Candleman Read Online Free PDF Page B

Blessing herself –’
    ‘Don’t drag me into it!’ protested Lady Blessing, half hidden under an immense dark hood.
    Dr Saint ignored her. ‘It only emerged, as I say, when my house servant, Clarice Cripps, did not appear for work this morning at five-thirty, as she is ordered to do. Mr Nicely was then required to attend to my ward’s medication and found him gone.’
    ‘Do we know who the perpetrators are?’ asked a nervous, immaculately dressed gentleman in a white suit and lavender gloves. He was known in the Society as Lord Dove.
    ‘Not with absolute certainty,’ Dr Saint replied. ‘Clarice Cripps must have been part of a larger conspiracy.’
    ‘It is our darkest hour!’ boomed Baron Patience, his enormous figure sprawled in a leather chair in the far corner. ‘If the Vessel should remain at large for too long, become independent –’
    ‘Please!’ cried Dr Saint indignantly. ‘Credit us with some intelligence! The Vessel
cannot
thrive outside of our protection. He has been brought up to be ignorant and weak.’
    A murmur of approval ran round the table.
    ‘Theo was raised in splendid isolation,’ Dr Saint explained proudly, ‘sheltered from all knowledge of the world, encouraged to mistrust the illusions of happiness and achievement. Even his diet was designed to … save him from the dangers of excess health and the follies of vigour. He will be unable to cope with freedom –’
    ‘You assume he is still alive,’ growled the Baron. ‘If the Dodo has got hold of him –’
    ‘The Dodo has been dead for over a hundred years,’ groaned Dr Saint.
    ‘Or the Taxidermist!’ winced Lord Dove.
    ‘One of our Mollycoddlers said she saw a garghoul on the wing last night!’ said Lady Blessing. ‘And to think I punished her for falling asleep and dreaming on duty.’
    Murmurs of dismay ran around the table. Dr Saint waved his long fingers airily as if these speculations could be wafted away like unwanted smoke. The meeting was getting out of hand.
    ‘We face no obstacle,’ he said, his face a mask of cold determination, ‘that cannot be overcome by our usual sworn methods of compassion and kindness!’ There was a murmur of approval from the shadowy assembly.
    ‘There is no alternative,’ said Dr Saint. ‘We need eyes and ears everywhere – and hands to snatch our property back!’ He paused for a moment, then spoke in a grave hush, pointing a pale finger towards the ground. ‘We must release our ancient allies!’
    The company took a collective deep breath. There was a gasp from Lord Dove. ‘Not that awful
tribe?’
he asked.
    ‘Yes, that perfectly awful tribe,’ said Dr Saint, smiling.
    ‘By Jove,’ rumbled Baron Patience, sitting back as if needing physical room to take on board this dramatic idea, ‘I like it!’
    ‘We
won’t have to see them, will we?’ groaned Lady Blessing, her gaunt but beautiful profile glimpsed palely within her hood.
    ‘Leave them to me,’ Dr Saint said. ‘I feel such remorse for allowing Theo to fall into enemy hands that I must atone in some way. Leave all the tricky details to Dr Saint.’
    ‘A great, great man,’ mumbled Mr Nicely in the background.
    ‘What are we going to do about the police?’ asked Lord Dove, fiddling with his perfect white cuffs. ‘You say they have actually been here – in Empire Hall? What do they know? What are they after?’
    ‘It was an unrelated burglary … a small matter,’ Dr Saint replied.
    Mr Nicely caressed his bandaged head, which was not a small matter to him.
    ‘Scotland Yard could be a nuisance,’ persisted Lord Dove, anxiously drumming his gloved fingers on the tabletop. ‘If they find out about the abduction, they will certainly want to know why we didn’t report it to them!’
    ‘They can never know!’ snapped Dr Saint.
    ‘Inspector Finley is our main concern,’ Lady Blessing observed. ‘He has shown a little interest in the Society of Good Works before.’
    Dr Saint folded his long white hands