From Didcot station I sent a telegram to Grindlay making an appointment
with him to meet us at Lady Stretton's later that night, and when we
arrived there we found both the Inspector and Jack Bethune awaiting us.
Closeted together, Lady Stretton being present, Sybil told her story to
the astonished police officer in a plain, matter-of-fact manner,
describing minutely the circumstances of the tragedy as she had
witnessed it, and eulogising Jack for the self-sacrifice he had made in
order to shield her. Her confession was much the same as that she had
made to me, and when she had concluded the detective turned, offered his
hand to Jack, apologising for regarding him with undue suspicion, to
which the other responded generously, saying:
"It was my fault; entirely my fault. I intended you should believe me
guilty. But arrest the culprit; do not let him escape."
"No, he shall not," Grindlay said with a mysterious smile. "Very soon
we shall have him under lock and key. But this affair is simply
astounding," he continued, turning to me. "I felt certain there must be
some very suspicious circumstances connected with your secret marriage,
but the intricacies of this extraordinary plot never occurred to me. I
knew that only by the exertion of great influence could such a marriage
as yours be procured, and certainly the substitution of Miss Henniker's
sister for herself was one of the most ingenious and neatly-executed
pieces of trickery that has ever come under my notice. Indeed, the
truth is even more remarkable than the mystery. The Earl and his
precious confederate must be an inventive pair, otherwise they would not
have succeeded in tricking us so neatly. When perpetrating the fraud
and the murder, the Earl secured the silence of witnesses by devices
evidently carefully planned. Since I last saw you I have learnt the
truth from De Vries, the French ex-detective, who endeavoured to levy
blackmail upon Markwick. It appears as though their scheme would never
have been exposed had not he, while making inquiries into the causes of
the Chamber of Deputies explosion, found himself balked by the strange
marriage. The relatives away in Savoy, to whom the estate rightly
belonged, had had their suspicions aroused by some slight incident, and
had caused inquiry to be made by the police. De Vries, having both
matters in hand, at length understood that an important object was to be
attained by preventing Ethel from dying. This, however, was after his
retirement from the Paris police. Nevertheless, an adept at criminal
investigation, he prosecuted his inquiries out of sheer curiosity, and
possibly with the hope of a reward, until he obtained confirmation of
his suspicion that Miss Sybil was not dead. Finding he could glean
nothing further he therefore resolved to obtain money for his silence,
and blackmailed Markwick, compelling him to part with various sums of
money. De Vries was, it appears, a friend of Sternroyd's, and in a
moment of expansiveness imparted to him the secret. Thereupon Sternroyd
set diligently to work, discovered Sybil, and would--if not foully done
to death--have exposed the whole conspiracy. But I have sent a
messenger for De Vries, and expect him here every moment."
Almost as he spoke the diminutive Frenchman was ushered in by one of the
stately, powdered footmen of the Stretton household. He entered,
smiling and bowing, and when Grindlay had explained what he had told us
he turned to me, and in broken English, reiterated with much
gesticulation how he had been commissioned by Monsieur Goron, the head
of the Paris police, to investigate the dynamite explosion in the
Chamber, and how, at the house of the noted Anarchist Mercuvel, an
incriminating letter signed by Sybil Henniker had been discovered. She
was traced, application was made to the London police for her arrest and
extradition, and he himself came over and had actually accompanied the
officers when they burst into the room wherein the marriage ceremony had
taken place. Returning to Paris, baffled by the death of the woman
supposed to be one of the guiding spirits of the apostles of dynamite,
another inquiry was soon afterwards placed into his hands. It was made
by a family named Langon, living near Chambery, regarding the sister of
Sybil Henniker. This aroused his suspicion, but having fallen into
disfavour at headquarters he found himself compelled to resign his
official appointment Afterwards he returned to London, investigated the
matter thoroughly, and arrived at the conclusion that it was Sybil who
was passing herself off as the wife of Markwick, and that the Langon
family were entitled to claim the late Madame Henniker's property. The
detective's shrewdness had obtained for him hush-money to the extent of
over a thousand pounds when, fearing Markwick would escape and thus his
source of income might disappear, he coolly claimed another thousand in
return for his liberty, a request which was refused.
When this family council terminated, and the bell was rung that
refreshments might be served to Grindlay and the Frenchman, it was
already near midnight. The footman on entering that abode of garish
luxury passed at once across to Lady Stretton, saying in a low tone:
"Lord Fyneshade called an hour ago, your ladyship, and--"
"Fyneshade!" all echoed in a tone of awe.
"And what did you tell him, Stebbings?" cried Lady Stretton, growing
crimson with excitement.
"I told him your ladyship was engaged with Captain Bethune, Mr Ridgeway
and a French gentleman," the flunkey answered, astonished at the
sensation his announcement had produced.
"Well, what then?"
"He glanced at Monsieur's card lying in the hall, and then left
hurriedly, first asking me whether a strange, fair-haired young lady had
accompanied Mr Ridgeway. I told him that she had, and he then said I
was not to disturb you or mention that he had called."
"By Heaven! He's bolted!" cried Grindlay, springing to his feet. "But
he must not escape. Come with me, De Vries. We must find him before he
has time to leave London."
"But Markwick!" I cried. "What of him?"
"He has unfortunately already gone," the Frenchman answered as he passed
through the door. "I missed him this morning, after watching his
lodgings at Notting Hill for nearly three weeks. He has eluded me, and
I fear got clean away."
A few moments later Grindlay and his companion jumped into a cab, and I
heard a voice shout to the driver:
"Scotland Yard. Quick!"