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T hursday morning, Silas met with Pemberton to discuss the progress of the case. “Do you think you will be able to convince Mr. Houghton to testify?” he asked. “He is a solid member of society whom the judge is likely to believe, don’t you think?”

“He will be a difficult nut to crack, because of his past experience with the police,” Pemberton said. “The queen’s counsel may choose to impugn his reputation. And he has no gainful employment, merely living off a family inheritance. He could easily be presented as a louche character not to be believed.”

“What about Jolly Olly?” Silas asked. “He is a business owner, and he has a clear recollection of the evening when Walpert was murdered.”

“It will be difficult to convince him to testify,” Pemberton admitted. “But I am more concerned that questions will arise about the character of the Tabard and its ownership and clientele. It is possible that the judge will be skeptical of such a witness.”

Silas must have looked crestfallen, because Pemberton clapped him on the shoulder. “Do not lose heart yet, my boy. We will keep gnawing away at this situation.”

Silas’s mood improved considerably when Ezra arrived at Pemberton’s office in high spirits, accompanied by Antony Wigton. He was excited but at the same time sad. “A police detective came to our house a short time ago,” he said. “He wanted to quiz Rebecca further on her statement that I had come home after the fight, with blood on my clothes.”

Both men hung their coats on pegs, and accepted mugs of tea. “As soon as he was finished, I spoke with Rebecca, and then went to Mr. Wigton’s office to notify him.”

“Mrs. Curiel’s testimony has come into question, and without it, the whole case against Mr. Curiel begins to crumble,” Wigton said. “But I shall let Mr. Curiel tell you.”

Both men accepted mugs of tea and Silas noted the way Ezra wrapped his cold hands around the warm pottery. Then he took a long draw.

Silas was eager to hear everything, but it was up to Pemberton to ask the questions.

“What did Mrs. Curiel tell the detective?” Pemberton asked.

“The detective took her into another room, so I did not hear their conversation. But after he left Rebecca confessed to me. The detective pressured her as to why she would give false evidence against her own husband.” He took a deep breath. “She told him it was because she has borrowed money from a scoundrel called Bertie Greenbaum in order to finance her charitable work. She is quite deeply in debt. He agreed to release her debt if she cooperated with him.”

“You mentioned the other night that money was disappearing from your household accounts,” Silas said. “So that is believable.”

Ezra sipped his tea again. “She also said that she was willing to betray me because I was an invert.”

Silas scanned Wigton’s face to see if this was news to the solicitor, but could not read him. Perhaps any surprise had passed back at his own office.

“Did this detective say or do anything else before he left?” Pemberton asked.

Ezra shook his head. “Do you think the police will press charges against me for sodomy or some other sexual crime?”

Wigton said, “What happens regularly is that when a man of some wealth or class is arrested for sodomy, he is kept incarcerated for a few days, then let free with a sneer. The number of men who are charged with a crime is small, and few are brought to trial.”

He smiled at Ezra. “Without direct evidence, there is little reason for the police to bring charges against you. Have you ever brought a man to your home in Hackney?”

“Never.”

“And to your knowledge, has your wife or anyone else ever seen you in flagrante with another man?”

“I have been very careful.” He sighed. “Though obviously not careful enough.”

Pemberton nodded. “I will request a hearing in front of Justice Kenyon to see about having the charge of murder dropped against you. At that point the police may decide to shift the charge to one of indecent behavior, but my belief is that they will cut you loose.”

“I will be free?” Ezra asked in surprise.

“Free of the murder charge,” Pemberton said. “But you must understand that once the police learn a piece of information, it passes around the force and into the general public. Especially when it is something as salacious as this.”

“You can hold your head up high,” Silas said. “You have always been proud. Simply continue that.”

“It will not be that easy,” Wigton said. “I doubt you shall be able to box again professionally, at least not in London, perhaps not in all of England.”

“My abilities have not changed!” Ezra said.

“But the crowd will be against you,” Silas said. “You saw it with Fullham, did you not? After he fainted during his bout with you, the crowd began calling him a woman. Even though he sustained himself in two other subsequent fights, his name has been removed from the lists.”

“But boxing is all I have!” Ezra said.

“It is possible that crowds on the continent will be more forgiving,” Pemberton said. “You are French, after all, so perhaps your countrymen will rally around you.”

Silas could only imagine how this news would affect Ezra. For himself, he felt as if the contents of his stomach wanted to rise up. To see Ezra’s name cleared, and then blackened again in the space of minutes was pain enough. To realize that the thing to which Ezra had devoted his life was to be snatched away from him was even more horrifying.

Even Pemberton’s attempts hurt Silas. He knew how important boxing was to Ezra, how he had forsworn nearly everything else in his life in his pursuit of physical excellence. He would not give that up so easily. He already had plans to go to France, and if he was able to box there he might never return.

“What of Mrs. Curiel?” Silas asked. “Will she be prosecuted for giving false evidence?”

“I don’t believe we should advocate for that,” Pemberton said. “We don’t want to draw this case out any longer than we must, nor create additional gossip. Antony, can you speak with the police about that?”

Wigton agreed to do so, and after draining the last of his tea, he regained his coat and left.

“Silas, you must draft a request for a hearing to review the charges against Mr. Curiel,” Pemberton said. “You will find examples in Cyril’s files. I will review and sign it, and we’ll have Robb deliver it.”

“I can work on that,” Silas said.

“If the judge does not consent to release Ezra, at least this morning’s information has given us another direction to pursue. Did you discern anything we did not discuss with Wigton?”

Ezra stood silently as Silas thought back over their conversation. Suddenly, it came to him. “Why would Bertie Greenbaum use his leverage over Rebecca to implicate Ezra?”

“Indeed.” He turned to Ezra. “Have you had any dealings at all with Greenbaum?”

“None whatsoever. I have spoken to him on occasion and rejected his offers. Do you think that is why he has it in for me? If he removes me from the ring, he may be able to persuade whoever takes my place.”

“That is an interesting idea,” Pemberton said. “Silas, make a note of that, and let’s see if we can dig up anything useful about the other boxers at New Cross?”

“There’s another possibility,” Silas said. “Could it be that Greenbaum or one of his minions had something to do with Walpert’s death? That by shifting the blame to Ezra he protects himself?”

“Another intriguing idea,” Pemberton said. “You have a very good head on your shoulders, my boy. You are going to make an excellent head clerk.”

Silas basked in the praise, while his mind spun forward with ideas about Greenbaum’s motives.

“Why might Greenbaum take an interest against you?” he asked Ezra. “Could there be a religious motive? How do your people feel about engaging in contact sports such as boxing?”

“When I first contemplated a career as a boxer, my father asked advice of the most scholarly rabbi in Paris,” Ezra said. “He said that Jewish law categorizes risk taking into three categories: minimal, moderate, and high risk. In boxing, there is a high risk of injury to oneself, as well as injury to another. He advised that I should step away from the ring unless I had no other way of earning a living. Since I did not want to become a manual laborer, I felt I had no other choice.”

He smiled. “Besides, I loved the sport. Still do. And as far as the religion I share with Greenbaum, he ought to be more concerned about his own soul. From what I understand, the occasional bet is allowed if in a frivolous pursuit, such as children do when playing with the dreidel, a top spun at Hanukkah where the wagers are pennies or candies. But if gambling is connected to thievery, as Greenbaum does, then it’s prohibited at all times. Which is why I will never accept money to affect the outcome of a match.”

“Duly noted,” Pemberton said. Then he turned to Silas. “We should send notes to our allies as well, telling them of our progress. Before you begin the dismissal request, can you write those notes up and have Robb deliver them?”

Silas agreed, and Ezra accompanied him to his desk. “I don’t know where I shall go,” Ezra said. “I can’t return to Hackney to live with Rebecca, knowing what she has done to me.”

“Then you must pack up your clothes and toiletries and come to my room,” Silas said. “It is small but it can accommodate us in the short term.” He took a deep breath. “Until you leave for Paris.”

“My father will not welcome me after this news,” Ezra said. “This will all be my fault—the murder charge, the damage to Rebecca’s reputation.” He held up his hand. “I know, I know, she was the one who borrowed beyond her means and lied. But it will be down to me. If I had been a better husband she would never have done those things.”

“I must write my notes,” Silas said. “You go to Hackney, and then to Bryanston Mews, and we will see what’s what.”

Then, in full view of Luke and Robb, he leaned forward and kissed Ezra on the lips. “I will be beside you, mon amour .”

Luke did not say anything, but Silas was sure they would speak of it when he was not there. Perhaps it would upset Luke enough that he would leave his position. So be it.