Murder at Merisham Lodge: Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate: Book 1

by Grace, Celina

  “Well, it suddenly occurred to me that we’d all been thinking that there was just one killer. I was watching…er, Nora and Benton, together at lunch, and despite me knowing of their...er, attachment, even if that had been broken, they acted as if they were invisible to one another. No, not even that, as if they disliked one another.” I could see by the looks on Mrs Anstells’ and Mr Fenwick’s faces that they didn’t know what I was talking about. I sighed and elaborated. “Nora and Benton had been romantically involved with one another. But the way they acted around one another was as if they actively disliked one another. It was a smokescreen, to camouflage their real feelings. And even after their affection had been broken, they were still acting like that. I suppose it had become second nature.”

  I rubbed my throat again. It still hurt to talk, but I went on. “I suddenly realised, watching them, that I’d seen Duncan and Rosalind act in exactly the same way. They pretended to dislike each other because actually, they felt exactly the opposite but didn’t want anyone to know. Once I’d realised that, it seemed so obvious. There was never just one killer, there were two.”

  “Shocking,” said Mrs Anstells. Mr Fenwick said nothing but shook his head in what I took to be silent denigration of the depravity of human beings.

  “Once I realised that there were two people involved, and that Benton might have been with Nora on the night that Lady Eveline was murdered, it was easy to look at alibis and realise that Duncan, on that night, and Rosalind on the night that Peter Drew was killed, didn’t actually have watertight alibis after all. Benton lied about his whereabouts because he didn’t want to get into trouble. Just like Gladdie never said anything about what she’d seen Lord Cartwright do the night Lady Alice died.”

  “So Duncan killed his stepmother,” said Inspector Marks.

  I nodded. “That was the planned killing. I think they killed Peter – I mean, Rosalind killed him – because he’d found out something about the first murder. He was blackmailing Duncan – you remember, Verity, he talked to Dorothy about the money he was coming into?” Verity nodded, her mouth tight. “We thought then it was because he was going to inherit from his mother’s estate, but of course we found out that that wasn’t the case.”

  Mrs Watling looked rather sick. She had emptied her second sherry glass. “I would never have believed it. Young Duncan. He was such a sweet little boy. I find it hard to believe he could do such a thing.”

  “I’m afraid it’s true,” said Inspector Marks. “He confessed to it. It was a revenge killing, of course. Duncan knew that his father was responsible for the death of his mother, Lady Alice. That must have festered inside him for years, especially when Lord Cartwright married Lady Eveline so quickly after Lady Alice’s death.”

  “Is that what he meant when he said ‘she killed my mother’?” I asked. “Lady Eveline?”

  The inspector shrugged. “No doubt that’s what he thought – that Lady Eveline was in on the plot with his father. It could be true. It could be false. I suppose unless Lord Cartwright comes clean, we might never know.”

  “Revenge,” Mrs Watling said, shaking her head. “What a terrible thing.”

  “It wasn’t just that,” said Verity. We all looked at her. She smoothed a wisp of hair back from her face and went on speaking. “Joan and I think Duncan and Rosalind had a much more prosaic reason.”

  “What is that?” Mrs Watling asked, looking as if she might faint at the thought of an even more depraved motive being revealed.

  Verity looked sad. “Money. Duncan knew that if his father were hanged for murder, he would inherit everything. The title, the properties, the land, the whole estate. Then he and Rosalind could do what they liked.”

  I was nodding. I had known there was a reason that the wills in this case had seemed so important.

  Mrs Anstells looked very disapproving. “I cannot believe, Inspector, that you allowed this young girl to put herself in terrible danger. I find it difficult to accept that the police force allow such unorthodox methods.”

  The inspector looked amused. “Well, I don’t get results by being particularly orthodox, my dear Mrs Anstells. But you’re right. I would never have allowed Miss Hart here to go so far in the pursuit of justice if I’d known what she was about.”

  The four elders looked severely at both me and Verity. I kept my face straight but I could hear Verity’s thoughts as clearly as if she were shouting them in my ear. I didn’t dare look at her for bursting out laughing.

  “It was very forward indeed of you, Joan,” said Mr Fenwick, his eyebrows bristling. Then he sighed. “Although we’re none of us quite ourselves at the moment. It’s been such an unsettled time.”

  “I should be very sorry to lose Joan,” Mrs Watling said unexpectedly. “She’s an enormous help to me.”

  I held my breath. Was I about to be dismissed? Was Mrs Watling softening the blow?

  “Well, there won’t be any question of her leaving,” Mr Fenwick said, sounding rather grumpy about it. “Although, Joan, I hope we never see or hear of you making such a spectacle of yourself ever again. Your place depends on it.”

  “I understand, sir,” I said, trying to sound as demure and respectful as possible.

  “The same goes for you, Verity,” said Mr Fenwick, glaring at her from under his brows.

  “Yes, sir.” Verity looked as innocent as it was possible for her to look.

  “Well,” said the inspector. He took his hat in his hand and made to stand up. “I hope that this will be the last time we meet, Miss Hart and Miss Hunter.” He straightened the sleeve of his suit jacket and shot us both a glance. “But I do wonder. I’ll see myself out, Fenwick, and leave you in peace. Hopefully this will be the end to it and you can all get back to normal now.”

  Later, Verity and I stood at the edge of the terrace, looking out at the gardens. It was a damp, dreary, misty sort of day with little ribbons of mist hanging about the trees. I thought I should be feeling exhilarated, or at least glad, but, truth be told, I felt sort of empty. Sort of flat. I suppose I was just exhausted. My throat really hurt.

  “You know what the inspector said about getting back to normal?” asked Verity.

  I looked at her. “Yes?”

  “Well, it’s not really going to happen, is it? I mean, the only one left of the family now is Dorothy, and she won’t want to stay here. Too many bad memories.”

  “True,” I agreed. “So, it’s back to London for us, I suppose?”

  “I suppose so. Until everything gets settled.”

  I sighed. “Another court case.”

  Verity gave me a nudge with her elbow. “If you want to avoid the court cases, Joanie, you’ve got to stop catching criminals.”

  I laughed. “Yes, I suppose so.”

  We stood silently for a moment, looking out at the dripping verdure. I wondered if Verity was running our recent conversation with the inspector through her mind, just as I was. Something occurred to me.

  “Oh, V, what are we going to do about Nora? How can we help her?”

  Verity gave me a glance I couldn’t interpret. “Don’t worry, Joanie. I’ll make sure she’s all right.”

  “In what way?”

  Verity patted my hand. “Don’t you worry about it.” She hesitated and then said “I’ve spoken to Dorothy about it and she’s agreed to help her.”

  “Dorothy has?” I couldn’t understand it.

  Verity nodded. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to convince Mrs Anstells to keep Nora on, but we can certainly help with the...the other situation.” I didn’t really understand what she meant, although I had an inkling.

  “Is Dorothy very angry at her?” I asked.

  Verity shook her head. “Let’s just say she…sympathises.”

  I turned a shocked face to Verity, who smiled and then shook her head very slightly, letting me understand she wouldn’t say any more.

  I understood and nodded. We stood there for a moment longer in silence, busy with our own thoughts. Then
Verity shivered. “I’ll be glad to get back to the old Smoke,” she said.

  “Yes?” I wasn’t so sure, myself. Much as my time at Merisham Lodge had been fraught with danger and distress, I would miss the countryside.

  Verity shivered again, theatrically. “Yes. It’s too bloody dangerous in the countryside.”

  I laughed. Then I tucked my arm around hers. “Come on. Let’s get a cup of tea before we start work again.”

  “Good idea.” She gave my arm an answering squeeze and we began to walk back to the kitchens, leaving the gardens behind us.

  THE END

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  Want some more of Celina Grace’s work for free? Subscribers to her mailing list get a free digital copy of Requiem (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 2), a free digital copy of A Prescription for Death (The Asharton Manor Mysteries Book 2) and a free PDF copy of her short story collection A Blessing from The Obeah Man.

  Requiem (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 2)

  When the body of troubled teenager Elodie Duncan is pulled from the river in Abbeyford, the case is at first assumed to be a straightforward suicide. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is shocked to discover that she’d met the victim the night before her death, introduced by Kate’s younger brother Jay. As the case develops, it becomes clear that Elodie was murdered. A talented young musician, Elodie had been keeping some strange company and was hiding her own dark secrets.

  As the list of suspects begin to grow, so do the questions. What is the significance of the painting Elodie modelled for? Who is the man who was seen with her on the night of her death? Is there any connection with another student’s death at the exclusive musical college that Elodie attended?

  As Kate and her partner Detective Sergeant Mark Olbeck attempt to unravel the mystery, the dark undercurrents of the case threaten those whom Kate holds most dear…

  A Prescription for Death (The Asharton Manor Mysteries: Book 2) – a novella

  “I had a surge of kinship the first time I saw the manor, perhaps because we’d both seen better days.”

  It is 1947. Asharton Manor, once one of the most beautiful stately homes in the West Country, is now a convalescent home for former soldiers. Escaping the devastation of post-war London is Vivian Holt, who moves to the nearby village and begins to volunteer as a nurse’s aide at the manor. Mourning the death of her soldier husband, Vivian finds solace in her new friendship with one of the older patients, Norman Winter, someone who has served his country in both world wars. Slowly, Vivian’s heart begins to heal, only to be torn apart when she arrives for work one day to be told that Norman is dead.

  It seems a straightforward death, but is it? Why did a particular photograph disappear from Norman’s possessions after his death? Who is the sinister figure who keeps following Vivian? Suspicion and doubts begin to grow and when another death occurs, Vivian begins to realise that the war may be over but the real battle is just beginning…

  A Blessing from The Obeah Man

  Dare you read on? Horrifying, scary, sad and thought-provoking, this short story collection will take you on a macabre journey. In the titular story, a honeymooning couple take a wrong turn on their trip around Barbados. The Mourning After brings you a shivery story from a suicidal teenager. In Freedom Fighter, an unhappy middle-aged man chooses the wrong day to make a bid for freedom, whereas Little Drops of Happiness and Wave Goodbye are tales of darkness from sunny Down Under. Strapping Lass and The Club are for those who prefer, shall we say, a little meat to the story…

  Just go to Celina’s website to sign up. It’s quick, easy and free. Be the first to be informed of promotions, giveaways, new releases and subscriber-only benefits by subscribing to her (occasional) newsletter.

  http://www.celinagrace.com

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  Death at the Theatre (Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate: Book 2)

  London, 1932. Kitchen maid, Joan Hart, and lady’s maid, Verity Hunter, intend to enjoy their trip to the theatre, especially as Verity’s uncle Tommy is one of the leading men in the play. Unfortunately, Act Two of the play is curtailed when the lights come up in the interval, and the girls realise a man has been stabbed to death almost under their very noses.

  The case reunites the servant sleuths with their old ally, Detective Inspector Marks, and whilst the girls do their best to solve the case whilst keeping their jobs, the glitter and glamour of the theatre may prove to be as dangerous as any battlefield…

  Death at the Theatre is the second book in the historical mystery series, Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate, featuring the servant sleuths Joan Hart and Verity Hunter.

  Now available for pre-order on Amazon.

  Have you read the first Asharton Manor Mystery? This is the book that introduces Joan and Verity and it’s available as a permanently FREE download:

  Death at the Manor (The Asharton Manor Mysteries: Book 1)

  **Please note - this is a novella-length piece of fiction – not a full length novel**

  It is 1929. Asharton Manor stands alone in the middle of a pine forest, once the place where ancient pagan ceremonies were undertaken in honour of the goddess Astarte. The Manor is one of the most beautiful stately homes in the West Country and seems like a palace to Joan Hart, newly arrived from London to take up a servant’s position as the head kitchen maid. Getting to grips with her new role and with her fellow workers, Joan is kept busy, but not too busy to notice that the glittering surface of life at the Manor might be hiding some dark secrets. The beautiful and wealthy mistress of the house, Delphine Denford, keeps falling ill but why? Confiding her thoughts to her friend and fellow housemaid, feisty Verity Hunter, Joan is unsure of what exactly is making her uneasy, but then Delphine Denford dies…

  Armed only with their own good sense and quick thinking, Joan and Verity must pit their wits against a cunning murderer in order to bring them to justice.

  Download Death at the Manor from Amazon Kindle for free, available now.

  Other books by Celina Grace

  The Asharton Manor Mysteries

  Some old houses have more history than others...

  The Asharton Manor Mysteries Boxed Set is a four part series of novellas spanning the twentieth century. Each standalone story (about 20,000 words) uses Asharton Manor as the backdrop to a devious and twisting crime mystery. The boxed set includes the following stories:

  Death at the Manor

  It is 1929. Asharton Manor stands alone in the middle of a pine forest, once the place where ancient pagan ceremonies were undertaken in honour of the goddess Astarte. The Manor is one of the most beautiful stately homes in the West Country and seems like a palace to Joan Hart, newly arrived from London to take up a servant’s position as the head kitchen maid. Getting to grips with her new role and with her fellow workers, Joan is kept busy, but not too busy to notice that the glittering surface of life at the Manor might be hiding some dark secrets. The beautiful and wealthy mistress of the house, Delphine Denford, keeps falling ill but why? Confiding her thoughts to her friend and fellow housemaid Verity Hunter, Joan is unsure of what exactly is making her uneasy, but then Delphine Denford dies… Armed only with their own good sense and quick thinking, Joan and Verity must pit their wits against a cunning murderer in order to bring them to justice.

  A Prescription for Death

  It is 1947. Asharton Manor, once one of the most beautiful stately homes in the West Country, is now a convalescent home for former soldiers. Escaping the devastation of post-war London is Vivian Holt, who moves to the nearby village and begins to volunteer as a nurse’s aide at the manor. Mourning the death of her soldier husband, Vivian finds solace in her
new friendship with one of the older patients, Norman Winter, someone who has served his country in both world wars. Slowly, Vivian’s heart begins to heal, only to be torn apart when she arrives for work one day to be told that Norman is dead. It seems a straightforward death, but is it? Why did a particular photograph disappear from Norman’s possessions after his death? Who is the sinister figure who keeps following Vivian? Suspicion and doubts begin to grow and when another death occurs, Vivian begins to realise that the war may be over but the real battle is just beginning…

  The Rhythm of Murder

  It is 1973. Eve and Janey, two young university students, are en route to a Bristol commune when they take an unexpected detour to the little village of Midford. Seduced by the roguish charms of a young man who picks them up in the village pub, they are astonished to find themselves at Asharton Manor, now the residence of the very wealthy, very famous, very degenerate Blue Turner, lead singer of rock band Dirty Rumours. The golden summer rolls on, full of sex, drugs and rock and roll, but Eve begins to sense that there may be a sinister side to all the hedonism. And then one day, Janey disappears, seemingly run away… but as Eve begins to question what happened to her friend, she realises that she herself might be in terrible danger…

  Number Thirteen, Manor Close

  It is 2014. Beatrice and Mike Dunhill are finally moving into a house of their own, Number Thirteen, Manor Close. Part of the brand new Asharton Estate, Number Thirteen is built on the remains of the original Asharton Manor which was destroyed in a fire in 1973. Still struggling a little from the recent death of her mother, Beatrice is happy to finally have a home of her own – until she begins to experience some strange happenings that, try as she might, she can’t explain away. Her husband Mike seems unconvinced and only her next door neighbour Mia seems to understand Beatrice’s growing fear of her home. Uncertain of her own judgement, Beatrice must confront what lies beneath the beautiful surface of the Asharton Estate. But can she do so without losing her mind – or her life?