Chapter Twenty-One
Lady Mary
The constable joined them in the rear sitting room, a brown glass vial in his hand. He’d asked everyone, guest and servant alike, to gather in one room while he searched.
“I found this tucked behind some boxes in the attic.” He held it up. The vial was empty except for some dusty residue inside. “I’ll give this to the magistrate to have analyzed, but I’ll ask all of you first. Is there any legitimate reason such a bottle would be stored up there?”
The butler shook his head. “Any tonics or medicines are kept in the pantry off the kitchen. We don’t clean up in the attics often, however. There’s no telling how long it could have been up there.”
“There’s no dust on the outside of the glass.” I cocked my head, wondering if the constable would allow me to have a closer look at the substance inside. Was that small residue ground up mineral, leaf, or seed? “If it had been there long, we’d see the evidence of it.”
“But why put it up in the attics?” Havenstone asked.
“The killer must have assumed our rooms would be searched at some point.” I should have asked the butler to search the rooms immediately after Perrin’s death.
It would have angered the guests, but perhaps we would know who the killer was if I had.
“Or that a maid might come upon it while cleaning. The attics are as good a place as any to dispose of the evidence.”
“He truly was poisoned then. By one of us.” Mr. Smith shook his head. “I didn’t fully believe it until now.” He stood, his jacket pulling taut around his soft middle. “I want to take my daughter out of here. The magistrate can contact us at home.”
There was a general murmur of agreement.
Constable Adams tucked the vial into his pocket. “There is no reason any of you should be a target. Lord Perrin was obviously the intended victim. I am going to ask that you all remain until the magistrate comes to question you himself. It’s only a day or two more.”
“The constable is right,” I added, loath to have my suspects disperse in a most unmanageable manner.
“Besides, it might look suspicious for any of us to appear too eager to leave. Like we had something we wanted to hide.” It was the lowest form of emotional manipulation, but I was hard-pressed to feel guilty over it.
Perrin had been my husband’s brother. While I hadn’t liked him much, I couldn’t just let his killing go unanswered.
Marie nervously tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. She darted a glance at the baron. “That looks like one of the little bottles in Lord Havenstone’s case.”
The room grew silent.
“How do you know that?” Havenstone exploded. “Did you search through my belongings?”
Marie had the grace to flush.
“It wasn’t her fault.” I leaned forward in my chair. “Lord Perrin told her to look through his guests’ rooms. She was only following the orders of her master.”
“He did what?” Lady Havenstone’s jaw dropped open. “That is abominable.”
Miss Walker frowned. “He must have had good cause.”
“No, he was simply a miscreant.” Bertram inhaled sharply. “I told my sister not to marry the man. I told our father his title wasn’t worth it, but they didn’t listen.”
The constable held up his hand. “This discussion is fruitless. What I would like to know is if anyone saw someone in the attics who shouldn’t have been there. Marie said she heard noises two nights past.”
“That was the night the windows in Perrin’s study were broken.
” Miss Smith rested her hand at the base of her throat.
“The night Lady Mary and I heard noises in the hallway and went to investigate. I saw something by the stairs up to the servants’ quarters, but I thought my eyes were merely playing tricks on me. ”
Lord Havenstone hmphed. “You most likely just saw a servant retiring for the night.”
Possibly. It did seem odd that the killer would wait so long to dispose of the vial, but someone disturbed enough in mind to murder might not be thinking clearly. I thought about the shadow that I’d seen days earlier. Had it been the killer creeping up to the attics to hide the vial?
I was surprised when my Jane stepped forward. “It wasn’t the middle of the night like Marie said, but I saw Mr. Taylor going up to the attics that evening.” She shrugged at my look. “My rheumatism was flaring up. You know I like to walk to ease the pain.”
Mr. Taylor pushed off the wall he was leaning against. “I had every right to be up in the attics. It’s where the paper supply is kept.”
“As your employer is now dead, what did you need the paper for?” Mr. Evans gave the secretary a smile worthy of a shark.
“I have inquiries to make, don’t I?” Mr. Taylor’s face went red. “A new position to find. I won’t be the one who is implicated in his death.”
His excuse made sense. A secretary who suddenly found himself without a position would send out inquiries.
However, if his boasting to Miss Smith about having enough money to marry her bore any truth, then he might not be looking for another position.
On the other hand, if his claim to future blunt was his assumption that Mr. Smith would provide for the married couple, and Miss Smith turned him down, perhaps he had gone back to seeking honest employment.
I rubbed my temple. “I don’t suppose you have any evidence of these inquiries? The addressed letters? Any responses?”
“I’ve already sent out the letters, and it’s too early for any responses, but the butler can tell you I gave him letters for the post.”
We all looked to the butler, and he nodded. “They went with Lady Mary’s letter and two of Mr. Smith’s.”
Mr. Taylor sneered. “I can understand why you would want to divert attention to someone else. With what Perrin knew about you, you have the most reason of anyone to wish him dead.”
My stomach turned a lazy spiral. “What are you talking about?”
“The earl wanted to ruin you,” Taylor said. “He knew the truth about your marriage to his brother. Knew you weren’t the doting wife you pretended to be.”
I slowly straightened in my seat. “There was no pretense. I loved my husband.” And there was no way Perrin knew about my and Cavindish’s issues. Cavindish would never have spoken of them to anyone.
Mr. Evans stalked forward, looming over the shorter man. “You’d best be careful what you say next, Mr. Taylor. We have laws against slander in this country. Your insinuations against a respected member of society would not go without a response.”
“It isn’t my words but Lord Perrin’s,” Taylor said. “I’m merely repeating what he told me, on many occasions. He asked my opinion on how best to format his letters to the newspapers.”
“And did Perrin explicitly state just what he was accusing Lady Mary of?” Constable Adams asked.
“Well, no.” Taylor frowned. “He gave hints and insinuations, but it wasn’t difficult to surmise his meaning. Let’s just say Lady Mary is no lady.”
I barely heard the shocked gasps in the room over the blood pounding through my ears.
Next to me, Mr. Ryder gripped the armrests of his chair, his fingers going white.
Jane hobbled forward. “That’s all that I want to hear from the likes of you.” She poked Taylor’s thin chest. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. My mistress—”
“Jane.” I held up my hand, pasting on a smile I was nowhere near feeling.
“There is no need to defend my honor, mainly because I have done nothing to injure it. My husband and I had no secrets between the two of us, and we loved each other very much.” Love hadn’t been the problem.
But love hadn’t been enough to solve our problems.
Mr. Smith dipped his head in my direction. “Those of us who know you would never doubt that, my lady. No one of value will heed any such rumors.”
I appreciated the sentiment, especially considering my acquaintance with the gentleman extended less than a week. I didn’t know if I would be so fortunate in my support back in London, however. I was already thought eccentric. I ran a club for women that was disgraceful in many eyes.
I made a point not to look in Mr. Ryder’s direction. I could only guess his thoughts on the matter.
No, I was under no illusions that if Perrin’s accusations became public knowledge, my reputation would take a severe hit. Aside from the effect it might have on my club’s membership, I wasn’t sure I cared.
I did care if anyone thought worse of my husband, however.
I pushed to standing. “As exciting as this conversation is,” I said dryly, “I have correspondence of my own to attend. I assume my presence is no longer needed this afternoon?” I asked the constable.
“Uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “No, milady, but please make yourself available for the magistrate when he arrives.”
I nodded, my smile tight. Mr. Taylor’s little outburst might very well have placed me near the top of the suspect list. And if the investigation centered around me, it would ignore the true culprit.
I left the room, chin high, with as much dignity as I could muster. I heard Jane following behind, but I didn’t turn my head.
“My lady.” Jane wheezed behind me. “Don’t take what that young scoundrel said to heart. He knows nothing.”
“I realize that.” Even if Taylor believed Perrin’s ravings, he would know little of the truth. I pushed into my bedroom. “You should have told me you saw Taylor sneaking about. You know I’m investigating Perrin’s murder.”
Jane shut the door behind her. “Oh, is that what we’re going to talk about? Nice diversion.”
“No diversion.” I went to the window and peered out. The surface of the pond glinted in the sun, blinding. “That is the only topic worth speaking of.”
Jane went to my bed and sat on the edge. “Fine. I hesitated to tell you because I know you are investigating. I’m not sure it’s good for you.”
“Investigating?”
Jane pointed a crooked finger at me. “The last time you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong, your club was almost burned down and you were almost killed.”
I arched an eyebrow. “That is a gross exaggeration.” Though the repair bills to The Minerva Club might argue to the contrary.
Jane sniffed. “You run a ladies’ club. You’re the aunt of a duke, a member of high society. I don’t think becoming a lady detective is an asset to either of those endeavors.”
The edges of my lips curled. I quite liked the sound of ‘lady detective.’ But my humor was short-lived. “Someone in this house killed Perrin. The authorities might very well think I had a hand in it. You must see that I have to look into the matter myself.”
Jane shook her head sadly. “No. If it were any normal person, I wouldn’t see that.” She sighed. “But since it is you, I will have to accept it.”
I went to the small desk in the room and busied my hands straightening the few pieces of paper resting on top. Jane should know my character by now. We had seen each other through both great joy and sorrow. Still, there were some things I had thought remained private.
“How did you know?” I asked softly.
She pushed off the bed and came to stand behind me. She rested one hand on my shoulder. “About the decision you and Cavindish made?”
I nodded.
“It’s near impossible to keep a secret from one’s lady’s maid, and absolutely impossible when that lady’s maid is me.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I knew how much you and the master wanted children. What you decided…it was hard, but it was the logical thing to do.”
I crossed my arm over my chest and grasped her hand. The back of my throat burned, and it was a moment before I could speak. “Hiring you was the best decision I ever made.”
“In point of fact, you didn’t hire me. Your father did, and then your husband continued my employment.”
I huffed out a laugh and pushed her hand away. The other advantage of having Jane as my maid was she always knew when to lighten the moment. “And I could have terminated your employment at any point. I still can.”
She snorted and went to lay out a dress for dinner.
I returned to organizing the already organized desk. Jane was right. It had been the logical action to take.
But I didn’t know any longer if it had been the right one.