Death Comes to the Nursery

by Catherine Lloyd

  “He must have grabbed her just after I left.” Bert slowly exhaled. “The bastard. I was halfway back to the inn when I heard someone yelling. Thinking it was Flo, I ran back toward the church.” He nodded at the door, where James stood guard. “I saw your footman and land agent having a fight over who Flo liked more. I admit, I stopped to watch the mill, which meant I didn’t get back to Flo in time. As soon as I couldn’t find her, I knew what that evil bugger had done, and I went back to London to confront Viscount Gravely. I was even stupidly hoping that maybe Trev had just taken Flo with him and I could rescue her.” He cleared his throat. “Instead, I lost the person I loved most in the world.”

  Silence fell as Bert’s voice cracked, but Robert wasn’t in the mood to be conciliatory or sympathetic quite yet.

  “If you had just told me the truth, Bert, we could at least have discovered who killed Flora earlier and stopped Trevor from murdering Marjory as well.”

  “At first, I thought Flo might still be alive.” Bert raised his head. “I was working for Viscount Gravely, sir, and I was honor bound to tell him what was going on. I couldn’t betray him in case he could find Trevor and make him release Flo. I soon realized that the viscount was more interested in protecting his son than in bringing him to justice, and we parted ways.” He shot Robert an angry glare. “Why do you think I came back to Kurland St. Mary the second time?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “To make sure Trev didn’t come down here again without someone being here to tell him to leave you all in peace. But that didn’t work out too well, did it?”

  “Yes, why did you all end up in Kurland St. Mary again, Mr. Gravely?” Robert turned back to Neville.

  “Because you invited Trevor to identify Flora’s body. He was delighted by that notion,” Neville’s mouth twisted. “At that point, Bert and I didn’t know where Polly had gotten to, and we were scared to let Trevor out of our sight. I reluctantly decided I had to tell Father what was going on. When he realized that he had a connection in Kurland St. Mary, he decided we would both accompany Trevor and make sure he behaved himself. We thought if he identified Flora, that might be the end of it.”

  “Did Trevor know that you suspected him of killing Flora?”

  “He was far too arrogant for that,” Neville said. “He thought it was all an amusing game and that he was in charge of it.” He paused. “He’d watch me sometimes with such malicious glee in his eyes that I’d feel like my life was worth nothing to him. He wanted Flora, Father and I had tried to prevent him from having her, and he was going to do his damnedest to make all of us suffer.”

  “Which brings me to my last point,” Robert said. “Why in God’s name didn’t you identify yourselves when you came up to the hall today and ask for my help rather than scaring my wife and knocking out my child’s nurse?”

  Neville cast an accusing glance at Bert, who shrugged.

  “I can’t say you’ve endeared yourself to me, Sir Robert, what with locking me up in a cellar for weeks and ignoring all the hints I gave you. l must confess I thought a bit of a scare might pay you back a little.”

  “A little?” It was Robert’s turn to glare back. “You deliberately kept me in the dark so as not to anger your employer, and even if you didn’t actually murder Flora or Marjory, you damn well didn’t help them much, either.”

  “I thought that after proving to Viscount Gravely that his son was a murderer, he would deal with Trev once and for all, but he chose not to do that.” Bert held Robert’s gaze, his throat working. “I was wrong, sir, and I paid dearly for trusting the family that gave me a home after the orphanage. No justice for Flo or for me. All I wanted to do was help Nev stop Trevor getting to Polly, and then I was going to wash my hands of the lot of them.”

  “Were you in the same orphanage as Flora?” Lucy asked.

  “Of course, I was. She’s my bloody sister!” Bert looked affronted. “I held her in my arms five minutes after she was born. She was beautiful even then.” Bert’s voice cracked again. “Our mother died when Flo was five, and we were all taken into the orphanage in Bethnal Green. I kept an eye on her as much as I could, but it wasn’t easy.”

  He met Lucy’s gaze, tears glistening in his eyes. “She was beautiful and clever, and didn’t deserve to die at the hands of Trevor bloody Gravely.”

  “That is something we can both agree on, Bert,” Robert said. “Would you be willing to testify against Mr. Trevor Gravely at his trial for murder?”

  Bert glanced over at Neville. “No offense, Nev, but I think it’s time Trevor got what he deserves, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Neville whispered. “I’ve spent my whole life trying to stop him, and I still failed. I am exhausted. Poor Flora Rosa, poor Marjory.”

  Robert rose to his feet. “May I suggest that you both stay here at Kurland Hall until I have arranged for Trevor to be charged and placed in gaol.”

  It was less of a suggestion and more of an order. Both Bert and Neville looked too drained to argue with him. Robert wasn’t certain if he could charge them for lying to him in his capacity as local magistrate. He wasn’t about to mention that line of investigation before he carefully studied the law and consulted with his colleagues. The thought that they might get away with inflicting such damage on those in his household didn’t sit well with him.

  “Will I be able to see my father?” Neville asked unsteadily. “He’ll want to know what is happening.”

  “Your father is in no state to receive you or such news,” Robert said firmly. “In truth, it might even make him worse. I will send Dr. Fletcher to speak with you at his earliest convenience, and I suggest you follow his advice to the letter.”

  Neville subsided into his seat again. If Robert had his way, it would be a very long time before Viscount Gravely was informed about his oldest son’s current position. Hopefully, that meant there would be little time for aristocratic meddling with the justice system.

  “Is Trevor all right?” Neville asked, causing Robert to reluctantly admire his dogged determination.

  “He suffered a few bruises and was knocked out when he fell down the stairs,” Robert answered him. “Dr. Fletcher says there are no bones broken. Trevor is currently locked up in my cellar, with Isaac and Isaiah guarding him, and no one will be allowed to see him.”

  Neville shuddered and looked over at Bert. “I don’t want to see him. He’s a persuasive devil.”

  Bert held open the door. “Then come along, Nev. We’ll muddle through this together, eh?”

  Robert offered Lucy his arm. “Perhaps you might care to take a tour of our various patients. I swear this place feels more like a hospital than a home today.”

  “I would be delighted to accompany you,” Lucy said and looked over at James. “Perhaps you could escort our guests up to their bedchambers and make sure that you and Michael are available to wait on them.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  Bert might have snorted, but he quickly concealed it and obediently followed Neville out of the room, with Michael shadowing him, just in case he changed his mind and decided to make another run for it.

  Lucy leaned heavily on Robert’s arm as they went up the stairs. “What a tangled mess.”

  “Indeed. I suspect that we will never have answers to all our questions, but if I have anything to do with it, Trevor, at least, will stand trial.”

  “If Viscount Gravely allows it,” Lucy said.

  “From what Dr. Fletcher told me, the viscount was already ill and, after this seizure, might never regain his ability to speak.”

  Lucy nodded. “Then, perhaps there is some sort of justice in that he will never again be able to defend the indefensible.”

  They walked in silence toward Anna’s bedroom and found Dr. Fletcher making his rounds. He had tended to the small cut on her head and expressed his hope that, apart from a lingering headache, she was on the mend. She was currently sleeping, with her maid watching over her. He also reported that Polly was awake and willi
ng to talk to them, and that Agnes had bruised ribs and was sleeping well after a dose of laudanum.

  “Thank you, Dr. Fletcher,” Lucy said.

  He smiled at her. “I think I’ll stay here tonight, if that is all right with you, my lady. I have more patients to tend to here at the hall than in the entire village.”

  “You are most welcome to stay,” Robert answered for both of them. “I hope you’ll deduct your bed and victuals from the rather large bill I’m anticipating.”

  Dr. Fletcher winked at him. “As we are acquaintances of long standing, I will certainly bear that in mind when I do my calculations.”

  They went on down the corridor to see Foley, who had been settled in great state in one of the guest bedrooms.

  The old man was propped up against his pillows with his arm in a sling. Lucy went over to the bed and bent to kiss his wrinkled and bruised cheek.

  “Thank you, Foley. You saved our lives.”

  “It was my pleasure, my lady,” Foley said stoutly. “I couldn’t allow that blaggard to hurt you or our precious young master.”

  Robert reached over and carefully shook Foley’s undamaged hand. “I suspect you are more than ready to retire now, aren’t you? Just say the word, and I’ll find you a nice peaceful place on the estate where you hopefully won’t ever be shot at again.”

  “I’ll wait until Christmas, Sir Robert, if that’s all right with you, and until James has proved satisfactory,” Foley replied. “I am a man of my word.”

  “As you wish,” Robert smiled at his oldest retainer. “Now, we’ll leave you to your rest, and we’ll see if James is capable of managing this household without you.”

  Foley sniffed. “I doubt that, sir, but I’m sure he will do his best.”

  Lucy was still smiling as they proceeded down the corridor toward their bedchamber.

  “What if it was our son?” Robert suddenly said.

  “Who was like Trevor?” Lucy asked.

  “Yes.” His brow creased. “Would I not do everything in my power to save his life?”

  Lucy looked up at him. “You, my dear, have a strong sense of justice running through your veins. I suspect that, even though it would break your heart, you would do the right thing.”

  “I suspect I would.” Robert sighed. “I hope I would.”

  “What did Viscount Gravely protecting and indulging Trevor for all those years actually achieve?” Lucy asked. “Nothing except the unnecessary deaths of two women and the gradual blurring of Viscount Gravely’s own morals into accepting and ignoring the inexcusable.”

  “You are right, as always, my love.” Robert gently kissed her nose. “You should take yourself off to bed.”

  She hesitated. “I have to see Ned before I sleep. There is no one in the nursery except Betty this evening, and he is quite unsettled.”

  Robert gave her a wry look. “Then why don’t you take him to sleep with us tonight? I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

  His wife frowned at him. “You’ve always insisted that children and dogs have no place in your bed.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. “Well, just this once, I will relax my rules. Tonight, I will truly appreciate having all my family together in one place.”

  “Amen,” Lucy whispered.

  “Unless Ned starts kicking me as much as the babe in your belly, at which point I will either eject Ned or leave myself.”

  Lucy pressed her forehead to Robert’s waistcoat and finally allowed herself to smile. She was safe, her family was secure, and she would never, ever take that for granted again.