Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall

by Luccia Gray

  I decided to attack by surprise. “You threatened Mr. Mason, am I right?” Mrs. Mason interrupted angrily, “Dr. Carter, I already told you that Michael was not to be questioned as a suspect.”

  However, the lieutenant looked more amused than angry. “Dr. Carter, if I had wanted to kill Mr Mason, I would have shot him face to face, and I gather that is not the way he died.”

  “He was poisoned. The symptoms are unequivocal. Arsenic.”

  “You must know I was not here when he died, Dr. Carter.”

  “I am just trying to narrow down the suspects by clearing as many names as possible.”

  “I cannot imagine how someone who was not present could be a suspect.”

  “You could have had an accomplice.”

  Mrs. Mason shot me a furious look and an uneasy silence ensued. I wondered if I had taken my line of questioning too far, but I had to be sure that neither of them were involved in any way.

  At last, Kirkpatrick spoke. “I will take no offence from your words because of the high regard Mrs. Mason has of you, and because you have saved her life. But I must ask you, what is your interest in this matter, Dr. Carter?”

  “Mrs. Mason could be in danger.”

  My words shook him out of his complacency and he took her hand and addressed her with the familiarity they were obviously accustomed to when they were alone. “How are you in danger, Jane?”

  The expression on his face satisfied me that if he had had any hand in the murder, Mrs. Mason was not in danger.

  “The murderer is almost certainly still at Eyre Hall, and we do not know his, her, or their intentions.”

  “Then we must discover their identity at once. I cannot set sail until the matter has been settled.”

  “I am sure I am in no danger, Michael. Dr. Carter is just being cautious.”

  “I cannot leave until I am sure you are not in danger.” He turned to me. “Are you completely sure he was murdered?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And are you convinced it was done with arsenic?”

  “Beyond any shadow of a doubt.”

  “Then Dr. Carter, you are right; we must get to the bottom of this and protect Mrs. Mason. I believe Simon has some useful information on the events which occurred the night he died.”

  “How did you come to be acquainted with Simon’s information?”

  “He came to see me in London because he believed he had killed Mason, but he had not, according to you, Doctor.”

  “How so?”

  “Because Simon and Beth had been putting drops of laudanum into his drinks since he arrived at Eyre Hall, and he thought they had accidentally killed him with an overdose, but that is not how he died, is it?”

  “No, it is not. Laudanum will lead to a long lingering death, as the addict or receiver of the overdose gradually sinks into stupefaction. Mr. Mason died suddenly and painfully. It was undoubtedly the work of arsenic. When arsenic is taken into the bloodstream, it causes inflammation of the capillaries, a process that is particularly severe in the alimentary tract. The inflammation of the throat and the oesophagus creates difficulty in swallowing, which is followed by an enormous burning pain in the stomach, as if they had swallowed hot iron.”

  “How dreadful,” said Mrs. Mason.

  “It leads to severe vomiting, diarrhoea, and black urine.”

  “Why did he not ask for help?” asked his widow. “I myself went into his room on my way to my own room, and he was breathing noisily, although I did notice a repulsive smell in the room.”

  “He had probably vomited. The laudanum may have suppressed his ability to call for help. It probably made his death less painful, but his death from arsenic was inevitable, because he was administered a large amount, and in any case, there is no antidote.”

  Mrs. Mason moved around the room nervously and Kirkpatrick watched her closely.

  “Mr. Mason died of asphyxia,” I continued. “It is my belief that gastric content entered the respiratory tract. Under normal circumstances he would have coughed; however, people who have drunk too much alcohol or taken laudanum may easily choke due to the aspiration of vomit.”

  Mrs. Mason had put her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. “He retired soon after dinner complaining of tiredness. Simon took his brandy up to his room.”

  “It must have been in his dinner. The first symptoms appeared in less than half an hour,” I said.

  “If it wasn’t Beth or Simon that leaves Daisy, Christy, and Cook. Fred did not serve dinner, and Leah and Jenny have no direct contact with the food, although they did have access to the arsenic.”

  Mrs. Mason was becoming increasingly agitated. Kirkpatrick ignored my presence and put his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest and stilled at once.

  I interrupted their embrace, eager to proceed with the investigation, which seemed to be bearing some fruits at last.

  “We need a motive; perhaps you can help us with that, Lieutenant. Why were Beth and Simon giving him laudanum?”

  “Yes, I think I have some information. Jane, let us sit down,” he said as he led her to the couch.

  “Jane, you will be displeased with what I must tell you. Simon has told me that Mr. Mason mistreated the female staff at Eyre Hall. Jenny had been his willing mistress for some time, but he had recently preferred the younger girls, especially Christy and Beth. Beth had complied on previous occasions, but now that she and Simon are a couple, she did not wish to continue, although he insisted. They, Simon and Beth, decided to use laudanum so that he would fall asleep soon after the girls went to his room.”

  “The girls?”

  “He required the presence of Beth and Christy.”

  Mrs. Mason was speechless. I was not fond of Mr. Mason, but I would never have imagined that he participated in such appalling behaviour, and in his own house. I wondered how such a corrupt character could have such a remarkable niece.

  “Did Leah know about these events?”

  “It seems she did.”

  “Michael, are you sure?” He nodded.

  “Why did no one tell me? Of course, it is my fault. I was so busy keeping out of his way that I did not realise he was abusing my maids.”

  “It was not your fault, Jane. Leah should have told you.”

  “I will speak to Leah about it, but we still do not know who administered the arsenic.”

  “I have an idea,” said Kirkpatrick. “It would seem that Christy and Daisy are very close and may have taken matters further.”

  “How close?” I asked

  “Intimately close, according to Simon.”

  At last, there was someone with a motive and access to the poison. “We must speak to Christy and Daisy, at once.”

  “Shall we do so together or independently?” Mrs. Mason asked.

  “I think it would be best to speak to both of them together.”

  She stood up again and rubbed her palms down the length of her dress nervously. “What shall we do if they killed him?” she asked me.

  “Let us take things one at a time. First we will speak to them.” We did indeed have a problem once we discovered the murderers. What were we to do with them? The despicable Mr. Mason would not be missed, and the scandal would not benefit anyone. If the girls had indeed poisoned him and we took care of matters discreetly, it would be advantageous for all of us. Mrs. Mason would avoid the gossip, and my position as a trustworthy employee would be reinforced, which would be beneficial for my professional objectives and for my personal interest in Miss Mason.

  Mrs. Mason’s words interrupted my thoughts.

  “I feel responsible. I should have realised what was happening. I had no idea. It’s my fault.”

  The lieutenant embraced her once again. “Jane, you are not responsible for Mason’s sordid actions. Only he is responsible.”

  “I should never have married him or brought him here.”

  “Mrs. Mason, it seems to me that you were one of his victims, too,” I reminded h
er, and she suggested we should speak to Christy and Daisy as soon as possible.”

  The lieutenant excused himself saying he needed to speak to his sister and informed Mrs. Mason that he would return the following day.

  ***

  The two girls were a sorry sight when they were shown into the library. Mrs. Mason and I sat at her desk facing the door as they approached us, whimpering miserably.

  “Please, sit down,” said Mrs. Mason gesturing to two chairs on the other side of the desk. “Don’t worry. This is not a police investigation. Dr. Carter and I would like to ask you a few questions about Mr. Mason. Please be as honest as you can.”

  Daisy seemed more composed. She put her arm around Christy, who was crying inconsolably by now, and they both sat down, heads bent to the floor.

  “Christy, tell us about Mr. Mason,” I asked, but Christy’s shoulders heaved as her sobs gushed out uncontrollably, so I turned to Daisy.

  “Daisy, is there anything you would like to tell us about Mr. Mason?”

  Her face rose to mine, and I tried to imagine what she would have looked like without the pock marks that scarred her face. Her eyes were clear blue and her eyelashes and eyebrows were so blonde, they were almost white, giving her an eerie appearance. Her blonde hair was carefully tucked under her white maid’s cap, and her wiry fingers fidgeted nervously with her soiled apron. I guessed she was not yet seventeen.

  She turned to her mistress nervously. “Excuse my filthy uniform, Mrs. Mason. I’ve been helping cook with the food since dawn, and I ain’t had no time to change.”

  I realised she probably spoke very rarely to Mrs. Mason. I had never seen her upstairs during my visits. She was no doubt confined to the kitchen due to her unattractive appearance and the nature of her job.

  “Please do not concern yourself with that, Daisy. It is of no importance. I am sorry I have not been down to the kitchen to see you lately, and I thank you for your hard work since your arrival at Eyre Hall.”

  “Thank you, madam.”

  “Now, could you tell me the problems Christy was having with Mr. Mason?” she asked, while Christy’s sobs grew louder.

  “I know it ain’t right to speak ill of the dead, but he was an evil man. He did horrible things to Beth, Christy, and Jenny. Jenny didn’t mind, she used to be a ladybird. Beth didn’t use to mind either, but then she was Simon’s bird, so she didn’t want to do it no more, and Christy, she hated it.”

  “What things?” I asked. “You must tell us.”

  “He hit them, and tied them up, and knocked them. The more they shouted the more he liked it.”

  Mrs. Mason pressed her fingers to her temples and squeezed her eyes closed.

  “When did this happen?” I asked Daisy.

  “Whenever Mrs. Mason weren’t here, and sometimes when she was.”

  “Why didn’t he do it to you, Daisy?”

  “Says I’m ugly, marked, and skinny, so he don’t like me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Mrs. Mason.

  “Would you have cared?” The question was full of pain, not bitterness.

  “Of course I would, Daisy. I wish you had told me.”

  “Mrs. Leah didn’t care about us. He threatened her with his doings, and she was terrified of him. So long as he didn’t do it to her, it was all right, weren’t it?”

  “This is dreadful. I cannot believe this has been happening at Eyre Hall. In my house.” Mrs. Mason flew to the window and turned her back on us. She pressed her palms into the panes, and lowered her face towards the floor.

  “It didn’t happen very often, ’cos he was hardly ever here. First time was last year when he came in summer, then before the wedding in October, and this is the third time he done it, so we had to stop him, ’cos nobody else would, would they? And Christy couldn’t take it no more. Simon said he’d sort him out with the laudanum, but it weren’t enough. Christy threatened to kill herself if he came near her again, so on Twelfth Night, I did it. I stopped him once and for all. It was my doing. Christy, she didn’t know nothing about it.”

  “I understand perfectly. Now, tell me how it happened, Daisy.”

  “He always came down before dinner and had some Madeira, usually on his own. Mrs. Mason never drank before dinner, neither did Master John nor Miss Annette, or Miss Adele. Mr. Greenwood and Dante sometimes came down too, but they didn’t usually drink with him.”

  “How did you know if you were not usually upstairs?” I wanted to make sure she was telling us the truth and not covering up for Christy.

  “When he was at Eyre Hall, I made it my business to know his habits. I asked Simon what time he came down to dinner, and offered to kindle the fire and prepare the drawing room when they came down before dinner. It was easy. I put the rat poison in the bottle of Madeira in the drawing room, and then while he was at dinner, in the dining room, I emptied it out and washed it real carefully, ’cos I know how dangerous it is, and filled it up again from the barrel, in case anyone would notice, but they didn’t, did they?”

  “What if Mr. Greenwood and Dante had joined him in the drawing room?”

  “They had gone shopping with Miss Adele and Susan to Millcote. I knew they wouldn’t have time to come down before dinner.”

  I thanked God that at least she had been clever about it, otherwise there could have been even more damage done.

  “You realise you have just described cold blooded murder, don’t you, Daisy?”

  “It weren’t murder, Doctor. It was self–defence. He would’ve killed my Christy, if I hadn’t killed him, and I can’t live without her.”

  The two girls hugged each other and cried noisily. Mrs. Mason was still pressing the panes as if she wanted to bend them, and I was at a loss for words.

  “Tell them Christy,” said Daisy. “Tell them. They have to know about it. Tell them why you were going to kill yourself.”

  “Is there anything you want to tell us, Christy?” I asked, wondering if there could be anything else more shocking to be heard.

  Christy was a beautiful girl, I was sure the boys would line up for her favours. She had long curly hair blonde hair, bursting out of her cap, emerald, almond shaped eyes adorned with long black lashes, a short upturned nose, and thin rosy lips. She finally stopped crying.

  “It happened last year, on Boxing Day. We had the evening off, so we went to the inn for some drinks and a party. I’d been drinking with Mr. Raven’s son and his friends. We were having fun, like we often did. Beth and Simon had come too, but they left before me. Perhaps I drank more than I ought to, and I stayed longer than I should have. They said they would walk me back to Eyre Hall, I didn’t mind. I liked the attention, and they were very nice to me, taking it in turns to hold my hand, like a game, but then they stopped playing and took me into the woods. They all had their way with me. All of them. I hadn’t done it before. They hurt me, they were shouting at me, and there was blood, and mud, and dirt everywhere. When they finished, they left me there.”

  She had managed to tell us her story, stopping only briefly to blow her nose and dry her tears, but she finally broke down and Daisy continued.

  “She arrived back at Eyre Hall after dawn, looking like a wreck; half–naked, clothes torn, hair dishevelled, covered in grime. We bathed her and nursed her. She was terrified of going out of the house. She still is. She can’t go out the door, says she stops breathing when she puts her foot beyond the threshold. She ain’t left Eyre Hall in over a year. She can’t even go out into the garden. She has nightmares every night. She can’t sleep on her own either. I’ve slept with her every single night since she came back. She can’t live without me, and I can’t live without her. We’re like twins, can’t never be split.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Mrs. Mason.

  “We looked after her. We didn’t need your help. We knew they wouldn’t be punished. It’s their way. Everyone is afraid of them.”

  “Thank you for your honesty, Daisy and Christy. You can leave,”
I said.

  “What’s going to happen to us?” asked Daisy.

  “I am not sure, yet. Mrs. Mason and I need to discuss the matter. Meanwhile, it would be better not to disclose our conversation with anyone else at Eyre Hall.”

  They stood up. Daisy held Christy’s hand and gave me a resolute look. “If you’re going to turn us over to the law, tell us first. We won’t escape. If the noose is our punishment, we’ll accept it, but we’ll do it ourselves.”

  “Mrs. Mason does not want the police involved, and I assure you, we are not interested in vengeance. Our concern is for the safety of the members of this household.”

  Mrs. Mason walked across to the girls and hugged them warmly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry I let you down. Don’t worry. We will find a solution this time.”

  When they left, she sat on the armchair by the hearth, covered her face with her hands, and cried bitterly. I watched her uncomfortably, unsure of what to do or say. I imagined she needed some physical comfort, which I was in no position to offer, so I asked her if I could do anything for her.

  “They must stay at Eyre Hall.”

  “Can you trust them?”

  “I am sure I can. It will not happen again. I cannot punish them further. They have already paid their penalty. I will look after them. They are my responsibility. They will be safe here. It will be our secret. Another secret.”

  Mrs. Mason was right. The alternative would cause a great scandal. The funeral would have to be delayed, the girls would be detained, there would be a trial, and we would all lose our comfortable, quiet lives. I would be further away from Annette, Mrs. Mason would no longer be my benefactress, and two tortured girls would be hanged. Mr. Mason would not be brought back to life, and in any case, he would not be missed by anybody.

  “We will have to keep an eye on Christy. She has developed a mental illness as a result of the violations she has suffered. I am not sure if she is dangerous, but she is unstable.”

  “Can you help her, Doctor?”

  “Perhaps. I have read some investigations by a German doctor, in an international medical journal, of patients’ descriptions of anxiety and terror leading to panic and constriction of the throat and difficulty breathing when confronted with open spaces. The patients rarely leave home.”