The Debutante: A Regency Mystery (The Sinclair Society Book 2)

by Bethany Swafford

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see two young men come around the corner and stare at us. The shorter of the two pulled his companion back the way they’d come. “Mr. Harper, please step away from me,” I said, calmly. “You will draw attention to us if you do not.”

  Reluctantly, he let go of me and stepped back. “What can I say to dissuade you?” he asked, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. “Miss Sinclair cannot be willing to allow you to risk your life so that she may have some peace.”

  “You should not presume to know what Miss Sinclair would want. You don’t even know her.”

  “No, but I did know her brother. If she were anything like him, she would forbid you from doing this.”

  While his reasoning amused me, he was right. If I was at home with Aunt Beth and knew someone, perhaps a friend, was undertaking this kind of farce, I’d try to stop them or try to understand what drove them to do what they must.

  “Unless you’re going to tell me something helpful, I am going to walk away now.”

  “Why must you be so stubborn?” Mr. Harper threw his hands up as though he were giving up on me. “Why will you not listen to reason?”

  “Reason is something that has a different meaning for each person. I think I am very reasonable right now. And I consider stubbornness one of my best qualities.”

  He muttered something that sounded a lot like, “You would.”

  Shaking my head, I took a step back. “Good day, Mr. Harper. Perhaps the next time we meet, we can find something on which we can agree. Or, more likely, we will not cross paths again.”

  Somehow, I needed to discover just how Conrad Ingram died and I wouldn’t be able to do that by arguing with a stubborn man. Mr. Harper made no effort to stop me as I kept walking. When I reached the end of the block, I couldn't resist a glance over my shoulder.

  Oswyn Harper had already turned and was walking in the opposite direction.

  IT WASN’T UNTIL I ARRIVED back at Mrs. Smith’s boarding house and was taking off my hat that I realized something important. Mr. Harper had not returned the message. He’d distracted me with his questions, and I had walked away without demanding it back. Had he planned it that way, or had he merely taken advantage of my distraction?

  “Clever man,” I said with a scowl. At least, I’d had the sense to keep the second note in my reticule. I couldn’t make sense of the words, but as long as I had it, I could know it was not in the wrong hands.

  A knock on the door behind me made me spin around. “Yes?”

  “You have a note, Miss Nelson,” a pleasant voice said through the wood.

  Only Mrs. Dobbs knew I was staying here. Perhaps a letter from Aunt Beth had arrived. Quickly, I stepped to the door and opened it. The small message that the maid handed to me put to rest that theory.

  Puzzled, I closed the door and turned the letter over in my hand. I did not recognize the handwriting or the seal that I broke. I unfolded the paper and read the elegant, precise writing:

  ‘Miss Nelson,

  I have reviewed your references and found them to be excellent. Please come to 21 Queen Square tomorrow at 11 am.

  Lady Leith’

  A laugh left my lips. “Mrs. Dobbs.” She’d submitted my references to the baronet’s wife, guessing that I had not done so myself. That blessed, stubborn woman! If I had my own household, I would steal her away from the Dunbars without hesitation.

  The thought of taking on another position as a lady’s maid gave me pause though. A wave of fatigue swept over me. I’d endured so much in Bath: abuse from Miss Dunbar, blackmail from a now dead man, and been accosted from every side, it seemed. How much more could I endure?

  And Oswyn Harper had been right about the danger that followed me. At the same time, though, I couldn’t bear to abandon my quest. I’d set in motion this whole situation to absolve my family’s name. The man who had killed my brother may no longer live, but the rumors would still be spreading.

  Unless he wasn’t. It couldn’t be a coincidence that someone had tried to make it seem as though he had died by falling down the stairs — the same way Jonathan had been killed.

  Then, there was the note my brother had intended for our father. Who was H? How did he figure into the situation? He was a foe; there could be no doubt about that. Did I know him? Was it Mr. Harper as I had initially thought? He’d been so set on preventing me from continuing to ask questions. Was it really out of concern for my safety or something else? Or did H refer to a first name?

  “Oh, this is giving me a headache.”

  My gaze went to the note from Lady Leith. Mr. Harper had mentioned Sir Horace, Baronet, as having been among my brother’s acquaintances.

  Taking a deep breath, I gave a slow nod. “My work isn’t done yet.”

  With the decision made, I decided to take advantage of my free time to rest. I didn’t hear anything until it was time for dinner. I was able to share that I had an interview with a lady when Mrs. Smith asked if my search for employment was finding any success. My answer garnered congratulations from most of the women at the table, but I could see Miss Ellison, the resident gossip, had no interest in that subject.

  “I’m astonished that you would wish to remain in Bath. A girl cannot feel safe in this town,” she said, bursting into the conversation with obvious impatience. “If a gentleman is murdered in his own home, what’s to keep a hard working woman safe?”

  It was a dramatic way to introduce the topic she wished to share, but I would not hold it against her as it is precisely what I wanted to know more about. “Whatever do you mean by that?” I asked. “A gentleman has been murdered? Who?”

  “Mr. Conrad Ingram was found dead in his house! Surely you’ve all heard about it by now.”

  From the gasps and exclamations that rang out around the table, I was the only one who was aware of what had happened. “How horrible,” Miss Harrison, the young woman I shared the room with, said, her hand at her throat. “That poor man.”

  “Well, from what I know of the man, we are all better off with him dead,” another woman further down the table stated, condemnation in her voice. “He may have been called a gentleman, but he did not deserve the description.”

  Miss Ellison sent an annoyed look in that direction. “But murder! No one deserves that.”

  “Are you sure it was murder?” I asked. “Perhaps it was an accident.”

  “I would hardly call a fall when someone is not impaired by drink, an accident,” she said sharply. “I heard the story myself from one of the constables.

  If the murderer had intended on Mr. Ingram’s death appearing to be an accident, why hadn’t he made it seemed more like one? Maybe it had been planned to appear as an accident, but Mr. Ingram realized what was happening, and the murderer made a quick decision?

  “In any event, I hope they find who committed the crime,” Miss Harrison said. “I shudder to think who else might be killed in the meantime.”

  “Perhaps it was someone who had a grievance with Mr. Ingram,” I suggested, more to put her at ease than any belief in my own words. “And no one else will be hurt now that revenge has been had.”

  “You think so?” she asked, her eyes wide with hope.

  At the same time, Miss Ellison said, “Ridiculous! We live in a civilized society! Men do not solve their grievances by killing one another.”

  A laugh left my lips before I could stop it. There wasn’t anything funny about the situation, but her words struck me as humorous. “Then how do you explain dueling?” I asked. “Two gentlemen facing each other over a matter of honor? It may be illegal, but you cannot tell me there are not men who still do so.”

  The woman glared at me. “That is beside the point.”

  “I find this subject distasteful,” Mrs. Smith said, raising her voice. “Really, ladies. Surely there is some better topic to discuss over our meal. Miss Harrison, how did you find Mrs. Welling today?”

  With relief, Miss Harrison recounted the day she had spen
t as a companion to an elderly lady, leaving me to ruminate over what I had learned that day. My thoughts were not at all peaceful.

  FOR TWO REASONS, I approached the front door of 21 Queen Square with some trepidation before the time I was supposed to arrive. One, I had never had to interview for a position, save for that disastrous conversation which had compelled me on my course and I hadn’t realized I was being interviewed. Secondly, Queen Square was one of the most excellent places in Bath. I’d never had reason to walk the street.

  I was shown to a charming sitting room and instructed to wait. With my nerves on edge, I couldn’t sit down, and so I walked to one of the windows. Even though the day was beautiful, my focus was inward. In fact, I was so involved in thinking of the week’s events that the sound of the door opening behind me made me start.

  Turning, I bobbed a respectful curtsy to the young woman who could be my next employer. “Miss Nelson, I’m so glad you could come,” Lady Leith greeted me as she advanced into the room. She gestured to the chairs in front of the fireplace. “Please have a seat.”

  With a nod, I obeyed, and she sat across from me, clasping her hands in her lap. “I will admit I was both astonished and delighted to receive your references,” she said, getting right to the point. “However, I did not see a letter of recommendation from Miss Dunbar. As she is your last employer, I am concerned by this oversight.”

  “I found my employment with Miss Dunbar terminated unexpectedly. She did not provide a letter of recommendation.”

  “Oh? For what reason?”

  “I voiced my objections to her treatment of me and the inappropriate advances made by her brother,” I said, seeing no reason not to tell the truth. This was a lady who appreciated honesty. “I could not expect her to give me a glowing recommendation under those circumstances.”

  Lady Leith nodded in understanding, a slight smile playing on her lips. “No, I suppose not. That does explain the letter from a certain Mrs. Dobbs, who spoke highly of your skills and hard-working attitude. She is the housekeeper for the Dunbars, I believe?”

  “Yes,” I managed to say. How kind of Mrs. Dobbs to add such a letter when she was under no obligation to do so!

  “I am soon to return to my husband’s property in the country,” Lady Leith said, shifting her gaze to one of the lovely paintings that decorated the wall. “I noticed you have only been in London and Bath. Would you find such a change of environment difficult?”

  She could not have said anything better! “Not at all,” I responded. “My childhood was spent in the country, and I have been missing the peace of the environment.”

  “I’m afraid there won’t be much in the way of peace.”

  As if to confirm her words, raised voices reached us through the open door. “What do you mean she is interviewing a woman for the position?” I recognized the dowager’s voice and didn’t miss the way Lady Leith cringed. “She has no experience in these matters!”

  “Shall I close the door, your ladyship?” I asked.

  “I’m afraid it would do no good,” Lady Leith said, shaking her head. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Miss Nelson, I find I require someone on whom I can rely implicitly. I will be living in a house where my mother-in-law has had complete control and the loyalty of all the servants. She is reluctant to pass control to me.”

  “I understand.” And I did. The Dowager Lady Leith was a formidable woman, and if one were not firm, it would be far too easy to allow the woman to continue to run things as she desired.

  Lady Leith glanced over her shoulder and then spoke quickly. “Miss Nelson, I know I can rely on you for this. Will you be my maid?”

  The quarrelsome voices were drawing nearer. Lady Leith had made no mention of the wage I would earn or specific responsibilities I would be expected to perform but none of that mattered. “Yes, of course. You may rely on me, my lady,” I told her, making the decision quickly.

  With a relieved smile, the lady straightened up. A moment later, the dowager swept into the room and bestowed a glare on us both. “I suppose you are the applicant for the position,” she said, her manner haughty. She held her hand out. “I will see your references.”

  A feeling of mischief stirred in me. “No, my lady,” I said as I rose from my chair. I made a respectful curtsy. “I am Lady Leith’s new maid, Nelson.”

  She stared at me, her mouth ajar. “Celia, what is the meaning of this?” she asked, turning her back on me to face her daughter-in-law. “What have you done?”

  “I have employed Nelson as my maid,” Lady Leith said, her tone dignified as she stood up. “She will be accompanying us to the country when we leave next week.” She focused on me. “You will begin immediately?”

  I gave a quick nod. “I will collect my belongings and be ready to assist you this evening.”

  “This is preposterous! Celia, I know for a fact, this creature was employed by that Rose Dunbar, and you’ve heard what happened in that household,” the dowager exclaimed, clearly angered at not being consulted. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is the individual who behaved in such a shocking manner and attacked the young Mr. Dunbar.”

  Lady Leith’s eyes flicked to me, a question in her eyes. So much for the situation being kept quiet. I had hoped to be saved by the Dunbar family’s unwillingness to make anything of the situation and draw more scandal on themselves. Gossip, it seemed, cannot remain hidden.

  “I have made my decision,” the lady replied quietly. After hearing my admission of Mr. Dunbar’s attention, maybe she guessed at the truth or was at least willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. “There is nothing more to be said on the matter. She has been hired.”

  “Nothing more to be said? There is a great deal to be said! Just wait until Horace has returned! I will tell him everything; you can be sure of that!”

  Such were the words of a woman who clung to her son. Lady Leith kept her eyes on me. “That will be all, Nelson. I will expect you tonight. When you arrive, the housekeeper will show you to your room.”

  I would not have much time to pack my things and transfer them to Queen Square. With a quick curtsy, I made my escape from the room. The sound of the dowager making her protests followed me all the way down to the front door.

  Stepping out into the sunshine, I took a deep breath. “Well. I’m returning to the country.”

  Epilogue

  Across from me, Lady Leith’s head rested against the side of the carriage as she slept. The swaying of the carriage had sent her right off once the journey had begun. I knew if I leaned forward and looked out the right window, I would see Sir Horace Leith riding his horse alongside us. We had left Bath the day before and were drawing near to the baron’s estate.

  Focusing my gaze on the left window, I thought back to leaving Bath. Everyone proclaimed that Mr. Ingram had gotten drunk and died due to his own misstep. I, of course, had my personal opinion on the matter, but there wasn’t any proof. The man had delighted in secrets and using them for his own gain; it wasn’t a stretch of the imagination to think someone had taken exception to his manipulation and put an end to it. He’d shown such an interest in my brother, I dared go a step further and guessed it was the same person who had killed my brother that had also killed Ingram.

  As I said, though, I could not prove such a theory. Perhaps it was for the best.

  Before I left, I’d written a letter to Aunt Beth to make her aware of where I would be next, but I’d also written to my uncle.

  I could remember one part I’d written with great clarity: ‘It has been brought to my attention that five years ago, you saw fit to discourage a suitor I was fond of. Mr. Bladen told me this much. As I only have his side of the story, I beg you to enlighten me on this matter. What objections were there to his marrying me?’

  It would take some time to receive his response, but I was determined to understand why Mr. Bladen had been turned away. My uncle had shown no inclination to care for my future, aside from placing me with my grea
t-aunt to serve as a companion to her. So what reason did he have to deny a match that would absolve him of a responsibility he apparently didn’t want?

  Not that learning what prompted his decision would affect my decision to have anything to do with Mr. Bladen. Perhaps, though, I would know what I could look for, either to avoid or encourage, in a suitor in the future. Whoever I decided to marry, I would have to trust them so much for I would be obliged to tell them of my adventures. Would I ever meet a man I could be sure of? Mr. Harper’s face crossed my mind, and I quickly shook my head.

  At least going to Baron Leith’s estate, Clarendon, would put me closer to London and home. I could only hope that my journey to discover the truth behind my family’s deaths would soon end and I could put everything I’d endured in the past, and focus not only on the present but the future.

  Juliet’s story will continue in Clarendon Estate (The Sinclair Society, Book Three)

  Acknowledgments

  This book would not be what it is today without the help of a few other people. A huge thank you to my editor, thepeditingservc for editing and polishing up my book better than I’d ever hoped for. Thank you to my sister for being my first reader, and my mom for being my first critic. And, of course, I can’t forget about my lovely followers on Wattpad for being with me from the beginning.

  You all rock!

  Coming Soon

  Clarendon Estate (The Sinclair Society, Book Three)

  Fatigued from her adventures in London and Bath, Juliet Sinclair finds a refuge on the country estate of her newest employer. However, her work is not yet done. As she searches for the identity of her brother's killer, she must use her skills to keep from being revealed as a house party takes shape.

  Not My Idea (A Gentleman of Misfortune, Book One)