Page 27 of The Peculiar Incident at Thistlewick House

‘I could also do with a friend,’ he said. ‘And your thoughts on the accusations of spirit possessions, and how they might be connected to the falling bones.’ She’d been collecting them for weeks, and had spoken to Noah – a man he knew was not who he claimed to be.

How to approach such a preposterous hypothesis.

‘Where do you stand on the afterlife?’

Maude shrugged. ‘I’ve never given it any thought.’

‘But you must know that I was called to Thistlewick Tye by my cousin, after his wife claimed to be a small child called Esfir?’

She shook her head. ‘I keep myself to myself and don’t get involved in gossip.’

Edward went to his breast pocket and took out a small tortoiseshell cardholder, slipping one of his calling cards from within.

Edward Blackmore Esq.

Spiritualist nor did I think I was in danger.

He told me he intended to walk to Great Yarmouth and catch a boat to Belgium or Germany because he believed himself in danger.

Perhaps there’s another side to what happened up on the cliffs,’ she suggested.

‘Perhaps you can uncover the truth of his story?’

‘Did he give a name?’ Edward asked.

‘Yes,’ Maude confirmed. ‘It all seemed nonsense to me at the time, but he kept insisting he was Samson Ballard.’

And Edward’s mind flashed back to the newspaper clipping Delphine had sent, the handbill that Miss Cleyford had given him and the banner in Jacob’s barn. The name on all these was now more important than ever – Samson’s Circus of Astonishing Spectacles.