Chapter 28 #3
“Unfortunately,” George dryly replied. “About three years ago, I placed an ad for additional staff in one of the London gazettes. Stanley Trotman happened to see the ad and ordered his son to apply for a job as footman.”
Emma shook her head. “But how did Harry get the job? He’d obviously never been a footman.”
“Trotman fabricated the references, quite adroitly I might add, since they fooled both me and Larkins. Harry also seemed a pleasant, biddable fellow, and he certainly had the physical qualifications for the position.”
“Must have been a doddle for him,” observed Mr. Weston. “With most of the abbey shut up, the fellow didn’t have the heaviest of duties.”
“He did not,” George replied. “Which also gave him time to attend to his more nefarious activities.”
Mrs. Weston blew out a disgusted breath. “He always seemed such a pleasant fellow, if not very bright.”
Emma raised her eyebrows at her husband. “I suspect his dim behavior was all an act.”
George nodded. “He was obviously much smarter than we thought, given his ability to pull off his deception for as long as he did.”
Emma couldn’t help feeling disgust for her lamentable lack of acumen. “How embarrassing that none of us ever noticed.”
“Quite mortifying. You can be sure I’ll be paying much greater attention to such matters in the future.”
“As will Larkins, I’m sure,” she replied. “Speaking of Larkins, I’m assuming it was Harry who framed him. But why was that even necessary? After all, Prudence’s death had been declared an accident. At that point, no one suspected Harry of anything.”
“It was Plumtree’s idea, although Harry was the one who planted the evidence in Larkins’s cottage,” replied George.
“As you’ve all obviously surmised by now, Harry and his men had begun using Donwell’s old cellars to store contraband.
Donwell was not one of their regular depots, but it served as a convenient backup when they had any difficulties with their regular routes. ”
Mr. Weston frowned. “Taking quite the risk, if you ask me, since you’re the local magistrate.”
“True, but once I moved to Hartfield, Harry was able to utilize Donwell to an even greater extent. The fact that Larkins lived just off the estate made it an easy target, as did having the undercroft and the abandoned cellars.”
Emma thoughtfully tapped her chin. “But Donwell then became much less attractive once we decided to move back on a permanent basis. I understand all that. Still, why the need to frame Larkins?”
“Both Plumtree and Harry were concerned that Larkins was becoming suspicious about the cellars,” George replied. “You’ll recall that you observed that at least one of the cellars was in rather good condition. And Harriet noticed an odd smell when she inspected it with you, did she not?”
Emma grimaced. “She thought it smelled like tobacco. I thought it was just musty from disuse.”
“Harriet was correct. They’d been using that particular cellar to store contraband tobacco.”
“Which they removed on the night little Henry first saw them in the garden,” Emma said. “George, when I found that package on the day of the skating party, was it deliberately left there?”
“I’ll admit I didn’t think to ask Guy that particular question, but it would make sense if they did—as evidence that would eventually lead to Larkins.
Harry also knew Larkins was increasingly unhappy with his performance and would soon be recommending that he be let go.
Since Mrs. Hodges would no doubt support that recommendation, Harry and Guy concluded that Larkins needed to be removed. ”
“One cannot help but be shocked by such cruelty,” said Mrs. Weston. “To torment a good man like Larkins is beyond the pale.”
Mr. Weston patted her hand. “The villains will pay, my dear. You may be sure of it.”
Emma grimaced. “It seems like a lot of trouble to go through, since Donwell’s usefulness was coming to an end. I’m afraid I don’t entirely understand their reasoning, George.”
“Plumtree and Harry still had need of Donwell on occasion, and they were willing to take the risk in the short term. As a location to store contraband, it was above suspicion.”
“So they framed Larkins to remove any impediment to their villainous plans.”
“Yes.” George cast her a wry smile. “And they just might have gotten away with it if not for you, my dear. You were quite dogged in your pursuit of the truth.”
“George, we all knew Larkins was innocent.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “And I take it you mean I made rather a nuisance of myself.”
“Mrs. Knightley, I must disagree,” Miss Bates protested. “You were a true heroine in defending poor Mr. Larkins. Why, Athena herself couldn’t have been more successful in restoring justice to Highbury.”
Emma had to bite back a smile at the notion of herself as an avenging goddess. “You give me too much credit and not enough to yourself, ma’am. You were exceedingly helpful throughout this entire ordeal.”
The little spinster blushed with pleasure.
“Very true,” said Father, clearly much struck. “Quite heroic. But I do hope you both will refrain from such heroics in the future. It is exceedingly hard on my nerves.”
“I’m sure nothing like this will happen again,” Isabella said in a soothing tone.
“That’s what Emma said the last time,” her father gloomily replied.
True enough.
“How did Harry manage to acquire Prudence’s mobcap and pink ribbon?” asked Mrs. Weston. “Those particular items more than anything convinced the coroner’s jury that Larkins had murdered her.”
“That and the fact that Larkins had been in love with the girl,” added Mr. Weston.
Emma held up a restraining hand. “Which none of us will ever mention again. As for the mobcap and ribbons, Harry was the one we sent up to secure Prudence’s room after …” She glanced at her father, who was still looking decidedly unsettled. “After the event.”
“That and the fact that he and Prudence were secretly betrothed,” said George.
Emma nodded. “Harry did seem genuinely distressed when she died. I don’t think he feigned that emotion.”
“If you’ll recall, Prudence’s father and brothers suspected that she was seeing someone.”
Emma sighed, feeling dreadfully sad for the girl. “Initially, I wondered if Harry had feelings for her, but he swore up and down that he had a sweetheart back in London. He was very convincing.”
“He had to be,” said George.
Miss Bates fluttered a hand. “I don’t understand why they needed to keep it a secret. No one even knew Harry was a smuggler.”
“Plumtree insisted,” George replied. “He felt knowledge of their relationship would attract too much attention—mostly from me, but obviously from the other servants, as well.”
“Harry also told us that Prudence’s family would not have approved,” Emma interjected.
George nodded. “I’m not surprised, given how protective they were of the girl.
It did not meet with Mr. Trotman’s approval either, according to his wife.
But Harry was set on leaving the smuggling game behind and moving to Yorkshire, where he and Prudence intended to open an inn.
Mrs. Trotman also wished to join them there, to escape from her husband. ”
“I assume Harry was going to use his ill-gotten gains to fund this new life?” Emma asked.
George nodded. “Yes.”
“Was Prudence aware of the source of his funds?”
“Not at first,” he replied. “According to Plumtree, Harry managed to keep it secret from her for several weeks.”
“But she eventually found out,” Emma concluded.
“And became quite upset. She insisted that if Harry wished to marry her, he needed to cease his smuggling activities immediately. He promised that he would, although he had no intention of doing so until his business at Donwell was concluded. As you can imagine, that turn of events made Plumtree very nervous. He thought Harry was a fool for getting involved with Prudence in the first place.”
John let out a disgusted snort. “The blighter made that pretty clear. I was tempted to darken his daylights when he started talking about the poor girl. Personally, I hope the judge sees through this lunacy nonsense and sends the man straight to the gallows.”
“John, you must refrain from using such rough language around the ladies,” Father said with disapproval. “It will offend their delicate sensibilities.”
Since her brother-in-law responded to that paternal reprimand with a scowl, obviously readying a sharp retort, Emma hastily intervened.
“I will assume that Prudence discovered that Harry had not, in fact, given up smuggling,” she said to George.
“Indeed. She found out that Harry and Guy were going to carry out a run the night of betrothal party at Donwell.”
Mr. Weston made a disgusted noise. “The night of the party? What absolute nerve. I don’t know how you can relate this all so calmly, Knightley. It’s outrageous.”
“I never said it wasn’t,” George replied. “However, it was quite a clever move on their part. They intended to use the commotion as a distraction to cover the removal of tobacco from the cellar. I understand from Mr. Clarke that it’s not an uncommon tactic to use such events to do so.”
Now it all became clear.
“Prudence and Harry fought before the party, didn’t they?” asked Emma. “That’s what she was truly upset about, not—”
She mentally winced, recalling her suspicion that William Cox had been the cause of the girl’s upset.
“That’s what she was upset about,” she rather lamely concluded.
George’s gaze held an ironic glint since he obviously knew what she was thinking. Thankfully, he merely nodded.
“Yes. Prudence threatened to come to me and expose the entire scheme if Harry went ahead with the plan. He promised her that it would be his final run, because then they would have the funds they needed to start their new life.”
Emma couldn’t help but recall how distressed Prudence had been that night. “I wonder if she still intended to go to you, regardless.”
“She was very upset when we saw her in the corridor,” commented Mrs. Weston.