by Beth Byers
“So you’re engaged then? Of course you didn’t say no. I will now welcome him to the twindom and begin to torture him.”
Violet shook her head, and Victor’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t say no. You couldn’t have. My goodness, Vi—”
“I said nothing!” Violet shoved at her brother, breaking away, so she could pace. “That stupid boy was murdered and a woman started screaming the second I started to answer. I…”
Victor closed his mouth. His eyes glinted with humor, and Violet smacked him each time she passed him while she paced.
“Kate is back,” Victor said. “I’ve left her at the hotel with Ginny.”
“You brought them?”
“I’m not an idiot, Vi. You might have called for me, but you aren’t leaving Oxford until this case is solved.”
A slow smile passed over her face. “Jack thinks you’ll bring me home.”
“Oh, Jack,” Victor sighed, then followed it with an evil chuckle. “Poor Jack. In love and so very blind.”
Violet’s echoing evil chuckle escaped. “I needed clothes and someone to meddle with me.”
“I knew what you wanted. You sent a blind plea for help. Jack sent me a wire to come and get you. He’s naïve yet.”
Violet grinned as Beatrice stuck her head into the room. “I’ve got your things, Lady Violet. Mr. Giles and I will take them to the hotel if you didn’t need anything else.”
Violet shook her head and turned back to her brother.
“There is much you need to know, but let’s start with the most important.” Violet told him of meeting Miss Allen.
“What now?” Victor said at the end of Violet’s tale.
“A former fiancé,” Vi reiterated, focusing on the part that mattered the most.
“And she figured out we were V. V. Twinnings?” Victor shook his head. “Of course she did. You must have been dumbfounded when you met her.”
“Pole-axed. Mouth hanging open, catching flies. Floundering for purchase. All of it.”
“Bloody hell,” Victor muttered. “I forget sometimes how well you’ve trained me to think the way women think. Jack is lucky I’ve correspondingly trained you to think more like a man, or he’d have been facing a jealous ninny who was certain he’d been lying the whole time.”
Violet passed her brother in her pacing, smacking him again. “Not all women are jealous ninnies, you fool. Do you think that Kate would immediately leap to assuming you’ve been lying and that you never loved her?”
“No,” Victor muttered, “but that’s why I love her.”
“No one group of people is true to their stereotypes, my love. Don’t be an idiot.”
Victor shot Violet a quelling look, but she ignored him as she returned to pacing. She told him what she’d witnessed with Jeremiah Allen, and the way that Miss Allen had attempted to blackmail Violet—and Victor for that matter.
“By Jove, Violet! Lady Eleanor is going to be a devil when she discovers the books.”
Violet winced and nodded.
He sighed, his gaze flicking over her face before he said, “I shall have to get Kate to elope with me before her mother discovers what we’ve been up to. Mrs. Lancaster seems to expect better from us since we financed that orphanage. At least dear Stepmother assumes we’re up to something she’d despise.”
“True enough,” Violet said. She did her best to explain how Jeremiah Allen was Emily Allen’s brother and how he had seemingly purchased his way into being one of Mr. Morgan’s research lads. The way the research assistants clearly had some discontent between them.
“There’s a dead niece?” Victor asked. “Who the lads all liked?”
“According to the butler,” Violet admitted. “Who is clearly still mourning her.”
“She’d only matter if we were writing a book. She’s probably only a poor girl who got quite ill and didn’t recover.”
Violet’s mouth twisted. She supposed she was using the links she’d make in a book on this case. Why were people murdered? Money, love, to hide another crime, betrayal, obsession, revenge. Most often, at least in Violet’s experience, it had been for love. Twisted love, coming from a sick person who didn’t understand what it meant to truly love.
“If he were a woman, I would say we should look towards who supposedly loved her. As a young man? Maybe it was a monetary crime? Or an act of like…anger gone wrong? Fisticuffs and an accident?”
Victor shook his head. “People aren’t so easy to kill, Violet. It’s not like you give someone a solid knock and they fall down dead. You, of all people, know that.”
“You got hurt in that last case too, Victor,” she snapped.
“So, I should know it as well, then. Perhaps you accidentally kill someone with a gun that you didn’t mean to shoot. Or perhaps you accidentally kill someone in an auto accident or stumbling and knocking them down from a high place. It isn’t what happened here, Violet.”
She nodded, continuing to pace. “I need to tell Jack where we’re staying. I’d like to see where it is.”
Violet rang the bell and asked the butler for paper and a pen. She wrote Jack a letter explaining where she was and another note to Hamilton requesting him to keep a close eye on Jack. It didn’t matter to her that they were both strong men and professionals. Jack had become vital to her happiness.
“Let’s observe the scene of the crime,” Victor said. “We’ll get Kate and Ginny from the hotel, get a boat, and row down to where you found him. We can bring Denny and Lila and send them back with the boat so we can walk. See if we can figure out the path the man took from this house to his last resting place.”
“Lila and Denny?”
“They came yesterday to London and joined us when we came down here. Denny says a day on the water would be welcome. Lila says we can’t allow you to run amuck in Oxford without backup.”
Violet shot him a look and then finished her letters to Hamilton and Jack.
“We need to talk to Nathan Tanner as well,” she told him. “Find someone to hunt up the fellow. He said he was an assistant for…oh my, it was a unique name. A professor. Professor, umm….” Violet sniffed and then it came back to her. “Snag. I think if we can find him, we can find Tanner.”
“Why does he matter?”
“I think he might answer questions,” Violet told him. “Perhaps. Let’s discover what we can about him; maybe he can be bribed to answer questions. He wasn’t working directly with Mr. Morgan or these fellows anymore. He’d left after the death of Miss Morgan.”
“Miss Morgan again?” Victor’s brows lifted, but both of them shook heads at each other.
Miss Morgan had been dead long before this crime had committed. They were thinking like authors of light-hearted fiction again. Thankfully Jack wasn’t there to roll his eyes or snort derisively.
Violet glanced around the room, rang the bell for the butler again, and handed off the notes. She thanked him for his assistance the last few days and left a monetary gift for the servants who’d taken care of her, especially the previous day. Being dumbfounded and alone, and having him step in had persuaded her to like him rather more than she might have otherwise.
She thanked him fervently, and they left.
Chapter 11
Mr. Morgan’s butler had taken the rooms that were available in the hotel, which was a rather large, opulent suite with four separate bedrooms, a dining area, and a sitting room in the center of the bedrooms. Kate rose as they entered. Violet hugged her fiercely.
“I missed you,” Violet whispered, and then leaned down to scratch the soft ears of Gin and Rouge. Violet’s dog was wiggling with unbounded joy at her presence.
“Did he propose?” Denny asked from across the room.
Victor answered before Violet could. “He did. The folks who found the body broke into the moment before Vi could answer.”
“We’re in the midst of a proposal rift?” Kate asked. She sounded quite sympathetic. “Poor Jack.”
“Poor Violet,” Vi c
ountered.
“I don’t know—” Lila’s lips were twitching. “A proposal that is paused by a dead body is about perfect for these two. He couldn’t have arranged it better. They met during a murder investigation—”
Violet winced, hating to think about losing her great aunt.
“Then, being separated by the murder of Isolde’s horrific betrothed—”
Violet sighed.
“Both pulled farther apart and drawn back together by Tomas’s hangers-on and the murder of that Bettina woman.”
Violet crossed to a tea cart in the room, interrupting Lila’s vocal recollection. She looked through it and happily poured herself a cup of Turkish coffee. Having only tea the last few days had been near torture. Mr. Morgan kept a traditional house and hadn’t served any sort of coffee. What was wrong with the man? Violet sighed into her cup of coffee and took a seat.
“Are you ready for me to continue?” Lila’s light voice took Violet’s attention, and she glanced around at her friends, all of whom seemed too amused by the outcome of Violet’s proposal. The body itself was unamusing, of course. The rest, however, did delight their evil sense of humor.
“Please,” Violet said, knowing it would go faster if she just listened.
“Then, we shall continue to the most romantic of Christmas disasters when both of our young titans, Victor and Violet, were restored to love’s path. Trodding through the crimes of others, they ended in a tropical vacation, dipped in rum, and showered in love. We see our heroes again in the backwoods of England, where their modern ways challenge the good folk of our fair country with their degenerate Jazz and drinking and roller-skating.”
Violet lifted her cup in salute and sipped again, closing her eyes. “I much prefer you degenerates to Jack’s stalwart Mr. Morgan.”
“He doesn’t appreciate your wit?”
“I believe he likes me well enough, but rather like you’d enjoy a dog or a clever little monkey. With a dash of derision and condescension. Hamilton is, of course, entirely different. He might be too responsible to be a daily member of our fair crew, but I think he should be an excellent occasional mascot.”
Victor grunted as he sat down next to her.
“Where is Ginny?”
“She was taken on a tour of the town by her tutor, who is stalwart and true,” Lila answered. “Determined to teach our sweet urchin Latin, the modern languages, music, and drawing.”
Violet shot Lila a look, and she stopped describing the education of Victorian females.
“I suppose our grandmothers were not taught Latin,” Lila admitted. She crossed her ankles. “I might have started with what I actually heard of the lessons and then become fanciful. Dare I suggest that Ginny seems to be learning?”
“Of course she is,” Victor said. “Violet lectured her quite bluntly.”
Violet’s head tilted as she examined her brother. “Did you listen in on my conversations with our ward?” she demanded.
“Course I did,” he said lazily. “You were grand. Epic. A lecture for the ages.”
Violet gasped. “You could have assisted.”
“But you had it so well in hand.”
“She’s failing out of school, Victor.”
“You did wonderful.” Victor winked at the others and then clapped softly for Violet.
Her eyes narrowed on him.
“You started with love. Made sure she knew you were on her side.”
Violet began to set her coffee cup down and then thought better of it.
“You ignored her attempt to side-step the conversation with that ‘I prefer never’ answer when you asked when she’d be prepared to talk about it.”
Violet’s fingernail tapped against the coffee cup with a sharp, click, click, click.
“And then,” Victor said exultantly, “you were blunt and kind at the same time. Telling her she’d be unlikely to find her ‘Lila’ outside of school—”
“Ahhh,” Lila cooed.
“While also telling her that doing well in school was the avenue to finding like-minded people.”
“You,” Violet didn’t have the words. That had been one of the hardest conversations she’d ever had, the one she’d felt most ill-qualified for, and he’d…he’d…just left her to it.
“And then,” Victor added with a happy grin, “my favorite part…”
Violet frowned fiercely as her fingernail continued to click, click, click.
“You promised you’d take care of the teachers who are being awful to her as well.”
“What now?” Kate demanded. “The teachers?”
Violet and Victor nodded in the exact same way with the exact same tilt to their heads.
“You will be taking care of it, yes?” Kate’s fury was clear and chilling.
“I believe it’s Victor’s turn at the bat.”
He gasped and Violet grinned evilly at him. He winced. “Suddenly I feel rather like an idiot.”
“So you should, my lad,” Denny told him. “If you’d kept quiet until after Violet had handled it all, you could have tormented her and avoided all the work. Have a chocolate. It’ll make you feel better.” Denny lifted a box, but Victor waved it off.
“I need a cocktail for this,” he muttered.
Violet sipped her coffee, the tapping of her nail having ceased with her revenge.
“Don’t worry too much about it, boyo,” Denny told him. “Kate will help you. This is why we marry. These ladies step up and take over, don’t you know. Lads like us, we can go on doing nothing and being happy enough in our place just out of the gutters. The ladies ensure we have things like food and blankets and such. They’re the most useful to have around.”
Lila didn’t even react to Denny’s lazy comment any more than Kate or Violet.
“So, we’re going to end this investigation, wrap up that proposal, and go wedding shopping, aren’t we?” Kate asked.
“Sounds like a plan,” Lila mused. “A boy dead in the river? Let’s find the one who was stupid enough to commit murder.”
“You’re going to be involved this time?” Violet asked. “Last time you ‘didn’t want to.’”
“Last time,” Lila replied, “my favorite love story wasn’t half-finished. I simply had to finish the book.”
“Hey now,” Denny protested, and Lila arched her brow at him. He snuffled a little and shoved a chocolate into his mouth before he said around the sweet, “I suppose that’s fair enough. We’re old news, darling. Prosaic. Boring.”
“Perhaps we should spice things up?” she asked him.
Denny considered for a moment, popped another chocolate into his mouth before answering. “We could. If you wanted. I guess. But that would probably interrupt our whole nap, dancing, drinks, nap cycle.”
“A valid point, my love. A valid point.”
* * *
The gents were sent off for boats while Violet arranged with the hotel for a picnic basket, several bottles of chilled lemonade, ginger beer, and champagne, and snacks enough for them and Hamilton and Jack. She felt certain the men would realize what they were up to before the day was out and hunt them up.
Violet grinned at Lila, who asked, “How angry do you think Jack will be?”
“It’s not like he doesn’t know Violet by now,” Kate answered for Violet. “He and that war buddy, Scotland Yard brother of his are probably exchanging bets on which way she’ll start to meddle.”
Violet blinked, then grinned evilly. “Well, let’s make sure they both lose.”
“Indeed. Jack can’t go getting lazy like Denny where you’re concerned,” Lila grinned and glanced at Kate. “Not before he even has you. He needs to…stretch a bit.”
“And then fall to his knees like Victor did.”
“Begging does look good on Victor,” Violet told her future-sister-in-law. They gathered up the food, leaving the spaniels with Beatrice.
“There is a lad we need to find,” Violet told them as they left the hotel. “Nathan Tanner. He was at the rece
ption at the same time as Mr. Allen and the other lads.”
“So, there’s a boy?” Lila demanded.
Violet nodded. “He stole a photograph of his lost love, the tragically deceased Miss Morgan, from Mr. Morgan’s house. I thought he might be the easiest mark to get a start on what nonsense is happening here. Aren’t they supposed to be getting drunk, having private gambling dens in their rooms, and making alliances that will see them through the decades? Since when does university time end in murder?”
They walked through Oxford to the river, Violet explaining all that had happened since she arrived. They found the gents standing next to two rowboats as she finished.
“Is this where you and Jack left from?” Kate asked.
Violet stepped into the boat with Victor and Kate, and Lila and Denny took the second boat.
“No, we were farther upriver. I wasn’t paying attention. Jack was acting different, and I was worried about the scandalous Miss Allen.”
Lila chuckled when Violet mentioned Jack’s behavior, and they all cast Violet a look.
“For such a clever girl, you’d think she’d have realized what Jack was up to,” Victor said to them all. “I certainly can never get anything past you,” he said to Violet, “unless I’m full on hiding in the hallway like I was during your talk with our sweet Ginny.”
Violet leaned back, adjusting her hat as she said, “Well, get on with it, my lad.”
Victor grunted as Violet made it apparent that she, at least, would not be helping with the boat. Her eyes were fixed on the greenery around the river as she examined the riverbanks. There were others on the river, but Violet paid them little attention.
“There,” she pointed, and Victor moved the boat towards where she directed. They rowed for a while down the side of the river where Jeremiah’s body was found. Violet was on her knees, balancing as she examined the riverbank. It took a good amount of time for Violet’s attention to be grabbed. But there, on the green beyond the riverbank, the perfect verdant lawn was broken by streaks of mud. It was apparent that something had happened near the river just there. Once they made shore, Violet stepped out, using Victor’s hand to leap from the boat onto the green. She walked down the riverside. Much of it was bound in by stone and walks, but it seemed an argument could have happened at this location.