Chapter Two
Papa did not return until the dawn’s early light filtered through the curtains of the drawing room.
And when he did, he came home a changed man.
It wasn’t the mud that caked his body from head to foot or the torn clothing, which he always kept pristine—it was the way he carried himself.
Always tall, confident, and strong, Papa returned home a broken man.
His posture was bent, and his face, lined with pain and anger, looked as if he’d gained ten years in one night.
But more importantly, he returned home alone—without Alfie.
*
A few hours later, after Mama had been sedated with laudanum and put to bed, and Papa was in his study with the magistrate, Evie stood by the window in the drawing room, staring at the heath, praying for a miracle.
She did not think things could get any worse.
Her only brother—indeed her only sibling—was dead.
Swallowed by a bog. How frightened he must have been.
And it had all happened in front of his best friend, Evie’s betrothed.
In one night, everyone she loved had been destroyed.
“I want that Hadley fiend arrested!” Papa’s voice boomed from his study and reverberated in the hallway.
Evie stiffened. Had she heard correctly? Did Papa blame Hugh? How could he?
The magistrate said something that Evie could not hear, then Papa’s voice grew even louder.
“You heard what the men said. There was an argument at the Olde King’s Head last night. The lads got into it, and people saw Hugh push Alfie. Then my boy stormed out of the tavern, got on his horse, and rode off. Hugh followed him.”
That can’t be! Evie raced out of the drawing room and across the hall toward her father’s study, desperation clawing at her throat. In all the years they’d been friends, Evie had never known her brother and Hugh to quarrel, let alone get into a shoving match or fisticuffs.
“And you think Hugh might have pushed Alfie into the bog?” Magistrate Moorehouse said as Evie approached the study, the door to which had been left open. Papa and the magistrate stood in the center of the room instead of being seated at his desk as usual.
“Indeed, I do.” A vein pulsed in Papa’s neck.
“No! Papa!” She rushed to his side. “You mustn’t say such things. Hugh would never hurt Alfie. He loved him like a brother.”
“Stay out of this, Evie.” Papa turned sharply to her. “You know nothing of men and how they operate.”
“Now, let’s all calm down, Mr. Everwood. Evie has a point. The two were like brothers. And the Hadleys are upstanding members of this community. They’ve been your friends for years, and you’ve known Hugh since he was a babe.”
“All I know is that Hugh Hadley came home last night, and my son did not. Alfie and Hugh may have been like brothers, but even brothers fight, and from what the men told me, it was a bad one.”
“Papa, please.” Tears rolled down Evie’s cheeks. She had never seen her father in such a state.
“I want to know what truly happened to my son last night.” Her father’s face reddened with anger, and then his voice cracked. “Do you understand me, magistrate?” His last words came out as a plea, rather than a command.
Magistrate Moorehouse nodded and then said gently, “I understand, Mr. Everwood. But we must be reasonable. Hugh came directly here and told you that Alfred was thrown from his horse and landed in a bog. He explained that he tried to save your son, and when he couldn’t, he ran for help. What man guilty of murder does that?”
“Don’t give me that balderdash! I know what Hugh Hadley said happened! But Alfie has had Apollo since he was a small boy. The horse would never throw him. Never.”
“Well, if the animal was spooked by something…” Magistrate Moorehouse began.
“Have you interrogated Hugh as to what the argument was about?” Papa demanded.
“I did, and he refused to say anything except that it was a private affair.”
“A private affair? Good Lord, he’s hiding something.”
Evie bit her lip. Did the argument have something to do with her betrothal to Hugh? No, how could it? Alfie would have been thrilled…wouldn’t he? But what if he’d somehow learned about that night on the moors—the night you gave yourself to Hugh? That would surely have enraged him.
“You must understand,” Magistrate Moorehouse said, “Hugh is distraught. I am sure he will speak more openly eventually.”
“Eventually!” Papa roared. “I want to know the truth of what happened to my son immediately. If Hugh won’t speak, then you must arrest him and charge him with murder.”
The sound of phantom horses’ hooves thundering across the moors filled Evie’s ears, and she put her hands over them in an attempt to block the horror from her mind. It’s only a tale. It’s not real.
“There’s not enough evidence to arrest him for murder. We have no body to examine during an inquest. And even if they do find Alfred, bogs are a natural danger here on the moors, and he wouldn’t be the first man to succumb to—”
“Don’t give me that nonsense!” Papa stepped forward and pointed his finger at Magistrate Moorehouse’s chest. “There was an argument. Hugh followed Alfred after he left the tavern. Alfred’s horse returned here without him, which likely means the two of them dismounted and got into an altercation.
Fisticuffs ended up with Alfred dead, and Hugh threw him into the bog to hide his crime. ”
The horses’ hooves grew louder. Evie pressed her palms harder against her ears. “Stop!” she cried. “Stop it!”
“How dare you keep defending that fiend?” Papa rounded on Evie. “Instead of asking me to stop, you should be asking why your brother’s so-called friend is keeping secrets from—” He clutched his heart and stumbled backward.
“Mr. Everwood!” Magistrate Moorehouse charged forward and grabbed hold of Evie’s papa, whose face had turned purple. “Fetch the doctor,” the magistrate shouted as he helped Papa into a chair. “Run!”
*
“Both your mama and papa have taken this very hard.” Doctor Clough spoke with Evie after tending to her papa.
“And who can blame them. Their only son… to be snatched away in such an awful manner.” He shook his head.
“You must be a dutiful daughter and do all you can to keep anything further from upsetting them.”
“Of course,” Evie said, wondering if the doctor realized that her heart was broken too. “I’ve always been—”
“Magistrate Moorehouse said that you and your papa were having a disagreement of sorts when he had his attack.”
“Not a disagreement,” Evie said defensively. “I was only trying to make him see reason. Papa thinks Hugh might have harmed Alfie. And that, we all know, is impossible.”
“I’ve seen a lot of death in my time, and I can tell you nothing is impossible. People are sometimes volatile creatures, and Hugh is no different from any other man.”
“But he is! He would never harm anyone, and certainly not Alfie. They were the best of friends.”
Doctor Clough nodded. “I helped bring Hugh Hadley into this world, and I know him to have always been a good lad. He turned into a fine gentleman as well, so I tend to agree with you.”
Evie felt the pressure release from her chest.
“But nothing can be determined without a body,” Dr. Clough said.
“The men won’t stop looking for Alfie, and when they find him, I shall perform a postmortem, and I’ll be able to tell what happened that night.
In the meantime, I want you to understand there can be no more disagreements with your papa.
He is distraught, and you don’t want to add to his distress, do you? ”
Evie felt her cheeks redden, and she blinked back tears.
The doctor was right. She’d been thinking of Hugh, defending him against her papa’s accusations, and that had caused him to become even more upset.
She’d known Papa was distraught and not thinking clearly.
If she’d only just kept her mouth closed, as a loving daughter would have.
This madness with Hugh would surely resolve itself, and she had only worsened the situation.
Oh, why could she not be silent and dutiful like a daughter ought to be!
“I understand, doctor,” she said quietly.
“Good.” The physician smiled. “Now, both your mama and papa have been given a good dose of laudanum, which will allow them to rest for several hours. You should take this time to get some rest yourself. There will be many difficult days ahead.”
*
Once the doctor and the magistrate were gone, the house grew quiet again.
But try as she may, Evie could not rest. Papa’s accusations against Hugh gnawed at her insides.
She believed Hugh was innocent, but why had he refused to tell the magistrate what he and Alfie had argued about?
Was it because they’d argued about her betrothal?
Perhaps Alfie was cross because they’d kept everything a secret from him.
Perhaps he’d felt betrayed. She was the one who convinced Hugh to keep the secret. Was it all her fault?
When she could take the torment no longer, she stood up and headed for the stables. There was only one way for her to find out.