by Rebecca King
It is hard to tell from the blank look on her aunt’s face if she was angry, tearful, or upset. Either way, Sophia couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She had the benefit of financial security but was able to recognise that for someone like Delilah, who had spent virtually all of her life doing what she wanted when she wanted it was going to be tough to live with the new, rather restrained circumstance. She now had to live with financial insecurity in her long term future. Unfortunately, there was nothing Sophia could do, or say, to ease her aunt’s fears.
“I am sorry to bring you worry, but it is better to deal with this now rather than later when the account is completely empty. At least this way there is sufficient funds to provide your everyday needs.” She glanced hesitantly around the house then looked compassionately at her aunt. “Maybe you should downsize? If you had somewhere small -”
“This is preposterous,” Delilah spat and suddenly pushed away from the table. She glared at Sophia as though it was all her fault. “I am not going to be reprimanded like a young child who is still wet behind the ears by someone half my age. I don’t care what Hooky told you to say me, I am not going to be scared into leaving this house. This is my home, and I am going to stay here whether he likes it or not, so you can take that back to him. Meantime, if he wants me to start to curb my spending, which is, I suspect, the reason he sent you here in the first place, then he shouldn’t burden me with another mouth to feed.”
Rather than answer, Sophia removed a wad of bank notes from her pocket and put them on the table.
“This is to cover my food and keep while here. There is more than enough,” she said calmly. “However, spend it wisely because Hooky refuses to send you more. He has sent you this.” She placed Hooky’s letter on the table for her read later, but rather suspected it would end up in the fire rather than on Delilah’s desk where she usually kept her personal papers, and a large pile of unpaid bills. “At some point, it will all catch up with you, Delilah. It is time you were honest with yourself if you don’t intend to be so with me.”
“You don’t know what you are talking about,” Delilah protested. “I have a backup plan, so you can reassure Hooky that he won’t be burdened with me in my aged years.”
“It isn’t that,” Sophia objected, horrified that she had given Delilah such an impression. The fact that it was, privately, what Hooky had said was something she intended to keep to herself.
“Then don’t pry into my personal business.”
“I am not prying,” Sophia snapped back, for once in her life uncharacteristically peeved with her aunt. “Hooky is the man in the family and has to deal with the banks for you because he was appointed an executor of the inheritance that has provided for you.”
Sophia had always thought it was strange that Hooky had been nominated with such a task, but now she was old enough to witness her aunt’s rather lavish lifestyle, she could understand why it had been deemed necessary.
“It isn’t fair to keep having the monthly stipend, but then send Hooky all of the extra bills to pay. The allowance is given to you to pay for anything you might need and should be sufficient.”
Delilah rounded on her. She placed her palms down on the table and leaned toward her menacingly.
“It has absolutely nothing to do with you,” her aunt spat.
“I am afraid it does, especially when you expect me to take your bills back to Hooky to pay. If you want them paid then use the money you are given each month. If that isn’t enough, then do the sums yourself. Work out how much you owe already and see what is left in the account.” Sophia poked at the parchment. “See for yourself. If you can find some way of providing for your recklessness then please do so, but until you do get another way to pay all of the additional bills then you need to start to cut back. Why, you have another dressmaker fitting later tomorrow, Delilah, and already have a wardrobe stuffed full of clothing. In fact, the entire back bedroom is full of clothes. Then there are all of the fripperies that go with each outfit, and then there is your penchant for champagne for breakfast.”
She could see the anger growing on her aunt’s face and suspected that if she didn’t stop soon she was going to get thrown out on her ear. However, she had to take the opportunity to make her aunt see sense while she could.
“I have plans,” Delilah declared obliquely.
“To do what?” Sophia challenged. She suspected her aunt had secrets, and wondered what they were. “Is that what the items upstairs are? Security for your future?”
“They are nothing to do with you,” Delilah snapped. “I have a plan to sort out my future, don’t you worry about that. Now, I suggest you get some rest because we are off to the Lord’s dinner tonight. So I am not going to have to feed myself, my dear. You can tell Hooky that it is another meal he won’t be expected to pay for, and I will wear the dress I wore last week if I have to, so he won’t have to buy another dress.”
“You don’t need to buy another dress,” Sophia replied darkly.
Delilah glared at her. “While you are under my roof, I would ask you to mind your manners and stop prying into my private affairs. In fact, now you have handed over Hooky’s orders there really is no reason for you to stay. You can go home and tell Hooky to mind his own business. You have done what you were told, but I won’t budge.”
“I am sorry it has come to this,” Sophia replied carefully.
She hated being at odds with anyone, but her aunt’s behaviour today left her with grave concerns that Delilah was hiding something. Strangely, Sophia suspected that it wasn’t a lover she was hiding because she suspected Delilah didn’t have one. It was something else.
“I am sure you are, dear.”
The atmosphere between them became awkward.
Sophia sighed. “I shall endeavour to write to Hooky and ask him to send the carriage for me then.”
“Do that, but you must do it in the morning,” Delilah declared contemptuously. “I have already accepted the Lord’s invitation for tonight. It would be rude to send your apologies so late in the day so you will have to come with me I suppose. We have to leave in an hour, so hurry.”
She didn’t wait to see if Sophia was going to agree to go, and stormed out of the kitchen without a backward look.
“I suppose I had better get ready then,” she sighed reluctantly.
The last thing she wanted to do was attend yet another tedious dinner. Having to share meals with a group of people with whom she had nothing in common was always a dull affair. But, as Delilah had said, it would be rude to send her apologies so late in the day. As far as she was concerned, there had been enough discord for one day without antagonising the locals.
To the sounds of her aunt banging around in her bedroom directly above the kitchen, Sophia tidied the room and hurried upstairs to get ready. She paused on the landing, and suspected that the drawers of curious items was being relocated somewhere Sophia couldn’t find them.
It made her wonder why her aunt would move something she had no reason to want to hide?
CHAPTER THREE
Jeb watched several servants hurry into the dining room laden with plates, and his father’s best cutlery, and shook his head in disgust.
“Why I am allowing the blasted people in here I don’t know,” his father grumbled as he watched the table being set for dinner. “Jessop, make sure everything else is tucked away. I don’t want anything taken from this house tonight.”
Jeb watched Jessop, the butler, beckon to numerous footmen who began to collect several ornaments from around the room. He had never seen anything so ridiculous in his life. As far as he was concerned, an evening of fine dining should be an affair where one could relax and enjoy the evening. Not spend the time watching the guests avidly and praying that nobody would steal anything. Jeb watched Jessop disappear toward the back of the house laden with a heavy vase and turned to follow his father into the study across the hall.
“Why do you invite the guests if you don’t trust them?” he
asked curiously. “Surely it would be best to tell them you are not holding any engagements at the moment because of the thefts. Nobody would condemn you for that. It might just encourage them to find the culprit instead of just griping about it, and speculating who it might be.”
Jeb poured them both a brandy and took a seat in front of the fire. He watched his father take the seat opposite, but rather than slump wearily against the covers as Jeb did, Algernon sat perched on the very edge, a study of tension and worry.
Algernon ran a weary hand down his face and looked at his son. “I am pleased you are here,” he declared fervently.
“I know,” Jeb replied with a gentle smile. “You have said so several times.”
He couldn’t really be angry with Algernon for his repeated heartfelt declaration. If he was honest, it was good to be back; far better than he had expected. Not least because for once, in a very long time, Jeb was able to truly relax.
He studied the worry on his father’s face and realised just how much his father had aged while he had been away. Guilt weighed heavily on him at the realisation that his absence had been more than a little bit selfish. His father wouldn’t be around forever. What would happen then, because Briggleberry would need someone to run it, and Jeb didn’t even know where to start?
So much of the Star Elite’s investigations had taken up his time, energy, and emotions that everything else had faded into insignificance. It had taken something as startling as his father’s warning of the thefts to break that almost complete immersion in work, and force Jeb to think about something else for a change. But now that he had started to take a look at what was going on at home, he realised just how much he had missed it, and his father. That made him start to wonder if he was letting life pass him by and, at some point, it was all going to blow up on him.
“I just don’t know what to do about it. Matters cannot carry on as they are. Someone is going to get hurt. I hate the thought of having to entertain someone who is duplicitous enough to steal from me, but I am going to offend a lot of good people if I stop socialising with them because of the thefts. It is tantamount to accusing them of being guilty, and that will make me enemies in a village like Framley Meadow that will make life difficult,” Algernon explained morosely.
Determined to do whatever he could to help ease his father’s worry, Jeb turned his attention to what he did best; investigating.
Algernon sighed. “The social scene in the country is the be all and end all of everything. The only other activities people take part in are the autumn fayre, or drinking ale down at the tavern. Individual members of the, well, let’s say the more affluent of the village, have taken to gathering together practically weekly to host dinners, balls, teas, or music recitals. Each week one person hosts and invites the others. I can’t remember who started it. I just think that once the group were invited somewhere they felt obliged to return an invitation. It has continued ever since. Balls only usually happen here, or at the Squire’s house, because the other’s houses aren’t really big enough and don’t have ballrooms. Otherwise, everyone takes their turn.”
“So, rather than accept that it might be best to put a temporary halt on proceedings, you have all decided to carry on. But you practically empty your house of anything of worth and hide it all away, only to be brought out again once everyone has gone home. Good Lord, how ridiculous.” Jeb shook his head in disbelief.
“It seemed the safest way to secure the family heirlooms. There really is nothing else we can do. However, I have just about had enough of squirrelling everything away. I shouldn’t have to, blast it. This is my house! To make it worse, I am doing it to appease people I don’t really like very much.”
Algernon stood up and began to pace up and down in front of the fire in agitated frustration.
Jeb sighed and leaned back in his chair, certain his father would burst if he didn’t get rid of some of his anger. The only time he had ever seen Algernon this annoyed about anything had been the time when Jeb had announced he was leaving to join the army.
“Tell me about the guests coming tonight. Who are they?”
Algernon looked at him. “Well, there is you and me, of course. Then I have invited Philip. There is -” He paused when Jeb lifted his hand to stop him.
“Philip?”
“Philip Everson, my man of business. He helps run the estate. Now he is someone I do get on with. He can be trusted implicitly.”
“Tell me about him,” Jeb demanded. “What is he like as a person?”
“Well, he is rather shy and bookish but knows what he is doing. He is the third son of a viscount something or other, I am not entirely sure. He is excellent at handling the books. All of the staff respect him. His presence here has lightened my load considerably. He has done some good deals for the estate too,” Algernon reported knowledgeably. “The man doesn’t get out much, though. He seems intent on reading the entire library here because he is always borrowing books and disappearing at night into his cottage. He never goes out anywhere, so I decided to include him in my guest list in the hopes the others would invite him to the social functions they hold.”
“Do they?”
“Yes, but he often declines to go. He doesn’t have a choice here. I won’t accept any excuses, and if he wants to keep his job, he attends,” Algernon added with an unconcerned smile.
“So, there is Philip Everson. Who else?”
“Well, there is Morwenna Banks. She used to own the cotton mill, if you remember? She took over it when her husband died, but has handed it over to her son, Hubert. Now she has some spare time, Morwenna helps out at the church a lot. She tends to spend most of her days wandering about in her garden as well. She has that big white house at the edge of the village. That son of hers, Hubert, now runs the mill. Estimable fellow, that one, but he does tend to chatter a lot. Thankfully he is too busy to come to the engagements in the village.”
Jeb suspected if he didn’t refocus his father on the guests at dinner tonight he was apt to tell Jeb the entire Banks’ family history. “Who else?”
“Well, Reverend Andover.”
“The Reverend is classed as ‘society’ these days?” Jeb asked incredulously.
In spite of his worries, Algernon smiled. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to stay friends with the vicar. You never know when you might need a Reverend. He is an estimable chap, with connections, so is a useful contact to have. His name is Roger Andover, or Rupert, or something like that. Anyhow, everyone calls him Reverend. He is also a viscount’s son. He joined the church rather than the army.”
“Do you like him?”
Algernon thought about that. “I don’t dislike him, if that helps? He does tend to be a bit thoughtful at times, and it can make conversation a little difficult. He has a tendency to quote bible phrases here and there which can be a little off-putting I don’t mind telling you. Otherwise, I have no grievance with him or any reason to distrust him.”
Jeb closed his eyes and prayed he would have the strength to get through the evening. From the sound of just two of the guests, dinner was going to be a rather tedious quagmire he wasn’t altogether sure he had the patience for right now.
“Who else is joining us?”
“Well, there is Pearl and Mabel Harvell. They are old dears who tend to twitter on about stuff and nonsense. Gossip mostly, although they do like to recount their experiences of their youth.” Algernon looked askance at Jeb, who nodded his understanding. He shook his head before Jeb could ask. “No, I don’t really like them to be honest with you, but they are useful guests to have at the table, if only to keep the conversation going.”
“So, who else is coming?”
“Well, there is Delilah Carney and her niece, Sophia.”
“Delilah Carney. Do I know her?” Jeb frowned.
The name rang a bell, but he couldn’t remember her from when he lived in the village as a child.
“She lives in the old stone cottage at the other end of the village, just besi
de the woods. You passed it on your way here if you came from London. She has lived there for a long time, although I cannot remember where she came from.” Algernon shook his head and gave Jeb a warning look. “She is a strange character. Likes to be the life and soul of the party, but can be quite opinionated and, well, loud, if you know what I mean? Can’t stand the woman myself, but I know some people in the village quite like her.”
“Quite like her?”
“Well, she can be outspoken and has a tendency to put her mouth into action before her brain. She has upset a lot of people but, given her rather outlandish behaviour, doesn’t give people the chance to reprimand her. I will be damned if I can understand who she really is.”
Algernon looked for a moment as though the mysteries of women were far beyond him.
In complete agreement with his sentiment, Jeb smiled.
“What about her niece? Does she live here permanently?”
“She is just visiting. Her name is Sophia. I don’t know much about her, but I do know she arrived to visit her aunt a couple of weeks ago. Where she came from, though, I have no idea. She seems sweet enough, and is a total contrast to her wayward aunt. I cannot help but wonder what on earth her father thought he was doing by allowing her to stay with someone like Delilah. Still, it is none of my business. She can’t be the thief because she hasn’t been in the village long enough.”
“Is that everyone?”
“No,” Algernon sighed, and finally took a seat.
His random pacing backwards and forwards was starting to tire Jeb out.
“There is Squire Trelawney. The Squire is the other uncouth guest I shall undoubtedly struggle to get myself heard over tonight. He is a tad odious and has an opinion about everything. The Squire is a rather bullish individual you would be best not to engage in conversation unless you have to.”
Duly warned, Jeb nodded. “Is there anyone else?”
He was starting to worry they would have the time to discuss everyone before they began to arrive, but thankfully Algernon seemed to be nearing the end of tonight’s guest list.