Chapter 43
43
‘Ernest Dunn?’ Olivia’s voice rose by an octave, such was her distress at the news.
She’d spent a restless day wondering how Seth’s visit would go, and keen for him to return. Had Miss Davenport seen Seth’s worth? She’d expected things to take time but been confident he could lay the foundations, especially with all the information he had about her at his disposal.
What she had not expected was the revelation that she was imminently to be married to a man who had a short temper, was handy with his fists, and likely a murderer.
It was a double blow. Ernest had survived the war and somehow wormed his way into Miss Davenport’s life. None of it made sense until she remembered that her father was an international success. It was the money, she realised. The money and perhaps the fame. Her stomach contracted even further. This was the man who had got poor Annie Taylor pregnant, likely promised her things he had no intention of delivering, and then killed her. And this other Olivia was to be his wife .
A feeling of nausea washed over her and she leaned against the wall, her hands scrunched into tight fists, indicative of her despair.
‘What’s wrong?’ Seth knew from her tone that the news he’d delivered wasn’t welcome. ‘I can assure you, you looked radiant and were full of chatter about the wedding. Your father’s going to buy you both a house in London so Ernest can pursue his business ambitions. He was discharged much earlier than me and is currently renting somewhere near Bethnal Green. Course I’m disappointed but I’ll bounce back. There are plenty more dandelions in the meadow.’
But she couldn’t raise a smile at his efforts to find a bright side to this miserable situation.
‘Ernest died in March ’18, and I wrongly assumed the same was true in your world. You never talked of him.’
‘Why would I? I’ve never had much to do with the man and haven’t seen him since I signed up. He never had time for his family and has largely been in London. We know that different people are alive and dead in our worlds – think of Lord Kitchener – the ripples, remember? Besides, he’s an all right fellow. Bit of a charmer but a handsome chap and quite the social climber. Clarence introduced the pair of you just before the war, apparently.’
Olivia shuddered. The other Jasper Davenport had been an extremely wealthy celebrity by 1914. Had Ernest seen an opportunity to marry well, playing on her sympathies, and knowing that she was not a girl to conform?
‘He’s not a good man. Your Miss Davenport has made a terrible mistake. He is manipulative and violent. He’s done bad things, and was responsible for the scar across Clarence’s chin – a vicious swipe because the young master of the house upset him. Living here and being part of this family, I’ve had more to do with him. He’s marrying for money – not love.’
‘Come, now. No one’s perfect – least of all me, but you genuinely seemed happy. Maybe he’s changed? Maybe the spirited Olivia Davenport has worked her magic on him?’
Her stomach began a slow churn. She had to tell him the truth about Annie Taylor and then he’d want to know why she’d kept it from him all this time. But how did you break such horrific news?
‘But he’s… You don’t understand the magnitude of this, Seth… Annie was… You need to get the police to search the shrieking pits,’ she finally blurted out.
‘What?’
‘There are three pits, one of which is on the edge of the Dunn land?—’
‘Yes, I know them. They follow the line of the lode up to the coast. Nobody ever goes near them. They’re supposed to be haunted. Ha.’ He snorted. ‘Or perhaps it’s just another poor soul trying to bridge the gap between my world and yours. He was spotted several times before the war, waving an axe.’
‘I’m almost certain Ernest resurrected an old legend and is the source of those sightings. He wanted to keep people away from the pits, specifically the one nearest to their farmhouse.’ She sucked in a deep breath and allowed her head to fall back against the cold bricks. ‘Ernest was the man Annie was seeing. He got her pregnant and… I don’t know how to tell you this… When he found out, he killed her. I don’t care what you do, but get me away from him. He is calculating and dangerous, and the only way you’ll stop the wedding is by proving him to be the murderer that he is.’
‘Jesus, Olivia, you knew all this and didn’t tell me?’ Seth’s voice bellowed through the wall and Olivia jerked her head back in surprise at his anger.
‘I didn’t think?—’
‘No, you dint. How can you have kept this from me? How long have you known?’
‘A few weeks. The police searched the pit here, and her body was found at the bottom.’ She didn’t admit that the whole investigation had been down to her. ‘The inquest concluded Annie was killed by a person or persons unknown, but everyone in that room knew he’d done it.’ She explained how all the evidence pointed to Ernest. ‘But he’s dead, Seth. In my world, he could not be made accountable for his crime. I thought there was no point upsetting you.’ She couldn’t stop her tears from falling but kept her voice level.
‘But he can be made accountable in mine! I’ll make the bastard pay – with his life. If I can’t have you, I might as well sacrifice myself for a noble cause, and seeing that man wiped off the face of the earth is good enough for me.’
She heard him thump or kick out at something.
‘Calm down, Seth, and listen to me. We must be clever about this. I know you’re angry right now but I’ve seen this play out. His mother even twisted the facts to try and pin it on you at one point. Shouting accusations might put you in danger. He’s killed once and could do it again.’
The other side of the wall went quiet so she pressed her ear to the bricks. Had he run from the tower in his fury to do something stupid? But it was the middle of the night, and Ernest was in London. She assumed Seth was composing himself and tried to make him see sense.
‘Besides, don’t you see, if you can get him put away, and refrain from getting yourself into trouble when you do, Miss Davenport will be free.’
She heard a huff.
‘Don’t blame her. She didn’t keep the truth from you; I did.’
‘And yet, I’ve kept nothing from you,’ he pointed out. ‘I’ve been honest about everything. It’s not my fault that Ernest never came up in conversation.’
‘And it’s also not your fault that he’s managed to trick Olivia Davenport into marriage. I should have told you about Annie. I shouldn’t have assumed he’d died, just because some things were the same, like the loss of the three Fairchild boys.’
‘Three?’ he queried. ‘Clarence and Louis were killed but Howard survived. Poor lad, I don’t think he expected he’d ever be the heir of Merriford Manor, not that he’s been home much since the war.’
‘What did you say?’
He repeated his words and she felt her entire world collapse for the second time that evening. Of all the pranks Howard had ever been party to, this was the absolute worst – even though it was a trick he’d had no control over.
Not only had Ernest survived in Seth’s world, but so had Howard.