The Wicked Wager

by Anya Wylde

  “It is possible,” the duke said thoughtfully.

  “A tall blonde man … that fits only one person, and that is the earl.”

  “You are wrong. It also fits the next person we are going to speak to, Joe the under-gardener,” the duke corrected.

  “He is our man!”

  “Let us first speak to him and then decide. Don’t throw your list into the fire just yet, Nutters.”

  A handsome young man entered the room. His clothes were cheap, and mud stains splattered his shoes. Dark shadows stood stark in his white face. He stood nervously, shifting from one foot to the other. He clutched his hat in a deathly grip.

  The duke indicated the chair, and he hesitatingly did as he was bid. He sat.

  “This is Mr Nutters, and he will be here during the entire conversation. You may speak freely in front of him.”

  Chapter 28

  “Em, who do you suppose did it?” the earl asked.

  The two couples had met in the empty music room to go over the day’s discoveries.

  “I am not sure, though I think it could be … Prudence? She had the most to lose,” Emma replied.

  “Do you think she is capable of murder?” Catherine asked dubiously.

  “I think anyone is capable of murder if cornered,” Lord Raikes replied.

  “Even the duke,” the earl added.

  Catherine did not deny it.

  “Emma heard him threatening Lady Babbage. We also know he was in some sort of difficulty, since we read his letter to Nutters. He had sounded grave in his letter, and he even stated that he was no longer sure what action he may take, since the situation was so dire,” the earl said.

  “What about Mr Barker?” Lord Raikes broke in, catching sight of his fiancée’s distressed face.

  “He was scared of a mouse. I doubt he could murder anyone,” Emma scoffed.

  “Mr Barker was in financial difficulty, and how can we be sure Lady Babbage had nothing against him as well? He was deeply troubled and tried to involve me in some grand speculation. He was forced to appeal to an acquaintance for money. He could also have been aware of Prudence’s situation. He could not want his daughter’s name ruined either. He may not care about her, but he does care about his own family’s reputation,” Lord Raikes paused and then spoke further, “The same holds true for Mrs Barker. It is more likely that she became aware of Prudence’s condition.”

  “I can imagine Mrs Barker wielding a knife but not her daughter or even her husband,” Catherine mused and then added, “Did you notice that man … not Nutters, the other one. I think he was the under-gardener. I wonder why he was invited?”

  The earl proceeded to fill Catherine in. She had been unaware of her aunt’s attempts to blackmail the earl and all that Lady Babbage had revealed of her association with Joe, until now. It had slipped everyone’s mind due to the events of the day.

  She heard him out in silence.

  She finally said, “Joe must have done it. Why else would the duke invite him to our conference this morning? He must have some suspicion. He was the only outsider apart from that London detective.”

  “You may have something there … I say, what about our old chap Pickering? He was in the house as well,” the earl said excitedly.

  “Just because he tailed you last night and blabbered to the duke does not mean he is the culprit. You have not forgiven him for ferreting your secret out. I do not think he is a possible suspect. Lady Babbage was a highbrow. She never acknowledged anyone of the servant class. The only reason she noticed you, Richard, was because I showed interest in you,” Emma scoffed.

  “I agree. We cannot consider him seriously. That man spent the entire night chasing the two of you. He gave an accurate account of your activities. I doubt he would have provided you both with an alibi if he had committed the crime. He would have liked as many suspects as possible. He could have sneaked off once you went to Emma’s room for the night, but he did not know if you would leave your room again. Besides, I also observed Lady Babbage’s indifference to those lower in status,” Lord Raikes said.

  “I disagree,” Catherine said, turning to address Lord Raikes, “I admit I never saw her treat the servants badly, though she did ignore them. But how then do you account for the fact that she was blackmailing Joe? He was the under-gardener, after all.”

  They all fell silent at that.

  The earl fervently hoped it was Pickering. He wanted to believe it was him, yet something nagged him at the back of his mind. He had overlooked a crucial fact. He pushed his antipathy towards the butler aside and examined his thoughts impartially.

  He spoke slowly, “Do you remember, Em, I told you that Joe had recently lost his finances and that circumstances had pushed him to become a gardener? I have dealt with him, though not at length, since the duke employs forty under-gardeners. I noticed him when I realised the man knew even less about gardening than I did. I felt sorry for the fellow and helped him out a bit. I had, at the time, mentioned to you that I did not believe he had always been a servant. What if Lady Babbage had been the reason he had lost all his wealth? He could have travelled to the estate to beg her to release him. She would have found his presence convenient for any of her nefarious plans.”

  “He sounds more and more like our man. He had been reduced to wearing rags and struggling for his livelihood. He is the strongest contender, along with Prudence. That also clears Pickering,” Lord Raikes stated.

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Emma, seeing the dour faces around her, said, “Let us for a moment forget this awful discussion. It could have been anyone. No one liked Lady Babbage, and everyone had a reason to harm her. Instead, I want to ask my cousin if I should wish her happy. I see the two of you are no longer arguing. On the contrary, I believe he has caught your hand under the cushion. I saw you discreetly tugging away.”

  Catherine blushed and nodded her head.

  Emma leapt up and hugged her.

  The next few moments were spent joyously, the horror of the day pushed to the back of their minds but not forgotten.

  ***

  The duke met them all after dinner in the saloon.

  “I have to answer a number of questions. I do not yet know who committed the crime, though certain facts are being investigated by Mr Nutters at this very moment. We will have a clearer picture tomorrow. My sister’s body is being kept with the family doctor until the funeral arrangements are made. I believe Emma is organising that with the help of my daughter.”

  “When can we go home?” Mrs Barker asked.

  “You may leave only after the investigations are completed. Now, I know some of you are wondering where your belongings are, things which Lady Babbage borrowed.” He paused and then went on, “They will be returned to their owners. I will need Catherine’s help to identify all that did not belong to my sister. Then you can all take a look at what is left and identify your property. Though, I doubt we will find much. If that is the case, then I will compensate you for your losses.”

  Mrs Barker looked visibly pleased at this news. She would no longer demand to go home until her jewels were returned or well compensated for.

  The duke walked over to the fire place and warmed his hands. With his back to the party, he said, “I am surprised at all of you. None of you have dared to ask me if I killed my sister.”

  A few gasps sounded around the room.

  The earl and Emma exchanged guilty glances.

  “It would be most convenient if I were the murderer. I would be investigating it and why would I implicate myself? She was blackmailing some of you, so it stands to reason that she might have been doing the same to me. After all, she knew me far longer and was aware of all my secrets.”

  He turned to face his audience, “However, I am not about to confess to any crime, since I did not kill her. As for her blackmailing me, she never even tried. I was the only person in the world who would provide for her. She could not bite the hand that fed her. She was a manipulativ
e woman, but clever nonetheless. I am the duke. If she did manage to find a way to ruin me, then her own comforts would be snatched away, as well. I was the reason that she had respect in society, access to many of her wealthy victims and the power to intimidate.” He paused to let that sink in and then continued, “I would now like to tell you about Lady Esther Babbage, if you would humour me?”

  Everyone nodded. A few sipped their wine and sat back on their seats. Now that they knew it was just reminiscing, they felt more relaxed. They had been expecting more questions and accusations. They were willing to listen to anything other than that.

  The duke took a seat as well and took a healthy sip of whiskey before he continued, “My sister was a beautiful child. She was frivolous and flighty. My father indulged her and spoiled her terribly. The result was that she ran away with the vicar’s son. She was only eighteen. My father was enraged and rightly so. The man had a bad reputation, and it was clear he had married her for her dowry. My father then decided to provide Esther with a sum far less than her dowry in the hope that she would leave her husband.

  David Babbage, her husband, was a shrewd man. He knew if he kept her by his side, then one day my father would relent and provide them with an adequate sum, rather than see his daughter suffer. He slowly worked on her emotions, isolating her completely until she was dependent on him. He could not afford to have her run back to her family. He slowly poisoned her mind against everyone from her past. You must understand how young and naive she was when she married him. It was only with time that she learnt to be conniving and manipulative.

  Soon he started drinking and gambling, rapidly losing the paltry sum his wife had brought him. His true self emerged with time, since no one can pretend for years on end. My father fell ill during that time and was unaware of their deteriorating state. Out of pride, Esther refused to go back and beg her family, the family that she believed had forgotten her and had never bothered to inquire after her well-being. As the years passed, David started becoming violent in his demands. He told her that he had married her for her money, and it was about time she provided it. He tried to force her to go to my father and plead her case. She could have left him then, as she had grown to hate the man more than she hated her family. The only reason she stayed on was because she had a son. She was not sure if a child born of such a man would be accepted by us.

  Her husband died in a senseless brawl one night. Her son was now grown up. Unfortunately, he turned out to be no better than his father. He was egotistical, wanting the recognition that came with being a part of the duke’s family. He disliked his mother and made demands similar to those that his father had made. The difference was that she loved him like she had never loved her husband. When his threats and pleas to return to the Arden estates failed to move his mother, the boy ran away to London and she lost all trace of him. Meanwhile, my father had died and I succeeded him as the duke. My first job was to find my sister and convince her to return with me.”

  The duke paused here and looked right at Catherine when he spoke next,

  “My wife had died and I had a young daughter. I appealed to her to come take care of her and help me out. Esther’s pride was somewhat mollified when she realised she would not be a charity case but would be doing me a favour. She had always been fond of children and took to Catherine almost immediately. I, too, was young at the time and failed to realise what changes had been brought about in my sister after living such a hard life. In my arrogance, I could not conceive the depths of cruelty she had suffered. It had hardened her and made her shrewder. She at once saw a chance to live her life in comfort and my daughter gave her a reason to stay. She could do what she pleased as long as the child was treated fairly and well. She managed her side of the bargain reasonably, until her son came back into her life.”

  “But we have never seen him,” Catherine exclaimed in shock.

  “You all have seen him. Let me continue.”

  Catherine nodded.

  “Her son was greatly in debt and fleeing from the law. He found out that his mother was back in a comfortable position and he decided to ask her for money. He sent her a note and she panicked. She knew I would never allow that kind of man to be under the same roof as my daughter. She met her son secretly and he made her promise that she would give him something in return. She had missed him when he had abandoned her and she was afraid of losing him once again. She relented and gave him all the jewels she had, with which he paid off some of his debts. He then returned for more. She asked me for it and I gave it to her with a warning that no more would be forthcoming. I knew that boy would leech his mother dry, if he could. The only way to stop him would have been to refuse to pay him and instead force him to live an honest man’s life. You can guess what happened next. He kept coming and Esther was forced to find other means of payment. She happened upon a secret and found a perfect source of income through blackmail. I do not know how many people she blackmailed in the end, and I am sorry for it, as I would love to pay back all their money. It is shameful that a family member has behaved in such a fashion. A month back, the boy returned, and Esther had to stoop to robbing me to pay her son off. She was willing to do anything to keep him in her life.”

  The duke paused and drank some more. He stared into the fire as he let the words sink in.

  The ticking of the grandfather clock and the crackling wood in the fireplace was the only sound to be heard in the stillness. No one dared to interrupt the silence until the duke spoke again,

  “I confess I did not know or even conceive that she had resorted to such means. Her behaviour was so correct at all times. I knew she genuinely loved my daughter, and I felt guilty for keeping her away from her son. Because of that guilt, I allowed her to dictate my daughter’s life and occasionally override my own wishes regarding her upbringing. I wanted to give her a child in return for taking one away from her. I let her isolate my only child, the same way she had been isolated by her husband. I think, since she had been bullied for so long, she wanted to be the one in command and keep others dependent on her. She became the bully, and I failed to see it. She used emotions like guilt, jealousy, and love against all of us to force us to do what she desired. I blame myself for most of it. I should have taken the boy in hand instead of pushing him away. She knew me best, and hence all my faults were easy to manipulate. She did not need to blackmail me to make me do as she wished. I compromised my daughter’s happiness, after all.”

  Catherine got up and approached her father. She set his glass away and embraced him.

  He hid his face in her shoulder as his eyes turned wet.

  She softly spoke, “I was happy except for the last three years. I am sorry I was angry. It was not your fault. If anything, it was aunt’s fault. Her methods can have no reasonable excuse. Everyone suffers, but not everyone chooses to take the evil path.”

  The duke felt as if a great weight had lifted off his shoulders. He pushed her away to look into her face, “You have grown wise, child.”

  She kissed the top of his head as she answered,

  “I had the best teacher in you.”

  Chapter 29

  After a sleepless night, the household woke up with a feeling of dread. The duke would reveal the murderer today.

  Everyone had broken into little groups and found separate corners to spend their morning. The Barker family sat huddled together in the breakfast room. Emma and the earl had left to stroll in the gardens. The duke was locked in his study with Nutters, while Lady Arden was still in bed.

  “Have you truly forgiven your father?” Lord Raikes asked Catherine.

  Catherine’s eyes skittered around the library. Only after ascertaining that they were alone did she reply, “I was miserable having my aunt as my chaperone. Yet all through those years I was convinced my father was doing what he thought best for me. I believed that with time I would come to understand his reasoning, which would, no doubt, be superior to mine. I sympathise with his situation.” She paused, and then a
dded on a more forceful note, “but I am also angry, for how could he make such a mistake? I thought he was perfect and could do no wrong. Chalk it down to a childish whim, if you will. I think it will take some time for me to forgive him completely. It is difficult to suddenly see him as vulnerable.”

  “I think he is a better man than most of us. It is not easy to concede ones faults, and for such a proud man, it is harder still. I think he did it for you,” Lord Raikes said gently.

  “I know he did it for me. I truly appreciate that, but words cannot heal old sores, only time can do that.”

  “Do not let it fester into hatred. He only wants what is best for you,” he warned.

  “He thinks I may have murdered my aunt. I cannot forgive that so easily. I wish the killer is caught soon. The situation is making me suspicious of everyone. I cannot help staring around the room and wondering who murdered her. I cannot dismiss anyone, not even Emma. I had even suspected my father. I know that’s hypocritical. He has every right to suspect me if I feel the same way. My brain tells me that he is not wrong in doing so, yet my heart rebels at the thought.”

  “Do you think I did it?” Lord Raikes asked, searching her face.

  She glanced up at him and did not answer.

  He sighed; he could hardly expect to be discounted as the murderer if she was suspicious of even those that she had grown up with. This was a new tangle that interfered with their romance, and it was the last thing he wanted. He, too, could not wait for the killer to be caught.

  His beautiful fiancée could hardly fall in love with a man she suspected of being a murderer.

  ***

  That evening the duke asked them to assemble in the library once more. Nutters was present armed with his quill and paper.

  “Good evening. Some new evidences have come to light, and I wanted to share it with you,” the duke announced.

  Everyone faced the duke, controlling their nervous fidgeting.

  “I do not have the luxury to discount anyone, not even my own family members. Being a duke has its advantages, yet at times like this, I wish I did not hold this title. I am torn between duty towards my family and my responsibilities. Please forgive me for what is about to follow. I am also bound to avenge my sister’s death, and that is why I will speak to you as a duke and not a friend, husband, uncle, or father.” He gazed around the room, his eyes resigned.