Vow of Deception (The Ministry of Curiosities #9)(51)

"Sir Ignatius?" Mr. Yallop looked at Swinburn for the first time. He nodded once and gave him a cool smile. "I didn't see you there, sir."

"What are you doing here?" Swinburn asked.

Mr. Yallop puffed out his chest. "I'm the appointed chair for the Home Office's select committee investigation into the Ministry of Curiosities." Was the explanation just for show, or did Swinburn not help Yallop get the position after all? At least they didn't try to hide their acquaintance.

Ballantine smirked at Lincoln. "Is that so? Well, well."

"And you are?" Mr. Yallop asked.

"Lord Ballantine. Sir Ignatius and I are friends."

"Tell me what happened here," Yallop demanded. "I was told the creature was shot and killed."

Inspector Fullbright gave a brisk account of the events as he knew them. No one added to it, and no one stated or implied that Ballantine and Swinburn were also werewolves.

"Good." Mr. Yallop cupped his hands behind his back. "It seems we're now rid of the blasted werewolf creature. An excellent result. Thank you, Sir Ignatius. You'll be a hero when the newspapers get wind of this."

"No names, please," Swinburn said. "I'd like to remain anonymous. My friends don't like it when one of our circle garners publicity, even good publicity."

Mr. Yallop's thick brows wriggled up his forehead. "Your friends, eh? No, I'm sure they don't." Did he already know that Swinburn associated with royalty? Or merely guessed?

"I'd like to hear your version of events, sir," Inspector Fullbright said to Swinburn. "Yours too, Mr. Fitzroy."

"He didn't witness anything," Ballantine growled. "He was too far away."

"And you were in your house," Seth shot back. "So you have nothing of worth to say."

Ballantine opened his mouth, but Inspector Fullbright spoke first. "Thank you, my lordship," he said to Ballantine. "But you won't be needed."

"It's your lordship or my lord." Ballantine gave him a tight smile then strode off in the direction of his house.

"Would you like to step over here and tell us what happened, Sir Ignatius?" Inspector Fullbright said.

"There's no need for privacy," Swinburn said. "I'll tell you what I told Mr. Fitzroy."

He proceeded to tell the detective inspector a number of lies. For one, he made no mention of being a shape-shifter. I didn't expect him to, and we would not divulge his secret, something that he must have guessed. For another, he didn't admit to knowing the victim.

"A man came to my front door and asked for me," Swinburn said. "He introduced himself as Gawler—"

"Gawler!" Mr. Yallop nodded vigorously. "We knew it was him, didn't we, Fullbright?"

"What did Mr. Gawler want with you?" Inspector Fullbright asked.

"He spouted all sorts of nonsense, claiming I'm destroying his home," Sir Ignatius said. "I'm involved in the slum clearances in an advisory capacity, you see. The Old Nichol is on the list of areas to be cleaned up. Some residents don't want to go. It seems he decided to take his complaints to me personally."

"Fools," Mr. Yallop spat. "Why do they want to remain in those pig sties? Most of the buildings are only held together by the dirt."

"Because it's their home," I said. "If you clean up the slums, where will they live? They won't be able to afford to rent the new houses."

"They can move further out of the city," Mr. Yallop said. "They ought to be dispersed anyway. Keeping them all together like that only leads to an infestation of crime. Eh, Fullbright? Places like the Old Nichol keep your lot busy."

I closed my hands into fists at my sides. This was not an argument I could win.

"To the matter at hand," Fullbright said to Swinburn. "You say Mr. Gawler came to your home and confronted you."

"Over my involvement in the slum clearances, yes."

"And how did you end up in this alley?"

"I told him to calm down as he was getting agitated," Swinburn said. "He suggested we move into the alley where no one would hear us. I agreed."

Seth grunted. "Because it's wise to go into dark alleys with angry strangers."

"I had my gun on me," Swinburn told him coolly. "I hadn't yet removed my jacket as I'd just walked in the door myself. He must have been waiting for me to return home."

"So you went with him into the alley," Fullbright prompted. "And then?"

"And then…" Swinburn shook his head and shrugged. "He did the oddest thing. He undressed and then he…changed into that creature your men carried off. It was remarkable. A truly amazing transformation. I still cannot believe it."

It was a good performance, and it certainly fooled Mr. Yallop. He hung on Swinburn's every word, his face distorting as he imagined the gruesome sight. Inspector Fullbright offered no such opinion, either in the tone of his voice or his facial expressions. He simply made notes in his book.

"Then he ran at me," Swinburn went on. "It—he—bared his teeth. They were as long and sharp as knives. And the creature was enormous, as you saw. He would have gored me without hesitation if I hadn't shot him."