Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sebastian dismounted from Pharaoh and handed the reins over to the Fairchild Hall stableboy, who ran out to meet him.
Lady Kendall’s footman met him at the front steps and showed him into a small parlour that had not been open the previous evening.
Lady Kendall reclined on a daybed in a loose, frothy robe of muslin and green ribbons.
A flush of embarrassment rose to his face. Even he knew a lady should never receive a man in such a state of ‘deshabille’.
‘My pardon, Lady Kendall,’ he said. ‘I could have sent one of my footmen on this mission.’
‘But you came yourself. How sweet.’
Lady Kendall waved at a chair and sent the footman away with an order for tea. She lifted the pearl necklace from a little box by her day bed.
‘Is this what you are seeking?’
‘Yes it is. Thank you.’
Lady Kendall let the necklace play through her fingers. ‘A pretty thing, but the clasp, alas, is broken.’
She passed it to Sebastian, who wrapped it in a handkerchief and stowed it in his pocket as the footman returned with a tea tray. Lady Kendall dismissed the man and poured for them both. She lay back, placing a hand languorously across her brow.
‘I fear I am getting too old for parties.’
The cup rattled in Sebastian’s saucer as he set the dainty thing down on the table.
‘Forgive me, Lady Kendall, but something in our conversation sparked curiosity in me. I would like to ask you some more about the night Anthony died.’
‘Of course. What would you like to know?’
‘What was the occasion?’
She frowned. ‘No occasion. He turned up unannounced and took supper with Harry and me. We played cards for a little while, and then he left.’
‘Alone?’
‘Yes.’
Harry had mentioned that he had been visiting his sister. It had been a passing comment but Sebastian made a note to examine his friend more closely.
‘What was Anthony’s mood?’
She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. ‘He was in no particular mood. It was just a pleasant social evening, as I’m sure Harry will confirm. Why are you asking? Do you think he may have taken his own life?’
Sebastian looked at her. ‘No. I just want to be clear in my own mind that what happened was an accident.’
‘Is there any suspicion that it wasn’t?’
Sebastian ignored the question. ‘Did you see him leave?’
She shook her head. ‘He took his leave of me before midnight and I presume the rest you know. And before you ask, yes, he had consumed a deal of wine, but not enough to make him a danger.’
Sebastian nodded and rose to his feet. ‘Can I see your stables?’
Lady Kendall laughed. ‘Most men of my acquaintance would enquire about another room in my house.’
Sebastian stared at her blankly. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
‘Lord Somerton, you are a delight. Dear Isabel would be a fool to let you pass her by.’
‘Isabel?’
Lady Kendall rose from her daybed and Sebastian stood. She crossed over to him and laid a hand on his chest.
‘Lord Somerton, I pride myself on being a judge of human nature. Now let us go and inspect my stables but first I should change.’
She took an inordinately long time before rejoining him, dressed in a simple, long sleeve gown of Indian printed cotton.
She carried a paisley shawl, which she threw over her shoulders as they walked to the stables.
These stood a little way from the house and were a fraction of the size of those at Brantstone.
Lady Kendall summoned the stable lad who had taken Pharaoh, and Sebastian asked if he remembered the night the late Lord Somerton had visited.
‘Aye,’ the boy said slowly. ‘Was only me here. I were just seeing to the coach horses when he arrived.’
Sebastian indicated Pharaoh. ‘On that horse?’
The boy nodded. ‘He’s a fine ’orse that one. His lordship gave orders for him to be left saddled. Said he wouldn’t be long.’
That seemed to contradict Lady Kendall’s claim of a long evening of wine and cards.
‘Did anyone else come to the stable that evening?’
‘Not that I saw. I finished with the coach ’orses and spent the evening polishing the tack.’ He pointed at a room at the end of the stables.’ I musta gone to sleep cos I didn’t hear ’im leave.’
‘So anyone could have entered the stable without you seeing?’
The boy nodded and lowered his head, shooting a quick sideways glance at his mistress.
A clatter of hooves on the cobbles announced the arrival of Harry Dempster. He flung himself easily from the back of his horse, handing the reins to the boy.
‘Good morning, Somerton,’ he said as he approached them. ‘What brings you out to the stables? Are you coming or going?’
Sebastian patted his pocket. ‘Just collecting some lost property.’
‘Lord Somerton was asking me about the night poor Anthony died,’ Lady Kendall said.
‘Oh God, yes. That was the night I called in on my way to Yorkshire. I arrived late and left early. Didn’t hear about Somerton’s death for days. We played a couple of rounds of Loo, if I remember, Georgie?’
‘I was telling Lord Somerton that he seemed quite his normal self.’
‘Took a few coins off me,’ Harry agreed.
The stableboy came forward, leading Pharaoh and Sebastian swung into the saddle. He looked down at Harry and his sister.
‘Why would Lord Somerton have jumped the hedge at Lovett’s Bridge?’ he asked.
Lady Kendall shrugged. ‘It was his customary route home. If you cut across the fields behind the farm, it takes a good fifteen minutes off the journey back to Brantstone Hall. He took that route every time.’
‘Did everyone know that?’
Lady Kendall shrugged. ‘I assume so. It is common local knowledge.’
She raised her hand in farewell as Sebastian swung himself into the saddle.
He acknowledged her gesture and kicked Pharoah into a canter, only slowing when he reached Lovett’s Bridge.
Here, he paused, considering the shortcut to Brantstone.
The horse seemed to sense his discomfort or perhaps, in its own way, it recalled the night Anthony had died.
It shifted beneath him, its ears lying flat.
Sebastian patted the glossy, black neck.
‘It’s all right, old chap, we’ll take the long way, but I think we’ll pay another visit on our way.’