Chapter 5
Keep talking. Pretend nothing happened.
‘I think we should explore both avenues of inquiry.’ Clio’s voice sounded shrill to her own ears. ‘I still believe his daughter could have important information, but we shouldn’t assume his wife is the murderer just because she is missing.’
Tapping his fingers on the blanket covering them, he turned back to the street ahead.
Clio’s chest loosened. He hadn’t seen the spark from her fingers, or he would say something.
Lieutenant General Grey was hardly subtle.
‘The household staff were all questioned. Nothing suspicious arose from the interviews.’
Clio widened her eyes in false shock. ‘You mean the housekeeper didn’t confess to killing Viscount Beachley and his wife? Well, that must mean she is innocent. I mean, surely a murderer would just admit the truth and face their certain death rather than stoop to subterfuge.’
Lieutenant General Grey leaned closer to her as she made a quick adjustment.
They were almost alongside Gunter’s. Starch, soap, and a spice she couldn’t name tickled her nose.
She forced herself not to shift away from him, even though her heart beat madly in her chest. He would take her retreat as a sign of weakness, and one never showed weakness.
‘You are an incredibly difficult woman, Miss Blair.’
Pulling to a stop in front of the crowded tea shop, Clio turned to face him as warmth, unexpected and soothing, washed over her. ‘Why, Lieutenant General Grey, what a lovely compliment.’
‘It wasn’t a compliment,’ he growled.
The carriage dipped as the footman hopped down from the back and took the reins from her.
‘It most certainly was.’ Clio accepted the footman’s hand.
‘Meet us back here in an hour, John. Thank you kindly.’ She tapped her shoulder for Sir Robin to join her on the busy street.
Making her way through the crowd to the entrance of Gunter’s, she didn’t wait to see if Lieutenant General Grey followed her.
Thankfully, Lady Cynthia arrived not long after they were seated, alleviating the need to make awkward conversation. They all ordered: tea for Lady Cynthia, coffee for Lieutenant General Grey, and Gunter’s famed hot chocolate for Clio.
‘How unexpectedly delightful to make a new friend, Miss Blair. My brother was in the midst of asking me a favour when you arrived at Madame Laurent’s.’ Cynthia’s eyes, hazel to her brother’s clear green, sparkled with mischief.
‘I’ll bet you that iced cake he was asking to meet with the Duchess of Devon.’ Clio had done her research on Lieutenant General Grey. Cynthia wasn’t the only one who knew how to study Debrett’s, but unlike Clio, his entire family was listed.
Cynthia was married to the Marquess of Kentmore, and it was well known among the ladies who frequented All Things Bright and Beautiful that the Marchioness of Kentmore and the Duchess of Devon were intimate friends.
The Duchess of Devon was also Viscount Beachley’s sister, and Anna’s aunt.
Uncle Lachlan was right. Grey’s connections within the beau monde were helpful even if the man was not.
‘Aren’t you a clever one. So, this mysterious something you wanted to speak with Thomas about is the case he’s working on?’
‘The case we are working on,’ Clio corrected.
There was no reason to hide her involvement.
While ladies were meant to follow strict rules of decorum set forth by their fathers and husbands, Clio had no men controlling her choices.
She could move in the world far more freely than the highly esteemed Marchioness of Kentmore.
The marchioness leaned back in her chair; her expertly tinted lips curled in a smile. ‘I see.’ She glanced at her brother, then back to Clio. ‘You might be one of the most interesting women I’ve ever met. Don’t you agree, Thomas?’
Lieutenant General Grey sipped his coffee and kept his – no doubt dim – opinions to himself.
‘I’m flattered.’ Clio forced a bright smile.
Cynthia leaned forward, her delicate features growing serious. ‘And you think it might help to speak with poor Anna?’
‘Miss Blair thinks the girl might have some insight as to what happened that night.’ It was clear he did not agree.
‘Unlike your brother, I think it’s important to pursue every possible lead.’
‘Even if it is a complete waste of our time,’ Lieutenant General Grey muttered.
‘Or the key that unlocks our entire case,’ Clio hissed.
Cynthia gave each of them a curious glance before directing her question to Clio.
‘Because you think the viscountess murdered him?’ She shook her head, her chestnut hair catching the weak sunlight battling through a stormy sky.
‘Violet Beachley hasn’t the backbone needed to squash a spider, let alone kill her husband. ’
‘You know her? What kind of woman is she?’ Clio’s pulse quickened.
‘Admittedly, I don’t know her well.’ Cynthia spun her cup in a slow circle on the saucer. ‘According to her sister-in-law, my dear friend Lady Langley, she doesn’t possess the kind of passion needed to commit such a violent crime.’
Clio swirled whipped cream into dark chocolate with her spoon.
‘I don’t know if the viscountess is a murderer.
We don’t have any evidence to prove her guilt or innocence.
Many people had access to the viscount, which is why we should leave no avenue unexplored.
’ Clio sent a pointed glare in Lieutenant General Grey’s direction before sipping her decadent treat.
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she let the warm, rich sweetness of cocoa and cinnamon coat her tongue.
She swallowed and opened her eyes to see Lieutenant General Grey’s face tighten.
She couldn’t even drink her chocolate without angering him.
Well, too bad. It’s delicious, and I won’t hide my enjoyment because it irritates you. In fact…
She took another sip, licking her lips and marvelling at the flare of incendiary frustration in the lieutenant general’s gaze.
Pulling her thoughts back to the case, she refocused on Lady Burrows.
‘But finding Viscountess Beachley is of paramount importance, if only to determine that she is alive, and possibly eliminate her as a suspect.’
‘You think she might also be… deceased?’ Cynthia’s eyes widened.
Clio ignored Lieutenant General Grey’s exasperated sigh. ‘I don’t know. She is missing. We need to find her. That is all I know for certain.’
Cynthia picked up an iced cake and nibbled on the edge before her mouth turned down in a small frown. ‘Her Grace is incredibly protective of Anna. Especially now. If you are right and both Anna’s parents were murdered, she is wise to shield her so fiercely.’
Lieutenant General Grey exhaled. ‘Exactly. I would have misgivings myself in her situation.’
‘I suppose even a gentleman of the beau monde has limitations on what he can and can’t accomplish.’ It was a petty barb, but Clio couldn’t help herself.
If he won’t procure a meeting with Anna, then I shall use his ineptitude to convince Uncle Lachlan his ties with the beau monde are useless in this investigation.
Especially if the housekeeper was a suspect. The peerage might have suspicions about speaking to a commoner, but the reverse was true for the serving class. They were far more likely to speak with Clio than the scowling Lieutenant General Grey.
‘You’ve no idea what I can accomplish, Miss Blair.’ His rough voice and hard gaze did something strange to Clio’s blood, warming it and creating an aching pulse through her system.
‘Well, I’m quite certain I know what I can accomplish.’ Cynthia smiled.
Lieutenant General Grey turned to his sister. His furrowed brow conveyed concern. This worried Clio.
‘What are you thinking, Cynthia? You only tap your finger on your chin like that when you’re hatching plans.’
‘Don’t you think a small house party with some of Lady Langley’s most intimate friends is exactly what she needs to find strength in such difficulty?’
‘No. I don’t.’ Her brother’s implacable tone didn’t dissuade Cynthia in the slightest.
‘Pish, Thomas. How would you know? As her friend, it’s my duty to lend support to Her Grace during this time of mourning. A visit will break up the tedium of such grey months in the dreary country.’
Alarm bells rang in Clio’s head. Sir Robin, who had been eyeing the cakes hopefully, clacked his beak. She picked one up, broke it in half, and held it flat on her palm for the bird, who delicately plucked it from her hand. How could a house party help them speak with Anna?
‘She has always expressed an interest in getting to know you better, Thomas.’ That statement had his Hessian tapping madly on the tile floor. ‘And I know she would happily welcome a new friend into the group. A far-flung cousin of ours from the north. I shall write to her today.’
‘Cynthia! You can’t just invite yourself to a duchess’s country estate.’
While Clio generally disagreed with Lieutenant General Grey, in this instance, she was wholeheartedly of the same mind.
Lady Burrows tipped her head back and laughed. ‘Of course I’m not inviting myself. I’m inviting all of us. She’ll be thrilled for the company.’
‘Party!’ Sir Robin’s gaze stayed on the remaining cake.
Oh. Dear. Goddess.
Lady Burrows was suggesting Clio leave London and join her in the country for a house party. In the home of a duchess. With Lieutenant General Grey. It was a terrible idea. She wanted to spend less time with the infuriating man beside her, not more.
Ideally, I’d like to spend no time with him.
And she could hardly leave Sir Robin. Or the coven. But Lady Cynthia Burrows had one thing in common with her brother: bull-headed determination. The wheels had been set in motion, and Clio feared nothing could stop them from moving forward. Still, she had to try.