Page 70 of A Whisper and a Curse
“And yet you still call yourself a spiritualist. What is it you do?” Hadrian asked.
“As I explained, I am sensitive to people and their energy. I help them, usually with their grief over losing someone. Whilst I don’t actually speak to their deceased loved one, I can feel the energy around the person, or persons, I’m with and generally ascertain a connection between them and the person in the spirit realm. I ease their mind as to how their loved one has passed on.”
“But you don’t really know,” Hadrian said. “It sounds as though you offer them vague assurances.”
“Life is not always as clear as black versus white, my lord.” Grenville cocked his head as he studied Hadrian. “I sense you are afraid of what could happen when one lets down their guard to experience the sensations of spiritualism. Perhaps I am wrong about that, but I don’t think I am. Andthatis what makes me a spiritualist.”
“You read people like one might read a book,” Tilda said, hoping Hadrian wasn’t too uncomfortable. She rather thought Grenville was right about Hadrian being afraid, but she was fairly certain it came from having gained this strange ability and not knowing how or why.
“Somewhat, Miss Wren,” Grenville said with a smile. “I imagine you’d like me to continue my story regarding Thaddeus.” At her nod, he continued. “We started working together nearly five years ago. As I briefly mentioned earlier, we became quite a sensation. People would come from all over to consult with us, and we would travel to Bath on occasion, where people would gather by the dozens to attend our séances. Thaddeus suggested we could do quite well in London, and I confess I was wooed by his ideas, which included starting asociety for spiritualism. As I mentioned, I was glad to be able to offer meaningful help to people. We would connect them with deceased loved ones via the memories that Thaddeus could sense when he held their hands.”
“Why position it like that?” Hadrian asked. “Why make it about communicating with the dead instead of helping people to unlock distant memories?”
Grenville’s expression was open and honest. “Because spiritualism is about communicating with the spirit realm and the belief that one lives on after death. That is what comforts people, especially those facing the end of their mortal life.”
“You took advantage of a popular endeavor in order to profit,” Hadrian said sharply.
Grenville did not respond.
“What was your plan when you arrived in London?” Tilda asked, eager for Grenville to continue with his tale and hopeful that Hadrian hadn’t just put him off.
Thankfully, Grenville went on. “Thaddeus envisioned a society where people would pay a membership fee that included attendance to séances and a place to congregate with like-minded others. We needed a house for our headquarters. We saved our funds, but once we arrived in London, we realized we could not hope to afford a house in a highly desirable area. Thaddeus appealed to his father, who leased a house in Belgravia for us in which to found the London Spiritualism Society.”
Now they knew why Captain Owen Vale’s name was on the lease for the property.
“But once the society was founded, you left London,” Hadrian noted. “Why?”
Grenville frowned, and he looked down at the table between them. “I realized Thaddeus would go to any length to grow the society as quickly as possible. He recruited mediums, which wehadn’t discussed, and taught them the silly parlor tricks. He wanted the séances to become more spectacle than spiritualism. I did not agree.” He looked up at them, his mouth set into a firm line. “He also set his sights on London’s upper crust.” Grenville looked at Hadrian. “People like you, my lord. He hoped they would become patrons, and if they did not, he said he would use other means to increase the society’s coffers—that was his primary goal.”
“The society’s coffers or his own?” Tilda asked.
“It was all the same to him,” Grenville said bitterly. “He was the society, and everyone else were his minions. I did not care to be subordinate to him.”
Tilda watched Grenville’s bitterness turn to anger as the man lifted his chin, his gaze almost defiant. “Do you regret that, given his success?” she asked. “The society has a most prominent patroness—the Duchess of Chester.”
“I read that in one of the articles about the Levitation Killer.” Grenville’s features smoothed. “I am not surprised since that is what Thaddeus set out to do. He is nothing if not exceedingly charming. Indeed, he could persuade a pauper to empty his pockets.”
“But it wasn’t Thaddeus Vale, or Lysander Mallory as we know him, who was the duchess’s personal medium,” Hadrian said. “That was Cyril Ward.”
“Cyril was also very charming. He and Thaddeus were cut from the same cloth. I’ve no doubt they worked in tandem to win over Her Grace. When I read of Cyril’s death, I imagined Thaddeus was quite stricken.”
“He visits the duchess every day,” Hadrian said. “But that could easily be because he wants her financial support to continue, as much as any grief he shares with her over Ward’s death.”
“You are no doubt right.” Grenville thought for a moment. “I wonder if he holds anything over her to maintain her support.”
Tilda immediately thought of Octavius Eldred and his allegation of blackmail. She also recalled what Grenville had said a few moments ago—that Mallory had said he would resort to any means to enrich the society and himself. “What do you mean?”
“The incident that caused me to leave was Thaddeus blackmailing one of the members. I was appalled. When I demanded he stop, he refused. I persisted, so he offered me a sum of money to leave London and say nothing.” Grenville looked down at the table again. “I’m ashamed to say I accepted.”
“What sort of blackmail scheme did he employ?” Hadrian asked.
“If it means anything, I don’t think he set out to blackmail anyone,” Grenville said. “Thaddeus had seen a memory in which the client was being unfaithful to her husband. She was wealthy, and he sent her a letter demanding payment to keep the information secret.” Grenville’s brows drew together. “I should have stopped him.”
“Yes, you should have,” Hadrian said with a faint sneer.
Tilda could imagine his outrage at Mallory using the same power Hadrian possessed for malfeasance, whilst Hadrian used his to solve crimes.
Tilda felt confident that Mallory’s ability to experience others’ memories explained how Eldred had been blackmailed as well as how the mediums “communicated with the spirit realm.” But was he the only one? “Mr. Grenville, do any of the other mediums possess the same ability to experience others’ memories? I wonder if that is why Mallory recruited them.”