Murder in Thistlecross

by Amy M. Reade

  “Brenda’s absolutely right. I, for one, am starving,” I announced. “You could start by whipping up something for me before I faint.” Maisie chuckled.

  “I’ve got just the thing,” she said. She stood up and smoothed her apron, then got to work making me a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with a pickle, crisps, and a small bowl of fruit salad. I savored it in the warm, cozy kitchen while Maisie bustled around gathering the ingredients she would need to make dinner for the household.

  I had just finished eating when Brenda came into the kitchen again. “Eilidh, the police are asking for you and Hugh. I think the ambulance is here for Annabel’s body.” A feeling of dread replaced the calm that had descended upon the kitchen earlier. I heaved a long sigh.

  “I’ll go up straightaway,” I told Brenda. I hated to go up there to preside over the departure of Annabel’s body. I knew she would want to stay here in her beloved castle, no matter how she died. But Hugh obviously felt differently. He wanted to know why his mother died. The more I thought about it, the more I felt it was wrong of me to begrudge him that knowledge.

  I went up the stairs with a heaviness in my step. Hugh was at the end of the hallway, walking toward the sitting room. When I entered, he was talking in a low voice to the officers. They all looked at me. “What?” I asked. I was irritable already and their stares unnerved me.

  “Eilidh, maybe it’s best if you’re not here for this,” Hugh suggested. “I know you’re against Annabel’s body leaving the castle for the purpose of an autopsy, but I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter.”

  I had to force myself to remember that this man was in mourning for his mother and that he probably didn’t mean to sound as pompous and rigid as he did. I counted to ten and took a breath before responding. “Hugh, I completely understand that you need to know why Annabel died. I’m perfectly capable of being here to help the officers if you have no objection.” Somehow I just knew that as long as the autopsy was going to go forward without regard for my feelings, Annabel would want me here when her body left the castle. In all the time I had known her, Annabel hadn’t had much to say about Hugh, and I knew their relationship had been distant and cool. I had loved and respected her, and it was fitting that I be there to say goodbye if Andreas, her favorite son, couldn’t be there.

  One of the officers went to the front door to admit the ambulance driver and his assistant, who were wheeling a gurney. When they all came into the sitting room, the driver wasted no time in explaining what was going to happen. Hugh had no questions, but I had plenty.

  “How long will it be before we hear something from the doctor?”

  “That depends on the complexity of the autopsy,” the driver answered.

  “Will you need anyone from the family or the household to be there to answer questions?”

  “No.”

  “Will the doctor be contacting us with the results, or will it be someone else from the medical examiner’s office?”

  “That’s a question for the doctor, ma’am.”

  I was frustrated by the driver’s inability to provide any answers to my questions. Rhisiart came in while I was talking to the driver. “Are they here to take Mum’s body?” he asked Hugh. His brother nodded.

  I walked past them and beckoned for the driver and his assistant to follow me up to Annabel’s room. The police officers accompanied us. At Annabel’s doorway, I stood aside to let the authorities enter and I waited for them to do their work and bring her body out. I didn’t want to see what they were doing. Somehow it seemed an invasion of Annabel’s privacy.

  In time they wheeled the gurney out into the hallway. I looked away, then changed my mind and looked directly at Annabel’s body. It was covered with a sheet. Even her face. I guess I should have expected that, but I felt a sudden need to see her just one more time.

  “Excuse me,” I said, feeling tentative and timid, “do you mind if I just look at her for a second?”

  The ambulance driver exchanged glances with one of the police officers, who nodded at me. I pulled back the sheet and gazed into Annabel’s face. And that’s when the tears started to flow. I was embarrassed to cry in front of the four men standing before me, but I couldn’t help it. I replaced the sheet and turned away while they all maneuvered the gurney down the grand stone staircase.

  I didn’t have long to compose myself before the authorities would be ready to take Annabel’s body away, and I wanted to be there when that happened. I dried my tears and joined everyone in the great hall, where the ambulance driver was signing something for the police officers. Hugh and Rhisiart stood nearby, watching the proceedings in silence. I stood by the front door waiting to open it. When the police had the required signature, they nodded briskly to the driver and I opened the door to allow them to pass through with the gurney.

  I stepped outside and over to the waiting ambulance to watch while they loaded Annabel’s body through the rear doors. The heaviness in my chest was almost too much to bear. I noticed Hugh and Rhisiart out of the corner of my eye, standing behind me. I was glad they couldn’t see my face—I wanted to see Annabel off without them watching. The driver climbed into the front seat while his assistant hopped up into the back of the ambulance and turned around. Looking up and nodding at me, a somber look on his face, he reached out and pulled both doors closed with a soft thud.

  The ambulance slowly made its way down the long drive in front of Thistlecross Castle. I watched until it was out of sight, ignoring the tiny snowflakes that were spinning in the air around me. I swallowed hard. Annabel had loved the snow.

  Chapter 10

  When I turned around, Hugh and Rhisiart had both gone back indoors. I was glad. Even though it was their mother who had passed away, the emotion I was feeling seemed somehow deeper than what they had expressed. Maybe it’s just different with men, I told myself. When I went back into the castle, I went straight to my room. I needed a little more time away from people. A couple hours passed before there was a knock at my door.

  Sylvie stood there, a soft smile on her face. “How are you doing?” she asked with concern. She drew me into a hug and smoothed the back of my hair while I let the tears fall again.

  I stepped away from her. “Come on in,” I offered, holding the door open wider. “What have you been doing today? I’m sorry I haven’t been around, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been very good company.”

  “That’s perfectly fine. I went into the village for some of that wonderful cheese they sell in the dairy shop. We can go over to the coach house if you’d like and we’ll set up a cheese tray and have some wine. It’ll be like a holiday you see in a magazine.” She grinned.

  I smiled for the first time in hours. “I’d like that.”

  “Then it’s settled.” She opened her mouth to say something else, but then closed it again.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I was just wondering what the police said about Annabel’s death.”

  I let out a long breath. “Not much,” I said. “Hugh, and possibly Rhisiart, agreed to have an autopsy performed on Annabel’s body, so the police called an ambulance and they left here a while ago.”

  “I’m sure that was hard, but it’s probably the right thing to do. It’s important for her kids to know if she had a disease that was undiagnosed. If she did, it’s possible they might have it, too. Plus, it’s strange when someone dies for no apparent reason. I mean, she seemed fine just yesterday.”

  “You’re right, and I know all that. It was just hard to watch her be taken away, that’s all. I don’t think it’s what she would have wanted.”

  “So is Hugh in charge now?”

  “He seems to be. The police are going to ring up Annabel’s barrister in Cardiff to see what the will says. That might confirm that Hugh is in charge now, or it might change things. Maybe she left
Rhisiart in charge. I wonder what will happen if the will says Andreas is in charge. I wouldn’t be surprised if it said that.”

  “Would Sian be in charge then?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not an ideal situation, because the baby is due very soon and Sian has other things on her mind. Like her husband’s death and raising a baby on her own.”

  “Come on, let’s go try that cheese.” She was making a valiant effort to cheer me up, and it was the least I could do to accept her invitation. Her holiday had been a disaster so far—two deaths. What more could possibly go wrong?

  I pulled on a jacket and followed her through the halls of the castle, halls that now seemed much emptier with Annabel gone. We hurried to the coach house in the blustery wind. A few snowflakes continued dancing around on the air currents, but nothing was sticking to the ground. We never got much snow at the castle, but everything looked enchanting when we did.

  After we had prepared a cheese tray and poured two large glasses of wine, we sat in front of the fire, watching the snowflakes dance through the tall windows that overlooked the fields. I could see the stable from where I sat, and I thought how lovely and warm it would be in there with the horses and the sweet-smelling hay.

  Sylvie had chosen not one, but four kinds of cheese from the cheese monger in the village. She had arranged them on a rustic wooden board she had found in the coach house kitchen and paired them with biscuits, French bread, and pots of fig jam, honey, and Major Grey’s chutney. It was exactly what I needed. I didn’t feel like being in that huge castle with only Hugh, Cadi, Rhisiart, and Sian for company. Maisie and Brenda would be there, of course, but they were busy and I didn’t want to make a nuisance of myself.

  I settled back into the sofa and smiled at my cousin. “I can’t believe what a horrible holiday you’ve had,” I said. “It’s wonderful of you to stay when there’s been nothing but tragedy since you got here.”

  Sylvie raised her glass in a silent cheer. “How could I go home? You need someone most right now. Have you told Mum about Annabel?”

  “I hadn’t even thought of that,” I admitted. “I can ring her up. She’s the one who got me the job with Annabel, so I should probably be the one to break the news to her.”

  Sylvie agreed. “She’ll be so sad,” she said. “They’ve been friends since I was little.”

  When we had enjoyed our fill of cheese and accompaniments and wine, I returned to the castle by myself, feeling a little cheered. As much as I had wanted to be alone earlier, it was good to have spent some time with Sylvie. I went straight to my room and rang up Aunt Margot.

  As I expected, she was shocked and saddened by the news of Annabel’s passing. She was silent for a moment as she composed herself.

  “This follows so closely on the heels of Andreas’s death. The family must be devastated.”

  “I suppose they are. I confess, I haven’t wanted to spend time with any of them today. I’ve been with Sylvie. She’s been trying to cheer me up.”

  “I know how much you loved working for Annabel. I’m so sorry.”

  “And I’m sorry for you and all her other friends, people who will miss her so much.”

  “I wish her sons and their wives had never accepted her invitation to visit the castle.”

  “Why not?”

  “I probably shouldn’t even have mentioned it. Never mind.”

  “Wait, what do you mean?”

  “I mean, she was so worried about their visit. She wanted it to be perfect because she wanted to apologize for the things that happened in their home so many years ago. But nothing can be perfect, and I’m afraid that kind of stress wasn’t very good for her health, and when I spoke to her on the phone recently she mentioned that her doctor had warned her about taking on additional stress.”

  “Maybe her heart wasn’t strong enough for all that’s happened,” I mused.

  “What did they say was the cause of death?” Aunt Margot asked.

  “No one knows yet. They’ve taken her body away for an autopsy.”

  “She wouldn’t have wanted that,” Aunt Margot said softly.

  “I agree, but Hugh made the decision. Or maybe it was Hugh and Rhisiart.”

  “Of course they’ll want to know how their mother died. That’s understandable.”

  “I hated to see them take her away.”

  “I’m sure that was very hard. She loved her castle.”

  I promised that either I or Sylvie would keep Aunt Margot apprised of the funeral arrangements, then rang off. I was restless, but felt I had nothing to do. I didn’t know where things stood with Annabel’s personal effects—I supposed we would have to wait for the barrister to resolve the issue of the will before I would be allowed to go through any of her files. I didn’t relish the thought of asking Hugh or Rhisiart for permission to do such a thing, so I decided to wait for the barrister.

  I didn’t have to wait long. One of the police officers came back to the house the next morning. He had spoken to Mr. Hadley and there was indeed a copy of the will in his office. Mr. Hadley would come to the castle the following day to read the will in the presence of the family members.

  Tensions in the castle were running high. Hugh was especially belligerent and he and Cadi got into another heated argument over when they would be returning to London. Hugh insisted that Cadi wait until after the funeral to go anywhere. Cadi wanted to go back to London at once, then return to Wales for the funeral. I don’t know how the argument ended because they went into their room and lowered their voices, but I assumed we would all know the outcome soon enough, based on whether Cadi stayed or left.

  Rhisiart was especially ungentlemanly, too. He slammed his bedroom door, spoke rudely to Brenda, and demanded that Maisie bring him a pipe in the drawing room after dinner. I opened my mouth to tell him that Maisie was not his personal servant, but Maisie shot me a look that asked me to keep my mouth shut. It pained me to do so, but I respected her obvious wishes. She did deliver his pipe to him, but took her time doing so. I was pleased to see that she was responding to Rhisiart’s demands with spunk.

  When Mr. Hadley arrived the next morning, he was accompanied by the police officer. The officer stood outside the drawing room door while the family gathered in the room to await Mr. Hadley’s reading.

  Maisie and Brenda and I were anxious to hear the outcome of the will reading because we wanted to know how our jobs were going to be affected. Would we be looking for employment right away? Would we be asked to stay on? We sat downstairs in the silent kitchen, waiting. Griff came in after a short time wondering why everyone was so quiet.

  “The family is in the drawing room for the will reading,” I explained.

  “What brings you here?” I asked him.

  He jerked his chin and motioned for me to come into the hallway with him. I joined him there. “Why the secrecy?” I whispered.

  “Oh, there’s no secrecy. I just wondered if you’d be interested in going for another ride later today,” he said. “I just didn’t want to ask in front of Maisie and Brenda, that’s all.”

  I smiled at him. “A ride would be nice, but I have to see what Sylvie is doing. I feel like I’ve been ignoring her lately, what with all that’s been going on. Let me see if she has any plans and I’ll let you know.”

  He grinned and headed up the stairs to the main hallway, calling “goodbye” to Maisie and Brenda. When I went back into the kitchen, the women looked at me with quizzical expressions. But my mischievous streak reared its head and I didn’t say a word about Griff’s visit. I just smiled and let them wonder.

  Maisie opened a cupboard and brought out tea things. “We might as well have something warm to drink while we’re waiting to hear what’s happening upstairs.” She put a kettle on the stove and came back to the table. “Eilidh, do you have any job prospects in case we get kicked out of the castle?”

&nb
sp; “I’m afraid not,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Do you think you’ll go back to Scotland?”

  “I don’t know about that,” I said. “I don’t know where I’d go in Scotland. I suppose I could go to Edinburgh and live near Greer, but when I moved to the Highlands, I loved it so much up there I never wanted to live in a city again. I suppose I could go live with my mum, but she’s been talking about moving to a warmer climate. Then there’s Sylvie, but she lives in Cauld Loch and I’m not ready to move back there. Not yet. Maybe never. I guess I’ll have to find a new job and see where it takes me. What about you two?” I asked, indicating mother and daughter with a sweep of my hand.

  They exchanged glances. “It’s a touchy subject,” Maisie said. “I think it would be wise for us to work together. Or if not, Brenda should at least stay near the village. That way she could still live at home and wouldn’t have to let a place. She could save some money that way. Maybe go back to school or save enough for a down payment on a house of her own.”

  Brenda rolled her eyes. “Mum, I told you a hundred times I’m ready to be out on my own.” She scowled, which made her lean face look pinched and mean.

  “I didn’t say you weren’t ready, Brenda. I said you could save some money if you lived at home. Kids do it all the time now.”

  “Well, I’m not a kid.”

  “You act like one,” her mother snapped. Thankfully, the water began to boil and Maisie stood up and poured three cups. She brought them back to the table on a tray while Brenda retrieved the sugar, cream, and lemon slices. They were an efficient team, those two. If only they could stop sniping at each other long enough to realize it.

  “Lechyd da,” I said, raising my cup to toast my companions.

  “Lechyd da,” they repeated, then we all sipped the hot tea in silence, each one of us probably thinking about what the future held.

  It wasn’t long before we heard shuffling and other noises in the hallway upstairs. I looked at Maisie, who looked at Brenda. “What should we do?” Maisie asked. “Should one of us go up there and find out what happened?”