Chapter Fifteen #2
“I agree that the duke either killed Mr. Corbett himself or had his butler do it. And I’m rather leaning that way. Remember how shocked Boddingford was when we told him Mr. Corbett had been found dead from murder instead of suicide?”
“Right. I’d forgotten that tidbit.” This was why he adored working with her.
“So that murder is solved, as far as I’m concerned. Now, for the duke’s demise, that is a bit more tricky. The stab marks are the one glaring thing secrets can’t hide.”
His brow furrowed. “Why do you say that?”
“While I agree the killer might have been hesitant at first while stabbing the duke, it almost seems as if more than one person was responsible.” She huffed out a breath. “How closely did you explore the body?”
“Not very, since his cause of death was evident. Why?” Had he made a mistake?
She tugged on his cravat, brought his head close to hers, then brushed her lips over his, pulling back when he tried for more. “I’m now wondering if the duke had been dosed with laudanum. At the first stab, wouldn’t he have woken and cried out in alarm and pain?”
“Damn, that hadn’t occurred to me, but it’s possible.
However, the drug wouldn’t have been detected.
” The longer he peered at his wife, the more suspicions jumped into his brain.
“I suppose someone could have also pressed a pillow over his face to muffle a sound as well as hide his expression while the murder occurred.”
Shock went through her expression. “That is also possible, and I wouldn’t have put it past the valet to do exactly that.
” She shook her head. “He might not have stabbed the duke, but he might have held a pillow or administered laudanum. I had the feeling when we talked with him that he wasn’t telling us the whole truth. ”
“None of them have told the whole truth.” The next few minutes went by while he contented himself with kissing Mary.
How could he not? When he pulled away, he said, “The housekeeper was quite angry about the governess she spoke about. It stands to reason that they might have been friends, but the outrage went bone deep.” And why was that?
There had to be more. He warmed to his subject as his mind whirred.
“What if that governess was, in reality, her daughter—their daughter? Perhaps they adopted her.”
One of Mary’s eyebrows rose in question. “How did she become a governess if born to that couple? It’s possible, of course, but improbably that parents in the beau monde would hire a no-name young woman not even from the ton.”
Gabriel shrugged. “They could have falsified her credentials and lineage. And it would follow they wanted to keep their daughter close…”
“…especially if Mrs. Benson had trouble conceiving to begin with,” Mary added with excitement sparkling in her eyes. “Yet when the duke, being the despicable man that he was, preyed upon that daughter….” She shook her head. “Once the governess died, Mrs. Benson must have snapped.”
“Fantastic theory, my love.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “That was undoubtedly a part of it, but to convince all of them to do it?”
“All of them meaning the whole family?”
“Some of them, at least. Perhaps it was knowing that Johnathon’s wife-to-be was raped and violated by the duke. Perhaps it was the horrid treatment he gave to the earl’s wife. Perhaps it was his keeping a mistress.”
“Or perhaps it wasn’t just one thing. It could have been a culmination of everything. The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back might have been Mr. Corbett’s death.”
“This requires more thought, for if we’re right? It’s going to be one devil of a coil, and when I go back to the chief inspector, I need no doubt.”
Cassandra entered the office at that point and prevented further commentary. “Mama? When are we going to Hyde Park? I want to watch the geese and ducks on the river.”
“Ah, I did promise you and Charlie that, didn’t I?” With a soft look at him, she slipped off his lap. “We can leave now.”
“With Papa?” The hope in her light blue eyes went straight to his heart. How much did he love his children?
“I’ll join you in a bit after I consult some notes, but I promise I’ll be there.”
“No, actually.” Mary laid a hand on his arm while smiling at him. “Why don’t you take them? Spend an hour with them while I organize our notes. Perhaps once you come back home, we can summon Boddingford’s family to the duke’s townhouse and confront them at the same time.”
“I hadn’t thought to assemble them in one room, but perhaps that is exactly what we need to do.” He met her gaze with questions in his. “Are you certain you don’t wish to accompany us?” It was rare that he had the time to spend with both Charlie and Cassandra alone.
“Yes, of course. It will be good for all of you, as well as the fact you’ll get fresh air before it rains again.”
Cassandra’s grin would forever be seared upon his memories, for how joyous it was. “It’s so fun when Papa comes along!” She ran into the office and threw herself into his arms. “He is just so jolly!”
“I appreciate that.” Gabriel engulfed her into a hug. “And what about your poor mama? Don’t you enjoy being in her company just as much?”
“Yes, and she sings us lovely songs, but you put me on your shoulders sometimes. Mama tells me to behave like a lady.” Then she laughed, and how could he or Mary not laugh along with her?
Mary waved them off. “Get on with you two,” she said with a smile. “Have fun.”
“We shall return soon, love. Hopefully, by the end of today, our work will have concluded. There are a few things I’d like to turn my attention to instead.” With a wink, Gabriel left the room with Cassandra, and quite frankly, he couldn’t wait for this damned case to come to a conclusion.