by Anne Perry
“She seemed very pleasant to me,” Piers answered. “In fact, altogether attractive.”
“For heaven’s sake, Piers! Just because she has a handsome face. Really, you are so naïve sometimes.”
“And you, my dear, see complications where there are none.”
“I anticipate, which is not the same thing.”
“It is very often exactly the same thing.”
Charlotte was prevented from overhearing any more by Veronica’s return. Emily came downstairs, too, with a cloak over her arm. At first Charlotte hardly recognized her; she looked so different with her hair under a cap, wearing a blue stuff dress with no bustle and a plain apron over it. She looked thinner than before, although it was probably the clothes, and terribly pale. Their eyes met only for a moment, Emily’s wide and very blue, then Veronica put on the cloak. Emily smoothed it over her shoulders, and Charlotte and Veronica went out of the front door as Albert held it open for them.
The drive was chilly, even with rugs over their knees, but it was exhilarating to be bowling along at a good pace with fashionable streets, wide avenues, and squares passing their windows. For a moment Veronica turned, her eyes almost black in the carriage interior, her lips parted, but Charlotte knew where Veronica wanted to go before she could ask.
“Of course,” she said quickly.
Veronica clasped her hand inside the muff. “Thank you.”
They were received without surprise at the Danver house and shown into the withdrawing room. Since Charlotte had written to Veronica two days ago, it was possible Veronica had written to Julian, and they were expected. Julian Danver himself was there and greeted them, taking Veronica’s hands and holding them warmly for a moment before turning to Charlotte.
“How charming to see you again, Miss Barnaby.” He smiled at her. His gaze was very direct, and Charlotte remembered how much she had liked him. “I am sure you remember my aunt, Miss Danver? And my sister Harriet?”
“Of course,” she said quickly, looking first at Aunt Adeline, whose thin, intelligent face regarded her with interest, and then at Harriet. This afternoon she seemed paler than before; there was a deep shadow of unhappiness behind her answering look. “I hope you are well.”
“Very well, thank you, and you?”
All the usual greetings were exchanged and the polite, meaningless topics of conversation touched upon. It was the sort of formal ritual Charlotte had been used to as a girl but had been able to cast aside after her marriage. Indeed with the dramatic fall in her social standing, the opportunity had been removed from her, a loss she had been grateful for. She had never been skilled at it, her own opinions far too ready on her tongue. No one wanted them: it was unseemly for a woman to be opinionated, and a great deal of feminine charm lay in listening and admiring, and making perhaps an occasional remark of optimism and good nature. Of course, it was almost always acceptable to laugh, if one’s laughter was musical and not too loud; it should never be the rich mirth of one who understood the absurd or the farcical. Charlotte had lost the polish she had cultivated when her mother had tried so hard to marry her successfully. Now she sat primly on the edge of her chair with her hands folded in her lap and watched, speaking only when civility demanded.
Veronica had practiced the feminine graces so long it was second nature to her to find the words to courteously say nothing. But watching her face, which on the surface seemed so fragile until one looked at the balance of the bones and the strength of passion in the mouth, Charlotte could see her mind was occupied with other, more distressing thoughts. Her smile was brittle, and although she appeared to be listening to whomever was speaking at the moment, her eyes frequently flickered to Julian Danver’s face. More than once Charlotte had the feeling Veronica was uncertain of his attention to her. It seemed foolish to wonder whether such a lovely woman, already experienced in marriage and the object of sympathy for her bereavement, but never of the kind of pity reserved for the unmarried like Harriet or Aunt Adeline, could be unsure of herself. Julian Danver’s intentions were plain; all his actions, the way he conducted himself in front of others, made it obvious. No man would behave in such a manner unless he had promised marriage. To withdraw without the most drastic of reasons would open him to ruin. Such a promise once given was unforgivable to break.
So why did Veronica twine her fingers in her lap and keep glancing first at Julian, then at Charlotte? Why did she talk just a little too much, and with a fine, almost indiscernible edge to her voice, cutting Charlotte off in the middle of a remark and then smiling at her so frankly it was an apology? Charlotte thought she understood Harriet’s pain perfectly. It was very simple to explain: if she really loved Felix Asherson, whether he returned it or not, there was nothing she could do about it, nor would there ever be, unless Sonia Asherson died. And why should she die? Sonia was an almost offensively healthy young woman, buxom and serene as a good country cow. She would probably live to be ninety. She was far too well versed in the arts of survival, not to mention contented with her lot, to abandon all sense and give Felix cause to divorce her, and it was quite impossible she should divorce him, even if she discovered he loved Harriet. Yes, Harriet’s colorless face and quiet voice took no leap of the imagination to understand, and Charlotte grieved for her without being able to do anything at all; even compassion would only have been like vinegar to the wound, robbing her of the sole comfort of supposing her pain to be private.
Finally Charlotte could bear the tension no longer. She remembered seeing a doorway to the conservatory when they were shown in, and she turned to Julian.
“I believe I noticed your conservatory as we passed through the hall. I love conservatories so much. Perhaps you would be kind enough to show me? It would be like stepping in a moment from London’s winter into a foreign land full of flowers.”
Veronica drew in her breath with a sharp sound.
“How well you describe it. You have added instantly to my pleasure,” Julian said quickly. “I should be delighted to take you. We have some very fine lilies—at least, that is what I believe they are. I’m not good at names, but I can find you the most beautiful, and those with the richest perfume.” He stood up as he spoke.
Charlotte rose also. Veronica’s back was to Julian, so he could not see her face; Charlotte smiled directly at her, meeting her hot gaze steadily. It was full of anger and dark, wounded bitterness. Charlotte extended her hand, palm upward in invitation.
At last, and quite suddenly, Veronica grasped her meaning; she came quickly to her feet, her face first pale, then a deep pink. “Oh—oh yes,” she said awkwardly. “Yes.”
“If you will be kind enough to excuse us?” Charlotte asked Aunt Adeline and Harriet.
“Of course,” they murmured. “Yes, of course.”
It was successful immediately. The conservatory was quite large, and there were elegant ferns and vines hiding one walk from another, and a small green pool with flawless lotuses, which Charlotte stopped to admire without needing to feign delight. Julian then pointed out the fragrant lilies he had mentioned. After making all the right comments Charlotte at last caught Veronica’s eye, and with the tiniest smile, she turned and walked back to the lotus pool. After enough time had passed, she tiptoed back out into the hall again.
She could not return to the withdrawing room or she would betray the whole fabric of the excuse—not that anyone was deceived, but forcing the others to acknowledge it was another thing entirely. She felt foolish standing there in the hall, doing nothing. She walked over to a large painting of a landscape with cows and stopped in front of it as if she were regarding it closely. Actually it was very agreeable, of the Dutch school, but her mind was busy with all she knew of Veronica and the Danvers.
She stood for some time with her eyes on the peaceful scene. She could hear in her mind the chewing of the cud, and almost see the jaws’ gentle rhythm. They were beautiful creatures, oddly angular and yet graceful, the curve of their horns ancient as civilized man.
Just inside the conservatory door she stopped and solemnly regarded a red canna lily as if it held her interest. Then she sidled further in, glancing from the lilies on the ground up to the vines overhead and back again. She was several yards along the path and had nearly collided with a potted palm when she saw Veronica and Julian Danver in an embrace of such passion she blushed for having seen them. It was an intrusion which at any other time would have been inexcusable, and she could not possibly explain without betraying herself completely, and everything she hoped to achieve, even perhaps putting Emily in a position of the greatest embarrassment, culminating in social ruin.
Quickly she stepped back into the arms of a vine—and almost fainted with horror at the first instinctive thought that the clinging touch was human. She swallowed a shriek, realizing the truth, and with an effort pulled herself together and stepped out smartly, only to come face to face with Aunt Adeline. She swore under her breath, feeling idiotic and knowing her hair was disheveled, her cheeks scarlet.
“Are you all right, Miss Barnaby?” Adeline raised her eyebrows. “You look a little distressed.”
Charlotte took a deep breath. Only a really good lie would serve.
“I feel such a fool,” she began with what she hoped was a disarming smile. “I was trying to see a flower overhead, and I overbalanced. I do beg your pardon.” She put her hand to the trailing strands of her hair. “And then I got caught in a vine and I couldn’t get loose. But I haven’t hurt the plant.”
“My dear, of course you haven’t.” Adeline smiled bleakly, her eyes like brown velvet boot buttons. Charlotte had no idea whether the woman believed a word of what she had said. “I think perhaps it is time we had some tea. Shall I call Julian and Veronica, or will you?”
“I, er . . .” Without thinking Charlotte moved to block the path. “I’m sure they’ll come in a few moments.”
Adeline’s gaze was steady and skeptical.
“I wondered if it was bougainvillea,” Charlotte said abruptly. “Such a wonderful shade of cerise. Is that not the color you said you saw Veronica wearing one night?”
Adeline looked startled. “That was not Veronica.” For once she dropped her usually clear, fine voice, perhaps her most attractive feature. “I’m perfectly sure of that.”
“Oh, I must have misunderstood you. I assumed ...” Her words trailed away; she did not know how to finish. She had been trying to surprise something out of Adeline, while preventing her from going into the conservatory and seeing that wildly immodest embrace. And it was not only for Veronica she wished it, but for Adeline herself. Perhaps no one had ever held her so, or would do now.
“Oh no,” Adeline said with a tiny shake of her head. “Her walk was quite unlike Veronica’s. You can tell a great deal about a woman by the way she walks, and her walk was unique. There was a grace in it, a daring. She was a woman who had power and knew it—and yet, I think, she had much to be afraid of. If she were to allow herself to be afraid.”
“Oh,” Charlotte faltered. “Then—who?”
Adeline’s face reflected wisdom, pain, and the merest shadow of humor. “I do not know, Miss Barnaby, and I do not ask. There are many old loves, and old hates, that are better left unspoken.”
“You surprise me!” Charlotte’s words were suddenly sharp, almost accusatory. “I had thought you were more candid than that.”
Adeline’s plain, sensitive mouth tightened. “The time for candor is past. You have no idea what pain may lie behind these things. A little blindness can allow them to ease, where to speak may make answer inevitable.” She inclined her head towards the interior of the conservatory. “Now you have done your good turn for the day, Miss Barnaby. Either you will call Veronica, or I shall.”
“I will,” Charlotte said obediently, her mind in a whirl. Had Cerise been a lover of Julian’s? Did Veronica know, or guess; was that the ghost she was fighting—an old mistress? Was that why she allowed herself such abandon before an engagement was even announced, let alone a marriage?
If so, then who had killed Robert York, and why?
They were back to treason. Could it possibly be that Veronica herself was hunting her husband’s murderer? Could it be Julian who had killed Robert, and did she know it? Was that the terror consuming her—and what lay between her and Loretta?
“Veronica!” Charlotte said aloud. “Miss Danver says that tea will be served in a few minutes. Veronica!”
8
PITT CHOSE TO WALK to Mayfair. It was not a pleasant day; a flat, gray sky closed over the city like a heavy lid and the wind scythed across the park, stinging his skin above his muffler. It crept into the space round his ears and its coldness hurt, making his body tighten against it. Carriages rattled along Park Lane but he saw no one on foot. It was too cold for pleasure; the street vendors knew there would be no business for them here where residents could afford to ride.
He walked because he was going to the Danvers’, and he was putting off arriving there as long as he could. Dulcie was dead, so there was no one left to ask about Cerise except Adeline Danver. Part of the chill inside him was guilt—Dulcie’s bright, frank face came back to his mind far too easily. If only he had taken the precaution of closing the library door before allowing her to speak! He still did not know which of her two remarks had caused her death—the mention of Cerise, or of the missing necklace. But Pitt’s investigation of Piers York’s affairs had proved him to be more than financially secure, and in spite of his remark to Dulcie, he did not seem to have claimed for the gems.
All inquiries into other friends of Robert York who might have acquired debt and turned to amateur burglary had also proved fruitless so far. Nor had Pitt succeeded in tracing many of the servants who had been employed in Hanover Close at the time, and dismissed soon after. The butler had taken a position in the country, the valet had gone abroad, the maids had disappeared into the vast mass of female labor in London and its environs.
He stopped; he was outside the Danvers’ house already. The air was damp, raw in the throat, with the sour smell of too many fires jetting smoke out into the leaden sky. He could not stand around like a vagrant. Someone held a thread that eventually wound back to murder. If he picked at it, teased it, he thought he might find an end lying with Adeline Danver.
She received him civilly, but with undisguised surprise. He had formed a very clear picture of her in his mind from Charlotte’s description; nevertheless he was taken aback by the sharp intelligence in her rather round eyes under their wispy brows. She was a plainer woman than Charlotte had implied: her nose was tip-tilted and narrow, her chin very receding. It was only when she spoke in a voice of remarkable timbre and diction that he saw her beauty.
“Good afternoon, Inspector. I have no idea how I might be of assistance, but of course I shall try. Please do be seated. I don’t believe I have ever met a policeman before.” She regarded him with open curiosity, as if he were some exotic species of creature imported for her entertainment.
For the first time in years Pitt felt self-conscious; he seemed all hands and feet and coattails. He sat down gingerly, trying to arrange himself with some neatness, and failing.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Not at all.” Her eyes never wavered from his face. “I assume it is about poor Robert York’s death? That is the only crime with which I have even the remotest connection—and believe the, it is remote. But I knew him, of course, although there are many others who knew him far better.” She smiled very slightly. “I suppose I have the advantage of being an observer of life, rather than a player, so perhaps I have seen something that others may have missed.”
He felt transparent, guilty of great insensitiv
ity. “Not at all, Miss Danver.” He smiled very faintly. He was not at all sure he should try to be charming—he might end up making a complete fool of himself. “I approach you because I have a very specific question in mind, and you are the person in the house least likely to have any involvement with this event, and therefore to be embarrassed by it, or distressed.”
“You take trouble to be tactful,” she said with a slight nod of approval. “Thank you for not insulting my intelligence with an idle courtesy. What event do you imagine I may know of? I confess I cannot think what it might be.”
“Have you ever seen in this house, alone and not as an ordinary guest, a woman of striking appearance, tall, slender and very dark, wearing a gown of a vivid and unusual shade of magenta or cerise?”
Adeline sat motionless. She might not have been breathing but for the faintest stir of the fichu over her thin, almost bosomless chest.
Pitt waited, staring back at her bright brown eyes. Now there was no possibility of evasion between them. Either she would lie outright, brazenly, or she would tell him the truth.
Outside in the hall a clock struck eleven. The chimes seemed endless, until eventually the last one died away.
“Yes, Mr. Pitt,” she said. “I have seen such a woman. But there is no point whatsoever in your asking me who she is, because I do not know. I have seen her twice in this house, and to the best of my knowledge, I have never seen her anywhere else, either before or since.”
“Thank you,” he said gravely. “Was she wearing the same clothes on both occasions?”
“No, but it was a very similar shade, one darker than the other, as I recollect. But it was at night, and gaslight can be misleading.”
“Can you describe her for me, all that you do remember?”
“Who is she, Inspector?”
The use of his title set a distance between them again, warning him not to take her for granted.
“I don’t know, Miss Danver. But she is the only clue I have as to who murdered Robert York.”