Chapter 13 #3
“As for His Grace’s grandfather, he might have indulged in his younger days.
But he was old and frail by the time I came to work here.
He did not take any ladies into his bed…
and, if it is any consolation to His Grace,” she said, referring to Alex, “I do not believe his father ever participated in those sort of revels, either.”
“He didn’t? How can you know this for certain when his father died years before you ever arrived here?” This was important to Tulip because she knew it would mean a lot to Alex.
“His Grace’s grandfather and I used to have long chats toward the end.
He confessed his regrets to me, one of those being how he had kept his sons too much under his thumb.
He felt they had turned out weak because of it.
He called them all useless wastrels, except for the one son who had married for love.
He blamed himself for poisoning that marriage and believed his son had died of a broken heart after the wife left and took their little boy with him.
The old duke would not allow his son to follow them. ”
Tulip struggled to hold back her tears. “My husband was that little boy.”
“Please tell him what I have told you. He deserves to know the truth about his father, just as I deserve to know what really happened to my aunt, Elspeth.” Mrs. Granger took a deep breath and continued by telling Tulip much that she already knew.
Tulip did not interrupt or stop her because it was important to hear whatever her housekeeper had to say. “Do go on, Mrs. Granger.”
“I arrived here about five years ago, hoping to land a good position in a respectable household and start conducting my investigations on my afternoons off. But I quickly saw my mistake. I think whatever happened to Elspeth must have occurred right here at Thornwycke Hall.”
Tulip gripped the arms of her chair.
Was this the evidence Alex had been hoping for?
“I was scared to death. How could I stay here with all of that debauchery going on? But that was the least of it. I thought it possible your husband’s grandfather had killed Elspeth. Or perhaps one of his sons had done it and he’d helped cover it up.”
“Did the old duke confess this?”
She shook her head. “No, he actually seemed to have no involvement in her disappearance. If anything, I got the impression he genuinely adored her.”
Tulip’s head began to spin.
How did this make sense?
If the old duke and the other Davenports had nothing to do with Elspeth’s disappearance, then why were they killed off?
She refused to believe those deaths were accidental.
But Mrs. Granger would have no motive for plotting their deaths.
“I was in over my head, but I had no funds and where was I to go? I intended to keep my head down, mind my own business, and get out of here as soon as I had saved sufficient wages. But then, I began to hear things.”
Tulip edged closer. “What things?”
Mrs. Granger let out a ragged breath. “Oh, I cannot tell you.”
“You must. Let us work on this together. You mustn’t view my husband and me as enemies. Let us help you find out the truth. Do you believe your Aunt Elspeth was kept prisoner here? In the tower room?”
“No! The old duke would never have imprisoned her. But I don’t believe she ever eloped with a naval officer.
Someone killed her. I am convinced of it.
” She placed a hand over her stomach as though in pain.
“It is a terrible thing to discover my sweet, beautiful aunt never made it out of here alive.”
Tulip could hardly breathe, for her heart was overcome by anguish. “Oh, Mrs. Granger. I am so very sorry. Please, go on. What else do you know?”
“Little else. I had never met Elspeth. My mother and grandparents were always so mysterious about her. Why had they suddenly moved away from here? Who had given them their sudden inheritance? I knew the story they gave was a lie, for we had no wealthy relatives. I think the old duke must have paid them off to buy their silence.”
“But why would he do this if he had nothing to do with her death?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps he thought one of his sons had done something. As father, he might have wanted to protect that son. I think now I should never have come here. My mother, on her deathbed, warned me to keep away. I should have listened.”
“It took great courage for you to seek out the truth.” Tulip might have done the same if she had no one left in the world and sensed a terrible thing had happened to her family in the one place she was warned never to go.
“No, it was foolish. But I had to learn the truth about Elspeth. I began to ask questions. Ernfield was most helpful because he was around back then and knew my mother and Elspeth.”
“You got him to talk to you?”
She laughed softly and nodded. “Yes, he surprised me by being most forthcoming.”
“What did he tell you?”
“Nothing particularly helpful…except…”
“Except what?” Tulip prodded.
“He’d served the Davenport dukes all of his life and was not going to give away their secrets. But he did warn me about others…”
“What others, Mrs. Granger? You must tell me. More important, you must trust me.”
“Your Grace, I do trust you. Is this not odd? For I have every reason to be afraid of you.”
“Of me? Why?”
Mrs. Granger released another long breath. “Because your uncle, William Hester, was involved in Elspeth’s disappearance. Ernfield warned me to keep away from him at all costs.”
“That is ridiculous,” Tulip said with insistence, her head now in a complete and utter spin. “Did Ernfield tell you straight out that my uncle had harmed her?”
“No, but he merely alluded to…” She appeared to struggle for words.
“I think William Hester…perhaps did not kill her, but might have had a hand in covering up Elspeth’s death.
There might have been others involved in hiding her body.
Even Mr. Carver, perhaps. Weren’t he and your uncle best friends?
And now you are asking me to sit at your dinner table with these men? ”
The accusation against her uncle and even Mr. Carver had caught Tulip by surprise, and it took her another moment to make sense of it. “Ernfield has to be mistaken. Trust me, Mrs. Granger. My uncle would never do this. He is a truly decent soul.”
Mrs. Granger stared at her. “Is he? Is this what he has everyone believing? And now that I have told you all of it, will my own life be forfeit? In truth, I no longer care, for I know my husband and parents will be waiting for me at heaven’s door.”
She knocked the papers off the small table where they had been spread out for Tulip’s review. As those papers floated to the floor, Mrs. Granger let out a sob and rushed out of the parlor without waiting to be dismissed.
Tulip scooped up the papers and sat in stunned silence a moment before hurrying to the study in the hope of finding Alex there.
The door was shut, but she burst in without knocking. “Alex!”
He set aside his quill pen, and almost tipped over his chair as he rose abruptly to come to her side. “What is it, Tulip?”
“Mrs. Granger claims to be in dread fear of Uncle William. My uncle. Can you believe it? This is why she refuses to join our party tonight. Ernfield told her that my uncle and possibly Mr. Carver were involved in Elspeth’s disappearance.
Well, he did not come right out and accuse them of her murder, but he intimated that something terrible had happened to Elspeth and those two were involved in covering it up. ”
“She told you this?” he asked, frowning.
She nodded.
“And you believed her?”
“Well, I did find it odd that Ernfield should be the one to tell her all this when he hasn’t said more than two words to us since we arrived here. But she was genuinely overset and I don’t believe she was lying to me.”
He cast her a doubting look. “Tulip, where is she now?”
“She ran off into the garden in tears. I saw her heading toward the willow tree. You know, the one I think would have been a perfect spot to place a bench. Perhaps it is time to add one there, even if the old duke did not agree.”
Alex sighed. “Tulip, what do I care about benches or that willow tree? Go on about Mrs. Granger.”
“Well, I thought I would give her some time alone to have a good cry.”
“And you don’t think her hysterics were part of an act?
” He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair.
“Everyone lies under questioning. Did you not think for a moment she was cleverly insinuating Ernfield into this? Do you really believe that stoic man suddenly felt compelled to reveal to her that William and Carver were to blame? Or is it more likely she made it all up?”
“But she was so convincing. Shall we go look for her?”
“I’ll go look for her in a moment. I’m glad you came to me first.” He took her hand and marched out with her, striding down the narrow hall toward the kitchen.
Tulip had to scamper twice as fast to keep up with him. “Why are we going to the kitchen when Mrs. Granger ran into the garden?”
“To stop her from getting anywhere near our food.”
Tulip tugged on his arm to hold him back a moment. “Seriously? Are you worried she means to poison us all?”
“I have no idea if she does or not. But why take the risk? Anyway, it is probably just me she is thinking to poison…or perhaps you, too.” He paused a moment and took her gently by the shoulders.
“Or perhaps it is William she means to harm. This would be her best chance, would it not? How can I not be wary of her, especially after what you’ve just told me? ”
“But she sounded so innocent, and she told me more…” She took a deep breath. “Oh, Alex, she told me about your father. He did love your mother very much. She said so.”
“Oh, and you believed her? Can you not see she was manipulating you? What a good little actress she is.”
Tulip stared up at him. “You think she was lying to me?”