“Oh, dear.” Mother waved her hand furiously in front of her face.
It was all Gwen could do to stay sitting down. “He did nothing of the kind. I wandered into that room by accident and of my own free will. Mr. Taylor did not lay a hand on me. Who is this witness? I demand to know who’s spreading such lies.”
A whisper of a smile twitched across the detective’s lips, making Gwen wonder if he’d been hoping all along that she’d ask that question.
“The witness is Mr. Charles Drexler.”
“Charles?” All three of them said the name in unison: Father bellowed it, Mother whispered it and Gwen repeated it flatly, not surprised in the least.
“You can understand my dilemma,” Detective Sutter said. “He insists on what he saw.”
“But he’s lying,” Gwen said.
“That’s a strong statement,” the detective intoned.
“How can he truthfully say he saw me being taken down the hall by anybody when I know it didn’t happen that way?” The pounding in Gwen’s head increased.
Father stood up. “There’s one way to settle this. I’m going to find him and we’ll all talk about this now. Together.” He stalked from the room.
Gwen wasn’t sure how she felt about this turn of events. On one hand, she truly didn’t want to speak about something so personal with Charles in the room. On the other hand, the best way to bring the truth into the light was to speak in front of many witnesses. And there was no doubt in her mind that Charles was lying. The only question was, why?
Granted, he’d made his opinion of archery plain, and she knew he was no fan of Albert’s. But would that be enough to accuse Albert of something so heinous? Could Charles truly go to such lengths just to sully the man’s good name?
Time stretched out interminably as they waited for Father to return. When he finally did, Charles followed behind him, looking none too pleased to have been summoned.
Detective Sutter rose and held out his hand. “Mr. Drexler, good to see you again.”
“You’ll pardon me if I don’t say likewise.” Charles frowned, but still shook the man’s hand. “What is this about?”
“Sir, there seems to be a discrepancy between your statement and that of Miss Banks.”
Charles looked at her with an icy gaze. “That’s no surprise. Miss Banks suffered a head wound. She’s just confused.”
If one more person said Gwen was confused, she would scream. “Why would you say Mr. Taylor dragged me into that room when he didn’t?”
“I can only tell you what I saw.” Charles’s voice had gone flat. “It’s no wonder you don’t want to remember it, after the way you’ve been throwing yourself at him.”
Gwen reeled back as if he’d struck her.
Father took a step forward. “Watch yourself, young man.”
“Actually, you should be watching your daughter, sir. It’s shameful how she’s been spending so much time with a common villager. Last night was the most disgraceful display of all.”
Gwen got to her feet, reminding herself that committing murder would be a bad idea, given the presence of a police detective. “I did nothing improper last night, and neither did Albert. He never laid a hand on me.”
“That’s not how it looked when you were dancing with him.”
Gwen’s cheeks heated. How dare he take such a beautiful and important moment and make it sound cheap and illicit?
Mother clasped her hands to her chest. “Gwen, you danced? How did I miss that? That’s wonderful.”
“She danced with a villager,” Charles spat out. “What’s wonderful about that?” Then he turned his attention back to Gwen. “Why do you think he pays attention to you? Because he really cares about you? No, it’s because he knows you’re so desperate that you’ll look past his low station. You think he’s courting you, but it’s just one more way he clutches at respectability, just like his quest for the competition.”
Tears stung Gwen’s eyes, and she couldn’t hold them back. Charles was displaying his true colors, being petty and cruel. Nothing he said should hurt her, yet the words pelted her like hard, sharp rocks.
Detective Sutter moved forward, deflecting any more attempted verbal blows. “Mr. Drexler, you are displaying an obvious and somewhat irrational dislike for Mr. Taylor. It makes me wonder just how credible your testimony may be considered.”
Charles pulled back his shoulders, making it appear that he looked down his nose at the detective, even though Charles was a good two inches shorter than the man. “I am a gentleman. My word stands.”
“Still, Miss Banks, a well-respected woman of good character, has called your word false. As has Mr. Taylor. In fact, he claims it was you who told him exactly where to find Miss Banks, and how to get there.” He turned to Gwen. “As you and I know, Miss Banks, it’s quite a feat not getting lost in that house. It seems odd that Mr. Drexler would be able to give such detailed directions.”
“Indeed it does.” Gwen clenched her jaw.
“And then there’s the testimony of Miss Matilda Banks.” Detective Sutter shook his head before continuing. “She was most insistent that when she saw Mr. Taylor on his way out of the ballroom, he said that you had told him where to find her sister.”
Charles remained silent as the detective continued on.
“The pieces are falling together and forming quite an interesting picture.” Detective Sutter turned to Mr. Banks. “It’s not common knowledge, but there have been several other robberies in the past few weeks, and all of them took place during parties. I’m leading the investigation, so I happen to know that Mr. Drexler was in attendance at each one of them.”
“That doesn’t prove anything,” Charles said indignantly.
“No, it doesn’t, not according to the statutes of the law. But it tells me to keep my eye on you.”
Mr. Banks stepped forward. “This discourse has told me all I need to know, as well. Drexler, it would be best if you collected your things and left my home. Immediately.”
Charles glowered at him through narrowed eyes. “Are you sure you want to do that? I’m still willing to make a respectable woman out of your daughter, despite her infirmity.”
“How dare you,” Gwen sputtered. “I wouldn’t have you if my life depended on it.”
“Let’s hope it never comes to that,” Charles replied.
“Jenkins!” A moment after Mr. Banks bellowed the name, a tall, neatly dressed butler hurried into the room.
“Yes, sir?”
“Mr. Drexler will be leaving us now, Jenkins. Please accompany him to his room and assist in his packing. I want to make quite sure that he doesn’t get confused about which items belong to him.”
“Understood, sir.” Jenkins bowed slightly.
“And, Charles, you should start looking for new employment.”
“You’re firing me?” Charles asked, incredulous. “You can’t do that. This has nothing to do with the quality of my work.”
“Seeing as I own the company, I most certainly can fire you. And that’s exactly what I’m doing. Don’t bother returning to the office. I’ll have your desk cleared out and any personal belongings will be delivered to your home, along with your final week’s pay.” He made a shooing motion with one hand.
Charles glared from her father to Gwen and back again. Then he hurried from the room, with Jenkins right behind him.
Gwen thought there was something odd about Charles’s reaction. Of course he would be upset over the loss of his job, but he had paled considerably when Father mentioned clearing out his desk. It was as if he was scared. Was there something in his desk he didn’t want anyone to find? Did the secrets and mysteries surrounding this man never end? Charles liked to think that just because he worked in finance, he had a certain amount of class and respectability bred into him. But he didn’t know what it meant to live a respectable life, not if lying came so easily to him.
Behind her, Detective Sutter was preparing to leave. “I should be on my way. I’m
terribly sorry Drexler caused such an unpleasant scene, but I do believe his true nature has shown itself.”
“Indeed.” Father shook the detective’s hand. “Does this mean Mr. Taylor is in the clear?”
Sutter shook his head. “No. I’m still conducting my investigation, though I expect to further clear Mr. Taylor. But there’s still the complaint filed by the Ashfords. Unless that’s withdrawn, Mr. Taylor is being charged with robbery.”
The pain in Gwen’s head intensified. How could she sit by idly while Albert was locked away in a cell? What kind of conditions was he being forced to endure? “There has to be something we can do.”
“I’ll speak to William Ashford,” Father said. “He’s a sensible man. I’m sure I can make him understand the situation.”
Relief flooded Gwen. One piece of the dilemma had been taken care of. Hopefully Matilda had been successful with hers.
Chapter 10
It had taken a bit of cajoling, but Gwen had finally gotten Mother to agree that some time out in the garden would do her good. It came with the caveat that Gwen would sit on a bench, in the shade, and promise not to dig for insects or follow any animals. It was all perfectly fine with Gwen. Her plan was to sit there and wait for Matilda to come back with news.
Detective Sutter had said he would continue his investigation. Gwen assumed that would include a visit to Albert’s home, if he hadn’t been there already. What would he find? Had Matilda discovered anything? Or was this whole scenario with secret codes and hidden messages just something she and Matilda had created in their minds?
What if they’d gone for all this trouble simply to feed a cat?
“Psst!” The hissing of someone trying to get her attention caught Gwen’s ear. She looked to her left and there was Matilda, leaning out from behind the trunk of a very flimsy tree. The fact that no one, not even Matilda, could possibly expect to be hidden from view behind it might have made the sight comical, if not for the cross look on Matilda’s face.
“Matilda, you’re—”
Matilda held up her hand to halt Gwen’s words, and then she motioned quickly for Gwen to follow her.
Mother would be livid if she came back and found Gwen gone, but that couldn’t be helped now. She slowly pushed herself up from the bench and followed Matilda out of the garden. When they’d gotten what she considered a safe distance from the house, Gwen called after her.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?”
Matilda slowed down a bit to allow Gwen to catch up, but she didn’t stop moving. “Oh, my…where to begin? As I expected, Jason was more than happy to lend his assistance. We went to the clubhouse and found the groom you told me about. He didn’t know where Albert lived, but he was able to point us toward someone who did.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about involving more people in their mission. “What reason did you give for needing his address?”
“I told them I had to look after his cat.” Matilda threw up her hands in frustration as she stomped over the uneven ground. “What else could I say? At that point, I didn’t know what I was going to find.”
That had an ominous sound to it. “I take it you and Jason found his home, then?”
“Yes, we did.”
“And?”
“And…well, there was a cat.”
Gwen’s heart clenched. “Really? We really did all this in order to feed the man’s cat?”
“No, not exactly. There was a cat there, yes, but we found something else, too.”
She waited for Matilda to explain, but her sister just kept walking. Finally, Gwen couldn’t take it. “Tilda, please stop and tell me what happened. What did you find?”
When Matilda turned around, she was chewing on her bottom lip, a rather unladylike habit that popped up whenever she was nervous. “I’d rather not say just yet. It’s complicated, and I’m not entirely sure I understand it myself. I think it’s something you need to see.”
“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?”
She pointed down the path. “The caretaker’s shed. It was the first private place I could think of.”
Matilda continued walking and Gwen followed. What could be so terrible that Matilda couldn’t tell her about it? Whatever it was, she would find out soon.
Jason Adler’s automobile was parked beside the shed. Matilda rapped on the door. “Jason! It’s Matilda. I’ve got Gwen with me.”
The door cracked open just enough for Jason to peer out. “It’s about time. I don’t know how much longer this is going to work.”
“I appreciate your help. I promise you, I won’t forget this.”
Any other day, Gwen would have taken note of Matilda’s smile and come to the conclusion that her sister had more than a passing fancy for Mr. Adler. But today was not that kind of day.
Gwen put her hand on Matilda’s shoulder. “Why don’t we go inside and you can tell me everything?”
“All right, but brace yourself. Remember, I told you we found a cat?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we found something else. Rather, we found someone else.”
“Rachel,” Jason piped up. “We found Rachel.”
He pushed open the shed door, and Gwen took a careful step inside. A young woman sat on a short stool against the back wall. She was hunched over a cat that she held tightly in her lap, and she rocked ever so slightly. Her black hair had been put into a thick braid, but large pieces of it had come loose and hung around her face.
Gwen’s blood ran cold as she looked down at the forlorn woman in front of her. Who was she to Albert, and why was she at his home? “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do we,” Matilda said. “She doesn’t talk much. All she would say is that her name is Rachel and the cat is Mr. Mittens.”
“And she trusts Albert,” Jason added. “She wouldn’t stop screaming until we told her that Albert had sent us to her.”
Matilda nodded. “And that’s the only reason she came with us this far. But I think she expected Albert to be here.”
The young woman made a whimpering sound at the mention of his name. When she looked up, her gray eyes were round with fear, her face filthy as if smeared with soot from the fireplace. “Where is Albert?”
“He’s had a bit of trouble,” Gwen said gently. “But he asked us to take care of you until he can come back home.”
Matilda stepped up to Gwen’s side. “We can’t keep the poor thing out here in the shed,” she whispered. “What do we do now?”
“Somehow, we’ve got to find a way to get her into my room.” Gwen turned her attention back to Rachel. “Would you like to see my room? We can get you cleaned up, and if you like, I can brush your hair for you.”
Something sparked in her eyes, and a hint of a smile showed beneath the grime. “Albert brushes my hair. I love that.”
Gwen would brush her hair all day if that’s what it took to keep the young woman quiet. “It’s settled, then.” She looked up at Matilda. “You know what we need now.”
Matilda nodded. “Another distraction.”
“We have to get everybody as far away from the staircase as possible.”
“Leave that to me,” Jason said. “I know the perfect way to empty a house.”
Before Gwen could ask what he meant, Jason left the shed and started his automobile. When he drove away, Gwen looked at Matilda in disbelief. “He’s not doing what I think he’s doing, is he?”
“I’m fairly certain he is,” Matilda said.
The sound of the automobile chugging away broke the tranquility of the morning, and a minute later, a loud crash followed by the shouts of many people confirmed their suspicions: Jason had purposely wrecked his automobile in front of the Banks house.
“Come on, we’d best hurry.” Gwen put a hand on Rachel’s arm. “Will you come with us, dear?”
The promise of hair brushing had made Rachel much more compliant. She nodded her head and stood up, still clutching Mr. Mittens to her chest. The
poor cat complained and squirmed, scratching at Rachel’s hands, although the woman didn’t seem to notice. In fact, her hands were covered with scratch marks, some partially healed, some brand-new. It would be a marvel if they could get both Rachel and the cat into the house with no one seeing.
Of course, she didn’t expect to keep Rachel a secret forever. But she needed time to figure out why Albert would keep a woman at his house and not tell anyone about her.
And she needed to figure out exactly how she felt about that.
* * *
There were worse things than being in solitary confinement. Sharing a cell with a man who called himself Bartholomew the Butcher had turned out to be one of them.
It had taken precisely one hour after the time the Butcher was put in the holding cell for the thug to attack Albert. It seemed the notion of a villager hobnobbing with the social upper crust rankled with the common man, too. And the Butcher was the most common of common men. Now Albert’s aching ribs were tightly bound and he lay on a rough cot, surrounded by the silence of solitary where he’d been moved for his own protection.
But what was there left to protect? His dreams for the competition lay in a shambles at his feet. Even if he could still find someone who wanted to sponsor him, what kind of an archer would he be after his arm healed? And what of Gwen? Did she believe in his innocence? Or had Charles Drexler convinced her that he was nothing but a ne’er-do-well who wanted to take advantage of her and hurt her?
Albert threw an arm over his eyes, immersing himself in a darkness that matched the feeling in his soul. They said that when God closed a door, somewhere he opened a window, but Albert was starting to doubt it. All he saw was a cell with not a window in sight.
The sound of singing floated to him from the other side of the wall. Curious, Albert pressed his ear against the wood, straining to make out the words. It sounded like the fellow was singing the same lines over and over. Finally, Albert was able to make them out.
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
A Worthy Suitor Page 10