Murder at the Ice Ball
Page 25
“I don’t skate,” Katherine answered. “Would you?”
Lyle grunted. “I signed up to watch the crowd and keep the peace.”
“Has the date for the trial been set?”
After Pru had hit her over the head, Mrs. Dillinger had been knocked unconscious, hurt but not killed. She had been remanded into a special room at Bow Street, one that her father had paid for privately.
“Lord Rochford tried again to negotiate the magistrate down to paying a fine rather than incarceration or death for the murder.” Lyle’s voice was tense. When Katherine glanced at him sideways, she found his jaw clenched with anger and his hands balled at his sides. “He might have succeeded, too, if not for Lord Conyers.”
“Conyers stepped forward?” Katherine asked, surprised.
“Lady Rochford had no family to speak of, no one to avenge her if her husband did not. Lord Conyers is set to testify against Mrs. Dillinger, having proof that she tried to frame him for the crime.”
“What proof?”
“His neighbor saw Mrs. Dillinger plant the ring. She is able to identify her and has also agreed to testify. Not to mention his own testimony that she tried to bribe him to confess to the murder.”
An eye for an eye, a life for a life. Even if it would keep someone with as much hatred and desperation as Mrs. Dillinger from hurting anyone else, it still didn’t sit easy with Katherine. Her heart ached for Lord Rochford. He’d lost a wife and two children.
“That’s something, I suppose.”
Lyle clapped her on the shoulder, jolting her nearly out of her skin. “The verdict is for the magistrate to decide. You did your part in catching her, Katherine.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t feel appeased.
Pru skated into view and stopped neatly in front of them on the ice. Her eyes gleamed. “Katherine, you’ll never believe what I’ve just heard!”
Katherine searched the throng for Lord Annandale. “Where is your fiancé?”
“Over there with Lord Bath and Elizabeth. He got cajoled into escorting Grandma Bath around as she tries to hand out samples of the Bath water.”
“They must be frozen over,” Katherine muttered under her breath with a shake of her head. Louder, she added, “You left him there alone?”
“He’s with three other people,” she said, amusement in her voice. When Katherine continued to look, she added, “If it’s Wayland you’re hoping to find, he isn’t here today. A shame, since you’re wearing something halfway decent.”
Katherine ignored the taunt, too weary to complain. Wayland had come to their rescue at Mrs. Dillinger's, but they’d already had the killer well in hand. But how had he even known she was there? Had he followed her, despite pretending to be aloof? Pru had later told her that Wayland hadn’t left with her. And he’d even complimented Katherine on her skills of deduction. She’d almost felt that they could be friends.
Likely Wayland did not feel the same, though she did find it curious that the day her father attended the Hyde Park Frost Fair, Wayland did not. Papa still refused to be any more specific as to why he disliked Wayland, but there must be a reason for them to avoid each other like that. Why, then, did Wayland seem to always seek her out?
Forcing a smile, she asked Pru, “What did you learn?”
Her face brightening, the other woman gushed, “I’ve been speaking with Lady Brackley about her next book.”
At that, Katherine chuckled. “Lucy is always nattering on about her next book. Or about her past ones, if you ask.”
“Her book was brilliant! I couldn’t stop reading, so I’m more than willing to hear what she has next. But that isn’t why I came to speak with you.”
“No?” Katherine raised her eyebrow.
Pru reached out to clasp Katherine’s hands even though it put her on precarious footing. “She wants to do some research about an old, unsolved murder here in London. Her next book will have something to do with the mystery, but she needs to solve it first, and she wants our help, Katherine!”
Returning to the present more fully than she had since Mrs. Dillinger’s arrest, Katherine found her friend’s enthusiasm infectious. “Finding us jobs, are you, Pru?”
Grinning, Pru winked. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to be bored over the winter.”
Lyle said, “You know I’m willing to lend a hand, too, in any way I can.”
“What do you say, Katherine?”
Katherine couldn’t say no to two sets of eager eyes. She smiled. “Very well. Let’s talk with Lady Brackley and see if this investigation isn’t too old to be solved.”
It would be more convenient if Katherine could invite her back to a townhouse of her own, where they wouldn’t be overheard by prying ears. Now that this business of the murder investigation was over, she wondered if Lord Conyers might be persuaded to sell her his townhouse on Charles Street. In her line of work, having a neighbor as observant as Mrs. Ramsey could come in handy.
*********
More books in the Lady Katherine Regency Mystery series:
An Invitation to Murder (Book 1)
The Baffling Burglaries of Bath (Book 2)
Sign up to join my email list to get all my latest release at the lowest possible price, plus as a benefit for signing up today, I will send you a copy of a Leighann Dobbs book that hasn't been published anywhere...yet!
http://www.leighanndobbs.com/newsletter
If you are on Facebook, please join my VIP readers group and get exclusive content plus updates on all my books. It’s a fun group where you can feel at home, ask questions and talk about your favorite reads:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ldobbsreaders/
If you want to receive a text message on your cell phone when I have a new release, text COZYMYSTERY to 88202 (sorry, this only works for US cell phones!)
If you liked this book, you might also like my Hazel Martin Mystery series set in 1920s England:
Murder at Lowry House (book 1)
Murder by Misunderstanding (book 2)
Also by Leighann Dobbs
Cozy Mysteries
Blackmoore Sisters
Cozy Mystery Series
* * *
Dead Wrong
Dead & Buried
Dead Tide
Buried Secrets
Deadly Intentions
A Grave Mistake
Spell Found
Fatal Fortune
-------
Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series
* * *
Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series Boxed Set Vol 1 (Books 1-4)
Or buy the books separately:
Killer Cupcakes
Dying For Danish
Murder, Money and Marzipan
3 Bodies and a Biscotti
Brownies, Bodies & Bad Guys
Bake, Battle & Roll
Wedded Blintz
Scones, Skulls & Scams
Ice Cream Murder
Mummified Meringues
Brutal Brulee (Novella)
No Scone Unturned
Cream Puff Killer
-------
-------
Kate Diamond Mystery Adventures
***
Hidden Agemda (Book 1)
Ancient Hiss Story (Book 2)
Heist Society (Book 3)
-------
Silver Hollow
Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series
***
A Spell of Trouble (Book 1)
Spell Disaster (Book 2)
Nothing to Croak About (Book 3)
Cry Wolf (Book 4)
-------
Mooseamuck Island Cozy Mystery Series
* * *
A Zen For Murder
A Crabby Killer
A Treacherous Treasure
-------
Mystic Notch
Cat Cozy Mystery Series
* * *
Ghostly Paws
A Spirited Tail
A Mew To A Kill
Paws and
Effect
Probable Paws
-------
Hazel Martin Historical Mystery Series
***
Murder at Lowry House (book 1)
Murder by Misunderstanding (book 2)
-------
Lady Katherine Regency Mysteries
***
An Invitation to Murder (Book 1)
The Baffling Burglaries of Bath (Book 2)
-------
Sam Mason Mysteries
(As L. A. Dobbs)
***
Telling Lies (Book 1)
Keeping Secrets (Book 2)
Exposing Truths (Book 3)
Betraying Trust (Book 4)
-------
Romantic Comedy
***
Corporate Chaos Series
In Over Her Head (book 1)
Can’t Stand the Heat (book 2)
What Goes Around Comes Around (book 3)
Careful What You Wish For (4)
-------
Contemporary Romance
***
Reluctant Romance
-------
Sweet Romance (Written As Annie Dobbs)
Firefly Inn Series
***
Another Chance (Book 1)
Another Wish (Book 2)
-------
Hometown Hearts Series
***
No Getting Over You (Book 1)
A Change of Heart (Book 2)
-------
***
Sweetrock Sweet and Spicy Cowboy Romance
Some Like It Hot
Too Close For Comfort
____
Regency Romance
* * *
Scandals and Spies Series:
Kissing The Enemy
Deceiving the Duke
Tempting the Rival
Charming the Spy
Pursuing the Traitor
Captivating the Captain
The Unexpected Series:
An Unexpected Proposal
An Unexpected Passion
Dobbs Fancytales:
Dobbs Fancytales Boxed Set Collection
____
Western Historical Romance
***
Goldwater Creek Mail Order Brides:
Faith
American Mail Order Brides Series:
Chevonne: Bride of Oklahoma
___________________
Magical Romance with a Touch of Mystery
***
Something Magical
Curiously Enchanted
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
WRITING AS LEE ANNE JONES:
***
The Rockford Security Series:
Deadly Betrayal (Book 1)
Fatal Games (Book 2)
Treacherous Seduction (Book 3)
Calculating Desires (Book 4)
Wicked Deception (Book 5)
About Leighann Dobbs
USA Today bestselling author, Leighann Dobbs, discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. When she's not reading, gardening, making jewelry or selling antiques, she likes to write cozy mystery and historical romance books.
Her book "Dead Wrong" won the "Best Mystery Romance" award at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention.
Her book "Ghostly Paws" was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.
Find out about her latest books by signing up at:
http://www.leighanndobbs.com/newsletter
Connect with Leighann on Facebook
http://facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks
Join her VIP readers group on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ldobbsreaders/
About Harmony Williams
About Harmony Williams
If Harmony Williams had a time machine, she would live in the Regency era. The only thing she loves more than writing strong, funny women in polite society is immersing herself in the nuances of the past. When not writing or researching, she likes to binge-watch mystery shows and spend time with her one-hundred-pound lapdog in their rural Canadian home. For glimpses into the secrets and settings of future Regency Matchmaker Mystery books, sign up for her newsletter at http://www.harmonywilliams.com/newsletter.