“You really can remember everything, can’t you?” Alexander said with awe.
Rose blushed and nodded.
“Wow, now that is a talent. How does one get a talent like that?”
“Maybe it comes with the spectacles?” David joked.
“Maybe so,” Alexander mused in mock seriousness. He reached over and removed Rose’s glasses and put them on. He tapped his finger against his lips thoughtfully for a moment. “Nope, nothing…I barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning.”
“You told me you didn’t have breakfast this morning. That is why you had three helpings of dessert tonight,” William said.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Then these definitely aren’t working,” Alexander said sadly, taking the glasses off and handing them back to Rose.
Rose shook her head, as she returned her spectacles to their rightful place.
“May we continue now?” Simon asked, more than a tad sarcastically.
“I don’t know. I think I may need a bit more brandy if I am going to have to put up with these two all night,” William said.
“Splendid idea, big brother…drinks all around!” Alexander announced, jumping up to gather the empty glasses.
“Good Lord,” Emily groaned.
…
Simon seconded Emily’s sentiment and he was about to tell Alexander what he could do with his drinks when he noticed that Rose had suddenly gone very quiet and the look on her face could only be described as one of intense concentration.
“Rose?” Simon queried.
She waved her hand at him sharply and he drew back in surprise. Clearly she did not want to be disturbed. It didn’t appear that the rest of the chatter in the room was bothering her, so he took a seat next to her and just watched as she slowly worked through whatever it was she was remembering.
The rest of the group began to notice something was going on when Rose started mumbling to herself and gesturing to people and moving things that weren’t there.
Finally, she looked up to find an entranced audience. She smiled weakly and waved at her baffled friends.
“Are you all right, Rose?” Simon asked.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.”
“Did you…remember something?” Simon said, because for the life of him, he couldn’t imagine another explanation for her bizarre behavior.
“Actually I did,” Rose said slowly. “It was something Alexander said…about drinks all around.”
Alexander puffed up proudly and elbowed Emily with a meaningful nod, as if to say, See what I did? In response, she rolled her eyes and got up to sit by Sarah, as far from Alexander as she could get.
Simon watched the exchange in exasperation, before turning his attentions back to Rose. “Go on, Rose.”
…
Rose looked at him and the other faces around her. She didn’t want to disappoint them, but the truth was she didn’t have much to report.
Yes, she remembered the events of the evening now as clearly as if they had just happened, but the key piece of information had not revealed itself and she was just sick about it. It was her idea to get everyone together, her belief that recreating the night would work, and now she was going to have to tell everyone that the entire effort was for naught.
“Well, as I said, it was Alexander who got me thinking. Frederick was fine throughout dinner and from where Caleb was seated he had no opportunity to access his brother’s plate or beverage. Also, although we had not gotten that far in the recreation, I remembered that Caleb did not arrive until just before dinner was served, and therefore had no chance to poison the food prior to it being brought to the table.”
“That’s right,” William said. “His mother was quite put out by Collicott’s late appearance. As a member of the family, he was expected to be there earlier to help with the hosting.”
“Exactly!” Rose replied. “So, considering all that, it stands to reason that the poisoning had to have occurred during after-dinner drinks.”
“I guess that’s it then,” David said dejectedly. “Rose would not have been with us men after dinner, so there is no way she would remember seeing anything.”
“No, that’s not true!” Hannah exclaimed. “Lady Shrewsbury insisted that we all take drinks together, remember?”
“Yes. She wanted to make sure Frederick and Miss Waterston had time to, er, get to know each other better,” Emily chimed in.
“She had barely said two words to him during the meal,” Sarah added. “She was too busy making snide comments to David.”
That was because it was clear Miss Waterston found David much more to her liking than Frederick, Rose thought, but she didn’t have the heart to say that out loud. It was not relevant to the case, anyway.
“So, as we now recall, we were all together in the parlor after the meal,” Rose said.
Everyone nodded.
“We had broken up into smaller groups,” Rose continued. “The older ladies were gathered together near the entrance of the room—”
“Presumably to keep any eligible bachelors from leaving the room prematurely,” William drawled knowingly, winking at his betrothed.
Rose grinned. She was really beginning to like Lord Pembroke. He was the perfect match for Hannah, with his dry wit and levelheaded demeanor.
“Our mothers are nothing if not tenacious,” Hannah agreed, nudging William as if they shared a private joke.
“Amen,” David and Alexander replied and everyone in the room laughed at the gentlemen’s equally beleaguered tones.
Glad of the much needed amusement, Rose continued. “As I was saying…the mothers were by the door and we young ladies”—Rose glanced fondly at her girlfriends—“were seated in the corner chatting—”
“—and watching the young gentlemen,” Emily drawled, in much the same fashion as Lord Pembroke had moments earlier.
Rose acknowledged the truth of that statement with a slight blush and a stutter. “Yes, ah, yes…and the fathers were standing around the fireplace smoking. And finally the young gentlemen were gathered in the opposite corner from the ladies doing whatever it is young gentlemen, ah, do,” Rose finished uncertainly.
“Likely we were all pretending not to watch the young ladies,” Simon said in truth. David, Alexander, and William nodded with small guilty smiles on their faces.
The ladies all rolled their eyes at that and looked at one another with an utter lack of surprise.
“And then what happened?” Hannah asked, bringing them back on topic.
“Well, about an hour into drinks, Caleb and Frederick began to have a heated argument. All of you men were there. Do you remember what it was about?”
“It was about Collicott needing to make something of his life. Frederick was always worried about his brother, if you can believe it. Worried that he had no ambition or drive. As a younger son, he needed to decide how he wanted to spend his life, since it was unlikely he would inherit,” William said with some irony.
“That’s right,” Simon agreed. “Caleb used to complain about how Frederick was pushing him to make a decision between the clergy or the military. I know Frederick was only trying to make sure Caleb was taken care of, but really…Caleb in the clergy or military? I just can’t see it.”
Rose knew that younger sons of the aristocracy really didn’t have a lot of recourses for their livelihood. They didn’t have family estates to run, unless given a lesser one to manage by their father or, in this case, brother, and it wasn’t socially acceptable for them to join a trade. That left the clergy, military, or most preferably an advantageous marriage.
“Why wasn’t Frederick pushing Caleb to marry?” Rose asked, not understanding the logic.
“Ahhh…Frederick and my uncle were not…convinced that, er…” Simon started uncomfortably, “that Caleb was interested in women.”
Simon’s statement was met with a stunned silence.
“I see,” Rose said quietly. Under normal circumstances, she probably wouldn’t
have seen quite so readily, but as it happened her uncle was of a similar bent.
Her uncle was much younger than her father—not much older than herself, actually—and when Rose was old enough to begin asking questions about her uncle’s, er, differences, her grandmother had a “talk” with her.
Rose’s grandmother was a remarkable woman and her acceptance of her younger son was a mark of true unconditional love. And because his condition was explained to Rose through that love, she was able to look upon her uncle and men like him with an open mind, though—she was the first to admit—not with a complete understanding of their inclinations.
However, knowing that Caleb had recently tried to coerce Hannah into marrying him, Rose thought that perhaps Frederick and his father were incorrect in their assumption; though, it was not inconceivable that Caleb was trying to convince himself, and others, of his interest in women by forcing the issue. Appearances were of vital importance to Caleb, by all accounts, and regardless of preferences to the contrary, gentlemen married ladies.
“I can see how that could be a sensitive and volatile topic,” Rose allowed. “And perhaps that is why Alexander felt the need to break the tension by suggesting drinks all around.”
At this point everyone finally understood how Alexander’s comment earlier had prompted this revelation of Rose’s. They all sat on the edge of their seats and waited for her to continue.
“I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but the moment Alexander mentioned getting new drinks, Caleb suddenly relaxed and actually smiled serenely. Then he offered to get the drinks himself.”
There was a collective gasp in the room as the implication set in.
“So he was afforded the perfect opportunity to poison Frederick’s drink,” Emily said in a hushed tone.
Alexander looked sick. “It’s because of me, then.” He looked up and said, “If I hadn’t suggested that we should all get new drinks—”
“No! Alexander, you cannot think like that,” Emily cut in, to everyone’s surprise. “It is clear Caleb had been planning this all along. He would have found some way to poison Frederick whether you had said anything or not.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, but Alexander still looked miserable and it wasn’t until William got up and walked over to speak softly to his brother that Alexander relaxed somewhat and finally gave a weak smile. William clapped him affectionately on the shoulder before moving back to his seat next to Hannah. Hannah hugged William’s arm, love shining clearly in her eyes.
“Rose,” Simon said, turning the attention back to her, “were you able to see if Caleb poisoned Frederick’s drink while he was at the beverage cart?”
Rose shook her head. “I saw him go to the cart and I remember he kept one glass slightly separate from the rest. He very deliberately handed that glass to Frederick. I also recall that Caleb could barely remove his eyes from his brother the entire time Frederick was drinking his brandy. It is all so suspicious now; I cannot believe I did not realize his intent that night!”
“Do you remember anything at all about how he mixed the drinks?” David asked.
“His back was to me,” Rose said resignedly. “Aside from seeing a shaking movement that must have been when he was emptying whatever container he had into the drink, I didn’t see anything. Not even him putting whatever it was back in a pocket or anything.”
Rose had been wracking her brain for the past half hour and could come up with nothing, but at the same time she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she was missing something. Something of vital importance.
“Perhaps he dropped it into a nearby vase or planter? He knew he could retrieve it later. Who would be looking for such a thing while Frederick was so ill?” Alexander surmised.
“I suppose we could try and look for some clue around where the drink cart was in the room,” Simon suggested.
“It sounds like our only recourse,” Rose agreed, but it was clear she was not holding out hope that they would find something. “Thank you all for coming tonight anyway. I am sorry that the evening did not end on the high note I had hoped.”
Everyone murmured their understanding and thanks for the dinner, but they were leaving with a lot on their minds and absolutely no expectation of success for their efforts of the night.
On her ride home, Rose wondered at herself for the wealth of optimism she had felt at the beginning of the party. When all was said and done, nothing she and Simon had done that evening had brought them any closer to proving Caleb a murderer than before. All she had done was further their own beliefs that Frederick was poisoned and then offer no possible recourse for the knowledge.
With a long sigh, Rose finally had to admit to herself that her first real mission with Lady Lancaster’s Garden Society was a failure. A complete and utter failure.
Chapter Nine
A friend is one who knows all about you and still loves you.
—The Duke of Lancaster
The next morning, Sarah stopped by to see if Rose wanted to go shopping. Rose suspected the invitation was an attempt to cheer her up. Sarah could always be counted on to be there, regardless of the situation. She could also be counted on for an honest—sometimes too honest—assessment of the problems at hand.
“Yes, it was a waste of time, Rose,” Sarah was saying, as the two ladies made their way down the streets of the shopping district, “but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good idea. Your memory is phenomenal, but even you can’t see and hear everything!”
“I suppose,” Rose replied, “but I wish I could figure out what was still bothering me about that night.”
“Well, the fact that Lord Shrewsbury died is a little bothersome,” Sarah said bluntly.
Rose rolled her eyes. “That is not what I meant and you know it!”
Sarah had the grace to look sheepish. “I rather suspected that, yes.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“Why do I say anything I say?” Sarah replied with a shrug. “It just…comes out.”
Rose giggled at that, because she had very little doubt it was true. “Thank you, Sarah.” Rose sighed gratefully. She felt as if she hadn’t smiled in days.
“Thank you for what?”
“For making me laugh. I really needed that.”
“You’re wel— Oh, Rose, look!” Sarah exclaimed suddenly. “Aren’t those earbobs lovely?”
Rose was still grinning as she turned to look at the jewels Sarah had found. She followed Sarah’s finger to the emerald earbobs, which would, quite frankly, look splendid with her red hair.
“Yes, those are love—” Rose broke off mid-sentence and just stared at the window.
“Rose?” Sarah said. “Are you all right?”
Rose turned slowly and said, “The ring.”
Sarah looked in the window again and Rose pointed. Just to the right of the earbobs was a large ornate ring. It appeared to be the kind that opened to reveal a tiny area to hold a small trinket or whatnot inside.
“Yes, I see it,” Sarah said. “You are talking about the really ugly one next to the earbobs, correct?”
Rose just gave her a look.
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean ugly as in not attractive, I…uh…oh dear,” Sarah finished lamely.
“As it happens, I was not pointing out the ring because I liked it, but rather because it reminded me of something. Something very important.”
Sarah sagged in apparent relief. “I knew it wasn’t your style!” she said. “Wait…what do you mean by very important?”
“I mean we need to go home—now!” Rose said as she grabbed Sarah’s arm and began pulling her back in the direction from which they came.
“But we haven’t finished our shop—” Sarah began, tripping clumsily after her friend.
Rose stopped suddenly, causing Sarah to crash into her with a shriek, thereby ending her sentence quite succinctly. Once they had both righted themselves, Rose said ominously, “Sarah, I think I have just discovered the clue to Caleb Colli
cott’s undoing. Don’t you think that is a bit more important than buying a couple of new ribbons?”
“Well, when you put it that way…”
“Good, now come along.”
Rose once again turned them toward home. If they hurried, they could reach their neighborhood in Mayfair within the hour. Rose hoped it would still be early enough in the day to get a note off to Simon so that they could meet immediately.
There really was no time to waste.
…
For the second time in a week, Simon found himself standing on the Warren household steps responding to a summons from Rose.
Truthfully, he was glad to have an excuse to see her. He was a little worried about her after last night.
Again it was as if she were waiting for him, for when the door swung open, there she was. And to his surprise, his heart fairly leapt at the sight of her. However, not surprisingly, Simon was hardly given the chance to greet her properly before he was pulled into the library, with the door shut and all.
Not again, Simon groaned to himself. He crossed his arms, raised his brow, and said, “And what have you presumed for us to do today, pray tell?”
“Oh, Simon, I think I have figured it out!” Rose gushed, running to him and throwing her arms around him happily. The hug was followed by an enthusiastic, if not particularly experienced, kiss on the lips.
Well, now, this is new, Simon thought, as he quite willingly returned the embrace and the kiss. He wasn’t exactly sure what Rose had figured out, but at the moment, he didn’t particularly care.
Once Simon had completed his leisurely exploration of Rose’s supple lips, he gently set her back on her heels and smiled at the pretty picture she presented to him. Her eyes were closed behind her slightly askew spectacles, her lips were plump and rosy from their kiss, and her cheeks were flushed the most becoming shade of pink. All in all, his Rose looked positively delectable.
Rose slowly opened her eyes to see Simon smiling down at her and her already pink cheeks darkened further. “Hello,” she whispered.
“Hello, my sweet,” Simon whispered back, amusement sparkling in his eyes.
Romancing His English Rose (Entangled Scandalous) Page 7