by Sonia Parin
Edmonds wiped his hands on a rag. “A cup of tea would go down nicely, milady.”
“Well, make sure you go in and get one.”
As they continued on their walk, Phillipa said, “It must be lovely working for you. I don’t think I would be suited to a life in service, but if I needed to work in a house, I believe I would consider myself quite fortunate to work for you.”
“I think you’ll find most people try to ensure their servants are content.”
They walked on in silence but it didn’t last.
“I don’t see Edward Spencer as the mastermind behind this trafficking business.” Evie shook her head. “He exposed himself by being seen at the Automobile Club. It doesn’t make sense.” She stopped and turned toward the house. Seeing someone disappear into the stable yard, she tugged Phillipa. “That must be Tom. Let’s go see what he’s up to.”
“It’s not Tom,” Phillipa said.
They found Lord Alexander Saunders looking under the hood of his motor car.
Their footsteps alerted him of their presence and he straightened. “Lady Woodridge. You had quite an adventure this morning.”
“Yes, but it’s all been resolved now. You must all still be in shock.”
He slipped his hands inside his pockets. “No one ever suspected anything. We can’t decide if we should abandon our car rally or surge ahead to take our minds off everything that’s happened.” He looked around him. “Most of us are feeling restless so I came out here to check on my motor car. Everything appears to be in fine working order.”
Evie smiled. “Phillipa and I couldn’t sit still. That’s why we came out here. I’m afraid I’ve been wearing out the carpet so I understand your need to find something to do. In fact, I have been so frustrated by this business, I’ve even tried to lose myself in Burke’s Peerage.” She took a moment to study his reaction but he didn’t even flinch. “Even after all these years of living in England, I am still intrigued by all the titles.”
He laughed. “You know it’s full of errors.”
“Is it? Actually, now that you mention it, I spent some time looking everyone up and I don’t recall finding your name.”
He gave her a whimsical smile. “I have only recently come into the title. Or, rather, my father only recently came into the title. He never really stood a chance of inheriting but then the war took its toll on his distant cousin’s family… the one with the title. They all perished. I suppose the information will be included in the next edition.”
He lowered the hood and rounded the motor car.
Evie looked around the stable yard. “It looks like all the motor cars are ready to go now. The police never did discover who tampered with them.”
“I suppose it could have been a prank,” Alexander said. “In fact, I’m inclined to believe that.”
“Why?”
“Because there was no real damage done.”
“Who is your driving companion?” Evie asked. “I noticed everyone drives in pairs.”
“I don’t,” Phillipa murmured.
“I drive alone,” Alexander said.
“Is that by choice?”
Grinning, he said, “I like to drive in silence and that’s impossible with this group. They’re all chatterboxes.”
In other words, Evie thought, everyone could account for their driving partner’s whereabouts. They all had alibis. All except Lord Alexander Saunders.
Evie made a move to return to the house only to stop. “Something’s been bothering me… The detective just told us Lark Wainscot confessed to giving Lorenzo cocaine laced with a sleeping powder, but how did she know Lorenzo would come to Halton House?”
Alexander shrugged. “Perhaps she’d been ready just in case he ever showed up somewhere… some time during our travels.”
That would have required carrying the cocaine around with her at all times. The explanation reminded Evie of the far-fetched theory she had contrived about Sir Richard.
Had Lark issued an invitation?
Evie turned to Phillipa. The car rally group had come looking for her at Halton House because, according to Batty, they had known Phillipa had last been at Halton House.
How had Lark known Lorenzo would visit unless she had made sure he would?
Evie checked her watch. “I suppose we’ll be leaving soon, but I know if I don’t get an answer, I will toss and turn. I’m going to ask the detective. He might oblige me and try to get the answer from Lark.”
They managed to take a couple of steps before Lord Alexander Saunders said, “Lady Woodridge.”
Evie turned slightly and caught sight of the revolver in his hand.
“Oh…”
He smiled. “I’m afraid you have forced my hand.”
“You didn’t come out here to check on your motor car. You came out to make your getaway.”
“I’ll only need a few minutes. If anyone asks, they have been instructed to say I went into the village to purchase gas for everyone.” He nudged his revolver toward the stables. “Would you care to join me inside?”
“May I ask why?”
“Because I need to lock you up. I’m sure you will be rescued in time. There is always someone in the stables. Now, be quick about it.” He nudged his revolver again.
“I’m ever so relieved to hear you won’t be using that weapon.” Taking hold of Phillipa’s hand, Evie walked toward the stables. She trusted the police would eventually catch up with Alexander, so she had no intention of trying anything foolish. “Did Lark know you had mixed the cocaine with sleeping powder?”
“Not at all. I asked her for some, saying I’d been having trouble sleeping. Otherwise, she was none the wiser. As far as she knew, the little satchel contained a sample of our product to entice Lorenzo into distributing it.”
Evie felt relief for Lark. She might not have to face the gallows…
“Did you tell him to come to Halton House?”
“An associate of mine informed me of your encounter with Lorenzo and his wife. I couldn’t let the opportunity slip by.”
“Are you really a Lord?”
Opening the door to a storeroom, he laughed. “As a matter of fact, yes, I am. The story I told you is quite true. Alas, the estate has drained all the funds that came with the inheritance. As you know, it is not appropriate for a gentleman to seek gainful employment but I needed to inject money into the estate.” He gestured with his revolver.
“This won’t end well for you. You haven’t thought this through. Even if you manage to get away, you won’t be able to resume your life.”
“That’s perfectly fine. I’m not the first born. In a twist of irony, I am not doing this for myself.” He pressed his revolver against the small of Evie’s back.
“You can’t seriously think you’ll get away.”
“I suppose this is not the time to say I’m afraid of the dark,” Phillipa murmured.
The storeroom door closed and they heard the key turning.
“Hold my hand. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“There might be spiders in here. I’ve never told you, but we have some nasty looking spiders back home. Quite deadly…”
“Let’s cross our fingers and hope someone finds us soon. In fact, we don’t really need to rely on providence. Edmonds will be here after he’s had his cup of tea and I’m sure Tom will come out looking for me.” They heard the sound of the motor car rolling away. “Any minute now…”
A while later, Phillipa murmured, “I’ve never been any good at judging the passing of time, but I suspect we have been locked up here for a lot longer than a minute.”
“I am inclined to agree with you.” Evie pressed her ear to the door only to jump back. “Ugh. Cobwebs.”
Phillipa shrieked and threw her arms around Evie.
“You’re squashing me. And why are jumping up and down?”
“To lessen the chance of a spider climbing up my leg.”
“If there are any spiders in this storeroom, they ar
e now cowering in a corner.”
“How can you be so calm?”
Evie pressed her hand to her chest and tried to calm her thumping heart. “I’m not, but since we don’t know when we’ll get out of here, I think we should try to reserve our energy.”
A sliver of light appeared on the floor.
“I think someone just came into the stable,” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” Clearing her throat, Phillipa yelled for help.
The key on the door turned. “Lady Woodridge.” Edmonds stepped back. “How did you get in there?”
Evie and Phillipa rushed out of the storeroom. Then they took turns to look at each other’s back to make sure there were no spiders crawling around.
“It’s rather a long story, Edmonds.”
Phillipa huffed out a breath. “Did no one notice us missing?”
Evie then noticed Tom standing behind Edmonds. “Mr. Winchester. Did you come searching for us?”
“Yes, it felt too quiet so I knew there had to be something wrong and then I noticed you were nowhere to be seen.”
“We have no idea how long it’s been since we were locked up in that storeroom. Lord Alexander Saunders must have made his escape by now.”
“He tried. The police took him into custody ten minutes ago. They’d taken the precaution of barricading the roads.”
“Are you saying the detective expected this to happen?”
Tom shrugged. “He hoped he might be able to flush out the real culprit but he thought it could have gone either way. I guess Lord Saunders’ patience wore thin. You should thank him. He actually told the detective about you being locked up in the storeroom.”
“Ten minutes ago? You knew where we were ten minutes ago?”
Tom grinned. “You were safe and we wanted to make sure there were no more surprises.”
Epilogue
Homeward bound
“Are you riding in front with Edmonds?” Evie asked.
“Yes. I rather like the view from the front seat.” Caro settled into the Duesenbert and looked up at Warwick Hall. “I had fun being Lady Carolina Thwaites but now I’m ready to return to my life.”
“Pity.” Evie smiled. “I had rather hoped Lady Carolina could accompany me to town when I next go in to outfit myself with a new wardrobe.”
Caro tilted her head in thought. “I’m sure if you ask nicely, she would be happy to put in an appearance.”
“How wonderfully accommodating.”
Caro grinned. “This will be a story I can tell my grandchildren.” Giving a small wave, she said, “Drive on, Edmonds.”
Evie watched the Duesenbert make its way along the winding driveway. Turning to Sir Richard, she thanked him for his hospitality and offered him an invitation to visit Halton House.
“Send my regards to Lady Sara,” he said.
“I most certainly will.”
Isabel stepped forward and threw her arms around Evie. “Now, don’t be a stranger.” Jumping back, she added, “Oh, after our trip to Tuscany, we could stop by and visit you. Won’t that be wonderful?”
Evie smiled until her jaw hurt. She knew she should have extended an invitation to Isabel but Evie wanted to believe she had left her friend in safe hands. Yes, indeed. Isabel would fare better with Sir Richard.
Evie waved to Phillipa who had already settled into her roadster.
When they were finally on their way, Evie sat back and tried to leave behind everything that had happened by switching her thoughts to Caro. She would lose her after all. Caro would meet someone and marry and have a family of her own. “I shall have to make sure she meets a perfect gentleman and doesn’t move too far away.”
“Pardon?” Tom asked.
“Oh, nothing. I’m just wishing for a perfect life.” And trying to avoid thinking about Isabel visiting, she thought. “I can’t help feeling sorry for Lark Wainscot. I hope she gets off lightly. At least, she won’t be facing the gallows.” The same couldn’t be said for Lord Alexander Saunders.
“Have you given any thought to what you’ll say to the dowagers?” Tom asked.
“I’m going to do my best to be evasive.” She looked over her shoulder. “I’m glad Phillipa decided to return with us. I’m hoping she’ll find other ways to gain life experience without putting herself at risk.”
Tom laughed. “You think she’ll be safe staying with you?”
Ignoring him, Evie said, “Why do return journeys always feel as though they take less time? I’m sure it took us twice as long to travel this distance before.”
“I’m going to guess and say it’s probably because you are eager to arrive and find out what the dowagers have been up to.”
“Do you really think I have the power to influence time?” She shook her head. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. I am eager to arrive. For all I know, I might be sleeping at the pub tonight because the dowagers have emptied out Halton House.”
Tom gave her a worried look. “That means I’ll be sleeping on a park bench because they only have one room available at the pub.”
Evie laughed. “You’re such a gentleman.”
“So, you forgive me for keeping you locked up in the storeroom for longer than necessary. I really did want to make sure no one else would crawl out of the woodwork.”
Evie lifted her chin. She hadn’t broached the subject. In fact, she had deliberately avoided any mention of it. Instead, she had given Tom the cold shoulder. “I suppose you found it all too amusing. Will you tell my grandmother about it?”
“If I do, I will have to explain why you were cavorting with a criminal.”
“Cavorting? Is that what you call having a conversation and asking pointed questions which, in time, would have led to his capture.”
A while later, Tom said, “If you continue biting your thumb, you’ll chew your way right through to the bone.”
“I’m sure you can drive faster than this.”
He pointed up ahead. “I can see the roof. That’s something for you to be happy about. You still have a roof.”
Evie craned her neck to look only to growl when the road dipped.
Finally, they drove through the Halton House gates and she saw Edgar standing at the porticoed entrance.
“Did you telephone ahead?” Evie asked.
“It didn’t occur to me to do that. I’m sure Edgar had someone positioned as a lookout. Then again, Caro arrived before us.”
As the motor car slowed, Edgar rushed toward it and trotted beside the passenger side saying, “My lady. We have been overwrought with concern. It is so good to see you alive and well.”
Evie covered her face with her hands. Heavens. She knew Sir Richard had telephoned Sara and passed on the news about Lorenzo but it hadn’t occurred to then contact the dowagers to set their minds at ease. Now she felt guilty.
“Thank you for your concern, Edgar. As you can see, we are quite alive and well.” Turning to Tom, she said, “I’m going to change out of these clothes and then pay the dowagers a visit.”
“I feel I have no choice but to join you.”
“I’m ever so glad I didn’t have to spell it out to you.” Evie rushed inside only to stop and smile with appreciation. It felt wonderful to be home again, she thought.
She found Caro in her room busy unpacking her cases.
“Caro, please tell me you stopped to have a break.”
“I did, milady, but everyone in the kitchen had so many questions. I decided to come up for some peace and quiet.”
“I wish I could do the same but I’m afraid I need to pay the dowagers a visit without any further delay. What do you suggest I wear? A suit of armor?”
***
Evie and Tom sat in the roadster staring at the dowager house.
“I don’t know if I should feel puzzled or amused.” Henrietta’s butler had directed them to another address to a manor house nearby. “They are definitely trying to engage my attention and interest. Do you think I’ve been ignoring them?�
� She tried to remember who lived in the Lodge, a local Georgian manor house with a pretty garden located between the village and Halton House. “Maybe there’s a new arrival I don’t know about.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“At one time, the Lodge had been used to house guests who couldn’t be accommodated at Halton House, especially during the shooting season. We had a tenant living there for a number of years but, since the end of the war, it’s been sitting empty.” She turned to Tom. “Do you have any theories?”
He shook his head. “I only hope they have tea and cake. We missed lunch.”
“How can you think of food at a time like this? The dowagers might be about to make a significant announcement that will impact the rest of my life.”
“Perhaps they have taken over the house and set up a shop. Didn’t Napoleon say something about the English being a nation of shopkeepers?”
“Please don’t say that within their hearing. I’m sure they’ll take offence and if they don’t they will certainly take a bite out of you with a sharp retort.” Frowning, she asked, “What sort of shop would they set up?”
Tom laughed. “A furniture store to sell all your unwanted furniture.”
“Or maybe Sara has decided to take up residence there. I have been wondering how they were getting along living together at the dowager house. They appeared to be enjoying each other’s company but I have been so preoccupied with my own life, I might have missed the signs of discontent.” Evie pointed ahead and leaned forward. “There it is. The hedges have been trimmed and there are new drapes.”
“You noticed the drapes?”
“They used to be a pretty shade of damask.” She sat back and nibbled the edge of her lip. “Now they’re brown. What can that possibly mean?”
Tom tipped his head back and laughed. “You are honestly reading too much into it. They’re drapes.”
“Oh, no. No. No. No. They are much more than that. Stay around long enough and you’ll come to learn a thing or two about the way the dowagers think.”
“Ready to face them?” Tom asked as he held the passenger door open.
“I guess there’s no running away from this.” Straightening, she lifted her chin. “Tally-ho.”