by Sonia Parin
Right on cue, Charlotte said, “I’ve been thinking… The majority of liturgical churches require sacramental wine for their service. Tom, has prohibition reached the church steps?”
“What did I tell you,” Evie murmured.
Chapter Ten
Men have sewing circles too…
Evie glanced over at the door, her nerves on edge. The ladies had withdrawn over half an hour ago leaving the gentlemen to their port and cigars and male related subjects.
She imagined them all huddled around the dinner table grumbling and beating their club sticks while muttering pompous exclamations about their lot in life.
Glancing around the drawing room, she met Penelope’s gaze. When they shared a small smile, Evie considered joining her for a chat. Then she remembered Penelope had never been big on chatting. Not unless she had something to complain about; her maid being too slow-witted, her cook being too predictable, her butler flirting with the maids…
Regardless, she decided to make an effort. Evie shifted but before she could get up, Bicky’s sister, Lady Elizabeth, settled beside Evie.
Elizabeth lifted her glass of cognac in a salute. Clearly, she had needed something strong to get her through the shock of nearly losing her brother.
“You are far braver than I would be in your place,” Elizabeth said.
Evie smiled. “Whatever do you mean?”
Elizabeth leaned in. “Before dinner, I called in on Bicky to see how he was getting on and he confided in me.”
This did not bode well. If the circle of secrecy continued to expand, then everyone would know about Tom…
Evie didn’t need to prompt Elizabeth for more details.
“He said someone tried to run you off the road. That leads me to believe you are, in fact, the target.” Elizabeth lowered her voice. “That bullet had your name written on it.”
Relieved to hear they could continue with their charade without having to offer further explanations, Evie said, “Really Elizabeth, we can’t jump to conclusions.”
“How can you be so untroubled by it? In your place, I’d be hiding under the bed. Actually, I’d be on my way to the nearest port, hoping to jump on the first ship I could find to take me back home. First the rumors about you sniffing around for husband number two and now this.”
Had someone tried to scare her off? Evie lifted her chin in defiance. “I try to ignore the rumors and assume they are started by people who do not know me.”
Elizabeth held her gaze. “Like it or not, your presence here will make many people unhappy.”
Elizabeth had never spoken of it before. So, Evie felt compelled to ask, “What have you heard?”
“Nothing new. In fact, it’s been the same morose complaints about you having all the advantages of wealth and position and taking away any worthwhile opportunity from more deserving well-bred girls.”
Evie pursed her lips. “I should take offense, but I won’t. Perhaps I should inscribe a message on my forehead stating I have no intention of ever marrying again.”
“Would it fit? You do have a wide forehead but I fear it wouldn’t be wide enough.” Elizabeth shook her head. “No, you’ll need something more succinct than that. Let me think. Is there a single word that would denote your intention, clearly stating you are no longer interested in marriage?” Elizabeth stared at her for a moment. “I do not believe such a word exists. Therefore, it is an impossibility. No one will ever believe you have withdrawn from the idea of marriage. It’s almost unnatural. And if you say time will only tell, I will have to contradict you because time may not be on your side.”
Evie chortled. “Elizabeth, I never knew you could be so dramatic and such a pessimist and…” Evie drew in a long breath. “Surely, the person behind all this won’t push it that far? It all seems so petty.”
“Look around you, Evie. We are in the gold drawing room, not the blue drawing room. That’s the one with a bullet hole in one of its windows.”
Evie looked toward the door again and wished the gentlemen would hurry up and guzzle their port. She needed to speak with Tom. The sooner they could put their heads together and identify the real target, the better.
Evie returned her attention to Elizabeth who laughed and said, “Oh, please. Don’t give me that pitying look. I’m not being ridiculous.”
Evie smiled. “Not ridiculous, but perhaps you are overreacting, just a teeny-weeny bit. Think about it. There is only one person who has shown great interest in my return. Can you really picture Lady Wainscot wielding a rifle?”
Elizabeth tilted her head in thought. “She is desperate to see her daughters wedded, preferably to titled gentlemen.”
The door to the drawing room opened and the exclusively male sewing circle strode in. Evie studied their expressions for signs they might have been struck by some sort of epiphany, revealing a fully formed explanation for the day’s events.
Seeing Tom heading toward the window, Evie rolled her eyes. She supposed if the weather had not been so mild, the fireplace might have been lit, providing an equally if not more engaging spot in which to gather one’s thoughts.
“Did you find the after-dinner conversation illuminating?” she asked Tom.
He gave a pensive nod.
“Do share.”
“We talked at great length about motor car cooling systems.”
Evie didn’t bother hiding her disappointment. “I thought you wanted to make discreet inquiries.”
“In my own roundabout way, I did. Bicky remains the only one who knew you were arriving early and he didn’t mention it to anyone in his household.”
“Before you ask, I am absolutely certain Bicky didn’t try to kill me. Nor did he stage a scenario where he might have been wounded.”
“I didn’t mean to imply… Anyhow, there is something I didn’t tell you. It has to do with the incident out on the road.” He slipped his hand inside his pocket and drew a small object out.
Evie looked down at his hand. “What is it?”
“It’s a bullet. Or, at least, what’s left of it.”
“Oh.”
“I’m not sure if you noticed a sudden jolt during our drive.”
“Yes, I did. Right after I saw the birds taking flight.”
“I lost temporary control of the motor. Anyhow, after our arrival, I drove out there again and found this bullet on the road.”
Proof they’d been shot at…
“At first, I thought it might have penetrated the grille and caused some damage to the cooling pump. When I returned and had to wait for Caro to deliver your message, I had a look under the motor…”
Evie tried to keep up with his otherwise precise description of what he’d found, but she couldn’t get past the idea of someone actually trying to shoot her twice.
“Out on the road,” he continued, “I caught a glint of light. It appeared to come from a high place, perhaps a tree. But, even with the best gun, the trajectory of this bullet could not have been possible from high up on a tree.”
Evie bit the edge of her lip. “You’re saying there were two people.”
“Yes. One up on a tree keeping a lookout and another on the ground with a rifle.”
Her eyebrows drew downward. “You think that’s because otherwise the bullet would not have penetrated between the gaps…”
He nodded. “Remember, we were taking a slight curve, so the wheel turned enough to expose a gap.”
Her lips parted. “He must be an excellent shot.”
He agreed. “Probably military trained.”
Evie shook her head. “Not necessarily. In fact, you’ll find many excellent shots in the area.” Heavens, if it came down to expertise with a rifle, there would be an abundance of suspects.
Chapter Eleven
Gossip, musings and revelations
The next morning, Caro strode into Evie’s room carrying a tray. Evie scrambled to sit up. When Caro set the tray down, she turned her attention to drawing the curtains open.
&nbs
p; “I’m almost tempted to stop you, Caro.” Evie had slept poorly, tossing and turning as the images of the day before swirled around her mind.
Closing her eyes, she took a long sip of tea. “How is everyone this morning?”
“Busy as always and somehow still managing to chat about yesterday. I haven’t heard anything new.” Caro brought out a couple of blouses and selected one. “By the way, the delivery boy brought a package for you yesterday.”
“Oh, wonderful. My soap. To think, I should have headed into the village today for my beauty treatment but I gave away my time slot to Miss Wainscot. I hope she appreciates it.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you do that, milady?”
Evie tipped her head back. “Oh, I suppose we were trying to sweeten Miss Wainscot up so she wouldn’t delve too deeply. In the end, I think she ended up finding out more than we wanted.”
Belatedly, Evie wondered if that might actually be a good thing. If Miss Wainscot decided to put two and two together, she might have told her mama there had been a Mr. Winchester asking to see Evie and, in her opinion, the two were sweet on each other. That would certainly divert Lady Wainscot’s attention. Perhaps even pacify her. If Evie had her sights on an untitled gentleman then her attention wouldn’t stray to a titled bachelor. Then again, Lady Wainscot might decide Mr. Winchester could be a good catch for one of her daughters…
“Well, at least you’re smiling now, milady. Things can’t be so bad, after all.” Caro held up an ensemble for Evie’s approval. The silk blouse with tiny white daisies had a scooped collar and short sleeves. Perfect for a pleasant spring day. Caro then brought out a selection of hats and settled on a straw one with a dainty black cat curled up beside the light green band.
“How did Tom do last night?” Caro asked. “Was his performance to your satisfaction?”
Evie’s eyes brightened. “He carried himself extremely well. At no point did I think of him as my chauffeur.”
Caro stared at her, her eyes not blinking.
Evie shrugged. “Who would have thought? Tom turned out to be quite a conversationalist. He never once stumbled.”
“So, no one suspected.”
“No, at least, I don’t think they did.”
“And did you find out anything worthwhile?”
“Perhaps.” Evie drank her tea. She always preferred to have a beverage in bed and then join the rest downstairs for a proper breakfast. When she attended house parties, she always found this to be the best way to set the pace for the day.
“Caro.”
“Yes, milady.”
“I hate to ask this, but I feel I must.” Evie counted to three and drew in a fortifying breath. “Did you happen to mention my early arrival to anyone?”
“Of course not, milady. As far as anyone knew, you were arriving today.”
Shame on her for feeling the need to ask, Evie thought. Of course, she could always trust Caro. “Poor Mrs. Saunders,” Evie remarked. “I know she runs the household like a well-oiled machine, but it can’t be easy to have people arriving early without first letting her know. Had she been informed about the early arrival of the others?”
“She knew, milady. Cook didn’t seem to mind. It only meant preparing an extra meal and she loves the challenge.”
Evie cringed. “Now I feel awkward for not having informed anyone.” In reality, she felt relieved because it meant none of the household staff had known she would be here a day ahead of schedule. It would only take a slip of the tongue to alert the entire village of something unexpected happening at the big house.
“The bath should be ready in a moment, milady.” Caro disappeared into the adjoining room.
Evie finished her tea and as she put her cup down, a thought settled in her mind.
If no one had known about her change of plans, then how had the shooter known to wait for her along the road?
***
Evie rushed through her bath and hurried downstairs only to find the other guests had slept in.
“Bicky. Has Tom come down?”
“About half an hour ago,” Bicky said. “He had a nibble of something or other and then he said he wanted to have a wander around the estate.” Bicky set his cup down. “I say, he was very good last night. I hope you bring him back for another stay.”
Glancing over at Larkin who stood at attention several steps behind Bicky, Evie leaned in and whispered, “You seem to forget he is my chauffeur.”
“Oh… Yes… Of course. Well, there you go. I still wouldn’t mind having him stay. Isn’t that odd? I think the war changed us all. As mama says, war tends to bring down barriers.”
“Not to that extent, I’m sure.”
Bicky shrugged. “You never know. Last night, he told us a cracking good tale about his days in the oil fields in Oklahoma. Very amusing. I think he would be a great addition…”
“Is that what you talked about while you were puffing on your cigars?”
“That and other things.”
“Did the others prod him for information?” Evie asked.
Bicky shook his head. “I think you’ll find men are a different breed. Not as inquisitive as the ladies appear to be.” He held his cup up and gestured to Larkin who promptly filled it with coffee.
“Would you care for some more coffee, my lady?” Larkin offered.
“Thank you, Larkin.” Feeling revitalized, she got up and helped herself to some bacon and eggs. “So, what time do you expect Clara to arrive today?”
“Afternoon.” Bicky set his knife and fork down. “She said she had a few more errands to run. Although, what they might be I have no idea.”
The others began to trickle in, each one expressing their delight over a night well spent.
“It’s just occurred to me,” Charlotte exclaimed as she sat next to Evie. “We’re in the midst of a mystery.” Glancing over at Larkin, she lowered her tone. “I wonder if the butler did it…”
Chapter Twelve
It’s a matter of loyalty
Evie strolled toward the folly and found Tom by a large elm tree. “There you are.”
“Good morning… Evie.”
Tom wore a different suit to the one he’d worn the day before and still looked magnificent in it. “Have you made any new discoveries?”
He shook his head. “I’ve had a close inspection of the surrounding trees. None of the branches appear to have been disturbed.” He turned and looked toward the house. “The gunman might have been in plain sight. It’s amazing that in a house such as this one no one noticed him.”
“That’s because everyone is busy with their duties,” Evie observed. “You’d be hard pressed to find any of the servants lingering with nothing to do.”
“They do take breaks,” Tom remarked. “Unfortunately, the yard is on the other side of the house.”
As Tom gazed into the distance, Evie said, “This should cheer you up. I had a fruitful morning. The information should have come to me before, but I’m guessing it must have been waiting for the dust to settle and my mind to clear enough for me to perceive the fact.”
“Which is?” Tom prompted.
“No one knew of my early arrival. I’ve been thinking it all along, but not really paying too much attention. How does one go about planning to shoot someone if they don’t know when their intended target will be arriving?”
Tom held her gaze for a moment and finally said, “They wait.”
Oh, that hadn’t occurred to her. Now she would have to start from scratch again and try to find out how the news about her journey to Yarborough had spread. Evie wondered if she needed to turn her focus to her own household.
Caro and Tom were in the clear, but what of the others? She knew news could be transmitted from upstairs to the downstairs staff quicker than on a telegraph wire.
“Have you spoken with the estate workers?” she asked.
“I was just on my way over to the stables.”
“Would you mind if I accompany you?”
He drew in a breath. “If you wish.”
There had been a hint of hesitation, so she felt the need to ask, “I get the feeling you think my presence will hinder your investigation.”
He gave her a brisk smile. “Not at all. In fact, I think most of the estate workers will welcome the chance to see the Countess of Woodridge up close.”
Evie grinned. “I think you meant to say, the notorious Evangeline Parker.”
They found the path leading to the stables and strolled side by side.
Smiling at her, Tom asked, “How did you earn your notoriety?”
Evie laughed. “Without even trying. I simply married one of their own. Apparently, that cast a shadow of doubt over me because, surely, I must have employed some sort of cunningness to land him.”
“Did you?”
Evie should have taken offense. After all, debutantes were encouraged to attract the attention of the most desirable and eligible partners by whatever means possible. “During my first and, as it turned out, my only season in London, I failed to show any interest in the gentlemen introduced to me. Then, I attended my first house party at Bicky’s. The rest, as they say, is history. I simply fell in love.”
“So, it was a love match,” he mused.
“Yes, as unusual as it sounds, we did fall in love and we stayed in love. Before you ask, I should tell you I have no intention of marrying again. Rumor has it, I pose a threat to the latest batch of debutantes.” She tilted her head in thought. “I wish they would stop using me as an excuse…”
Tom laughed. “You make them sound like biscuits just out of the oven.”
Light and fluffy, Evie mused. “They are well-trained and taught to meet everyone’s expectations. It’s rare to find one with individual character traits. I suspect it’s all beaten out of them. I don’t really mean to criticize but I seem to be paying a high prize for being myself.”
They reached the stables and were greeted by Mr. Beecham, the agent, who informed them he’d already had a word with the estate workers.