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alternative. He had no friends or relatives in London. His plans went as far as spending the night in a cheap boarding house. He hadn’t got any further than that. Perhaps they should have tried his unmarried aunt in Skegness. But he couldn’t even imagine what she would have said if he’d turned up there with a woman on his arm.
     

     
    They walked for what seemed like miles, before they reached Finnegan’s house. It was a smart terraced house with a brass plate mounted beside the door.
    They were shown into the front parlour, and Finnegan, a well-respected doctor in his fifties, was surprisingly polite and sympathetic. He listened to the whole story, and all the time he stroked his beard as if he was deep in thought. He said nothing.
    ‘Susannah tells me you’re an excellent doctor,’ Carl said, and the older man raised an eyebrow. ‘And you’ve had the decency to listen.’
    The doctor smiled. ‘But?’
    Carl nodded and gave a nervous half-smile. He was standing before the mantelpiece, feeling angry and self-conscious, and he kept crushing his cap in his hand. ‘But … I believe Susannah is as capable of making her own decisions as you or I. It is true that she has no understanding of how the world works – but that’s because she has been kept hidden away from the world for so long. What human being wouldn’t behave a little oddly if kept like a caged bird or common criminal?’
    The doctor seemed amused. ‘You speak most persuasively, young man. Have you ever thought of entering politics yourself? You would certainly win the hearts of the people with your … charisma. Tell me? Did you practice in front of a mirror to get that impassioned look in your eyes or does it come naturally to you?’
    ‘This is no moment for levity, Mr Finnegan, Doctor. Sir,’ Carl wasn’t sure how to address the man. ‘Politics is a dirty business. I prefer changing locks and grinding keys. Good honest work where nobody gets hurt.’
    Finnegan sent Susannah into his consulting room and told her to look at a book, so that he could have ‘a private word’ with Carl.
    ‘Mr Fortescue is a friend of mine,’ he began.
    Carl sighed, already feeling defeated.
    ‘He’s a good politician too.’
    Carl snorted. ‘He’s a terrible father – to inflict such unhappiness on his daughter! I should not want a man like that representing my interests.’
    ‘That’s just the thing. He does represent the interests of men just like you – decent working men. He will bring about marvellous changes if he is elected. It would be a catastrophe if he were to lose, Mr Janssen. Have you any idea what a scandal it would cause if the papers got a whiff of all this?’
    Carl frowned.
    ‘Susannah is … very troubled,’ Finnegan said. ‘Her mind is not like yours and mine. You’ve noticed her unnatural curiosity, and how impetuous she is? How she fails to think before she speaks, and when she speaks she always says exactly what’s on her mind?”
    Yes. Carl had noticed, and he was in love with it all. ‘What exactly is wrong with her, sir?’
    Dr. Finnegan spoke about Susannah’s ‘condition’ for a good ten minutes, and used a number of impressive words, but at the end of it Carl was sure that Finnegan didn’t understand a woman’s emotions any better than any other man.
    Finally, Susannah was sent for and she came back into the room with a look of innocent hopefulness on her face.
    ‘Finnegan refuses to help us,’ Carl said, and watched the hope fade from her lovely face. ‘But he’s promised not to harm us either – so perhaps we can help ourselves.’
    Susannah’s expression lightened, and she thanked the doctor profusely, as if he had saved their lives.
    Carl glanced back, as they left the room. Dr Finnegan had a telephone - a shiny brass contraption – sitting smugly on his desk. The doctor moved to touch it, and then hesitated, resting his fingers there, without lifting up the receiver. He’ll wait until we’re gone,