Chapter Nine
Lady Mary
I thought I had bested my foe. That my cunning plan would keep his attention off me and where it belonged.
I’d thought wrong.
“Go away, you infernal beast.” I snapped my skirts out of reach of Southey’s teeth. “Go find someone who will appreciate your company.” I stepped into my bedroom.
He wriggled inside before I could close the door.
I stepped outside.
He followed.
We did a little dance, hopping back and forth over the threshold, the little nuisance faster than my attempts to shut him out.
“Jane? Jane!” I slapped my thigh. Where was the woman?
She was always around to give me her unwanted opinion but never when I needed her.
And if I wanted a decent night’s sleep, I needed to rid myself of this dog.
“This won’t do.” Keeping my head held high, I marched down the hall, holding my single candle aloft.
I turned a corner and headed for the doors to the ballroom.
That room was large, running the length of the house on the back side.
Floor-to-ceiling windows ran along the far wall, large mirrors along the opposite.
It was apparently being used to store furniture, ghostly white-draped tables and chairs cluttering the parquet floor.
Of course, Perrin would use his ballroom as storage. I wondered when the last time was he had done anything so merry as hold a dance within his walls. But it looked a good place to hide.
Or a good place for a dog to get lost in.
A flash of lightning illuminated the room, strange shapes dancing in the mirrors’ reflections. The windows shook with the thunder, and Southey whined, pressing into my leg.
“That one was close.” I blinked, my eyes seeing only gray dancing spots until the candle came back into focus. “But there’s nothing to be frightened of, silly dog. It’s only a storm.” And I was speaking to an animal. Who was the silly one?
“Right then.” I pretended to hold something in my hand. I waved my arm back and forth, getting the dog’s attention, then pretended to throw the imaginary object. “Fetch.”
The terrier sprinted off, nails scraping on the floor, and I made my escape, closing the door behind me.
“Ha.” It was a small victory, but at this moment any success was welcome.
Besides, it was Southey’s own fault. I had instructed a maid to give the dog a large bone, one it should have taken him several days to devour.
Days where he was happily chewing and I was left in peace.
But the beast had decided to forego that pleasure in order to aggravate me.
Several loud yips broke the quiet. It could only have been my overactive imagination that made them sound accusatory.
I started down the hall, the barking seeming to get louder the farther I went.
I paused at the junction in the hallway.
I’d chosen the wrong room to imprison the animal.
His barks echoed. Pretty soon someone would come to investigate.
And then there would be questions. Who would leave a dog in the ballroom?
What kind of person would abandon an animal?
The next bark was a veritable howl. I hadn’t realized terriers could make such a forlorn sound. I swallowed, the back of my throat going thick.
“Fiend seize it.” I stalked back and flung open the door. Southey barreled out, dancing about my feet. “I was going to tell a servant where you were.” Eventually. “Now let’s go find Jane.”
We turned down the hall, blessed silence once more reigning. At the junction, I started to turn left when movement slowed my feet. A shadow detached from the wall, flickered, disappeared.
I held my breath, not moving. The stairs up to the servants’ quarters were in that direction, farther down that hallway.
It could be a maid, going to her bed. And if Perrin Manor had a mouse problem, it could also have bats.
There were any number of explanations for movement in a darkened hall.
But if it was a servant, why were they walking in the dark without a lamp or candle?
And why had they stopped moving when I had?
A lick of ice trailed down my spine, and I was suddenly glad Southey was by my side.
I glanced down. Except he wasn’t. He was halfway down the hall back to the guest rooms, a jaunty spring in his step, not caring in the least that he was leaving me to…
to… well, something untoward. “Oh, for goodness sake.”
“A problem?”
I yelped and spun, glaring at the man who had crept up quietly behind me. “Mr. Ryder, you should wear bells when you walk about. You gave me quite a start.”
He smiled, holding up an amber-shaded oil lamp. I ignored the fact that he had quite a nice smile. For someone who had made it one of his missions in life to close down my club, it should have looked more devilish.
“I heard….” He went to one knee when Southey came trotting back. “Oh, there you are. I thought you might be in trouble, little one.” He rubbed behind the terrier’s ears, earning an approving yip.
Holding my candle aloft, I stepped toward where I’d seen the shadow. With Mr. Ryder and Southey with me, it didn’t seem as frightening.
As well it shouldn’t. There was nothing there. Blowing out a breath, I turned toward my intended destination. “I didn’t realize you were such a dog lover, Mr. Ryder. Southey needs a new master. Perhaps you can keep him in your room for the duration of our stay.”
Ryder rose and followed behind. “It would be a strange creature who doesn’t like dogs. They are faithful and true, unlike many humans.”
I pinched my mouth shut as I descended the stairs to the ground floor.
“What are you doing here at this time of night?” Ryder took the stairs by my side. “It might not be safe to go about alone.”
I refrained from pointing out that he, also, was ‘going about alone,’ as he put it. “I heard the dog barking, as well.” It wasn’t a lie. “And now I’m looking for Jane.” The rooms on the ground floor were all dark so I went to the stairs down to the kitchens.
“With Perrin dead, Southey might be a good companion for you.” Ryder turned the wick up in his lamp, the white hair at his temples shimmering gold in the warm light. “He’s small, but will rouse the household if you were in trouble.”
I snorted. “I can do my own rousing.” A light in the room next to the kitchen drew me there. Voices raised; someone shouted in triumph. When I stepped through the doorway, I had to stop from rolling my eyes.
The table where the servants ate was crowded, but it wasn’t food that was on the table but coin.
Jane slowly shuffled a deck of cards, her bent fingers expertly mixing the cards for the next deal.
A tidy sum of blunt was before my lady’s maid, but nowhere near as large as that in front of young Marie.
Perrin’s maid was shaking her head. “I’ve said you shouldn’t play casino, Bert. Everyone can read ’ow good your cards are from your face. You should stick to ’azard.”
Ryder loudly cleared his throat. All eyes swung toward us. “I apologize for interrupting your sport,” he said, not sounding sorry at all, “but I was hoping Cook Clem was not yet abed. I find myself still hungry.”
Some tidbit of tonight’s meal did sound good.
It had been days since this kitchen had put out anything decent, and this night’s supper only whetted my appetite for more excellent food.
And a conversation with the chef wouldn’t go amiss.
Pretty soon the carrion birds would be circling, and I wanted to get to him first.
Marie hooked her elbow over the back of her chair. “Oh, Clem went up to bed ’ours ago. Feeling better, ’e is, but still a bit unsteady, if you take my meaning.”
“I understand.” Ryder’s shoulders dropped. He hooked his thumb in the pocket of his waistcoat. “Perhaps it is time for everyone to be abed. It’s a more wholesome alternative than some entertainments.” He looked meaningfully at the table.
I sighed. “Do you go about looking for people amusing themselves in order to ruin their sport? They’re only having a bit of fun.”
He raised his chin and looked down at me. “It has been shown that gambling induces dishonesty, as well as takes money from those who might need it most. I hope The Minerva Club hasn’t added this vice to its many others.”
Inhaling sharply, I planted my hands on my hips.
Jane stood as fast as her arthritic bones would allow. “I have been trotting too hard. Perhaps it is time to call it a night.”
The other servants rose, murmuring their good-nights and departing. With a nod of his head, Mr. Ryder also excused himself. Soon, it was only Jane, Marie, and I.
And Southey.
“Why did you bring that man down?” Jane asked, digging her knuckles into her back.
“I was trying to rid myself of this animal.” I pointed at Southey, who panted happily up at me. “I was looking for you to assist when I ran into Mr. Ryder.”
Jane frowned, the grooves on her forehead deepening to veritable chasms. “I don’t know why that dog upsets you so. Any tear he makes to your gowns you know I can repair.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You? You’ve repaired the damage?”
Jane shifted her weight. “Well, I know who to send them off to for repair. It’s the same thing.”
I restrained myself from rolling my eyes.
Jane sniffed. “Well, it’s too bad you brought that Ryder down here. I was winning.”
Marie scraped her pile of coin into her apron and twisted the fabric into a knot. “No, you weren’t. You again didn’t ’ave any spades in your ’and, and I was about to reach twenty-one.”
I examined the girl. I’d known she was quick, but perhaps underestimated just how clever. “How about a spot of tea before we turn in?” I settled myself at the table, shaking Southey off of my foot. “I have a few questions that I hope you can answer, Marie.”
“I’ll get the water going,” Jane said.
I looked at the enormous pot and shot Marie an imploring look.
She nodded. “You sit and think about why you tried to build to that nine when Bert ’ad already shown ’is.” She lugged the pot to the fire and kindled it. “What do you want to know?” she asked me.
I pushed out a chair for Jane. “Did you or anyone else see someone around Lord Perrin’s wine yesterday?”
“Not that I noticed.” Marie climbed over one of the benches and sat. “I can ask the others, but I think they would’ve said something after we found out ’e was poisoned.”
“What about arguments?” I drew my feet farther underneath me. Instead of his bone that I could see sitting near his bed near the fire, Southey seemed to find my boot leather more palatable. “Did any of the servants hear Perrin fighting with one of the guests?”
Marie hesitated. “Well, there was a banger of a fight between the master and Mr. Smith. I don’t think ’e was going to let Miss Smith marry my lord any longer.”
I nodded. That accorded with what Mr. Evans had said about the marriage contract dispute. “Anything else?” I pushed.
Marie stood and went to a tin on the counter. She pulled it open, sniffed, then chose another. “There is always a bit of yelling. The master did ’ave a temper. But nothing specially bad.”
I toed Southey over to where Jane sat, hoping he’d transfer his attention. “And?”
Marie’s shoulders dropped. “It’s not what we ’eard. It’s what we’ve seen. Lord Perrin told us to look through the guests’ belongings, looking for anything interesting. The lord always asked us, whenever any guests stayed over.”
“Perrin asked you to spy?” My heartbeat raced. I don’t know why I was surprised. That sounded like just the thing my brother-in-law would do. It was still shocking. “How ghastly.”
“Just go through pockets and drawers while we cleaned. Their luggage if they didn’t unpack.
Keep our ears open, that sort of thing.” Marie took the pot off the fire and poured it into a teapot.
She added tea leaves from one of the tins and brought it to the table, reseating herself after placing cups in front of us.
Jane leaned forward. “Did you find anything interesting?”
“Jane!” This was people’s privacy we were talking about. It was an abominable question.
But one that needed answering. “Yes, but, uh, did you?”
Marie shrugged. “I ’eard Lord and Lady ’avenstone speaking poor of the earl, but that’s not so surprising.
” Her forehead wrinkled. “The baron does ’ave a case of tonics in ’is room.
’e seems to like to take a tipple from some of them with the morning tea, and Lady ’avenstone, well, she’s got a remedy for everything.
But they’re not the only ones who didn’t trust Perrin Manor to have the medicine they need.
Mr. Bertram Withers also brought some powdered chamomile and calomel.
’e asks for a cup of hot water every night to put them in. Must ’ave a weak stomach.”
Neither of those powders would kill someone in mere hours.
But what of the Havenstones’ tonics? There were many ailments that might induce the couple to travel with their personal apothecary shop.
Might one be a poison, however? “Next time you’re in Lord Havenstone’s room, can you look to see if the tonics are labeled?
Write down what all he’s brought? You can write, can’t you? ”
The girl huffed. “Yes, ma’am.”
Jane poured them all tea. “I thought spying on guests was wrong.” She pushed my cup toward me, her lips pinched.
“It is.” I took a sip of tea, wincing at the bitterness. I placed the cup down. “It’s abominable behavior. But would you mind terribly to keep on doing so while we investigate?” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the table. “Someone here killed Lord Perrin. We must discover who.”
Marie grinned over the rim of her cup. “Trying to catch a killer. That’ll be all the crack.”
“Yes, except for the fact a man is dead,” I said dryly. My chest went tight. Marie was smart and had experience poking through what didn’t belong to her. She would be all right.
I pushed back my chair and stood. “One more thing.” I bent and plucked up Southey. I put him into Marie’s unsuspecting arms. “Hold onto this beast until I can get to my room, please. I fear to think what he would do to my slippers if he had all night to chew.”