by Rose Donovan
Fina could tell from Ruby’s body language that it was time for her to continue. “Moving forward, we come to Julia Aston. Actress and socialite. Friend of Ian Clavering. Also Ruby’s client this weekend. Had the opportunity to commit both murders, as well as the assaults on Fina and Edgar. We explored Julia’s feelings regarding Leslie Dashwood earlier.”
Julia sniffed, in a highly theatrical manner. “Leslie was a rotter, I’ll give you that. But that doesn’t make me a murderer, darling.”
“What about the poison Charles found in the back of your wardrobe, Julia?” asked Fina, hoping to catch her off guard.
Julia glared at Charles. He shrugged his shoulders in return.
“I, I, didn’t do it,” stammered the normally silver-tongued Julia.
“Well?” said Cyril.
Ruby held up her hand as if in explanation. “I believe Julia hid the poison to protect someone. It was Ian, wasn’t it?”
Julia nodded miserably. Ian’s eyes goggled. He looked at her as if he had seen her for the first time.
With her head buried in her hands, she said, “I thought Ian had done it, so I hid the poison in the back of my wardrobe. You see, I heard about the locket – and knew that Ian kept his mother’s locket with him – her name was Cynthia.”
“That’s true, but I still have my mother’s locket… but how did you come into possession of the poison?” asked Ian.
“I found it on your nightstand when I went in to search for the locket. I panicked and hid it in my wardrobe,” she replied.
Ian gulped. “I swear, I swear…”
“I know you didn’t do it, Ian,” said Ruby, gently.
“But you just heard that Julia found the poison in his room!” screeched Cyril.
“Yes, but someone else put it there to incriminate him,” she replied.
Scanning the room, Fina saw that no one moved. Not even a facial muscle.
Ruby continued. “Before we move on to members of the family, let us discuss the members of the staff. Though any member of the staff had the chance to commit these crimes, everyone has been in service at Pauncefort for many years. The question we have to ask ourselves, then, is, why now? There seems to be no easy answer to this. There has not been any major family revelation – at least not publicly to the staff – and the family is here quite often so opportunities would abound. Moreover, the dreadful weather has made this the worst possible weekend to commit a murder: there’s only a small pool of suspects. Much better to wait when the crimes could be blamed on an outside interloper.”
Ruby paused. “The one exception to this is Charles Frett.”
Fina noticed Grimston’s lips purse, almost imperceptibly.
“When Charles drove us to Pauncefort from the station, Fina and I both noticed that he had a particular reaction to the fact we were both at Oxford. Charles’ manner and speech patterns seemed to indicate that he might have been at a place such as Oxford at one time – or at least prepared to go to Oxford. This, coupled with the fact that he has been employed at Pauncefort for just ten months, made us suspicious. When we pressed him about his life story, we found out that he had indeed been on the verge of going to Oxford. His chance had been taken away from him, however, by a prison sentence given by none other than Justice Henry Sykes-Duckworth, father of Charlotte, Edgar and Granville,” said Ruby.
By this time, Charles’ face was quite red. He said nothing.
“Charles did divulge that he took the job with the intention of seeking revenge on Henry Sykes-Duckworth. However, he found that he liked the work here and that his will to actually do anything – at least in a physical sense – had been sapped,” said Ruby.
“It’s true,” said Charles. “I actually found that although I was still bitter about losing my place at Oxford, the work here suited me quite well. Besides this, killing Granville would have only lost me a job since he had threatened to sell Pauncefort once he had his inheritance.”
The Earl and his wife traded uneasy glances. Charlotte, too, seemed to become even more guarded in her manner. Only the guests – Cyril, Julia, Ian and the Badarurs – showed any sign of surprise.
“And it is that last point – about inheritances – that brings us to discussing the motives of the family,” said Ruby.
37
“Let us begin with the Earl and Countess of Snittlegarth. Lady and Lord Snittlegarth have, for all intents and purposes, raised their nieces and nephews. After Lady Sykes-Duckworth died, these responsibilities fell on the shoulders of the two of them, mostly because Justice Sykes-Duckworth’s legal career continued its upward trajectory,” said Ruby, looking at Lord and Lady Snittlegarth.
The Earl responded, nodding his head. “Yes, after dear Catherine’s untimely death, Alma and I became the de facto parents of the household. In addition to his legal career, as you say, Miss Dove, Henry had to attend to the business in the Caribbean as well. It was more than a full-time job. Henry – as difficult as he can be – did recognize the immense burden this placed on us, and gave us free rein at Pauncefort Hall.”
“As a result, you feel particularly protective of your nieces and nephews. You also must have been alarmed by Granville’s declaration that he would sell Pauncefort once he inherited the estate,” said Ruby.
Charlotte came to their defence. “That is true, but Auntie and Uncle would never harm Granville. He was like a son – as you said. No matter how difficult he might be, family is family.”
Ruby turned suddenly on Charlotte. “This applies to you as well, Lady Charlotte. You also would be turned out of your home without a penny upon your father’s death. Granville might have given you an annual allowance, but given his personality we can assume it would be a grudging one at best. You would struggle to make an advantageous marriage, and without funds, you could hardly live in the style to which you’ve become accustomed. It is enough to make even the most loving sister desperate. You, too, might have wanted Granville out of the way.”
Though she remained perfectly composed, Fina saw Charlotte’s eyes flash with an anger she hadn’t seen before. “You may very well think that, but you haven’t any proof.”
“Be that as it may,” said Ruby, turning away from Charlotte. “But you are still among the top suspects. I’m sure the police wouldn’t have much trouble building a case against you.”
“Leave off my sister!” shouted Edgar, his voice echoing his puffed out chest for the first time. “She cannot be a murderer. I know her too well. She’s tough as nails, but would never hurt a fly.”
“And now we come to the last suspect. Edgar. Little brother to Granville and Charlotte. Always protected from the worst of the family – particularly its secrets. Because we know that every family has its secrets. And the secrets of the Snittlegarths and the Sykes-Duckworths are particularly horrible. But no more or less horrible than any other aristocratic colonial-imperial family in England,” said Ruby, her voice gaining in volume.
The Earl, who looked as if he were going to keel over for at least the fifth time during these proceedings, turned a particularly striking shade of vermillion upon hearing this. “Miss Dove, did I hear you correctly? This family hasn’t any secrets – at least none worth a scandal of any kind. And as for that claptrap about colonial-imperial family, I have to assume at this point that it is Bolshie nonsense of some kind. Are you a spy for the reds?!”
Fina and Ruby exchanged glances. Fina wondered if she should step in to explain, but could tell from the iron look on Ruby’s face that she should await further instructions before diving into this morass.
Smoothing her skirt and wetting her lips, Ruby continued. “Your statement is correct in one sense of the word, Lord Snittlegarth. Fina and I are engaged in intelligence gathering of a sort. It is this intelligence gathering that led us here this weekend, and ultimately provided the necessary evidence needed to sort out these crimes.”
Clearing her throat to cover her nervousness, Ruby continued. “The Earls of Snittlegarth and Malvern – tha
t is, the Sykes-Duckworth families – have owned plantations in the Caribbean and in India, among other areas of the world. We already discussed their interests in India. In the Caribbean, they are owners of a planation on my family’s home island of St Kitts.”
She extracted an envelope from her clutch and held it up. “These papers, hidden in the study, describe certain atrocities committed at Bluegate in St Kitts a year ago – with full backing from this family. Or, should I say, Lavington’s to be more precise. My cousin was one of the victims.”
As Ruby looked rather exhausted by this point, Fina cleared her throat and continued on. “Ruby and I were tasked with coming here this weekend to find these incriminating papers describing this series of horrific crimes on the plantation. Our aim was to then turn over these papers to a group of people in London and St Kitts – of which we are a part – fighting against the conditions of the plantations.”
“People?” echoed the Earl, as though repeating the word would make it more comprehensible. “People? What people?”
“People fighting against British colonialism, Lord Snittlegarth. Fina and I are part of group – or I should say web of interconnected people – though we know little about everyone involved. That is to protect us all in case the British government gets wind of it.”
Looking around, Fina saw that the Earl and Countess were startled to the point of bafflement as to why anyone would want to fight against British colonialism. Ian and Julia, however, were exchanging a knowing glance, and Cyril was nodding smugly. Her spirits rose. So they had some allies, after all.
She went on: “Though we had little hope of prompting any official enquiry into these crimes, the hope was to create such a scandal that the Sykes-Duckworths would have to close the plantation. We did this at the request of those living on the plantation themselves. Conditions are such that although closure would mean the loss of livelihood for some, it is far better to close. There are hopes of eventually reclaiming the land.”
Nodding, Ruby picked up the next thread. “So you see, we were in the study searching for these papers on the first night – the night that Granville was poisoned. That is how we knew about the argument between Cyril, Granville and Edgar. In fact,” she added, “we must have been very nearly the last ones to see Granville alive.”
Scanning the room, Fina saw that the universal body language was one of slack jaws and protruding eyeballs.
“Of course, some of you may be wondering if this gave me a reason to kill Granville myself,” said Ruby coolly. “I need hardly state that it was unnecessary to do so because I found the papers in question, which would ultimately prove more satisfying than any need to resort to physical violence.”
Cyril barked out, “But what if Granville discovered the real reason you and Miss Aubrey-Havelock were down here this weekend? That would give you reason to shut him up, as our American friends would say.”
“Even if that were true – which it wasn’t, at least to my knowledge – I certainly wouldn’t implicate myself with the use of my own poison. Besides, we all know that given the way prejudice works in this country, I certainly would be at the top of the police list of suspects. Moreover, even if Granville had found out, what could he have done? Expose me? That would only lead to the scandal which he wished to avoid.”
Julia jumped in. “But what about Fina? She could have done it on your behalf.”
Ruby began to speak, but Fina was ready to defend herself. “I could have, but again, I would be implicating my best friend, and partner in this business. Besides that, we all know I couldn’t cosh myself on my own head.” Anticipating another objection, Fina continued, “And if we were in it together – for the sake of argument – we’d hardly implicate ourselves with the use of Ruby’s poison.”
The Countess leapt to her feet with a broad grin on her face. “Aha!” she declared. “But what if the aim was to murder Leslie, rather than the other way around? Murder him for his political beliefs – which are obviously quite different than your own.”
“That is a clever possibility, Countess, but one that is rather far-fetched. Even though Fina and I – as well as a few others in this room – found Mr Dashwood’s political activities odious, he would have also been potentially exposed by his associations with Granville. Such as they were,” said Ruby.
Silence.
Fina’s stomach muscles tensed, and she decided she had better speak. “I do have one more motive, one that is unconnected to St Kitts. You see, my brother was Connor Aubrey-Havelock.”
She scanned the room for a reaction. All faces looked blank, except one.
“Of course! I knew there was a reason something about you seemed vaguely familiar.” The voice came from Ian Clavering. “Your brother was hanged for the murder of your father, correct?” His look of satisfaction turned quickly to one of shame as he realized the import of his statement.
“Yes, that’s correct. Some of you may now remember the case. It was three years ago,” said Fina, fighting back the rising tide of emotion. “The relevant points here are that, first, I know my brother did not murder my father. I could tell you all the lurid details of police and legal misconduct, but you can read about them yourself in the sensational newspaper accounts. The point is that not only was my brother not guilty, but there were several grave miscarriages of so-called justice before and after the trial.”
“I remember now,” said Cyril quietly. “The judge was Henry Sykes-Duckworth, was it not?”
Fina nodded, unable to utter the words ‘yes’. She sat back in her chair with a thud.
Ruby sat down on the edge of the chair and whispered into Fina’s ear, “Do you want me to continue?” Fina nodded and gave a weak smile.
Ruby held her hand on Fina’s shoulder as she moved to stand. “Justice Sykes-Duckworth’s pronouncement in the case was particularly vulgar and spiteful. He seemed to take positive glee in the pronouncement of a death sentence. Nevertheless, Fina did not murder Granville. Like Charles, she would have had a different target: Lord Malvern, that is, Henry Sykes-Duckworth himself. Fina did not know what the relationship was like between the judge and his offspring, so she could hardly have known one way or another whether losing a son would have hurt him as much as the loss of her brother hurt her family.”
Now standing tall, Ruby made a noticeable shift in her speech. “This story, along with my own, provides the context of my proposal. You see, Fina and I became friends over the ways in which the so-called justice system of this colonial-imperial power operates. In the case of Fina, it was one of overstepping and in mine it was quite the opposite. What our cases shared, however, was prejudice and violence. Fina’s mother was Irish and practically disowned from the aristocratic family into which she married. The police and news reporters played on anti-Irish sentiment – implying and sometimes just stating explicitly that Fina’s brother was naturally violent because he was Irish. Lord Malvern played into this as well in his statements from the bench. This Bluegate affair, of mass murder on the part of a white Britisher going not only unprosecuted but simply unnoticed and ignored, is a parallel process, though one that had different results.”
Now it was Charlotte who interrupted. Fina saw her eyes widen. It was a look of pure terror. “What, Ruby, does this all have to do with the murder of my brother and Leslie? I must confess that I knew nothing of our family’s involvement in what you described.”
“I know you did not know about this violence, but you must have known about the violence in your family. Why else would you shield a murderer?” asked Ruby.
“I, I, I don’t know what you are referring to, I’m sure,” said Charlotte. Stammering, she balled up her graceful hands in her lap to keep them from shaking.
“Ruby, I do hope you will leave off my sister,” said Edgar in a low voice. “I’m warning you.”
Ruby spun around to face Edgar directly. “I suppose I would do well to take heed of a warning from a murderer.”
In contrast to other moments of stunnin
g revelation, everyone began chattering at once. The Countess stood up, and with a dramatic flap of her arms as if she were about to take flight, she silenced everyone. “Miss Dove, I do wish you would stop all of this nonsensical blather. The police should be here quite soon, I’m sure.”
“Yes, that is why it is of the utmost urgency that everyone stay calm and quiet. I do want to continue with my proposal. First, let me detail the actual crimes committed by Edgar. Then I will proceed to a proposal that I believe is in the family’s best interest.
“It is best if we start the story approximately fifteen years ago, when Edgar was a boy. You see, Lady Malvern, Catherine was a warm and thoughtful mother. She was also a mother that had strong views on what was best for her children. As we all know, she died quite suddenly when Edgar was four years old. Charlotte was five and Granville was eleven. Fina and I first learned of this story through two avenues. The first was through the cook, Mrs Lynn, who told us of the family tragedy – that Lady Malvern had died of ptomaine poisoning. We heard from her that it happened soon after Granville was to be sent to boarding school. We also learned that Edgar and his mother were unusually close. That was evident from the stories of the cook and Edgar himself, as well as a photo Fina saw in Edgar’s bedroom when we first arrived.” Ruby opened her clutch on the mantelpiece and withdrew the happy photo of Edgar and his mother. She passed it around for all to see.
“Fina and I had already suspected Edgar of having a motive for killing his brother over the issue of the professorship. But it still seemed hardly enough to justify actually murdering one’s sibling, even if relations had been strained between them over the years. There was an added edge to their argument we overheard that first night in the study. Though we did not know it at the time, the phrase ‘I know what you did’ was significant when Edgar uttered it accusingly at Granville. Fina and I both thought it was about the professorship or about what happened in Bluegate. When Leslie was found dead with the locket with the letter C engraved on it, a story began to form in my mind.”