The Body in the Garden

by Katharine Schellman

  “Of course.” Mr. Page nodded. “We’ll return to all that in a moment, but first I’d like to ask Captain Hartley more about finding the body.”

  “Mrs. Adler was the one who led me there.” Jack’s stiff tone might have made Lily smile if she hadn’t been so annoyed. Clearly, he did not like the constable’s way of questioning either.

  “And being a military man, I assume you checked the body to make sure the fellow was indeed dead?” Jack nodded stiffly, and Mr. Page made another note. Lily tried not to tap her foot impatiently. “And did you see anyone else about, or anything unusual?”

  “Nothing that I particularly noticed.” Jack glanced at Lily out of the corner of his eye. “There was no sign of whoever shot the poor fellow by the time we got there.”

  Mr. Page sighed. “That’s usually the case with things like this. Fellow that no one knows, wandering around a place where he clearly doesn’t belong. We’ll do our best to figure out who he is, though even that may be unlikely.” Mr. Page looked thoughtful as he closed his notebook. “Nasty business for Lord and Lady Walter.”

  “And I am sure you hope they will pay you handsomely to deal with it as quickly as possible.” Jack didn’t bother disguising the sarcasm in his voice, and Lily winced as Mr. Page’s head shot up.

  “I beg your pardon, Captain Hartley?” The constable’s tone was icy.

  Lily ground her teeth. The accusation was not unreasonable; while the fledgling police force at Bow Street was paid a salary to keep the officers from accepting bribes, many still did. But the fault was not entirely one-sided: most members of Lily’s class were more than willing to use their money to turn an investigation in their favor or keep the law away from their families.

  Regardless of its truth, Jack’s comment had not helped the current situation. He and the Bow Street officer stared at each other with contempt, jaws clenched and nostrils flared. Trying to smooth things over, Lily spoke up before either man could say anything else inflammatory. “To return to the matter at hand, Mr. Page, I overheard the two gentlemen arguing. I could not say for certain what they were arguing about, but I heard—”

  “Mrs. Adler.” The constable stood so abruptly that she broke off. He was still scowling at Jack, and Lily had the feeling that his dismissive tone was directed at both of them—possibly at every scornful member of London’s upper class. “I understand you’ve had quite a shock, and I sympathize. I can also see you want to help, and I appreciate that. But those of us who work with the law have a particular way of handling these matters. We like to stick to the facts.”

  “But—”

  “I’m sure you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.” He smiled coldly. “Try to forget about the whole business. It really isn’t anything a lady of quality need concern herself with.”

  Stunned at the abrupt dismissal, Lily was at a loss for a reply, and Mr. Page seemed to take her silence for agreement. “Lord Walter has given me your direction, Captain, so I don’t think I’ll need to trouble you any further this evening. But if you think of anything else, you can find me tomorrow at the Marlborough Street Magistrates Court.” He nodded to them both before heading toward the door. “Ma’am. Captain. I’ll wish you a good evening.”

  “What a damned idiot!” Jack practically slammed the door after the constable, then grimaced as he remembered Lily’s presence. “My apologies. But I think the situation warrants a bit of strong language.”

  “Why on earth did you say that to him?” Lily asked. Jack’s anger made it easier for her to be calmer, though she couldn’t keep the exasperation from her voice. “Now there is no chance that he will listen to us.”

  “Why—!” Jack stared at her. “How can you say such a thing after the way he spoke to you? He deserved a far worse insult. The bounder thought you were too much of a pea brain to have anything to contribute, when he should have been questioning you first and most!”

  “It was infuriating.” Lily pursed her lips. “Luckily, I have had practice dealing with that sort of attitude. After all, Captain, you said nearly the same thing when I first tried to tell you what had happened.” Jack, who had been about to launch into another tirade in her defense, was left with his mouth hanging open. “Mr. Page, at least, has the excuse of not knowing better,” Lily said. “We may not be deeply acquainted, but I would have expected you to have a more flattering opinion of me.”

  He had the decency to look embarrassed at that. “I did not think … That is, I did not mean …”

  “I know.” Lily stood. “But you still did. And now, if you will excuse me, Captain, the constable was right about one thing at least. I am very much in need of a good night’s sleep.”

  “Mrs. Adler—” He broke off, clearly not sure how to reply.

  Lily shook her head. “If you figure out what you wish to say, you may come by tomorrow to say it. I imagine I shall still be here. But for now, I really am exhausted.” She gave him a slight bow, which he automatically returned. “Good night, Captain.”

  She was just closing the door behind her when she heard him say, quietly but distinctly, “Oh hell.”

  CHAPTER 5

  “Well, it is all over London.” Serena’s voice was full of satisfaction.

  She, Lord Walter, and Lily were seated in the breakfast room, and the butler, Reston, had just brought in the morning papers, freshly ironed. Serena was holding one of the London gossip sheets, a piece of toast forgotten in the other hand. “‘The body of a murdered man, apparently of the working classes, found in the gardens of Lord and Lady W— during an evening soiree … No identification of the body has been made … No word yet from Lord and Lady W— on the matter, and This Author does not expect them to comment … One hopes the whole shocking affair will be tidily resolved …’” Serena threw down the paper with a gusty sigh. “As if another ‘Lord and Lady W’ hosted a ball in London last night!”

  “You can hardly have expected it to stay out of the gossip columns, my love.” Lord Walter’s voice was mild, though there was a frown between his eyes as he read his own paper. “The Times has it as well; it seems murder trumps even this week’s upset at the Newmarket races. Perhaps we should take a trip to the country until it blows over.”

  “In the middle of the season?” Serena looked horrified. “My love, have you lost your wits? We feature in one of the on-dits of the year! We will be invited simply everywhere. How can you think of missing such an opportunity?”

  “Serena, you just said …”

  Lily ignored them as they settled into a comfortable argument, if it could be called an argument when it was punctuated by Lord Walter’s amiable comments of, “Whatever you wish, my love.” It was a foregone conclusion that they would stay in London, but Serena would never relent until she could say she had convinced her husband. Lord Walter was still holding the Times, so Lily claimed the gossip sheet Serena had so dramatically cast aside. There wasn’t much more to the article than Serena had read aloud, but Lily was surprised to find that it was accompanied by a sketch of the murdered man—“an entirely unknown person,” as the piece described him.

  “I will have to make a showing in the park this afternoon,” Serena said, buttering another piece of toast. “Simply everyone will want to speak with me, and you should come too, Lily, as it was you who found him, though none of the papers have discovered that fact—”

  “And we should keep it that way to save Mrs. Adler any embarrassment,” Lord Walter put in gently.

  “Oh, if you insist,” Serena relented. “But I’ll not be dissuaded from appearing entirely …”

  Lily nodded absently, not really listening, still focused on the sketch of the murdered man. It was a good likeness, she thought, frowning as she examined the drawing. She still felt there was something very familiar about the man’s face. No, familiar was the wrong word. She knew she had never spoken with him. But she was sure she recognized him.

  Frustrated and feeling suddenly crowded in the small breakfast parlor, Lily stood a
bruptly. “Excuse me please, I need … excuse me.” She needed to be somewhere quiet.

  Not pausing to see the concerned looks that followed her out of the room, Lily headed toward the family book-room. She needed to be alone to think, to decide what to do. Shutting the door firmly behind her, she paced around, scanning the shelves without seeing them. Going to the Bow Street offices was the obvious choice, but after her experience the previous night, she didn’t think anyone would listen to her.

  Lily was so preoccupied that the sound of a clearing throat made her start.

  “My apologies, Mrs. Adler,” the Walters’ butler, Reston, said with a bow. “A Captain Hartley is here to see you. Shall I say you are not at home?”

  “Oh, no.” She clenched her fists behind her back where the butler could not see them, then deliberately relaxed them, letting out her breath and schooling her expression at the same time. “No, I will see him. If you are sure he wanted me and not Lady Walter?”

  “He asked for you specifically, ma’am.”

  “Then please show him in.” Lily hesitated, then quickly added, “Reston?”

  He turned back, bowing once more, waiting, but it took Lily a moment to work up the courage to ask, “Is Jeremy well this morning?”

  “Jeremy?” The butler looked surprised.

  “He was of great assistance in the … last night.” Lily bit her lip, feeling awkward but determined to ask anyway. “I hope he was not too upset by the incident.”

  “He’ll likely use the story to drink free at the public house for the next year,” Reston said with a chuckle, then added, more somberly. “If you’ll excuse me for saying so, Mrs. Adler.”

  “Of course. And did anyone—” Lily paused, reconsidering. She had been about to ask if any of the servants had recognized the murdered man, or had any inkling as to his identity. But it wasn’t her place to ask, and surely the officer from Bow Street would have thought to question them? Shaking her head, Lily forced a smile. “Thank you, Reston, I did not mean to keep you from your duties. You may show Captain Hartley up.”

  “Mrs. Adler.”

  As the butler left, Lily again paced around the room, her mind returning to the matter of the murdered man’s strangely familiar face. The memory of where she had seen him before hovered on the edge of her mind, and she nearly had it when a cold draft interrupted her thoughts.

  The back terrace ran outside the room, and one of the doors had been left open a crack, though a curtain was drawn mostly over it. Shivering and drawing her shawl more tightly around her arms, Lily was about to close it when voices on the terrace caught her attention.

  “All I ask is that the matter be dealt with efficiently.” It was Lord Walter, almost too quiet to hear. “I believe three hundred should be plenty to arrange that.”

  “Of course, your lordship.” She did not recognize the second voice, deep and genial. “I am more than happy to arrange things as you wish.”

  “Just see that you are discreet.” A sharp edge entered Lord Walter’s voice. “I have no interest in dealing with any sort of mess.”

  “I can assure you of that, sir.”

  The sharp click of bootheels told Lily that one of the two men was crossing the terrace. Unable to resist, she peered around the edge of the curtain. The man who walked past, with the broad build and red face of someone who thoroughly enjoyed both his wine and his sport, was not someone she recognized. He was heading toward the side door, and as he walked past, she could clearly see him tucking a thick stack of banknotes into his bright-blue coat.

  Lily frowned as she drew back into the room. Why would Lord Walter need to be so secretive about paying a tradesman? Shaking her head at her folly—she was starting to see suspicious behavior in the most absurd places—she pulled the door shut and latched it tightly, putting the strange conversation from her thoughts. The puzzle of the murdered man’s identity was harder to let go of, but she let it settle to the back of her mind; in her experience, that was the best way to remember the answer to a difficult question. Instead, she steeled herself instead for Jack’s visit. She was fairly certain she knew why he had called.

  When Reston showed him in, Jack looked more awkward than she would have thought possible. He bowed and asked after Lord and Lady Walter very politely, though one hand tapped nervously on his thigh and his face was flushed. Lily answered coolly, not feeling inclined to make what he had to say easier for him, though she was hard put not to smile at his discomfort.

  “Look here, Mrs. Adler,” he finally sighed. “I behaved terribly last night. You were utterly in the right.”

  Lily raised her brows. “About what, sir?”

  He frowned, shifting from one foot to the other and looking like a boy caught stealing sweets from the kitchen. “You know about what.”

  “Yes, I do. But unless you know as well, your apology is not worth much, is it?”

  He laughed abruptly. “You know, I’ve not known anyone quite like you before.”

  Lily was torn between amusement and annoyance. “I hear that with some frequency. I choose to take it as a compliment, though I suspect it is only intended that way about half the time. You were saying, Captain?”

  To her surprise, he reached out to take her hand. His was very large and warm, with rough calluses on his palms. It had been a long time since a man had taken her hand with such easy familiarity, and she had, she realized, missed it. “You’ll not make this easy on me, will you?” he said. Lily shook her head. “Very well. I apologize for my behavior when you came to me for help last night. You are obviously intelligent and level-headed and not prone to wild imaginings. I should not have doubted the truth of what you saw, and I am very sorry.”

  Lily couldn’t keep her surprise from showing. “That was more thorough than I expected, Captain. Especially the flattery.”

  “I thought it was a helpful touch.” Jack released her hand and stuck his own in the pockets of his morning trousers, grinning proudly. “Though I do mean every word. I know perfectly well that Freddy would never have married a woman who fell into hysterics for no reason, and I should not have treated you like one.”

  Lily smiled. “No, he certainly would not have.”

  “Am I forgiven, then?”

  Lily swatted his shoulder. “Yes, you wretch. No need to make eyes at me to get back in my good graces. Just see that you do not do it again.”

  “You can be sure of that,” Jack said, then added more seriously, “I am truly forgiven? There is not anything I can do to make amends for my behavior?”

  “No, there is nothing …” Lily trailed off, a resolute expression coming into her face. “As a matter of fact, Captain, there is something that I need to do, for which I would appreciate your escort. Do you have a free hour or so today?”

  “Immediately, if you desire.”

  CHAPTER 6

  No one looking at her would have guessed, but Lily felt sick with nerves as she gazed up at the magistrate’s office on Great Marlborough Street. Even without her frustrating encounter with Mr. Page, she would have felt out of place and presumptuous, given that she was going not to seek aid but to give information—information that, for all she knew, the magistrate’s officers had already discovered. When she closed her eyes, she could practically see her father scowling.

  But Lily also saw the young man, unknown and perhaps unmourned, lying cold in the basement of the Bow Street offices. She was doing the right thing. She knew it.

  She took Jack’s arm as she alighted from the carriage. “Shall we?”

  He looked concerned. “If you are sure, Mrs. Adler.”

  “I am. No matter what that poor boy was doing there, he deserves justice.”

  “I meant, are you sure you wish me to take the lead?” Jack said, frowning. “It is your information, after all, and you have made it clear that you are not impressed with any sort of—”

  Lily squeezed his arm, cutting him off. “I doubt I will get anywhere without your assistance, so I am content to make us
e of it.” He still looked uncertain, so she added, “I promise to hold it against them, not you.”

  Jack sighed. “If you say so. But I’ve no desire to be on the business end of your glowering.”

  It might have made her smile if she hadn’t been so nervous. “You shan’t be.” She thought about that, then added, “For this, at least. I am sure I shall find other reasons to glower at you in the future.”

  Jack snorted. “Certainly. Well, if you are ready …” He did a little glowering himself, then, staring at the stone facade looming before them.

  Jack, Lily was realizing, did not approve of the new Bow Street Runners that had been attached to the magistrates’ offices. Many among the upper classes and the military, both groups accustomed to handling their own affairs, felt the same.

  Lily took a deep breath, determined not to let Jack’s disapproval or her own nerves deter her. They had come for a purpose.

  The young man at the porter’s desk straightened as they came inside. “Morning, ma’am, sir,” he said, managing to bow from his high perch without standing. “What can I do for ye?”

  “And a good morning to you, lad.” Jack’s tone was both friendly and assured, and the porter sat up straighter in response. “Is this the office where Mr. Simon Page works?”

  A wary look entered the Bow Street officer’s eyes. “’Tis, sir.”

  Lily waited for more, foot tapping. When no further information was forthcoming, Jack asked, his voice taking on a more authoritative edge, “May we speak to him?”

  “’Fraid not, sir.” The porter shook his head. “Mr. Page is preparing to testify at th’ Old Bailey. At a trial. Very important part of the process, that is,” he added, in case they belonged to the group of people who still believed an accusation was as good as proof.

  Lily let out an impatient huff of breath. “When will he be free?”

  “’Fraid I dunno, ma’am.”

  “But we need—” Lily broke off as Jack laid a hand on her arm.

  She could see a muscle beginning to twitch in his cheek, but he said calmly, “I can assure you, Constable, our business cannot wait. We have important information concerning a case that Mr. Page is investigating.”