âHave you lied to me? Or to the Major? Or to Denny?'
Charlie shook his head silently.
Before Mindy could say anything else, Hetty appeared. She was wearing a neat day dress with a shawl over her head. âIf you want to talk then it must not be outside.' She looked around her. âIn the shed over there.'
This was a wooden box-like structure where stage properties were stored.
âNot locked?' asked Mindy.
âNot locked, we can go in.'
âShe's used it before,' thought Mindy. âNow I wonder what for?'
At the door, Mindy paused. âThere's no need to go any further. I wanted to say that I don't believe you found the body of that unlucky woman. Not by chance. You knew she was there. Perhaps you helped to drag her there?'
Hetty took a deep breath; she rubbed her hands down her skirt before answering.
âThat's not true.'
âOh come on. You're a liar. I'm going to make you tell what you know to Major Mearns.'
Hetty gave her a little push. âOh, go in, we can talk.'
Caught off her guard, Mindy stumbled forward, catching her foot on a piece of wood, and then fell. She heard Hetty enter the shed behind her and say, âOh,
you're
here!' Then Hetty gave a gasp. The shed grew dark as the door banged shut.
As Mindy lay on the floor with the smell of damp and dirt in her nose, she began to realise that what she had
heard had been more than a gasp. She raised herself on one elbow to take in what was before her.
In the gloomy light she could see Hetty lying on her back, with her eyes open.
It was at that moment â when Mindy realised Hetty was dead â that she smelt the smoke, felt the heat and knew the shed was on fire.
She crawled towards the door. By the time she reached it, it was already hot enough to burn her hands.
There were neither bolts nor locks on the door, but someone had pushed a very heavy object against it, blocking it, which she could not move.
She began to shout for help.
âThere'll be no one around,' spoke a voice inside her head. âThere never is once the curtain's up. You know that. No one here except whoever did it. Lit the fire and wants you and Hetty to burn. Perhaps they didn't know you were here. Or maybe they just didn't care.'
She hurled herself against the door, shouting. It did not move. Damn! Damn! Damn!
No one came.
She turned in despair to Hetty. No use; she was dead, right enough. There was a bead of blood on her forehead where she had been hit. The blow had dug out a little pit, which had filled with blood.
Mindy shouted again. âHelp! Help!' Then she began to cough as the smoke got to her throat and chest. Her eyes were watering too.
She tried to shout again and only a hoarse croak came out. Then she heard a voice.
âMindy? Can you hear me Mindy? This is Charlie.'
âI hear you,' she croaked as loudly as she could.
âI'm going to get you out.'
âGet help.'
She thought she heard the boy mutter that there was no time to lose.
Then she could hear him at the door. It was shaking and from outside came a rumbling noise. It went on as she listened, and then the door moved.
She stood up, grabbing at the smouldering doorframe. âI am going to survive,' she told herself, âI will survive.'
The door shuddered. A bit of smouldering wood, not flaming, but red hot, fell from the lintel onto her face. She could not bite back a scream.
âComing! Hang on there, Mindy!' called Charlie. Then he shouted: âStep back! Step back!'
âIf I can,' she thought, with the heat and smoke on her back. She wondered if her hair was burning, there was that smell â¦
No, it was Hetty's hair. But she had been wearing a wig, and underneath her own hair was thin and dry.
Then there was a crack of light where a piece of wood fell away from the door and she could see Charlie pushing and pulling â somehow both movements at the same time â at a large box used for stage dressings. As he succeeded in moving the box away, Mindy kicked the door, which opened enough for Charlie to grab at her and drag her through.
âThere's Hetty inside still,' she managed to say as she fell into his arms.
He put her gently on the stone flags.
âNo, don't go, Charlie. She's dead already.'
âCan't let her burn,' he called over his shoulder.
By this time Mr Thornton had hurried out of the Theatre with his minions by his side. On his instructions they were throwing buckets of water on the shed.
Charlie re-emerged seconds later, dragging Hetty out with him.
âYou're a brave boy,' Mr Thornton said to Charlie, patting him on the shoulder. âOh my goodness me, that poor woman.' He was looking at Hetty.
She had burned easily. Amazing how the fire had licked over her.
Â
âYou're a brave boy,' said Mindy to Charlie as he helped her back to the Castle. âI hope the Major does not see us,' she said looking round.
âWhy not?'
She touched her hair and thought about the burns on her cheek. âWhat do I look like? Tell me honestly.'
âSo she likes the Major,' thought Charlie to himself. âDoesn't want him to see her not looking pretty.'
âYou always look pretty, Miss Mindy,' said Charlie with conviction.
But the Major was on the staircase ahead. He advanced towards them, hands held out.
âCome along, my dear. I have been in enough battles to know that you have been in one.' Sergeant Denny loomed behind him. âBring her in â I can help her. Still
keep a war chest.' He studied her face as he took Mindy's arm and drew her along with him. âThose are burns; I know a burn when I see one. Seen worse, seen worse. I can cure those.' He turned to look at Charlie, who was following with the Major. âWhat about you, young man, you burnt too?
âOnly my hands â a bit.'
âHe's a hero,' said Mindy, struggling to speak through singed lips and Denny's soothing touches of some sort of cream. âSaved my life.'
âSeen a fire before.' Charlie was remembering the blaze in the old stables next to the blacking factory, and the screams of the horses. He had minded the donkey as much if not more than his friend Joe who had worked there. âKnew I had to be quick.'
Mindy, who could still hardly speak due to Denny's administrations, reached out a hand to him.
The Major was watching Denny at work. âYou're the one to help her, but I think she's had enough of the cream.'
âNeeds to stay on as long as possible, that way you'll not get holes and blisters in the skin.'
âYou were always good with the wounded, Denny,' remarked the Major.
âSomeone had to be.'
âHow long have you had that cream in store?'
Denny considered, then said with satisfaction, âSince Waterloo. Keeps well, doesn't it?'
Mearns knew when he was being laughed at. âIt will be older than you soon!'
Denny laughed as he released Mindy. âMade it for the last ruckus in the Guards' rest room. Had some nasty wounds there.' He smiled, leading Mindy to a chair to rest. âWho burnt you, my dear? Was it personal or an accident?'
Charlie took a deep breath â he knew what he thought, and what he had seen.
âTell us,' ordered Mearns. With a few skilful questions he got the story from Mindy.
Charlie kept quiet.
âSo you were standing by the open door talking to Henrietta when you either fell or were pushed inside?'
âPushed,' said Mindy in a firm voice. âAt first, I thought I had tripped, then I thought Hetty had pushed me â¦perhaps she had â¦'
âThen she was pushed in after you and the fire started. An accident?'
Mindy shrugged; how could she know? But she had heard Hetty call out as if in surprise.
âSo she knew who was there?'
Mindy nodded. âI think so.'
âBut you did not?'
âI did not see.' She gave a shudder as she remembered how quickly the smell of burning wood and flesh had followed. Whoever had started the fire had not cared whether she burned or not.
The Major turned towards Charlie. âAnd you? You were outside; what did you see?'
âSaw a man come up behind Henrietta ⦠Mindy was in the shed. I think Henrietta pushed her â not sure about
that; I was a way off.' He paused. âThen the man hit Henrietta, closed the door and set it alight.'
âHow?'
âHe had a lamp behind the shed, and a brand which he lighted with him â¦held it to the door. He was all ready to do it.'
âYou didn't try to stop him â¦'
âThe door caught fire at once; he may have put something on it â oil.' You could do that, he knew; he had heard that this was what had been done to the old stables. Word had been that the animals had been smeared too so that they would burn quickly.
The Major saw his face and nodded. âNo, you did the right thing; he'd have knocked you out. Mindy would have burnt like Henrietta.'
âPlease!' exhorted Mindy.
âSo who was he? Did you see his face?'
Mindy shook her head. âDidn't see him â only heard Hetty's voice; she knew him.' But she was on her way to being dead.
âWhat about you lad?'
Charlie shook his head. âI saw his back, not his face. He was wearing a long black cape with a collar up round his neck and hat pulled low.'
âOh.' The Major gave Charlie a long, cold, assessing look. Charlie knew what it meant; the Major thought that Charlie might have something to do with the fire. Mindy saw the look and knew what it meant too. She reached out to grip his hand in support. Charlie winced with pain.
Denny noticed the pain. âLet me get at you, Charlie, and see what I can do.' He took a look. âYou've been in the wars too.' He picked up his pot of ointment, then began to spread it on the boy's hands.
Mearns relaxed. He trusted Denny's judgement. The judgement of others he wasn't so sure about.
âI suppose we shall have Felix and the Unit working on this new death.' Mearns did not rate Felix's powers of investigation very highly. âAnd the coroner, Dr Devon,' he added. Nor did Mearns rule out intervention from the magistrate, Sir Robert Porteous.
âIt's up to us, Denny,' he said aloud.
Â
In the grander part of the Castle where the King had his chambers, the sovereign was being shaved by one of his valets while a Gentleman-in-Waiting talked to him. At intervals His Majesty took a sip of brandy.
âGo on Wavered, go on! One of the actresses has been killed?'
âYes, Sir. Looks like murder. Burnt, Sir, burnt to a crisp.' Or so he had been told. âBut she was hit first, then pushed inside the shed and the fire started.'
The King's mouth turned down. He drank a long draught of brandy.
âDoes that mean there won't be a performance at the Theatre tonight?' enquired the King petulantly. âI was looking forward to it.' He added: âThat's the second death there, is it not?'
âThe first was not an actress, but a woman of the town.' Lord Wavered stuttered as he spoke.
âYou'll fall over your own feet next time you go out, Wavered!' said the irritated monarch. He prepared to let his valet get back to work. âShave on. And you, Wavered â get to the Theatre to find their plans.' Then he added, as an afterthought: âAnd what they are doing to discover who killed those poor women ⦠Not a good thing so near the Castle, not good at all.'
âI'm sure the new Unit will soon find out,' said Wavered. âAnd no one would want to harm Your Majesty.'
âYou think so, do you? But I have always known you for a fool â¦'
Wavered began to bow himself out. Since the death of the Princess Caroline and her stillborn son he had learnt to be wary of His Majesty's temper. He was in pain too, by the look of him, and far too fat.
The King called after him: âAnd if any woman wants to see me, send her away!'
Lord Wavered nodded politely. Any woman indeed â Lady Coningham perhaps? Or the old Queen, his mother. Or one of the Princesses.
He got to the door, bowed again, and fled with relief. As the valet started with his razor, King George muttered that he had more trust in Major Mearns â
he
was the one.