It was everything Win could do to keep from laughing aloud. She simply looked at him, suppressing her reaction. And the way he looked at her made it clear he knew she was trying to keep from laughing.
“I say, Lewis,” said Peyton. “That’s a very odd thing to do. Does Sir Wilfred know about your excursions to the modiste?”
“Peyton,” said Colin. “Who exactly appointed you as Lady Winifred’s barrister?”
“Sir Wilfred. He’s the one who put Lewis on the case as well. Though I certainly wouldn’t have minded having the roles reversed.” He caught the implications of what he’d said about a minute after the words had left his mouth. Likely a common occurrence for him. “Nothing personal, of course, Lady Winifred. I was just comparing the two tasks. With Bow Street so thorough, Lewis need only show up. Whereas I have my work cut out for me.” There was another moment of silence. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed meeting all of you. When did you say Lynwood and Riverton would be joining us?”
“It might be a good idea for you to be seen and not heard, Peyton,” said Lewis.
“You know,” said Colin, “I believe I might like to have your roles reversed, as well.”
“Too late,” said Peyton, completely ignoring Lewis’s sound advice. “I may not be a KC like Lewis, but my father is a baron and everyone knows Lewis is a bastard who…”
“Mr. Peyton!” said Olson. “There is no use in giving Mr. Lewis more reasons to try to win this case than he already has. Do be quiet and allow him to continue questioning Mrs. Pierce. And for the record, Lewis earned his KC the hard way, by excelling at his profession. Though I must point out, Lewis, that as worthy as you are, you cannot prove guilt where none exists. Pray continue.”
Win was glad Mr. Olson had defended Mr. Lewis. He may be her adversary, but he’d been respectful and hadn’t approached her closely once he’d seen she was afraid. Another man might have tried to intimidate her. But he was clearly different.
She just wished he wasn’t as intelligent as he clearly was.
“If we might continue,” said Lewis as he checked his notes. “If Mr. Pierce had wanted to keep something from you, do you know how he would have done so?”
“He has a safe in his study. I saw him place items there on occasion. I was not allowed into the room without his express permission, so I do not know the combination. However, I give you permission to access it, if you need to.”
“So, as far as you know, Pierce had no other hiding places?”
“He probably did. But I don’t know where they would have been. I am certain he has a safe at his company’s offices in a warehouse by the docks. But I was there on only a few occasions and cannot tell you much.”
“What happened on the night he died?”
Win drew in a breath, trying to calm herself. She did not want to revisit that day, but knew she must. “It started off as a normal day for me. I met with the housekeeper about a few matters, then looked over Pierce’s evening clothes to ensure they were as they should be. My husband was particular about his dress. I found a stain on the sleeve of his favorite dinner jacket. I rang for his valet, but the man was not in the house. So, I tried to remove the stain myself.”
“Wasn’t that unusual? The lady of the house doing a chore such as that?”
“Not in my house, Mr. Lewis.”
“Then what happened?”
“It was half past four when I heard the door open downstairs. It was Pierce in a rage.” She tried to keep her voice from shaking. “I was almost done with the stain, but not quite. I knew it wouldn’t do for me to be found in his dressing room – he didn’t like me to be in his bedchamber when he wasn’t there. So I quickly replaced the jacket, hoping he wouldn’t choose to wear it that night. Then I ran through the sitting room to my bedchamber." She realized she was shaking. She tried to find something to do with her hands to hide it.
“Then what happened, Lady Winifred?” Lewis asked gently.
“He went in his room. All was quiet for a moment and I thought I might be safe. But then he yelled my name. I heard him knock over an end table as he walked through the sitting room. Then he opened the doors to my room with such force that they hit the wall. He was seething mad and his fists were clenched. He didn’t carry a sock as he often did.”
“A sock?” asked Peyton.
She shouldn’t have mentioned the sock. Her eyes were filling with tears and the room was deathly silent. “He would fill a sock with coins, then swing it and hit me. That way he would keep from bruising his hands.”
There was a sob and Win looked up to see Rose crying. Nick tried to calm her. “Perhaps you should step out, dearest,” he said.
“No,” said Rose, shaking her head. “I must hear this.”
Win could not bear to look at the others. She didn’t want to know what they thought of her to stay and take such abuse. She cleared her throat. “But that night, Pierce didn’t seem to care about the effects. It was unusual for him to strike me on the face…”
“Because someone in Society would have recognized him for the animal he was?” asked Lewis.
Win had not expected him to be so astute about the situation. “Yes. All the servants knew, of course. But I believe he feared that if someone from the ton saw the evidence, they would never give him the acceptance he so craved. He beat me about the face, then when I fell, he kicked my ribs.”
Win heard Irene whisper something soothing to James. Nick looked like he wanted to throw something. Rose was trying not to break down completely. Ava was holding Colin’s hand and rubbing his arm. Peyton looked like he was thinking of what he would eat for his midday meal.
And Mr. Lewis looked like he’d rather be doing anything else than asking about her beating.
She continued. “I couldn’t catch my breath so I slowly lost consciousness. When I awoke a few minutes later, he was gone. I tried to get up, but the pain was so bad I remained lying there. At some point, my maid Tawny came in to give me a tisane to help me sleep. I remember being surprised because she’d never tended to me after a beating before. But I gratefully accepted it, because I knew sleep would ease the pain – at least temporarily. I do not know how much time passed until I was awakened by a noise.”
“What kind of noise?”
“A loud noise downstairs, but I cannot tell you what it was. I was still on the floor and shivering from the cold. It was almost pitch black in the room, save for the dying embers of the fire. I could barely stand, not just because of my injuries, but because it seemed like I was underwater. I was sluggish and my head was pounding. I heard someone calling my name downstairs.”
“Whose voice was it?”
“I do not know. To be honest, I’m not sure I didn’t imagine the entire thing. I thought it was a woman’s voice, but I do not know for certain. This person was calling my name and sounded like he or she was in distress.”
“You were in distress, Win,” said Nick. “Why did you not remain in your bedchamber?”
“Because for all I knew Pierce had hurt someone else. I could not let that go unchecked. So I carefully made my way downstairs. I was too groggy to light a candle and it was dark. I had to guide myself by the moonlight coming through the windows. I kept hearing the voice calling and it was almost like a moan. When I arrived downstairs, I saw the door to Pierce’s study was ajar and that a fire was burning in there. I heard some sort of click, but no other sound. I entered the study and at first didn’t see anything. But then I…smelled it. It smelled like metal and somehow I knew something was very wrong. I walked further into the room and there he was on the floor in a pool of blood.
“I dropped to my knees to see if he was still alive. The blood was seeping from his neck, but I could tell from looking at his eyes that he was gone. Pierce was dead.”
There was a moment of silence, broken only by the sound of Lewis taking notes. “Did you see any type of weapon? A knife or sharp wire?”
“I did not look for one. I was barely able to focus and I was
simply staring at Pierce. At some point – and I did not have a good grasp of time – Havers came in.”
“Yes, I was wondering about that. I was at your home and it appeared you had a full complement of staff. I find it surprising that not even a footman would have been in the vicinity of your husband’s study that night.”
“Pierce didn’t want close scrutiny when he conducted business at the house. He often dismissed the servants.”
“Wouldn’t it have been odd to conduct business so late at night?”
Win shrugged. “Pierce had his own way of doing things. I was rarely consulted.”
Lewis finished what he was writing, then turned to a new page in his notebook. He hesitated, but then began. “Excuse me for asking, Lady Winifred, but do you have reason to believe your husband was unfaithful to you?”
Win smiled weakly. “On an almost constant basis. He used to tell me about his conquests.” Here, James muttered “bastard” not quite under his breath. “It was almost a relief to know he was occupied elsewhere.”
“This next question is not one for mixed company,” said Lewis, with a look toward Rose, Ava and Irene.
“Are you suggesting I leave the room?” asked Win. “It would make it more difficult for me to answer.”
He smiled. Win was amazed by how much less fearsome he appeared when he did so.
“No, it would be better if you remained. But the question is delicate and there are other ladies present. Not to mention, I’m not sure you’d like to answer this in front of your brothers.”
“We are not going anywhere, Mr. Lewis,” said Rose. “Pray continue with your inquisition.”
Lewis cleared his throat and looked rather uncomfortable. “Were you and Mr. Pierce having relations?”
Win could feel her face heat. Perhaps she should have sent her family out of the room. “We had not….completed relations for several years. He didn’t even try for the last three or four years.”
“That’s odd,” said Peyton. “Was Pierce blind? If I had a wife who looked like you, I would exercise my husbandly rights on a nightly basis.”
“That is enough, Peyton!” said Lewis.
“You’re the one who brought it up,” said Peyton petulantly.
“Yes, but I had a point to my questioning.” Lewis quieted his voice before turning to Win once again. “I apologize for the personal nature of my questions, but if he was unable to complete relations with you, why would he claim to have so many conquests with other women?”
Mr. Lewis was asking respectfully, but it was still humiliating. “I can only assume he found me wanting.”
“Mrs. Pierce, I cannot imagine that to be the case. I do not mean that to be a forward remark. It is just that when a man is unable to, uh, be amorous with one woman, it is highly unlikely that he is able to be so with others.”
Win had never discussed the matter with anyone before, so she could hardly credit his words. But they did make her re-examine things. Perhaps she wasn’t as repellent as Pierce had said, but then she remembered.
“As soothing to my pride as that might be, Pierce was having an affair with my ladies’ maid, Tawny.”
“How do you know this?”
“She told me. She described numerous assignations they’d had.”
“But you never saw them?”
“No, thankfully.”
“Then you cannot be certain they were thusly engaged.”
“But why would she have lied?” asked Win.
“I have found, Lady Winifred, that people lie for any number of reasons.”
“If I might ask, Lewis,” said Mr. Olson. “Why are you pursuing this line of questioning?”
“Well, it is a good deal more interesting that most questions he asks,” said Peyton laughing. He looked around the room, expecting others to join in.
No one did.
“I was trying to determine whether Pierce might have been killed by a jealous husband,” said Lewis.
“That is an excellent theory,” said Peyton.
“And one you might have pursued, though now I have doubts to its probability, since learning of Pierce’s, uh, condition.”
“So I am helping you convict me,” said Win wryly.
“I prefer to think of it as helping me find the truth – wherever it leads.”
The door opened and Letty, Anna and Violet ran in.
Of the guests, Grayson, Olson and Lewis rose. Only Peyton remained seated.
Anna went up to Olson, whom she’d met a few weeks earlier. “I’m getting an English mama,” she said with a grin.
“Congratulations, Miss Emerson! I believe both you and your English mama are very fortunate. As is your papa, of course.”
“Emerson?” asked Peyton as he started at Anna. “She can’t be a relation to anyone here, can she?”
“She is my daughter,” said James with a dangerous edge to his voice.
Peyton stared at the girl. “Is she some sort of charity case? Are you doing your Christian duty by bringing home a savage?”
Win was horrified. “Mr. Peyton!” she said. “You will apologize to everyone you have offended. And the list is long, sir.”
Peyton looked genuinely bewildered.
“Miss Emerson,” said Lewis kindly. “I was wondering if you could tell me your favorite experience in London so far.”
Anna, who was usually shy around strangers, smiled at Mr. Lewis, as she considered the question carefully. “I like Violet,” she said, as the other girl beamed. “And I liked it when we had the ice.”
“I believe those are very good choices,” said Lewis.
“I haven’t gone for an ice yet,” said Letty. “But once Win is feeling better, I was hoping we could all go.”
“Maybe you and Mr. Olson could come with us,” said Anna shyly to Mr. Lewis.
“I will accept the invitation gladly,” said Olson. “What say you, Lewis? Will you join the family for an ice?”
Mr. Lewis smiled wryly at Mr. Olson, and once again Win was reminded how different he appeared when he did so. “Thank you for the kind invitation, Miss Emerson.” But he did not commit to going.
Mrs. Stemple entered the room and curtsied. “My lords, my ladies, please excuse the interruption, but Lady Jane urgently needs the young ladies’ help with Master Daniel.”
Three young heads immediately looked up, then the girls ran from the room.
“I didn’t mean they needed to run,” said Maude as she watched the girls disappear from the room. “And I’m sorry the young misses interrupted you earlier. I was trying to keep them occupied, but I turned around and they were gone.”
Ava smiled. “I am afraid, dear Maude, that no one would be able to keep track of that trio. But thank you for coming to get them.”
As soon as Maude left, Win turned to Peyton. “Mr. Peyton, if you ever insult a member of my family again, I shall discharge you on the spot.”
“But my dear lady, I did no such thing.”
“You called my niece a savage.”
“But she’s hardly your niece, she’s…”
“Peyton,” growled Lewis, “before you say another word, do remember there is a disciplinary committee at chambers. They do not look kindly on members who bring disgrace to our group. If you have gathered all the information you sought, I suggest you return to your work. You have a good deal of it ahead of you.”
“So, I will not be meeting with Lynwood?” Peyton’s disappointment was clear.
“No,” said Colin, Nick and James as one.
“Then I guess I should be going,” said Peyton, as he rose. “I shall try my best to keep Olson informed of any developments in the case. But I do think it prudent that you say a prayer. Several, actually. The deck is quite stacked against us. Lady Rosemary, it was a pleasure.” He approached her, trying to take her hand.
Rose sat staring at him, stone-faced, her hands firmly clasped in her lap.
“Good day, Peyton,” said Grayson rather forcefully.
Pey
ton looked around to see if there was a friendly face, then, finding none, departed.
*
Alex couldn’t believe the dilemma he was in. Peyton’s incompetence and lack of interest in the case were going to get Mrs. Pierce hanged. It would be the easiest win of Alex’s career. But he didn’t feel good about it.
His day had taken a distinct turn for the worse when he’d barreled into the room with his usual lack of grace. He’d frightened her. She’d schooled her features quickly. But he hadn’t imagined it. When she got her first glimpse of him, she’d known real fear.
And he’d felt like a cad.
He’d seen that look in women before. Women who’d been beaten. He’d even prosecuted a few cases against the husbands. They were almost always acquitted or given such light sentences as to be inconsequential. But now he was prosecuting a woman who might have killed her abuser.
It went against his innate sense of justice, though he was bound by professional ethics to do it.
“You must discharge Peyton,” Nick said to Olson.
“I would if I could. But just the fact they assigned this case to him – one of the biggest dullards in the legal fraternity – makes me think there is a conspiracy afoot. If I take it to a different chambers, I could get someone even worse.”
“I shudder to think that’s even possible,” said Irene.
“What about this ethics committee you spoke of, Mr. Lewis?” asked Colin. “Can we get him removed that way?”
Alex grimaced. “That would be very difficult. I said what I did earlier to try to get him to curb his ignorant tongue. Peyton is well known to chambers members. If they haven’t expelled him for general mediocrity by now, they probably never will. And he’s a peer, as are the members of the committee. They’re not likely to sack him because I tell them he behaved like an arse. Excuse my language, ladies.”
“But Mr. Olson tells us you are highly respected,” said Win. “A KC even. Would that not make a difference?”
“My lady, I became a KC by working hard and being the best possible barrister I could be. But I am not a peer. In fact, my father is unknown.” He stood taller. He was not ashamed of his background. His mother had worked very hard to get him an education. He had no illusions about what the people in this room would think of him after that admission, but he didn’t care.
Always Have Hope (Emerson Book 3) Page 9