Hunting for Silence

21. A Special 'Arse Connection

'I don't understand.' Uncertainly, I glanced from Mr Ambrose, over Karim, to the minister. 'Auckland is in Dalgliesh's pay, isn't he? Dalgliesh is going to have him assassinated? And, more importantly, why the heck should we care?'

Karim's only reaction was to smash his fist into the wall again.

The minister winced. 'Please, Monsieur, would you be so kind as to desist? I 'ave asked the king for a new Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but I would rather that this building not topple around my ears before the other is finished.'

Giving a grunt, Karim clenched his fists and crossed his arms in front of his chest, glaring at the rest of the room as if he expected the piles of documents to charge him any minute, intent on delivering deadly papercuts.

'I don't understand,' I repeated. 'Auckland is one of Dalgliesh's minions, right?'

My dear employer and the minister exchanged another dark look.

'What? What is it?'

'The problem, Mr Linton,' Mr Ambrose started to explain, 'is that this governor-general has actually been something of a thorn in Lord Dalgliesh's side. He was a member of the reform party during his time in parliament. His tendencies were less evident as he rose through the ranks, but when he became governor-general, he began implementing reforms in India. Building up industry, opening schools, that sort of thing.'

I blinked. 'And? Wouldn't Dalgliesh want that?'

Mr Ambrose gave me a long look. 'Would Dalgliesh want his subjects to learn how to read and write western languages, understand the works of people writing about democracy and the rights of people to govern themselves, and work in factories that make trains, cannons and guns? What do you think?'

'Oh.'

'Indeed.'

'Quite a vexing situation for 'is Lordship, I imagine.' Guizot's thin lips twitched. ''is company's PR department has done such a wonderful job convincing everyone that the true reason why the British reign over a gigantic empire that sucks the life out of the world is to educate and help the poor natives, that some of his own employees and recruits 'ave actually started to believe the lie. How annoying it must be that some of your own people are spreading dangerous ideas, when all they're really supposed to do is increase the opium production.'

Karim looked as if he'd like to punch the wall again. Instead, he just muttered something in Punjabi. If I got it right, he told the East India Company to go and do something which I wasn't sure was anatomically possible for a company to do.

'I still don't quite get it,' I told Mr Ambrose, shaking my head. 'So, Lord Dalgliesh wasn't planning to kill Monsieur Guizot?'

Mr Ambrose speared me with an icy glare. Why was he looking at me like this? Why—

Oh crap.

I had completely forgotten that we hadn't shared the little detail of Dalgliesh plotting to assassinate him with the minister yet. Quickly, I threw a glance in his direction. But, to judge by the dark look on Guizot's face, my mention of his demise hadn't come as a great surprise to him. Mr Ambrose must have noticed, too, because he didn't try to evade my question.

'You don't see it, Mr Linton, do you? You don't think like Dalgliesh. For a moment, do not consider the matter to be one-dimensional. Think of a plan as a labyrinth with many facets and many possible outcomes. Who says he is only after war with France?'

It took a moment for his words to really sink in. But finally they did, and something went click in my head.

'Holy....no! He couldn't, could he?'