Chapter Nine
Caroline wondered if her mother was guilty.
Could she have killed Danforth under high emotion?
Perhaps. Everyone was capable of it. But if she had killed the man, where was the scene of the actual death?
Also, her mother wasn’t strong enough to drag the dead weight of a man down to the beach and chuck him into the sea by herself.
She gasped. Good heavens, had her father helped?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Felix said as they moved out of the room.
“Do you?”
“Yes.” He nodded and there was a slight grin curving his sensual mouth. “You want to know if your mother had the wherewithal to actually kill a man, someone she knew, and if she did, she’d need assistance in moving the body.”
How could he know her so well? But then, they worked seamlessly together, both on cases and in life. A feeling of peace came over her as she peered at him. “Exactly that.”
He took her hand. “As much as I dislike your mother’s machinations into trying to break the two of us apart, I rather doubt she killed Danforth.”
“How do you figure?”
“She seemed genuinely shocked when she saw the letter opener. And she does have an alibi in that she was busy with plans and details, but we’ll follow up with questioning the staff.
Did she have the opportunity? I rather doubt it.
Did she have motive? Perhaps, but then, as far as she knew, Danforth just hadn’t had the opportunity to woo you away from me. ”
“True.” It was good to have a case to keep her centered. “What now?”
“We find the maid, that Lily, and question her.”
“I suppose it would have been easy enough for her to slip into the morning room, grab the letter opener, but to stab Danforth?”
“Let’s try to find out, hmm?” He pulled on her hand and tugged her closer to him. Desire shadowed his dark eyes. “Afterward, we can walk the shore and perhaps have tea at a café.”
A tremor of excitement twisted down her spine. “I would enjoy that.” She laid her palms on his chest, and was reminded of how strong the major was, though one wouldn’t know that just by looking at him. “And this evening?”
“This evening we’ll tuck ourselves away and do what newlyweds do,” he said in a barely there whisper.
Heat seeped into her cheeks. “I can hardly wait,” she whispered back. Perhaps the missteps they’d encountered yesterday had evened out and they could resume their usual relationship.
“Good.”
Ten minutes later, they tracked the maid to the private parlor on that floor that overlooked the rear of the crescent with views of the sea and shore.
The young woman glanced up from where she applied a feather duster to one of the shelves in the room, and she gasped upon seeing Felix. “I’ll leave you to your privacy,” she said and attempted to scamper around the perimeter toward the door.
“Are you Lily?” Caroline asked while standing in the frame to prevent the maid from fleeing.
“Yes. Lily Caster.” She shifted her gaze between them. Fear was evident in her mossy eyes. “Why?” Tendrils of blonde hair escaped from under her mob cap, and a sprinkling of freckles lay scattered over her cheeks and bridge of her nose.
“I am Major Kourier, the investigator who is looking into the death of Lord Danforth.” Felix walked to the middle of the room. With a hand, he invited the maid to sit in one of the chairs. “Please, sit for a few moments. I’d like to ask you some questions.”
“Oh, I’d rather not speak ill of the dead.” The hand holding the feather duster trembled.
“Even if you thought Danforth a horrid man, I still must investigate.” Felix sat in one of the chairs and waited with a lifted eyebrow until the maid did the same next to him. “How long have you been a maid at this townhouse?”
“For a couple of years. Mrs. Andrews was the one who hired me.”
“I would imagine it’s interesting servicing so many different people and families throughout the year.”
The maid shrugged as Caroline approached that grouping of furniture. “I don’t pay much attention. One guest is the same as another.”
Felix jotted a note in his book. “Would you have noticed if one of the guests slipped into Lady Beckham’s morning room?”
“If it was during the time when I was on this level. I also serve as a lady’s maid when needed.”
Caroline nodded. “This would have been a day or two before the wedding ceremony. Do you remember anyone lurking about the area?”
“There were guests in and out the whole day before the ceremony.” The maid’s voice was guarded. She kept her gaze focused on the floor. “Lady Beckham was very demanding and a bit critical.”
“Was one of those guests Lord Danforth?” Felix asked as his pencil scratched across a page of the notebook.
“Yes.” The word sailed out on a strained whisper.
Immediately concerned, Caroline frowned. “Did he do something concerning or something that might have stood out to you that evening?”
“Not in the evening, but the afternoon, about an hour before guests began arriving for the dinner.” Lily lifted a hand to her throat, either in remembrance or as an unconscious attempt to protect herself.
“Will you tell us?” she asked in a low voice. “It might help the investigation.”
For the space of several heartbeats, the maid remained silent. “I don’t want Lady Beckham to tell Mrs. Andrews. She may sack me for speaking out.”
Felix shook his head. “Lady Beckham told us to come talk with you. No need to worry about your position.” When Lily nodded, he continued. “When did you last see Lord Danforth?”
“The morning of the wedding.”
Now that was interesting. And it significantly narrowed the timeline.
Caroline leaned slightly forward. “What time was that?” Especially since Felix had probably risen early yesterday morning.
“I start my chores near sunrise, then the servants have breakfast before the rest of the household wakes. I had been assigned to clean the downstairs parlor because the other maids were busy with wedding preparations shining china, silverware, and the like.”
“When did you see Lord Danforth?” Felix wanted to know as he wrote in his notebook.
“He came upon me while I was tidying the room and plumping the decorative pillows on the sofas.” Her voice wavered. “I asked if he needed assistance.”
Felix frowned. “Why?”
The maid shrugged. “He was already dressed for the ceremony even though at that point it wouldn’t have gone off for several hours. And he was a bit unsteady on his feet, as if he were either quite tired or he’d been drinking.”
That made sense, for Danforth was an arse when he’d imbibed. “How did he look?” Caroline wanted to know.
“Oh, a bit rumpled I guess?” Lily blew out a breath. “His cravat was loose and his hair was mussed. There was a wildness about his eyes.”
Felix cast a glance at Caroline, who shrugged. “Did he answer you?”
The maid nodded. “He said he only needed one thing from me.” Her voice quaked. “Then he bounded across the room and attacked me, pinned me down on a sofa with a knee between my legs,” she admitted in a choked whisper.
It seemed the man hadn’t changed since her own near scandal. Caroline reached out and held Lily’s hand. “What did you do?”
The young woman straightened her spine. “Hit him with my dustbin. He was so angry after that. Said he would suggest I get sacked.”
A grunt escaped Felix. “Well, that explains the smudge of dirt on the man’s cheek and the grit stuck in the folds of his cravat.” He scribbled a few notes. “Where did he go after you rebuffed him?”
“I’ve no idea, Major.” Slowly, the girl shook her head. “He muttered something about going out for a walk.”
“To the shore?”
Lily screwed up her face. “I don’t think so.”
Felix’s pencil paused on the paper. “Why?”
“He met one of his friends in the corridor beyond, told them he was headed to a bakery that’s a bit up the street from the Royal Crescent. Said he needed to meet with someone.”
A shiver went down Caroline’s spine. “A man?”
“No, a woman.”
Felix grunted. “Did he mention who?”
“He did not.” The maid shook her head. “By then, I was too frightened to remain, so I left the parlor by way of the opposite door that enters into the study. From there I went to the kitchen and cried to Cook about what happened.”
“It’s all right,” Caroline said in a soft voice. “You thwarted him and that’s all that matters. I’ll make certain to talk with Mrs. Andrews on your behalf.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Kourier.” Then the maid surged to her feet. “I have my duties.”
“Thank you for your time,” Felix said and dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “If we have other questions, we’ll come find you.”
Once the young woman left the room, Caroline moved from the sofa to the chair the maid had just vacated. “He was killed the morning of the wedding,” she said in a whisper.
“And he was jabbed hard in the neck. I’ve a friend who is a physician whom I used to consult with while at Bow Street.
From what I remember, a stab wound in that vicinity can cause rapid, fatal blood loss in as little as two to five minutes, or faster, because major arteries like the carotid and jugulars are located there, leading to catastrophic hemorrhage. ”
“Do you believe our killer has medical knowledge?”
“Not necessarily.” He shook his head. “It could have been a heat of the moment situation. If tempers had flared and a fight ensued…”
“We need to find out who he met with that morning at the bakery.”
“Also, the small timeline means the body had to have been dumped into the sea not far from here. Perhaps not more than a half mile or so since the body washed ashore here around nine o’clock.”
She gave him what felt like a cheeky grin. “It might be bad form to admit this, but I feel so alive when we’re working a case.”
A chuckle left him as he stood and took her with him. “Just one of the reasons I adore you, Mrs. Kourier.”
Later that evening