Chapter Ten
Later that day
Mary was beyond happy but exhausted as she sat at a small round table in a quaint tea house with her family.
They had borrowed an open carriage from Lord Titterford and gone into the village of Cranley for the promised outing. It was a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining and the scents of growing things in the air. Both Cassandra and Charlie had adored the carriage ride, in which they’d had to hold the boy by the back of his trousers, for he’d wanted to jump out of the vehicle in order to bedevil some sheep they’d passed along the way.
Cassandra was such a little lady as the tea service came to the table, and she looked so elegant in her white dress with the two ruffles at the hem and her little brown half-boots, while Charlie only remembered his manners half the time, but he also appeared so grown up in his little blue suit.
Her heart was so full. With a smile, Mary glanced across the table at her husband, who seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as she was. “I’m glad we decided on this outing,” she said between sips of tea. “As much as I adore working cases with you, I’m happiest here amidst my family.”
“That is exactly how I’m feeling,” he said around devouring two tiny seed cakes, for they were his favorite. “When I spend time with you and our children, there is nothing at all wrong with my world.” He lowered his voice. “Truth to tell, I am enjoying this time in my life more than any other. It feels as if I was always meant to be here, doing this, knowing all of you.”
Tears prickled the backs of her eyelids. “That’s sweet to say.” She touched a hand to Cassandra’s hair. The platinum locks were held back by a white ribbon. “We appreciate all you do for our family.”
Tucked securely on her lap was her beloved rag rabbit. It was the first gift Bright had given her, and it was her treasured possession. The girl smiled and licked a spot of jam from one of her fingers. “I’m glad you’re my papa. You feel safe and have lovely hugs.”
“He’s a bully good hugger!” Charlie added in a voice perhaps a touch too loud for the venue. When both Mary and Gabriel stared at him, a red flush went through the boy’s face. “I mean, I like his hugs. And when he puts me on his shoulder. He is quite tall.”
“He is, that,” Mary agreed with another smile. Eventually dear little Charlie would learn how to conduct himself while in public, but for now, he was still quite young, and she couldn’t fault him for the enthusiasm. “Did you have fun at the shops earlier?”
Before tea, they had popped into some of the shops in Cranley. As always, Bright was extremely generous so they’d acquired new ribbons for Cassandra, a new pair of socks for Charlie along with a toy ball, sweets for both children, a fan for Mary that had mother-of-pearl handles, and then a new pair of gloves for Bright along with more handkerchiefs, since he had the habit of giving them away to emotional ladies.
“Shopping is dull but having a new toy is bul…, er it is lovely,” Charlie quickly amended with the winsome grin that had completely won Mary over last Christmastide. “Might we have a dog, though?”
Bright shook his head. “I don’t think so. Perhaps when you are older.” He followed the statement with a sip of tea.
Charlie blew out a breath. “What about a cat, then? A real fuzzy cat.”
“Not at this time, my lad.”
“Well, what if Cassie asks you? ”
The girl blew out a breath. “I don’t want a dog.”
“Then a cat, surely?”
Cassandra gave him a look that practically branded him the village idiot. “Cats are for barns and for mice. We don’t have a barn or mice.”
“But you can stroke them and play with them,” the boy continued, intent on pleading his case.
She shook her head. “I have my rag rabbit.”
“How come I don’t have a rag rabbit?” Charlie frowned.
Mary put a jam tart on his plate. “You have plenty of toys, don’t forget.” She flashed a smile at Bright, who grinned back. “Already, you are doing better than you were before your papa found you.”
“I’d say,” Charlie agreed with a mouth full of tart. “I have a bed now, and it’s better than sleeping on the floor.” He took a large swig of tea. “I rather like my life.”
Both Mary and Bright chuckled at that.
Gabriel reached out and ruffled the boy’s brown hair. “That is good to know, and I hope you grow into a decent young man with honor and bravery.”
“Like the heroes in story books?”
“Exactly like that.”
“With swords?”
“Absolutely not.” Bright winked at Cassandra. “Isn’t that right, poppet?”
The little girl nodded. “Swords are dangerous, but you can wear armor for protection.”
Charlie nodded with vigor. “I would like a suit of armor.”
“Perhaps when you are older, indeed.” Bright drained his teacup. “Finish up, my boy. We’ll need to get back soon. There is much to do yet.”
“Because you are brave and need to find the killer?” Charlie wanted to know with a suddenly somber expression. “Because no one is above the law?”
“Just so.” He beamed, clearly delighted that the boy had learned such. “Murder is wrong, no matter the reason.”
“Yet your father is a just man, and he knows there are circumstances surrounding everything that might require special handling,” Mary said as she dusted her hands together to remove crumbs. “His intention is to solve cases, but the law is upheld by constables and judges.”
Charlie nodded. “Papa is the hero.”
“He is,” Cassandra agreed as she cuddled with her rag rabbit. “But we are lucky because he is our hero; he rescued us.” The statement was said in such a matter-of-fact way with truth in her ice blue eyes that no one could dispute it .
Surreptitiously, Mary wiped at the tears in the corners of her eyes. “And he has done that quite magnificently,” she said in a soft voice while meeting his gaze. “For us all.”
“It is my honor and privilege,” he said to her with a grin that set fire to her blood. “Only because you have done the same for me.”
“Do hush, Bright. It was as it should be.” But she was pleased nonetheless. Being with her little family always gave her a sense of calm and helped to clear her head. “However, we do have much work to do yet before Henry’s wedding.”
“And I can wear my new dress!” Cassandra added with joy in her eyes. “It’s like something a princess would have.”
“It certainly is,” Bright said with a soft smile. “You are beautiful without it, though.” He winked. “Now, finish your tea, children. We need to go back to the manor.”
By the time Mary had escorted the children over to the governesses on the back lawn where all the other children had gathered, her two were more than ready to run off the wiggles they’d gained from being at the tea house.
In fact, all over the lawn, members of the house party were playing games and forming walking parties. The general air was of relief, for everyone had waited with varying degrees of patience to be cleared from Gabriel’s investigation.
“Shall we go inside for more interviews?” he asked her as they made their way across the lawn toward the manor. “Or should we closet ourselves away to compare notes?”
“Honestly? I would rather complete the interviews, for then when we talk over the case, we’ll have the whole of the puzzle before us and can move pieces as needed.” She slipped her hand through his crooked elbow. “Thank you for the break, though. It was much needed.”
“Agreed.” He nodded. “Though a murder investigation—especially this one—is time sensitive, it is important to remember why we are doing this.”
Before Mary could respond, she happened to glance up. “It seems we are about to have company,” she said in a low voice as Mr. Forsythe approached. “I wonder if he is coming to speak with us or is stopping on his way elsewhere.”
Her husband chuckled. “You don’t care for the young man?”
“I’m not certain yet, but from all accounts, he reminds me of Edwin, even though I don’t know either of them well. And he isn’t as personable as Kendrick.” Then she pasted on a smile that felt all too false as the spring breeze flirted with the ribbons of her bonnet beneath her chin. “Ah, Mr. Forsythe, how are you today? ”
“Well enough, thank you.” The younger man nodded. “Inspector.” He grinned. The sunshine made his black hair gleam almost blue. “The two of you make a cozy picture with the backdrop of the manor.”
She chose to ignore his flattery. “Where are you off to this afternoon?”
His shrug had his sapphire blue superfine jacket tugging across his shoulders. “Nowhere in particular. I might join a game of croquet, but some of the men are getting up to some billiards now that tea is out of the way. I’m quite interested in that, for it’s a good challenge for the mind.”
Slowly, Bright nodded. “That it is, and it’s been an age since I’ve played that game.”
“Then you should accompany me, Inspector. Get a feel for the younger set through listening to our conversation, hmm?” Was his expression sly, or did Mary read too much into it?
“That is a good idea. Perhaps I will until it’s time to dress for dinner.” With a grin, he turned to her. “If you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” If she knew her husband as well as she thought, he had a specific reason for doing everything. No doubt he did indeed wish to study the men assembled there.
“Excellent!” The man seemed quite thrilled with the prospect. “By the by, Inspector, how goes the investigation?” Shadows went through his eyes. “I hope you close the case soon. The death has cast a pall over the party.”
“These things take time, Forsythe. I can’t rush them.”
“Oh, I can’t even imagine how much patience it takes to go through the sheer number of potential suspects that are here.” The younger man shook his head. He rubbed a hand along the side of his face, and as he wore gloves, they couldn’t see his fingers. “You are a better man than I am.”
“Ah.” Bright frowned. “I am merely doing what is expected of me.”
“Of course, of course.” Mr. Forsythe bounced his gaze between them.
Mary sighed. This conversation was going nowhere. “The case is most perplexing, for it seems that no one liked the deceased.”
“Ha!” Mr. Forsythe snorted. “You aren’t far off the mark. Edwin was like that in university too, so your assessment is no surprise.”
Bright narrowed his eyes. “Yet he had a close-knit group of friends, you included from the sounds of it.”
“Yes, this is true.” Emotions flitted over his face, but they were so fast Mary couldn’t quite read them. “I might have been friends with him, but that doesn’t mean I was close or his best friend. We simply went to school together.”
“And fell into scandal and scrapes with the twins?” Bright added as he crossed his arms at his chest, which meant he wasn’t impressed or deluded by the younger man’s antics .
“Young men about Town do that, Inspector. It’s not a crime. Sowing wild oats and such are quite expected.” There was no doubt Mr. Forsythe was trying to bond with her husband. “Why, I’ll wager you were young once and had your fair share of stories that would embarrass even your son.”
The only thing Bright responded with was a huff of probably annoyance, then silence reigned, and Mary honestly thought he might just land the younger man a facer merely on principal.
Finally, her husband answered. “Indeed, but if there are secrets hiding amongst the guests, I’ll ferret them out.”
Mr. Forsythe nodded. “True, or this might turn out to be an unsolved case, Inspector.”
“We shall see.”
“Will that be your first one?” Interest wove through his expression.
“I have a few, but there are still a handful of people to interview after dinner. I’m not worried about finding the culprit. Generally, people who murder are quite arrogant and tend to linger around the crime scenes to see what others are saying about their crime.”
Mary wisely chose to stay silent, for if Bright was in a snit, it wouldn’t do to insert her opinions into that.
“Well, you are quite thorough, so no one will fall through the cracks, so to speak.” Mr. Forsythe grinned. “Who is left on your list? I could vouch for them if I know them.”
When Bright glanced at her, she nodded. “One of the young ladies, the Earl of Kendrick, and perhaps a couple of the servants.”
“Oh!” Surprise jumped into Mr. Forsythe’s eyes. “The earl is a good sort. The others, I don’t know. If I were you, though, I’d circle around to Edwin’s mother and uncle. The man has an impressive knife collection if I recall. Never met a more protective family than them. Quite keen on keeping up with traditions. Both wish to keep England for the wealthy and titled, hmm?”
Mary narrowed her eyes. This man was certainly given to gossip. “What do you mean?”
The younger man shrugged. “They both want to maintain the classes that make up society, that’s all. And frankly, they aren’t grateful when someone does them a favor or gives them help.”
One of Bright’s eyebrows rose in question. “I see, and will bear that in mind.”
“I know you will. Everyone here seems to think you are the best in the field.” Mr. Forsythe nodded and gave them both a grin.
“You do not?” One of his eyebrows rose.
“There are always people with more talent or better skills than us, Inspector. We can’t always be the best, can we?”
Bright’s lips turned down with a frown. “While that it true, I’m not yet in my dotage. ”
The other man chuckled, clearly unaware of how close he was to a dressing down. “Well, good luck on that. Did you want to join billiards now or later?”
“Now would be preferable. If you could give me a few moments of privacy with my wife? I’ll join you presently.” Once the other man moved away about ten feet, Bright turned to her. “You will be all right by yourself?”
“Of course.” But she frowned. In a low voice, she said, “Something about his words don’t ring true. I don’t know if it was a lie or perhaps he doesn’t know, but didn’t Lady Parsington say her son hadn’t been unlikable or scandalous until after Priscilla rejected him? If that were so, which is the truth?”
“Indeed.” Her husband nodded. “Is it possible something happened during their university days that soured his friends against him. Now the matter becomes what was it, and how I can coax that information out of someone.”
“Perhaps Kendrick will be who we need to break the case.”
“He very well might be, so we’ll take a crack at him tonight.” When Bright grabbed up her hand, he lifted it to his lips and then kissed the back. “I shall see you in our room to dress for dinner, yes?”
She nodded. “Of course. Enjoy yourself, and don’t let Mr. Forsythe get beneath your skin. I think he fancies himself charming or clever, but it comes across as awkward.”
“Not to mention, somewhat desperate.” He chuckled. “Enjoy your time, sweeting.”
“I will. Perhaps I’ll check on Lady Titterford and see how she fares.” As she waved him off, Mary sighed. They needed to solve this case, and soon, because everyone at this house party deserved closure and peace.
And she wished to see Henry finally wed his love.