The inrestigation
The story of my first enquiries in Hampshire is soon told. Not a single person in the village of Blackwater could remember exactly when Sir Percival Glyde had left. Even the gardener at the house could only say it was some time in the last ten days of july.
‘So, on to the next plan,’ I said to Marian back in London,’which is to pursue the secret. I need to talk to Anne Catherick’s mother, but first I must find out something about her from Mrs Clements, Anne’s friend. But how do I find Mrs Clement?’
Marian had the answer to that. ‘You remember the farm she and Anne Stayed at near Limmeridge? We’ll write to them – they might know Mrs Clements’ address.’
We were lucky. The farmer’s wife did know the address, and wrote back by return to tell us. It was in London, not far from our rooms, and the next morning I was knocking at the door.
Mrs Clements was anxious to know if I had brought her any news of Anne, and very sad to learn that I had not. However , she was willing to tell me everything she knew.
‘After leaving Limmeridge, sir,’ she said, ‘Anne and I went to live in the north east of England, and that’s when Anne started to suffer from heart disease. She wasn’t at all well, but she insisted on travelling to Hampshire, because she wanted to speak to Lady Glyde. So we went there and stayed in a village near Blackwater – not too close as Anne was so frightened of Sir Percival.
‘Each time Anne went to the lake to try to speak to Lady Glyde, I followed her at a distance. But the long walks made her so exhausted that she became ill again, so finally I went to the lake in her place tp meet Lady Glyde. She didn’t come that day,
But a very fat man came instead with a message from her. The message was that we should return to London immediately , as Sir Percival would certainly find us if we stayed longer. Lady Glyde was going to London herself very soon and if we sent her our address, she would contact us.’
‘But she didn’t,did she?’ I said, thinking how cleverly Count Fosco had lied to this kind woman.
‘No, sir. I found lodgings and sent the address to Lady Glyde, but after two weeks we’d still heard nothing. Then one day a lady called in a cab. She said she came from Lady Glyde, who was staying at a hotel and wanted to arrange an interview with Anne. I agreed to go with this lady to make the arrangement, leaving Anne alone in our lodgings. But it was a wicked plot, sir. On the way the lady stopped the cab, saying she just had to collect something from a shop and would I wait for a few minutes. She never came back, sir I waited for some time, and then I hurried home – and found Anne gone. Just disappeared.’
I asked Mrs Clements to describe this ‘lady’ , it seemed clear from her descriotion that it was Madame Fosco. So I now knew how the Count had got Anne Catherick to London and separated her from Mrs Clements.
‘I never found out what happened to Anne,’ Mrs Clements said sadly. ‘I made enquiries. I even wrote to her mother, but she didn’t know anything. I miss poor Anne so much. She was like a daughter to me, you see,sir.’
‘And I’m sure you were akind mother to her,’ I said.’ A better mother than her own mother.’
‘That wasn’t difficult,’ said Mrs Clements. ‘Mrs Catherick is a hard woman. She seemed to hate child, and was only too pleased when I offered to bring her up. Then one day she took Anne to Limmeridge to stay with a sister, and after that she kept Anne from me. Ididn’t see Anne again till she escaped from the Asylum – with your help, sir And then she was always talking about asecret her mother had which could ruin Sir Percival. But you know, sir, I don’t think Anne really knew what this secret was. If she had know, I’m sure she would have told me.’ I had wondered about that myself, and now I tried to turn the conversation on to Mrs Catherick.
‘Did you know Mrs Catherick before Anne was born?’
‘Yes, for about four months. We were neighbours in Welmingham. Mr and Mrs Catherick had just got married, and Mr Catherick had a job as cleck at Welmingham church. Before that, Mrs Catherick had been a servant at a large house. She was a selfish, heartless woman, and treated her poor husband very badly. Before long, there was a lot of talk about her and a young gentleman, who was staying at a hotel nearby . And Mr Catherick told my husband that he’d found expensive present, gold rings and suchlike, hidden in this wife’s drawer.’
‘And who was this gentlemn?’ I asked.
‘You know him,sir. And so did my poor dear Anne.’
‘Sir Percival Glyde?’ My heart began to beat faster.was I getting close to the secret?
‘That’s right. His father had recently died abroad, and Sir Percival had just arrived in the neighbourhood. People thought, you see, that maybe Mrs Catherick had know Sir Percival before, and had married Mr Catherick just to save her reputation, because of, well, you know . . . Anyway, one night Mr Catherick found his wife whispering with Sir Percival outside the vestry of the church. They had a fi