Chapter Twenty #2
Fiona was ready to leave at the appointed time, as were Rose and Cloud. The sky was gray and the air heavy as we made our way to Penhollow Manor. At least there was no wind, which made our walk reasonably comfortable.
“Thank you for coming with me, Fiona,” I said as Rose ran ahead of us with the dog. “I dragged Aunt Hetty all over the village yesterday, so I’m not surprised she preferred to stay in.”
“I believe she has a letter from Mr. Gilliam,” Fiona said.
“Yes. I understand he is bringing a guest with him tomorrow.” I chose my words carefully.
“A guest?” Fiona gave me a pointed look. “Frances, you must know I wrangled the whole story out of her. The man wishes to bring his son.”
“I ought to have known you’d get all the details. I don’t suppose she asked for your advice?”
“Advice? Whatever for?”
Hmm, it seemed Fiona didn’t get all the details. Well, it wasn’t my place to tell her, even though I almost had. “Nothing,” I said as Rose chased Cloud back toward us.
Fiona’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Hmm, it seems I shall have to have another talk with your aunt.”
“How is the book coming along?” I asked Rose, more than ready to change the subject.
She turned to us with a beaming face. “It’s finished!”
“Is it?” This was a surprise. “I thought you were quite stuck yesterday.”
“We figured it out,” she said, as if it were no great obstacle. Perhaps I ought to have enlisted their help with our murder investigation.
“The three of you have done a very good job if you’ve managed to write a whole story in just these few days,” Fiona said. “Will you read it to us tomorrow?”
Rose agreed that they would just as Cloud ran up to the front door of Penhollow Manor and set to scratching at it.
We arrived and pulled him back in time for Maude to open the door.
Rose ran around the house to the kitchen entrance with the dog, and the maid led us to the large drawing room at the back of the house, where Ada Penhollow attended to some needlework and Isaac Penhollow read a newspaper.
He folded the paper and came to his feet as we entered the room.
“Good morning, ladies,” he said. “Please join us.”
Ada set aside her work as Fiona and I took seats.
I noticed Ada was dressed in black, but Isaac Penhollow wore a suit in a gray tweed.
He was away from home and certainly could not have expected a death in his immediate family, so it was understandable if he had no mourning clothing.
Still, I wondered what had happened to his armband.
“What brings you out on this chilly morning?” Ada asked.
I explained that we had sent a request for the undertaker to remove Dr. Penhollow’s remains and bring them here if that was her wish.
Both Penhollows agreed to the plan.
“Does that mean your doctor has determined at last how Joshua died?” Isaac Penhollow had reseated himself in a chair opposite the three of us and leaned forward eagerly.
“It is Dr. Bertram’s opinion that Dr. Penhollow died not long after ingesting phosphorus,” I said. They both stared at me for a moment, as if not quite sure what to make of this information.
“I don’t believe I know what that is,” Ada said, clearly confused.
“It’s the stuff on the heads of matches.” Isaac Penhollow shifted his gaze from Ada to me. “And you say he swallowed it? What did he do, eat a box of matches?”
“It’s unlikely the phosphorus came from matches,” I said.
“And he probably wouldn’t have known he was consuming it.
” I wished I’d thought to rehearse an explanation before facing the Penhollows.
“The doctor believes he consumed a pure form of phosphorus. He would have used some of it to make the medicine for Martha Rallison.”
“Does the doctor think Joshua took it by accident?” Ada asked.
I doubted there was anything accidental about it. “Possibly,” I said. “Dr. Penhollow was familiar with its use, so he would not have taken it intentionally, at least not so much of it. I’d like to take a look at his medical supplies to see if he has any left. Can you tell me where he keeps them?”
“Everything he used, he kept in his bag.” Ada came to her feet. “Let me fetch it.”
Isaac Penhollow motioned for her to stay. “You look rather shaky, Ada,” he said. “Sit down. I’ll bring the bag.”
With a nod, Ada returned to her seat. Mr. Penhollow was right; her hands were shaking.
This must be harrowing for her. Since I planned to turn all my information over to Sergeant Hewitt today, was it really necessary to put her through this?
I cast a glance at Fiona, who looked as concerned as I felt.
“Ada,” she said. “You need a cup of tea.” She crossed the room and pulled the bell for the maid.
“You don’t have to answer these questions today, Mrs. Penhollow,” I assured her. “The primary reason for our visit is to let you know your husband’s remains would be coming home.”
Ada seemed to pull herself from deep thought. “Forgive me. What questions do you have?”
I felt rather cruel, but if she was willing … “I understand Dr. Penhollow didn’t come home with you after the play on Thursday. Can you tell me why?”
She smiled, as if reliving a fond memory.
“That’s right. I’d forgotten about that.
He’d had a short conversation with Charlie Rallison right after the play.
Charlie had been angry with Joshua for a long time, and it sounded like Charlie was extending an olive branch.
Joshua was so relieved, he decided to go to the pub, hoping Charlie would be there, so he could buy the young man a pint.
” She bit her lip as a tear fell. “I was so happy with the thought that they might put their disagreement behind them, I encouraged him to go.”
Her gaze sharpened on me. “I ought to have mentioned this when you asked about Joshua’s meals. It’s possible he ate something at the pub. I know he had a pint of ale. Forgive me, Mrs. Hazelton. With all that happened afterward, it simply slipped my mind.”
In fairness, I’d never questioned her about that particular time. “I understand your maid brought you home?”
“Yes, Maude was still rounding up her children, so I left the carriage for Joshua and returned in Maude’s wagon.”
“Do you recall what time he came home?”
“I was already abed but woke when he came in. It was about half nine, well before the storm began.”
Though Fiona had been listening to our conversation, she walked repeatedly from her chair to the doorway. “Is your maid away from the house at the moment?” she asked Ada.
“We’ve had problems with the bell.” Ada started to rise from her chair, but I waved her back.
“Rose and Cloud are back there and likely disrupting her. Allow me to see to it,” I said, then moved quickly from the room before she could stop me.
I didn’t know exactly where the kitchen was, but I found a hallway that took me past a dining room and ended at a door.
I startled the maid when I pushed through the door and stepped into the kitchen.
Maude was somewhere in her thirties. A pinafore covered her wool dress, and the sleeves were rolled up to her elbows.
Her fair hair was pinned up in a knot. She regained her composure quickly and, with a smile, guessed my mission.
“Mrs. Penhollow would like tea for four, and the bell isn’t working again?”
I smiled back and noted the kettle on the hob.
“A good maid always knows to anticipate,” she said. “I started the kettle right after you arrived. Should be ready in a jiff.”
“I expected to see Rose back here,” I said.
Maude chuckled. “She was here and we were having a lovely coze, but the dog became rambunctious, so she took him out to the garden. She should be fine out there.”
“Particularly with Cloud to guard her.” Maude probably expected me to leave at that point, but this was my first opportunity to speak with her alone, so instead, I walked a little farther into the room. “Did Mrs. Penhollow mention that Lady Fiona and I were investigating Dr. Penhollow’s death?”
Her eyes widened. “No, she didn’t, but what is there to investigate?”