'Miss Celia Hemmings.'

  'Yes, Sir Julius. She had her own reasons to hate Gabriel,' he said tactfully omitting any details of their earlier relationship. 'When she stumbled upon something of his that could be used for the purposes of blackmail, she and Peter Wickens joined forces against your son. They were a formidable team.'

  'So were you and Mr Bale.' A spasm of pain shot through him. He gritted his teeth. 'In a sense, I'm to blame,' he said guiltily. 'My return to London prompted Gabriel's death. If I had not conceived the ambition to enter Parliament, my son might still be alive.'

  Christopher shook his head. 'I think that unlikely. With enemies like Peter Wickens and Celia Hemmings, your son's life was always under threat. They went to great pains to track him down when he turned his back on them,' he pointed out. 'They were ruthless. They wanted revenge. Don't blame yourself, Sir Julius.'

  'I'm bound to, Mr Redmayne.' He saw the builder approaching and brightened. 'Here comes Popejoy. You might have found me someone with a different name,' he said with a chuckle. 'Popejoy, indeed! Why saddle a confirmed Protestant like me with a builder called that? I take no joy from any Pope.'

  'You'll find him an excellent man.'

  'I'm sure.' He glanced across at the nearby coach. 'I need to speak to him alone, Mr Redmayne,' he said with a twinkle in his eye. 'This might be the moment for you to bid farewell to my daughter.'

  Christopher needed no more encouragement. He hurried across to the coach. Susan had been watching them through the window but she now leaned back in her seat. Christopher removed his hat to speak to her.

  'I hope that you're not going to stand out there, Mr Redmayne,' she said.

  'Well, no, I suppose not.'

  'Step inside, sir. We're entitled to a little privacy.'

  'Of course,' he said getting into the coach. 'I was about to suggest that.' He sat opposite her and felt a surge of pleasure. 'I'll miss you,' he confessed.

  'Will you?'

  'Northamptonshire is such a long way away.'

  'But that's not where I'm going, Mr Redmayne.' 'Oh?'

  'Father is taking me to Richmond so that I can stay with my sister and her husband,' she announced. 'He'll then go back home on his own.' His delighted reaction made her giggle slightly. 'You seem pleased by the news.'

  'I'm overwhelmed with joy,' said Christopher.

  'I could hardly stay in the city,' she went on. 'Not now that Lucy has decided to go back to her mother. London holds too many bitter memories for her.'

  'I know,' he said sadly. 'It was sensible of her to agree to the destruction of that diary. I had immense satisfaction from burning it. In the wrong hands, your brother's memoirs did untold damage.' He moved to the edge of his seat and searched her eyes. 'Why did you choose to go to Richmond'

  Susan gave a shrug. 'The thought of being stuck in the house with Father was not altogether enticing,' she explained. 'I elected to stay with Brilliana instead.'

  'May I call on you there?'

  'I'm relying on it, Mr Redmayne. I'll need some diversion.'

  Christopher pulled a face. 'Is that all I am to you? A mere diversion?'

  'What else are you?' she teased.

  'I'll be happy to show you.'

  He leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek and she squeezed his arm fondly.

  'I fancy that my sister and I will be doing a lot of shopping in London,' she said artlessly. 'Of course, there will be times when Brilliana will be too busy to accompany me. I may have to come here alone, Mr Redmayne.'

  Christopher beamed. 'You'll have no cause to repent that decision,' he promised.

  Their laughter sealed the bond.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen