Chapter Seven #2
“It is no secret that I am not fully English,” she said with her voice still hushed.
Muted laughter from the drawing room next door filtered to Mary’s ears.
“My father is an English general who had been based in Bombay. Of course, he has long since retired and is living in London. He met my mother while in Bombay. She was the daughter of a prominent Indian dignitary. Unfortunately, she died a few years ago.”
Mary nodded. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss, but what does that have to do with you and Mr. Corbett finding an unlikely friendship?”
“It is due to my father’s treatment of them,” the earl said with annoyance in his eyes.
But the emotion wasn’t directed at Mary or Bright.
The countess nodded. “My husband is correct. Though Edgington and I have only been married for less than a year, we are hoping to fill our nursery soon. Except the duke has always considered me… less than others.”
“What?” Shock slammed into Mary’s chest, quickly followed by indignation. “He didn’t accept you because of your heritage?”
“I’m afraid so.” Though the countess nodded, sadness shadowed her eyes.
“You meet all sorts when your lineage is like mine. Some interactions are pleasant and welcoming. Some are distinctly opposite.” A scrap of laughter escaped her that could have been hysterical if it hadn’t sounded all too forced.
“To be fair, my father-in-law didn’t accept me because I wasn’t fully white.
Or fully English. If I’d been Scottish or Irish, he’d have hated me still. ”
Bright softly cleared his throat while Mary took notes… and fumed. “Did Boddingford say that in plain speech?”
“Oh, yes, and to my face. Even when my wife was in earshot.” The earl nodded.
A muscle ticced in his cheek. “My father has always had these views, and he has never failed to tell me how disappointed in me that he is because I don’t share them.
He has some damned notion that titled Englishmen should only marry women from the beau monde who come from blue-blooded families, to keep the lines pure. ”
“What did he say when you and the countess married?”
“I didn’t give him the opportunity to beat me up with his opinion.
” Edgington gently laid a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“I love my wife to distraction. Her Indian side has never made me change the way I thought of her; she is the one—the only one—to have my heart.” As he struggled to contain his emotions, he shook his head.
“And I told my father such. Refused to hear his arguments or entertain his slights.”
“What happened when those topics came up?” Bright wanted to know.
“Nothing.”
The countess shook her head. “That’s not true. There were usually fights afterward.” A trace of tears veiled her eyes. “Some of them have been severe, to the point where my husband wishes to wash his hands of the family.”
Shock raised Mary’s eyebrows as she shifted her regard to the earl. “Is that true?”
He remained stoically silent.
She looked at Bright, quietly urging him to take over this strange interview.
“I assume your father treated Mr. Corbett the same way that he treated your wife?”
“More or less, simply because he didn’t hold a title and that he’d chosen to work at a bank for a living.” The earl shrugged. “What else was he supposed to do? His family isn’t well off, and because he loved my sister, he wanted to take care of her. I respected him for that.”
“I agree. He was doing what he thought right. Had you ever known Mr. Corbett to be so mentally deficient that he would take his own life?”
“Absolutely not!” Edgington left the countess’ side and took a couple of steps toward Bright, who stared him down. “Is that what you think at Bow Street? That he killed himself? Because it’s wrong. He was so excited to have a baby on the way, and he would do anything for my sister.”
“And I’ll wager that continued to make your father angry.” It wasn’t a question.
“It did. He despised how deep their relationship ran.”
“Ours too,” the countess interrupted in a soft voice.
She shot her husband a wry smile. “It’s true, and you know it.
” When she slipped her gaze back to Bright, she said, “He was livid that his children were marrying—or even drawn to—people he considered wrong for them and not matches that would produce strong connections or alliances.”
Bright looked at Mary, who shrugged. “Was he angry enough to kill?” When neither of them answered him, he blew out a breath.
“Would your father shoot Mr. Corbett if they’d argued?
” When silence still followed, his gaze narrowed.
“Did you know that your father promised to give the lion’s share of your inheritance to your youngest sister if Mr. Corbett threw himself off this mortal coil? ”
“The devil you say!” From the aghast shock on the earl’s face, it was clear he’d not known that. “Anthony would never do anything of the sort. Papa’s wrath and bluster never affected him. He said he had love, and that was more powerful than hate, which made my father even more angry.”
“So, again, we’ve come back to the fact that your father might have been angry enough to kill Mr. Corbett and blame suicide.” Mary jotted down a few notes. Could it be that simple, especially with this convoluted family? “Could your father have hired the job out to someone?”
“I don’t know.” Defeat sounded in the earl’s voice. “Perhaps? He said every year that went by meant England was slipping into hands who didn’t have its best interests in mind.”
She nodded. “Was there anyone else in the family who didn’t like Mr. Corbett? Who might have meant him harm?”
“God, I shouldn’t think so. My siblings and I aren’t a close-knit lot but we look out for each other, especially in the face of Papa’s wrath.
” He shrugged, and when the countess stood and went directly to his side, he slipped an arm about her waist. “There were times when he needed to escape my father’s verbal abuse.
During those times when he was at Papa’s home, he’d seek comfort in the kitchens or take refuge in the housekeeper’s office if things got bad.
He had enough charm that the household staff doted on him. ”
Mary wrote down another note. “What did your sister think about that?”
“She’d been so sick with the pregnancy, I don’t know that she was cognizant of what was happening.”
The countess nodded. “I visited her a few times, and she was quite bedridden, but she’s better now, and able to get around.”
“What of your other sisters? Were they close to Mr. Corbett?”
The earl snorted. “I doubt that. They both have their own lives, and frankly I have a feeling they don’t wish to be sucked into the drama.”
Bright bounced his gaze between them. “What of your middle brother? I spoke to him yesterday, and though he wasn’t forthcoming, I had the feeling he’s withholding the truth.”
“He is.” Edgington exchanged a speaking glance with his wife. “But I refuse to reveal it since he should do that. It might prove damning.”
Now that was interesting. “All right.” She closed her notebook then put it and the pencil into her reticule. “Those are all the questions we have at the moment.”
Bright stood while Mary did the same. “If we have other questions, we’ll seek you both out. Until then, keep yourselves safe.”
“Thank you for coming, Inspector.” The countess offered a smile. “I hope you can give us all answers soon.”
“So do I. Enjoy the remainder of your evening.” He shook the earl’s hand and then escorted Mary from the room. “That didn’t yield us much in the way of forward movement on this case,” he said as they navigated their way out of the house.
“No, but it did give us a greater picture of the duke and his intolerance for anyone different than him.” She squeezed her fingers on his arm.
“Do I think he killed Mr. Corbett? There is every possibility that he did. We’ll need to talk with him tomorrow.
Perhaps if we come at him harder, he’ll slip and reveal the truth himself. ”
“We shall absolutely do that.” With a grin, he guided her toward their closed carriage. “The night is still fairly young, and we are free. Perhaps it’s time for a bit of mischief.”
A thrill went down her spine. “I like the way you think, Inspector.”
Once he handed her into the vehicle, he spoke in a low voice to the driver, told him to take the long way home, then he joined her inside, settling on the bench beside her. “It has been rather lovely working a large case with you again.”
“I am enjoying it immensely as well.” Before she knew what was happening, he pulled her close as the carriage lurched into motion, and he kissed her as if he hadn’t seen her in weeks.
When he finally wrenched away, his breathing was as ragged as hers.
His eyes were dark brown pools in the weak illumination coming in through the window from a gas lamp, but there was a certain hunger in those depths that made her breathless.
Almost as it had been at the beginning of their relationship “Shall I do wicked things to you now?” Emotion graveled his words as he slipped to the floorboards before her.
“Of course. But we were just intimate last night.”
Bright snorted. “When has that ever deterred us before?”
“This is true.” How much did she adore him and his penchant for carnal activity any chance they could wedge it into their schedule?
With a grin that sent flutters into her lower belly, he leaned into her, put his hands to her shoulders, hooked his fingers in the bodice of her gown, and then he yanked the upper portion of the garment down. “Have I mentioned lately how gorgeous you are?” he asked in a whisper.
While her throat went dry, she shivered as the cooler ambient air wafted over her suddenly bared skin. “Nearly every day…”
“And I will continue to do so until you believe me.”
“You are far too charming, I think.” Daring much, she grabbed his cravat and tugged him closer. “I can hardly believe we’ve been married only two years.”