by Dawn Brower
“I’m sorry, Birdie.”
“I knew something was the matter between the two of you,” Birdie said, her eyes wide. “You and Arthur, I mean. But why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to think poorly of me,” Cordelia admitted. “Though I suppose that’s unavoidable now, isn’t it?”
“Delia, I don’t think poorly of you,” Birdie said, hugging her sister. “Will you please explain to me what’s going on, though? Were things really so bad between you and Arthur that you had to have an affair with Mr. Pembroke?”
“I’ll explain everything,” Cordelia said with a smile. Tears of relief were standing in her eyes. Her dear little sister didn’t think badly of her and the truth was out. With Arthur dead the only thing she had to worry about was her reputation, and if Victor was willing to be with her she didn’t have to worry as much about ending up broke in the streets. She might not be as wealthy as she was now, but at least she wouldn’t be reduced to washing clothes to make ends meet. “I do wish I’d confided in you before. Maybe things would have ended differently.”
“It’s all right,” Birdie said, kissing her on the cheek as a sallow-looking gentleman came in with a thick book under his arm and a satchel in his hand. “We’ll get these arrangements put together and then we can have a nice cup of tea and talk it over.”
“Yes,” Cordelia said, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Tea would be lovely.”
Chapter 14
Talking to the people at the pub hadn’t done much for Victor’s investigation, much to his dismay. According to the serving women and the bar man, the rumors of Arthur’s affairs were just that. He’d never actually come to the pub with any young men that they’d seen, they’d only heard about it from people who said they’d seen it.
Victor was more than a little annoyed when he went back to his office. He hadn’t expected the answer to leap out at him but he had hoped to find a little more to go on. There weren’t many times he wished he was a detective but this was definitely one of them.
“Did you find what you needed, sir?” Bradley followed him into his office and Victor shook his head. “Maybe if you told me what you’re looking for I’d be able to help a bit. I hear all sorts of gossip when I’m running errands for you.”
“Perhaps later,” Victor said. “There are a couple of things I want to check into first.” Bradley nodded and pointed to his desk.
“There’s an invoice there from a Mr. DuVerne for music lessons,” he said. “I didn’t know you were taking music lessons.”
“It’s not for me.” Hanging his jacket up on the coat rack in the corner, he sighed. “Thank you, Bradley. Anything else?”
“Mrs. Traynor stopped by while you were at the pub. She was wanting to talk to you a little more about setting up that trust for her grandson you talked about.”
“Did she say when she’d be back?” It struck him at last that he did still have other clients, all of whom felt they needed his help just as much as Cordelia, and he opened his drawer to pull out a folder of paperwork. He’d drawn up sample papers to show her the week before, though it seemed much longer than that.
“This afternoon.”
“Excellent.” Victor tapped the closed file folder. “Do you know if Edward is available? Or even in town at the moment?”
“Edward Godbee?” Bradley frowned. “Last I heard he was in Scotland taking a vacation after the last ridiculous thing you two had to get yourselves out of. The rumor is that he was trying to keep from paying support to a lady he got pregnant.”
“That came out to nothing,” Victor said. “It turned out she wasn’t pregnant after all. She was trying to get money from him before people noticed her belly wasn’t growing.” The door to his office opened without a knock and both Victor and Bradley turned to it, expecting to see Miss Wright. Instead, a man in a police uniform that Victor didn’t recognize walked in. “Can I help you?”
“Good morning, Mr. Pembroke,” the man said. “My name is Arnold Christianson, I’m a police detective from Elston. I’d like you to come with me.”
“To Elston?”
“No, just down to the police station,” he said. “I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“You can ask them here,” Victor said, pointing to the door. “I’m rather busy at the moment as I’m sure you can understand, what with my client being murdered last night. Bradley, could you step outside for a few minutes? Tell Miss Wright I’m busy as well.”
“Yes, sir,” Bradley said with a nod. He closed the door after him and Victor looked up at the detective.
“Have a seat, Mr. Christianson. I’m happy to answer any questions you have.” He motioned to a chair in front of his desk but Mr. Christianson didn’t move.
“If you don’t come with me of your own accord, Mr. Pembroke, I’m going to be forced to place you under arrest.” He gave Victor a tight smile that didn’t convey even a hint of happiness. “You wouldn’t want your clients to see that, would you?”
“What are you talking about?” Victor looked at Mr. Christianson irritably over his desk. The detective came toward him and he stood up. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“That’s for the court to decide,” the officer said. “Lady Whittemore admitted to having intimate relations with you at the time her husband was murdered. Do you deny that?”
“She did?” Victor’s mind raced. If Cordelia had already said it, there was no point in arguing it. If he tried to deny it, it would make both of them look worse. “All right, yes, we were together that night. That should prove to you that neither of us could have killed Arthur, unless you’re suggesting we did it in the middle of the act.”
“Maybe you didn’t do it yourself,” the officer said. “But Lady Whittemore is a very wealthy woman now that her husband is out of the way. It wouldn’t be unheard of for someone in your position to hire a man to do the murder so that you and she could be together afterward.” He gave Victor a knowing look. “Or was it her idea? I could always get in touch with your sister as well. She knows a bit about how miserable it is to be a divorced woman, the jury would love that.”
“Leave my sister out of this!” Victor leaned over the desk at the officer, who smiled. He’d gotten a rise out of him and Victor immediately regretted it. “Get out of my office.”
“Oh, I’ll leave all right,” the detective said. “And you’re coming with me.” The door opened again and the chief of police came in, trailed by both Miss Wright and Bradley. “Chief,” Mr. Christianson said with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I had a feeling you would be here,” the chief said. “I’ve just been visited by General Richard Ellison and he was none too pleased with the way things are being handled. From what he told me you bullied his sister-in-law into confessing some rather private information mere hours after her husband was murdered.”
“I was trying to get to the truth of it,” the detective said. “You were the one who said he wanted things taken care of as quickly as possible.”
“I did and I do,” the chief said, folding his arms over his chest. “That doesn’t mean I want you to go round Greenley threatening our citizens.” He motioned to Victor. “Whatever you may think of what he and Lady Whittemore have been up to, it doesn’t give you the right to antagonize Mr. Pembroke. Save that for when and if a trial is necessary.”
“Which it won’t be,” Victor said, narrowing his eyes at both men. “I plan on proving to both of you that neither Lady Whittemore or I have done anything wrong, and finding out who killed Lord Whittemore besides.”
“Thank you for your enthusiasm, Mr. Pembroke,” the chief said. “I think we’ve got this under control.”
“Obviously not, if you’re resorting to threatening people,” Victor replied archly. The chief looked somewhat abashed, a rarity for him, but the detective continued to stare him down. “If that’s all, I’ll thank you to leave my office. I have clients to see.”
“Thank you for yo
ur time, Mr. Pembroke,” the chief said with a nod. “I would take it as a personal favor if you didn’t leave town while the investigation is going on.”
“The only place I’m going is out to the Whittemore estate to check on my client,” Victor said. “I have more than enough to worry about here without going all over England to find more.” He watched the two policemen leave, then sighed heavily and shook his head. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said to Bradley and Miss Wright. “I didn’t want to involve you in any of this.”
“It’s quite all right,” Miss Wright said, and Bradley nodded.
“Rather an exciting day, though.” He grinned at Victor, who gave him a look of disdain before taking his jacket off the rack and putting it on. “Where are you going?”
“Out to the Whittemore estate as I said,” Victor said. “Not only do I want to check on Lady Whittemore after that man interrogated her, I want to thank General Ellison if he’s still out there. I assumed he’d gone back to Elston but I’m rather glad he hasn’t.”
“Yes, sir,” Miss Wright said with a nod. “I’ll be sure to inform anyone who comes by that you’re out on business.”
“Thank you.” He watched the young lady depart, then picked up the folder he’d taken from the drawer and handed it to Bradley. “Here. I want you to take this to Mrs. Traynor. Tell her that I’ve had an unexpected emergency and that these are the papers for the trust. Have her go over them and write down any questions she might have, and I’ll speak with her about it tomorrow. Do you think you’ll be able to handle that?”
“Of course, sir.” Bradley took the papers from him and thumbed through them. “Is there anything else I need to know about them?”
“Not at the moment,” Victor replied. “Thank you for your assistance.” He walked with Bradley to the door and held it open. “I’ll likely be back in the afternoon. If not, please close up the office. Between you and Miss Wright you should be able to figure it out.”
“I think so.”
“Mr. Pembroke!” A booming voice caught Victor’s attention as Bradley started off down the main street and he turned to see the General coming toward him. To someone who had wronged him, the General no doubt exuded an intimidating air but Victor had never been happier to see someone in his life. “I’m glad I caught you.”
“As am I,” Victor said, going down the steps to meet him. He extended a hand to the General, who shook it firmly. “I wanted to thank you, sir. The chief of police was in my office a moment ago and said you spoke on my behalf.”
“On both you and Cordelia’s behalf,” the General corrected. “It may have been indiscreet of my wife but Birdie told me about your and Cordelia’s, er, situation and I could only imagine how she must have felt being bullied by that man.” He shook his head. “Some people can be so insensitive.”
“Yes, well,” Victor said. “I’m used to it.”
“Whether you are or not, Cordelia isn’t,” the General said. “To be perfectly frank, I can’t say I approve of the two of you going behind Arthur’s back but I also can’t say that I know the entire story. Birdie suggested there was more to it, so I’ll reserve my judgment until then. However, I do care deeply for my sister-in-law and don’t want to see her hurt any more than she has been. Can you at least promise me that much?”
“Absolutely,” Victor said. “There is nothing in the world that could make me harm Cordelia.” He hesitated, then decided a bit of the truth wouldn’t hurt. “I was working on going forward with a divorce for Arthur before he died, and doing my best to find a way to proceed that wouldn’t cause her undue stress. Cordelia has always been my first priority.”
“Good,” the General said. “She needs that at the moment.” He looked up at the sky. “It looks like rain. Would you care for a ride out to the estate? I presume that’s where you were going.”
“You would be correct,” Victor said. “I was planning on riding out there but if you’ve got a carriage waiting I certainly wouldn’t say no.”
“Excellent. Come on, then.” They walked together to the police station where the General’s carriage and horse were waiting and he pointed to it. “Just there. You know, I’ve seen a few automobiles round Elston lately.”
“Oh yes? I’ve yet to drive one but my friend Judge Perkins in London has one and it was quite fun to ride in.” The carriage driver got down to open the door for the two men and the General nodded at him. “I wonder if they’ll ever replace horses entirely.”
“Perhaps,” the General said as he climbed up into the carriage. “It will involve quite a bit of work to do it, though. Roads will have to be paved over or the damn things will get stuck in the mud, they’ll have to come up with some sort of station to put petrol in them. They’re quite the novelty now but it’ll be some time before they’re truly in the mainstream.”
“You’re probably right,” Victor said. His mind was already starting to wander. With Arthur gone, he wasn’t sure Cordelia would want to stay out at the manor. She might not want to stay at his house either. It wasn’t small but it likely wasn’t as lavish as she was accustomed to. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the money to get a larger house and more servants, he just never saw the point of hiring more for a single man.
“Are you planning on marrying her?”
“Excuse me?” Victor turned to the General in surprise. It was as if the man had read his mind and the General raised an eyebrow at him.
“Cordelia. Are you planning on marrying her now? It won’t be long before everyone in town knows about the two of you and there’s bound to be talk. She’s no doubt done a bit of harm to her reputation and as you bear some of the responsibility it’s only fitting for me to ask what your plans are regarding her.” It was clear from his words that the General was fully stepping into his role as Cordelia’s brother-in-law, and as strange as it felt to be asked these things straight out, he was grateful to the man.
“Of course I am,” Victor said, though he hadn’t given much thought to it up to that point. “I wouldn’t have gotten involved with her if I hadn’t.” It wasn’t the whole truth but it was close enough to satisfy the General. Whatever he’d felt for Cordelia at the beginning was irrelevant now, though. All he cared about now was being with her, no matter what it took.
“Good,” the General said. “Glad to hear it.” Thunder rumbled overhead and he looked out at the sky. “I’m glad I keep my umbrella in the carriage for situations like this. That’s another problem with those automobiles, half of them don’t have a roof. What are you supposed to do when it rains if you’re riding in something like that?”
“Good question,” Victor said, sitting back against the seat with relief. It wasn’t quite the man’s blessing, but at least he knew the General was on his side. That was more than enough for the time being as far as Victor was concerned.
When they got out to the estate, Victor and the General shared the umbrella and hurried into the house through the rain. It had started raining halfway through the trip and by the time they got up the driveway it was pouring. Birdie and Cordelia met them in the foyer as the General shook off the umbrella and folded it up.
“It’s really coming down out there,” he said as one of the staff came to take the wet umbrella from him. “I didn’t think it would be quite so bad.” He went to Birdie and kissed her on the cheek. “Good thing I offered Mr. Pembroke a ride out here or he’d be soaked to the bone.”
“Thank you for coming, Victor,” Cordelia said, taking his hands. He wanted to kiss her the same way the General had kissed his wife but felt somehow it would be a step too far, especially with both of the Elllisons’ eyes on him. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about speaking to the police.”
“It’s all right,” Victor said. “I honestly didn’t expect them to start threatening you right away.” He squeezed her hands. “I’m sorry to have put you in this position, my dear.” Without warning, Cordelia put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
“I’m glad y
ou did,” she said. “Otherwise they might really have arrested me.”
“Let’s go into the sitting room,” Birdie said. “Otherwise we’ll all catch our deaths.” For being the younger sister, Birdie seemed to have no problem taking charge of a situation and they all followed her to the sitting room where one of the housemen was putting logs into the fireplace. “I took the liberty of asking them to light a fire. It’s so chilly in here when it rains.”
“Since you’re all here, I suppose there’s something I should tell you,” Cordelia said, letting go of Victor and looking at him. “You already know, of course, but I should probably explain it to Birdie and Richard as well so they don’t think too badly of me.”
“I could never think badly of you,” Birdie said, taking her sister’s hand and twining her fingers through it. “But I am interested in hearing whatever it is you have to say. You did promise me you’d explain it to me and I’ve been ever so patient.” Something in her voice made Cordelia laugh and it warmed Victor’s heart. He did want her to be happy, more than anything. The women he had been with before hadn’t mattered to him, hadn’t gotten into his heart the way Cordelia had, and she was so different from them it was as if she was a different species. He’d wanted to possess her and gotten his wish, now all he had to do was hold onto her.
When they were all in the sitting room, Cordelia sat in one of the wing-backed chairs and Victor sat in the one beside her automatically. Birdie sat on the loveseat with her husband and Cordelia cleared her throat as she watched the houseman light the fire. It really was a bit chilly in the house but warmed up quickly with the fire. As soon as he was gone, she looked to Victor, who nodded.
“After Arthur and I were married a few months, he suggested we sleep in separate rooms,” Cordelia said, looking down into her hands. “He said he needed a firmer bed than the one we shared so I took the one we had and put it in the room I have now. We weren’t being intimate with one another so I didn’t think much of it when he suggested I sleep in the other room, but I confess that I felt a bit slighted. He was distant with me and seemed to only show affection when someone else was around.