Silence in the Library
Page 36
And Percy, Ofelia had reported, came by every day to see him so they might draw together, even though the elder Mr. Wyatt had absolutely no artistic talent at all.
“I do not like Mr. Percy Wyatt,” Ofelia added, scowling. “We almost always have to invite him to join us for at least one meal, and he is a dreadfully boring conversationalist. If he is with us in the evenings, he always tries to convince Neddy to gamble over cards. And that is besides being unaccountably rude to the servants. But …” Her expression softened. “For someone so annoying, he is also very kind and patient with Arthur. I suppose I ought to think better of him than I do.”
“Even the most annoying fellows usually have some redeeming feature,” Jack pointed out as the musicians ended their song with a flourish. The dancers bowed to each other, and the watchers clapped politely, the hum of conversation rising even as the music began again for the next set. “That doesn’t mean you are required to like him.”
“Thank you, Captain, that is reassuring,” Ofelia said, her eyes dancing. “I shall continue to dislike him with your blessing.”
The three of them were still laughing when a tall man detached himself from a nearby group and came to stand before them.
“Mrs. Adler.” Matthew Spencer bowed. “A pleasure to see you this evening.”
“Sir.” Lily smiled, flattered that he had sought her out. After the way their ride had ended—and the favor she had asked of him—she had not expected him to show any further interest in her company. And while she hadn’t been upset by that expectation, neither was she disappointed to discover that it was wrong. Especially when he turned that brilliant, disconcerting smile toward her.
He really was unfairly handsome. She resisted the urge to shake her head in dismay and instead turned to her companions. “Lady Carroway, if you are not already acquainted, I am delighted to introduce Mr. Spencer, who is a friend of the Harlowes. Mr. Spencer, the younger Lady Carroway. And of course, you remember Captain Hartley.”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Carroway,” Mr. Spencer said, bowing. “And to have the opportunity to offer you my best wishes for your new marriage.”
“Thank you, sir,” Ofelia said, polite as always. But she glanced curiously at him from beneath her lashes before her eyes darted to the side to peek at Lily.
“And Captain Hartley. A pleasure.”
“Mr. Spencer.” Jack nodded, but there was something stiff in the motion.
If Matthew Spencer had noticed, it didn’t seem to bother him as he turned to Lily. “Mrs. Adler, I believe I owe you an apology. I did not realize, until I was speaking to Mrs. Harlowe the other day, how recently you had left your mourning. I hope there was nothing that I said on our ride together that gave offense.”
“Indeed not,” Lily said, surprised. “I rather thought I had been the more offensive one that day. And I have wished to give you my thanks, for communicating my message so swiftly to your cousin, and with such a positive endorsement.”
“Well.” Mr. Spencer looked a little embarrassed but not unhappy. “Seeing how things turned out, I am glad to have been of service. And”—he smiled and held out his hand—“I wonder if I might have the honor of partnering with you for one of your first dances since your return to society.” His smile grew a little mischievous, and he waggled his fingers at her. “I promise, I have mastered making my way through the figures with only one hand.”
“It would be the first one, actually,” Lily said, hoping she wasn’t blushing. She didn’t glance at Jack as she said it; they had once shared a waltz while she was still in half mourning and they were both caught up in grief over Freddy. But that had been a private moment; she hadn’t danced in public since before her husband died. She took a deep breath, feeling a little burst of pleasure underneath her breastbone. “I would be delighted, sir. If my friends will excuse me?”
“Of course, Mrs. Adler,” Ofelia said brightly, watching them with thoroughly undisguised curiosity. “I am sure I shall manage to entertain the captain in your absence. You deserve a dance, after all.”
“Then yes, I would be delighted.” Lily placed her hand in his.
* * *
Jack watched as Matthew Spencer led Lily to the dance floor, sternly ignoring the uncomfortable feeling underneath his breastbone. He remembered the uncertain look Lily had given him the first day she had begun to wear colors again, as if she had been waiting for his disapproval.
He hadn’t disapproved, of course. She was young, with a great deal of life left ahead of her. And he had known Freddy so well, well enough to be sure that his friend would not have wanted her to remain tethered to his memory.
But it was another thing entirely to watch her place her hand in the palm of a man who clearly admired her, to let him lead her to the dance floor and join the line of dancers, where he would have every excuse to touch her arms, her back, her waist, as they moved through the figures of the dance.
Jack hoped he wasn’t scowling.
“Cheer up, Captain. It is only a dance.”
Ofelia’s comment caught him off guard; for a moment, he had forgotten that she was still there. He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. “It is jarring, that is all. I am used to thinking of her as the wife of my friend. But she …” He sighed. “She has mourned him long enough. She deserves to move on with her life.”
Ofelia raised her eyebrows in pert challenge. “You loved Mr. Adler like a brother, I know. But are you sure that is the only reason you look as if you have a toothache?”
Jack scowled at her. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean, Lady Carroway.”
She shook her head, casting her eyes heavenward as if he had said something deeply amusing. “Yes, you do, Jack. And if you don’t yet …” Ofelia smiled and patted his arm, her expression sympathetic. “You will soon.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Arsenic’s history as a chillingly accessible poison made it a frequent cause of both accidental and deliberate deaths in many countries. For years it was known as “the inheritance powder” because it was so commonly used by those who wanted to get their hands on the family fortune quickly. It was rumored to be the favored poison of the ruthless Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia in the fifteenth century, but its use for murder continued well into the twentieth century. (It was also a common cause of accidental death. The story of a servant accidentally poisoning a family with spring water that Lily recalls is based on a real incident: in the nineteenth century, a girl poisoned her father and sisters by serving them pears boiled in water from a nearby mine.)
Arsenic was popular because it was easy to administer and accessible. White arsenic could be added to food and drinks without dramatically changing their taste, and it was used for pest control as well as found in cosmetics, wallpaper dye, and other everyday places. Another factor in its favor? Death due to arsenic could be difficult to spot. The symptoms of arsenic poisoning often imitate those of other illnesses and include stomach pain, vomiting, dizziness, and shortness of breath. Dr. Shaw’s misdiagnosis of Ellen’s cause of death would not have been the first time an arsenic death was attributed to heart trouble.
To learn more about various poisons, as well as how the development of forensic chemistry began to make it harder for poisoners to escape detection, I highly recommend The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum (which I picked up for another project and ended up finding extremely useful for this one as well!).
It is a common misperception that because terms like “neurodivergent” are modern inventions, the people they describe are found only in modern times. But plenty of historical accounts show the presence of individuals with what we would consider sensory processing disorders or autism spectrum disorder. The lives of neurodivergent individuals in history varied widely, as they do now, but could be especially challenging if their families did not have the funds for their care. The early interventions and coping techniques that pediatricians and occupational therapists provide today were obviously not availab
le. As a result, the lives of neurodivergent children and adults were often kept separate from those of the rest of their families and communities. For more on the study of neurodivergent and autistic children and adults in history, I recommend the research of John Donvan and Caren Zucker.
Finally, a note on charades: though the principle is the same (clues to help the audience guess a word), the version that would have been played in Regency England would have involved word games in the form of riddles, rather than acting out or staging the puzzle. The version Lily and her friends play is more similar to the Victorian game found in Jane Eyre. But it was more fun to write it this way than to have the characters sitting around making up riddles.
ALSO BY KATHARINE SCHELLMAN
LILY ADLER MYSTERIES
The Body in the Garden
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Katharine Schellman is a former actor, one-time political consultant, and currently the author of the Lily Adler Mysteries. A graduate of the College of William & Mary, Katharine currently lives and writes in the mountains of Virginia in the company of her family and the many houseplants she keeps accidentally murdering.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by Katharine Schellman Paljug
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-704-6
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-705-3
Cover design by Nicole Lecht
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
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First Edition: July 2021
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