'I said that? Who says so? Of course I didn't! I'm not in the confidence of the constables, so how could I have known that? Besides, I didn't see him well enough to recognise him.'
'That did worry us,' Luke said calmly. 'But our witnesses still say that was what you said.'
Frederick blustered and denied it at first, then shrugged and gave an unconvincing laugh.
'Oh, well, I might have said something like that, I really can't remember. I was not being listened to, and I tried to force them to believe me. I might have exaggerated in the heat of the moment. It is not pleasant to have to denounce such a close family connection of such a vile crime. I wasn't myself, I was upset.'
Luke did not pursue it. The sound of vigorous yapping came from the hall, and a girl's voice saying 'Put it down, you horrid dog!' He wondered if he might be able to follow Bella as she took the dog on its walk. Suddenly it was imperative that he speak with her again. He dragged his attention back to Frederick.
'Where had you been, sir, before you saw your cousin? Can anyone verify your movements up to that time?'
'Do you doubt my word, sirrah?' Frederick demanded, leaping to his feet.
Luke rose warily. 'Of course not, sir. But you may have forgotten some other detail. I merely thought that there might be someone who was with you, or saw you leave, who might have seen your cousin at that time too.'
'Oh, yes.' Frederick scowled, but after a moment of internal struggle, reflected in the expressions flitting across his face, clearly decided not to pursue the argument. 'I'd been visiting a friend, in the next street, and was alone when I left his rooms, so there's no possibility of them being able to help.'
'And you saw no one while you were following your cousin? No acquaintance?'
'Unfortunately not.'
Luke could think of no more questions, and he was anxious to follow the enchanting Bella, so with a stern reminder that he might need to talk to Mr Redditch at some time in the future, he left.
His thoughts were whirling. For the moment he pushed all the information he had obtained from Frederick to one side. He could consider the implications later. Far more important, he considered, as he scanned Theobalds Road, was trying to find the man's sister-in-law. Bella, he thought, a pretty name. Was it Arabella, or perhaps Isabella? But it suited her, she was so beautiful. What exactly had the old Earl said? That her mother was chasing a Cit, trying to catch him, arrange a marriage with him. He'd thought it was for Lady Bates herself. Now he knew she had a daughter of marriageable age it was much more likely she was dangling the bait of a young, unspoilt and lovely girl. The very thought made him tremble with fury. The idea of an old man bedding such innocence and charm was revolting. The man might not be elderly, a small inner voice cautioned, and he pushed it down. If he was wealthy he had to be. He might be the son of such, the small voice persisted. Then why didn't he embrace the notion wholeheartedly? Any young and virile man could not help but be enchanted by such beauty. An old man, if he had scruples, might hesitate to wed her. His heart lifted. Perhaps that was the situation. From detesting the unknown merchant Luke began to look on him almost with favour.
Where could she have gone? Coram Fields was too far. From what he'd seen of the pug at Redditch Court he wouldn't be able to walk half that distance without expiring. But Bella would no doubt prefer an open space. Then he knew. Red Lion Square was a short distance away, and she could have turned towards it before he'd left the house, which explained why he had not seen her.
Luke hurried along, turned round the corner, and almost ran towards the Square. Then he slowed suddenly as he entered it, for Bella was coming towards him, the dog trailing behind her as it sought to investigate the entrancing smells.
'Mistress Bella,' Luke greeted her, raising his hat. 'I fear I may have startled you earlier. I wanted to apologise. I did not see you in the room, it was so dark.'
He was babbling, he knew he was, but he could not help himself. He'd never seen a girl as lovely as she was.
She smiled, shyly. 'Mama likes to keep the curtains almost closed. She says the sun will fade the chair covers, and we cannot afford to replace them. But I like to watch everything. It's more exciting than caring for my neices, or this horrid animal,' she said.
'Do you have to exercise it every day?' Luke asked eagerly.
'Usually.'
'About this time?'
'Yes, or a little earlier.'
'I often come this way at about this time. Perhaps we shall meet another day,' Luke said, resolving that they would.
She smiled. 'That would be pleasant.'
'Let me escort you to the door. You are going home now?'
'I will take a turn round the Square first,' she said. 'You must not walk back with me. Mama does not like me to talk to young men, though, so perhaps we ought not to be seen together.'
'But I may walk with you here?'
She did not refuse, indeed she inclined her head slightly, so Luke fell into step beside her. By the time they parted he knew little apart from the fact that Bella had always lived in that house, that her father had died when she was a baby, and they always seemed to be on the point of financial disaster.
'But somehow Mama always manages to come about,' she said with a sigh.
All too soon he had to bid her farewell, and turn his steps towards Clerkenwell. He was almost at his uncle's house before he could force his attention back to the information, such as it was, he had extracted from Frederick.
'It seems an unlikely tale,' he said later to his uncle. 'But why should he concoct such a story?'
'Malice? Envy, wanting to destroy Augustus and slip into his shoes? Even if it cannot be proven, until the real culprit is found, his cousin will always be looked on with suspicion.'
'And even if someone else is found guilty there are people who will say the verdict was wrong, and Augustus was guilty after all.'
***
Chapter 11
Rather despondently Luke set off later that afternoon to try and track down some of the other people who had been in the kitchen on the fatal morning. He didn't hold out a great deal of hope for his success. He had one name, the fishmonger Hadleigh, and he might be able to trace the Countess's milliner and her butcher, and even the girl delivering the milk. And he could always talk to the other servants from Redditch House. Suky and the boot boy, and Jane, the laundry maid, had all been in the kitchen, but he didn't really think any of them could be implicated. Still, they might be able to give him important scraps of information. He was discovering that none of the information he had fitted, and he needed more before he would be able to build up a complete picture.
He had just turned into Gray's Inn Lane when his name was called, and he caught a glimpse of Sam coming towards him. Sam gestured urgently. 'Luke, over here!'
He wove his way through the carts which always made this lane busy, and finally crossed over to where Sam waited.
'What brings you here?'
'Such a commotion! The constable's been asking questions again, and the Earl's fit to murder him. Or all of us, more like. I wanted to tell you something.'
'Here?' Luke suggested, indicating a tavern behind them, but Sam shook his head.
'Too public. Can we go back to your aunt's house?'
They turned round, and Sam refused to utter a word until they were in Aunt Caroline's morning room, and she had insisted on providing them with mugs of ale and some spice cakes just out of the oven.
'Please stay, Mrs Prevost,' Sam said when she made to leave them. 'I'd like you to try and make sense of it as well.'
'Three heads are better than two? Very well. Now what is it you have to tell us?'
Sam took a deep breath. 'The constable came again, and insisted on hearing what everyone had to say. He saw everyone, apart from Gillitty, that only a few of us know is still there, and you, Luke. He was put out you weren't there, and no one knew where you could be found. It makes it look bad for you.'
'For you too if he discovers
you knew where to find me and didn't tell him. Thanks, Sam.'
'He spent ages with Harris, then the Viscount went in again and came out looking like thunder. Harris refused to tell anyone what it was about, and he's been avoiding all of us since then.'
'None of the others discovered it, when they were questioned?' Luke asked. Had Harris known something to the Viscount's detriment? Yet surely if he had he'd have been turned off at once?
'There's Drummond and Cook, as well, of course. He hasn't seen either of them yet, but he said he means to. I don't know what the Earl and his Ma told him, but the rest of us knew what we'd all said. Anyway, it's all turned upside down now. It seems as though the Earl couldn't have done it, but his Ma could.'
'But – I thought Miss Armitage was with her? And no one was with him,' Luke protested.
'Well, Maggie now says she was with him, but had been too embarrassed to say so at first. She says there was nothing improper going on, they were just talking, but nobody believes that!'
'I wonder if she can be believed now?' Aunt Caroline said thoughtfully. 'Could the Viscount – I can't get used to him as the Earl – have forced her to supply him with an alibi?'
Luke nodded. 'It's possible. He'd be quite unscrupulous in threatening her if she didn't say what he wanted. But how could the Countess have the opportunity? Miss Armitage fetched her tea before Jenny brought up the Earl's chocolate.'
'Yes, she couldn't have done it then. But what we're all forgetting is that soldier who came,' Sam said triumphantly.
Luke looked startled. 'You mean he might have done it? Someone had paid him? But how could anyone know he would have the opportunity?'
Sam shook his head. 'Not him, that's too hard to believe, even though he was alone in the drawing room for ages.' He turned to explain to Mrs Prevost. 'I took him up to the drawing room, you see. It's on the first floor, same floor as the principal bedrooms.'
'You mean where the Earl and his wife and son all slept?'
Sam nodded. 'I had to do it, as Drummond wasn't there. Or at least he was there, in the kitchen, but wasn't doing his job, he was waiting for that hackney. Then I went to ask if the Countess would see him. She said soon, and I went downstairs. But Miss Armitage didn't go along to the drawing room with her.'
'So if the timing was right, and she saw the chocolate where Jenny had left it, and if she had some cyanide handy, she could have slipped it in,' Luke said slowly. 'But that's not likely. There are too many chancy things. And where would she get the poison?'
'It also means I was up there, after I left the soldier, and Miss Armitage was on her own too after the Countess went into the drawing room.'
Luke buried his head in his hands. 'So many more potential poisoners!'
'I hope you don't count me!' Sam said with a cheerful laugh.
Luke shook his head. 'I don't, but does the constable? Can anyone be sure of the time? I suppose it's possible any of them might have seen the chocolate, been alone with it for a few seconds.'
His aunt sighed deeply. 'It doesn't fit,' she said slowly. 'To have the poison available it has to be planned. Yet to take the chance of putting it in the chocolate indicates someone took a sudden opportunity. I suppose it's just possible the Countess, or anyone else for that matter, carried it round with them just in case they had this opportunity, but it just doesn't feel right.'
Luke nodded. 'It's much more likely to have been put in the chocolate while it was in the kitchen.'
'The soldier came in through the kitchen,' Sam said. 'It was a few minutes before anyone noticed him and asked what he wanted. He said he'd been told to wait there when he knocked. He could have been near the chocolate.'
'Cook didn't mention him,' Luke said. 'I wonder why not, when she could recall everyone else?'
'She might have been fetching some of her bags,' Sam suggested. 'Or she might have been outside, too busy saying a fond farewell to Mr Hadleigh!'
'If he was there for just a few minutes, that's possible, I suppose,' Luke agreed. 'That means he might have been hired to do it. But would he have waited so long afterwards? It was ages before the Countess went to him.'
Sam nodded. 'If I'd done it I'd have scarpered as fast as my legs would carry me.'
Luke was puzzled. 'Has there been any confirmation of the news he brought? Is Percy really dead?'
Sam looked startled. 'You mean it could be young Percy? Hoaxing everyone, come home and murdered his dad while everyone thought he was dead or on the other side of the world? Or hired someone to do it for him?'
'If an official letter comes, which it must do soon if he's really dead, let me know. Until it does we have to keep him in mind too.'
After a few minutes while they thought about this complication, Aunt Caroline sighed and turned to Sam.
'As for the rest, was there anything new about the people in the kitchen? Was anyone cleared? Did anyone recall anyone else who was there? Do you have the names of all these strangers, delivery boys, and milk maids?'
'There was no one else we haven't mentioned, except the soldier. I know where the butcher and the milk girl came from, and the milliner. Many's the time I've carried hats home from there! And Mr Hadleigh, of course. But I don't know who the other boy was, or the woman looking for sewing, and nobody else did either.'
Luke frowned. 'And of course the soldier has vanished too. I seem to have a lot more people to see. Sam, I'll start with the people in the house.'
'That's too risky, surely. If anyone sees you, or lets on you've been, you could be arrested.'
'I have to take that risk, Sam. To find out who really did it is the only way to turn suspicion from me.'
Sam groaned, but agreed Luke had the right of it.
'Is there some time when I can come there, when the Earl is out of the way? I can't keep making assignations one by one!'
***
For the next two days Luke spent much of his time finding elusive delivery people and asking them questions. He found a free hour each day, however, to loiter in Theobalds Road in the hope of waylaying Bella Bates taking the pug for its exercise.
On the second morning his luck returned. He saw her leave the house as he approached, and hastened to catch up with her as she turned towards Red Lion Square.
'Miss Bates, well met,' he said cheerfully. 'May I walk with you today?'
She smiled shyly up at him, and he had to restrain himself from either taking her in his arms and covering those delicate, enchanting lips with kisses, or urging her to flee with him, away from the house where, he was certain, she must be unhappy. How could anyone living with Frederick and his family be happy? Common sense returned, however, and he contented himself with remarks about the weather, which was warmer the past two days, and similar innocuous and, he realised afterwards, inane topics.
Bella didn't appear to find them trite. She confessed that she detested the dog, for he was a nasty vicious brute who could not be trained to leave things alone. 'He is always running away with anything left near enough to the ground for him to snatch, but the walks I have to take with him at least enable me to escape from the house occasionally.'
'Are you so dreadfully unhappy?' Luke demanded in a fierce voice which made her eye him uncertainly.
'No, not really,' she said slowly. 'The house is so crowded, though, and Amelia insists they have nowhere else to go, unless – but that is unlikely.'
'What is?'
She hesitated, then shrugged. 'Well, you know Frederick is cousin to the new Earl of Redditch? His father was brother to the Earl who has just been killed so dreadfully. But of course, coming from Bow Street, you know all about it.'
Luke had almost forgotten the role in which she knew him. 'Oh, yes, of course. But what is it your sister expects?'
'Well, she says that Augustus, the new Earl, must have been responsible for his father's death. But that is ridiculous! No man would kill his father, and in such a horrible way! I believe the poor man was in agony as he died.'
'It does se
em unlikely,' Luke murmured. 'But does your sister know anything? Or is it mere suspicion?'
'Disappointment, more like!' Bella said with a deep sigh. 'Amelia used to be such an amusing girl, and I still love her. I believe that poverty, especially when she believed she'd made a good marriage, has hurt her deeply.'
Not everyone became sour and resentful because of poverty, Luke thought. His own family were not like that, thank heaven.
Bella went on. 'She has always resented it that the old Earl didn't give Frederick an allowance, or one of his houses. She says that Augustus is suspected, for he has most to gain, and if he is found guilty he would be hanged and Frederick would inherit. And then I needn't – '
She paused, and as Luke looked down at her he saw her cheeks suffused with a rosy blush. But it was anger, he realised, not embarrassment.
'You need not do what?'
She sighed. 'I won't do it, anyway. Not if they lock me up and starve and beat me, as Amelia says Mama ought to do. She says Mama has been too lenient. You see, she – she wants me to marry, and I don't in the least wish to.'
'Is this a general aversion to matrimony?' Luke asked lightly. 'Or is the bridegroom not to your taste?'
'He – he's old! But he's very rich, and it would solve all our problems, Mama's debts. Well, if Augustus did do it, and Frederick became rich, Amelia says they still wouldn't help us, but I don't see why they couldn't help Mama. I don't matter, I would find a position as a milliner. I make all my gowns already. It makes me shudder to think of marrying an old man. But Amelia says he's so old he won't – won't bother me in that way,' she finished in such a low voice Luke barely heard her.
Fuming, Luke was barely able to suppress his anger as he pictured this lovely child in bed with an elderly roué He was silent. What could he say or do to help? But he vowed that he would try something.
She went on, having swallowed a few times. 'What is even worse, Amelia says he's so old he's sure to die soon, and I'd be a rich widow. For he has no other family, you know, he has never married and has no children by another wife, so all would come to me. But I think that's odious, to marry a man and hope he'll die soon. Even if I don't like him!'
A Murdered Earl Page 13