by Beth Byers
“Can I still live here?” Janey’s lip was trembling and Georgette nodded quickly, clutching the girl. She wasn’t ready to lose Janey as well as Lucy.
“It’s a good match,” Marian said gently. “Dr. West is a good man, and he has good prospects.”
“I’m sorry for your worry,” the constable added nearly as gently. “Shall I leave you to—”
Georgette shook her head before he left and said, “Wait, please.”
Georgette handed Wentworth to Janey and said, “Would you get the constable some more tea?”
Janey eyed the full and untouched teacup that had been given to the constable and then looked at Georgette darkly.
Georgette simply waited. Janey’s gaze narrowed because she wasn’t stupid and knew that Georgette was removing the little ones from the room in order to prevent them from hearing what she knew. Georgette waited while Janey lingered, leaving the room so slowly that she could have been outpaced by a snail.
Janey finally left and then Marian closed the door. Since Georgette knew Janey very well, she said in a soft voice, “That’s not why we called you.”
The constable eyed the door and just lifted a brow in reply.
Georgette felt a rush of exhaustion. It had been a long day with horrors that she was trying to avoid thinking about. She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly, “We found a boy hanged near that haunted lake. Eddy, what is the name of the lake?”
“I know it,” the constable said before Eddy could answer. The constable’s voice was hoarse and tried to keep his voice low, but Georgette was sure that Janey would hear if she was still eavesdropping. “Hanged? A boy?”
“He’s near my age and was with Guy Bayles yesterday.” Eddy was whispering softly enough that Janey wouldn’t hear him. He had a better respect for the level of Janey’s willingness to eavesdrop and her resourcefulness to do things like find a glass and press it against the door.
“We think he was murdered,” Georgette said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Constable Rogers’s eyes widened and she could see the doubt on his face. He knew them well enough to not entirely set aside their thoughts, but why would a hanged boy be a murder?
“He was on the island,” Eddy whispered, glancing at the door to the library. “There was no boat.”
Before the constable could suggest that the victim had swum, Georgette added, “His clothes were dry.”
The constable frowned deeply and muttered, “We could use the doctor.”
“I’m sure Scotland Yard has one who can help.”
Rogers nodded. “I wonder if I can use your telephone?”
“Of course.” Then he and Eddy walked quietly to the door. The constable reached out slowly and opened the door swiftly. Janey leaped back and eyed them all in horror. Wentworth was lying on a chair across the hall and Janey held a glass in her hand.
“Of course,” Rogers said. He laughed a little and then demanded, “What did you hear, little one?”
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Janey shook her head, refusing to answer. She scooped up Wentworth and returned to the library. Her frown was deep and she hadn’t gotten any tea for the constable, but no one pointed it out. Georgette wasn’t surprised when the girl reappeared a moment later. Marian was sitting next to Georgette and they were both petting one of the dogs.
“Are you all right?” Marian asked, knowing Georgette well enough to see through the attempt at hiding her feelings.
“I’ll be fine,” Georgette said.
Marian wanted to ask about the body, but Janey had proven to be dangerous when her sense of justice was threatened. She’d already broken into the office of a suspected murderer and nearly been killed. Georgette wouldn’t give the girl fodder for further action.
“When will Lucy be back?” Janey asked instead and Georgette didn’t believe the switch for a second. If Janey hadn’t known about Lucy earlier, the youngest of the siblings probably still thought it was romantic to run off and marry. There was no way Janey was worried about the right things for Lucy, though Georgette certainly had concerns.
Would she be all right making such a big choice without any support? Would Lucy change her mind and be unable to find support? Would the West family be kind to her? Would Dr. West be able to support the couple financially? He was quite a young doctor with quite a young practice. Georgette had struggled for so long financially, she knew it was devastating. It was hard to feel in love when you were worried about having somewhere to live and something to eat.
“Georgette?” Janey asked softly when her question went unanswered.
It took Georgette a moment to reflect back and then she shrugged in reply. She had no idea when Lucy would be back, but Georgette suspected that Dr. West needed to return quickly. He had his still growing office and patients. They wouldn’t wait for him if they needed help and perhaps they’d be more comfortable with a doctor that looked less like a child.
“Soon, I think,” was all that Georgette replied.
“I don’t want to stay home and wait,” Janey muttered. “Lucy and Eddy are off doing exciting things and Eunice wants me preparing green beans.” Her disappointed sigh made Georgette chuckle, though her humor was tempered by her pounding headache and the events of the day.
“No one ever does, love.”
“When are they going to find the body and start researching the murder?” Janey demanded. Her gaze avoided Georgette’s and the girl overtly eyed the windows as though she could see herself already crossing the fields to begin sleuthing.
Georgette rolled her eyes and gave her an order in a precise, clear statement. “You are staying out of this murder investigation.”
“But you never do.”
Georgette flinched. “I am staying out of it.”
“But—” Janey’s arms were crossed over her chest.
“No.”
“But—”
“No,” Georgette and Marian said in unison. Marian huffed a laugh and reached out to tug one of Janey’s braids.
“No,” Georgette repeated as soon as Janey opened her mouth.
“But, I don’t want to stay home and wait.”
“Then stay home and find a good book to read.”
“I don’t want to do that either,” Janey muttered. Her eyes stared out the window and her vision seemed to see things far beyond.
“Then suffer,” Marian suggested, without even an attempt at empathy.
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It turned out that being married was more difficult than Marian had anticipated. Given that her mother had sworn that would be the case, Marian could hear the ‘I-told-you-sos’ in her head. If Mother hadn’t been quite so awful before the wedding, Marian would have turned to her, but she knew that wouldn’t end well.
It was even worse, because Marian knew that Joseph was trying. It was just hard to combine lives, and she was lonelier than she wanted to admit. When she realized Lucy was missing, there was a part of her who was delighted she had a reason to not spend the day making bread, sweeping their floors, and being a housewife.
It was Georgette’s fault, Marian thought. Georgette with her writing career and her full house. She was never alone and had endless help. Marian knew her thoughts weren’t fair to her friend. Georgette’s life had been lonely for a long time, and Marian suspected her own jealousy was based not on being envious of Georgette’s happiness, but simply wanting her own.
Plus, Marian was furious her mother had been right. Joseph was gone more than even he expected. Several Scotland Yard detectives had left and the new fellows weren’t up to speed.
Marian loved their little cottage, and she loved her husband, and she loved taking care of him. She just hated when he was gone from the moment she woke in the morning until after she fell asleep. She would wake to an arm around her waist and then again to a kiss on her lips.
Marian frowned at Georgette and said, “I’m jealous of you.”
Georgette blinked rapidly and glanced at Janey.
“You too,” Marian told Janey. “Joseph is gone all the time, and my mother was right, and I hate that she was. And…”
Georgette leaned back and then reached out and took Marian’s hand. “It won’t be as it is now forever.”
“But—”
“But it might be again and again,” Janey said with the callousness of youth. “He’s gone a lot and there’s more to you life than just him. Fill in your blank spaces with other things.”
Georgette bit her bottom lip as Marian stared at the child. That little brat. Marian started to snap an answer, but Janey continued on.
“People don’t get the lives they imagine,” Janey said seriously. “I imagined growing up with my parents.”
Marian winced.
“Most people didn’t imagine things being so hard right now and so much suffering because of that whole stock market thing. I don’t remember it differently, but you do, right?”
Georgette nodded and then Marian followed suit a moment later.
“Charles told Robert last night that tensions were rising and it was expected we’d see another war in our lifetime.”
Marian rubbed the back of her neck and said, “So you think I’m spoiled?”
“Yes,” Janey said simply and then glanced at Georgette as if to demand agreement.
“What would you do if you were me?” Marian demanded.
“Find something that makes you happy when Joseph isn’t around.”
That confident little tone made Marian want to shake the girl. Just discover some hobby to fill her time. Oh, obviously, Marian thought.
“Probably you should also see if you’re expecting a baby,” Janey added. “Since Eunice said Georgette went all wonky when she was pregnant.”
Marian blinked rapidly. A sense of hope and relief struck her all at once. If she was with child and that was why she’d been so morose, it meant she wasn’t suddenly a covetous beast. She would also have her own little Wentworth. Someone to love when Joseph was gone. Marian met Georgette’s gaze and admitted, “It’s possible. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Georgette just squeezed Marian’s hand and said, “With all these babies, we need to be more careful, Janey. We can’t get involved in these murder cases and bring a threat to our home.”
Janey wanted to say no, Georgette knew. Instead she told Marian, “You should get ducks and chickens. I could help you.”
Marian’s head tilted. “Ducks and chickens?”
“Extra money from selling the eggs and less money to spend on your own food,” Janey explained. “Maybe if I helped, I could earn a little money too.”
Marian laughed and then glanced at Georgette.
“As you know,” Georgette started, “chickens are evil creatures. I recommend against it.”
“I do need something to fill my time. Especially since Joseph doesn’t even eat right now. I don’t want to write books like you do. Or take in washing.”
“You like the idea,” Janey crowed. “I’m brilliant.”
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Georgette snorted which made Janey crow more loudly. Janey ran to the library and found a book on chickens. Georgette and Marian followed her finding that she already made a list. The two conspirers put their heads together while Georgette sat down at her typewriter. The scene she had imagined earlier flowed from her fingertips, somehow bypassing the lack of words from earlier that day.
Georgette paused suddenly. A new idea was forming in her head for the series that she and Robert wrote together. Usually she didn’t start the story, but perhaps if he hated the idea, Georgette could alter it and make her own detective series. Either way, there was something about fictionalizing what she’d seen earlier that day that exorcised what she had seen.
Georgette started by wondering what had brought the boy to the lake. In fact, Georgette paused, if he had died the day before—Georgette and Robert had probably seen those boys on their way to the lake. The group of boys must have found Eddy near there or along the creek given that Eddy had been fishing the day before.
Eddy had seen the boy alive when they’d made him doubt himself. If the visiting boy had died after that, but yesterday, Eddy had been one of the last to see him alive as well as Georgette and Robert. Georgette frowned and turned to the telephone, calling Robert in his office.
Without preamble, she asked, “Do you remember that group of boys we saw yesterday when we were walking?”
Robert cleared his throat. “Ah, yes, I suppose so.”
“Was one of them Guy Bayles? Do you know who that is?”
Robert’s tinny voice replied, “I do. Something of an arrogant little prick. I talked to him at the pub once with his father who is also an arrogant older prick. What’s going on, Georgette?”
“Eddy and I went for a walk today and found one of those boys hanging in a tree near some haunted lake.”
“Siren Lake?” Robert asked. “Hanging?”
“Ah, I believe so,” Georgette replied.
“And he hanged himself?” Robert was almost as disbelieving as Georgette even though she’d seen it herself.
“Um, no,” Georgette said. “Eddy and I believe he was murdered. We called Constable Rogers who took Eddy and another fellow to get the body down.”
“Murdered?” Then Georgette heard the tell-tale sound of her husband’s reaction in the background. She could imagine his kind eyes narrowing with anger at the idea. Let alone being furious that Georgette had gotten pulled into another case.
Before Georgette could answer, the telephone clanked a little and Charles demanded, “Murdered? What now?”
Georgette let Robert explain. Charles muttered low about the curse on their family and how they got endlessly pulled into these things. “How could you have possible found a body?”
“I don’t know,” Georgette told Charles with stark honesty. “I really don’t know. It was just a walk and avoiding the blank page. I am, however, concerned.”
Charles cleared his throat and asked, “Why? Even if you’re right, and it’s murder, it has nothing to do with us, Georgette. We don’t know this boy, and we aren’t getting involved. We made a promise after Wentworth was born.”
“Eddy also saw those boys yesterday,” Georgette said, rather than arguing with Charles. They had made a promise. “Only he was alone and they left him certain he wasn’t ready to go to school.”
Charles’s muttering was low and fierce. He didn’t need her to lay it all out. They were going to have to make a decision between their promise to each other when Wentworth was born and the promise they’d made to each other to love Lucy, Eddy, and Janey like their own.
Georgette’s voice was apologetic as she started to explain anyway. “If the boy died yesterday, then three members of our family along with those other boys were the last ones to see him alive—”
“Only if those boys choose to lie because one of them murdered him and Eddy could be who they blame.” Robert’s voice carried from the background, and what he said confirmed Georgette’s thought.
She added unnecessarily, “They will blame Eddy if they were the killers. They might already have a plan that includes him.”
“We have a rowboat,” Charles muttered. “The auto isn’t monitored. Eddy could have used the auto and the boat and…bloody hell. I’m coming home early.”
Georgette rubbed her brow and glanced at Janey and Marian who were blatantly eavesdropping. “On another note, Lucy has eloped with Dr. West.”
Charles was silent for a long moment and Georgette imagined he was as hurt as she was. She found herself defending Lucy even though she wanted to shake the girl. “The doctor’s mother is dying. They were afraid of opposition, and Lucy doesn’t want us to spend more money on her.”
Charles cleared his throat. “I see.”
Georgette did as well. He was as hurt as she was, and they both wanted to dive into their auto and race to the England-Scotland border to see their girl married. It wasn’t going to happen, how
ever, and they had to focus on the most vulnerable of their children rather than the one who didn’t need them at the moment.
7
EUNICE Smith
“We need to know more about those boys,” Mrs. Georgie said in a low whisper. Her gaze was fixed on Wentworth sleeping. Eunice smiled softly. Mrs. Georgie rubbed her baby’s belly and watched his little lips move in and out. He was simply beautiful, but watching Georgette fall deeper and deeper in love with him was more beautiful to Eunice.
Her Georgie had been the light in Eunice’s life since the day of her birth. Georgette’s mother was nearly as quiet as her daughter, but Georgette wasn’t like either of her parents. She was smarter than both of them, more insightful than both of them, and she loved far more deeply than either of them. Mrs. Georgie’s mother was a good woman, but she would have crumpled when her income failed and her survival was left to herself. The fact that Georgette had discovered a way to support herself and support herself well was admirable.
Eunice took in the baby while Georgie marveled at him. His little eyebrows formed the tiniest arcs. His lips were a soft pink and his nose was button-like and begged to have a finger run down the ridge. Eunice had been a servant that helped Georgie’s mother since before Georgie’s birth, and they were more family than anything else. Wentworth felt as much Eunice’s as Georgie’s, and the fact that Georgie felt the same was why Eunice was utterly devoted.
Georgie met Eunice’s gaze a moment later. It was as though her thoughts snapped back to the moment. “We need to know more about those boys. Robert is worried that if they were involved they’re going to try to pin this event on one of us who saw them yesterday.”
Georgie had edited that statement for Janey which was as evident as the sun in the sky when Georgie’s gaze moved to the girl. Janey’s mouth dropped, but her gaze had already become enraged. What she didn’t realize was that Robert and Georgette had been together. It was Eddy who was at risk. Perhaps the boys would simply pretend ignorance, but if the police asked about the life of the boy before he died, Eddy would be mentioned.