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between the two extremes.'
        'Mr
Redmayne had a hunted look. More a case of desperation than misery.'
        'Oh
dear! That suggests only one thing.'
        'Exactly,
sir. He came to borrow money.'
        'He
must have lost heavily at cards again,' said Christopher ruefully. 'Why does he
play games at which he has such consistent ill luck? Henry has a good income
from the Navy Office and a generous allowance from our father, yet he will
fritter it away at a card table.' He glanced up. 'Did he ask where I was?'
        'Repeatedly.'
        'What
did you tell him?'
        'Very
little, sir. As instructed.'
        'Goodman!'
        'I
merely said that you were visiting friends in the country.'
        'No
mention of Sir Julius Cheever, I hope?' Jacob shook his head. 'Excellent. I
didn't want Henry getting wind of this latest commission until it was in the
bag. It's bound to upset him. My brother seems to think that my career will
only blossom if he has a controlling interest in it and, grateful as I am for
the introductions he gave me to earlier clients, he must learn that I can act
independently.'
        'Mr
Redmayne left a message for you.'
        'Call
on him immediately, no doubt.'
        'Yes,
sir.'
        'At
his home?'
        'He'll
be either there or at the Navy Office. He was most persistent.'
        'Henry
likes to keep me at his beck and call.'
        'He
drank three glasses of brandy while he was here.'
        Christopher
was surprised. 'Only three? That's abstemious by his standards. He must be out
of sorts. Does he know when I was due back in London?'
        Jacob
smirked. 'I was remarkably hazy on that point.'
        'That
would have pleased him,' said Christopher with a chuckle. 'Well, Henry can stew
in his own juice for a while. I have more important matters to consider than my
brother's gambling debts. I have to design a wonderful new house. Clear the
table, Jacob,' he said, getting to his feet and rubbing his hands with glee. 'I
intend to start immediately' His eye fell on the satchel. 'Oh, yes. And put
that money in my strongbox, please, just in case my brother drops in
unexpectedly.'
        
        
        To
the astonishment of his colleagues, Henry Redmayne arrived early and stayed
late at the Navy Office, throwing himself into his work with unaccustomed
enthusiasm. It was rare that he treated his sinecure as a full-time commitment
and even rarer that he lost track of time while he was sifting his way through
documents and writing a series of letters. It was mid-evening when he finally
came out into Seething Lane. There was another unusual development. An
ostentatious man by nature, he always dressed for effect in the latest fashion,
but he was now attired in what for him was remarkably sober garb. He had even
dispensed with his periwig, hiding his balding pate beneath a wide- brimmed
hat. The acknowledged peacock of the Navy Office was now a rather subdued blackbird
with ruffled feathers, barely able to take wing. Mounting his horse, he nudged
the animal into a steady trot.
        On
any other evening, Henry would have been looking forward to carousing with his
friends, playing cards, drinking heavily, then rolling from one house of resort
to another. Dedicated to pleasure, his appetite was insatiable and his stamina
legendary, but neither would be on display that night. As he rode towards home,
a mask of concentration replaced his normal haughty expression and a furtive
look was in his eyes. More than once during the journey, he glanced over his
shoulder as if afraid that he was being followed. When he came out through
Ludgate, he kicked the horse into a gentle canter, anxious to get back to the
relative safety of his home. Like his brother, he was a tall, well- featured
man with hair of a reddish hue, but the signs of dissipation set him completely
apart from his sibling. Nor did he have anything of Christopher's affability
and even temper. Henry