The Sign of Death

by Callie Hutton

  Carson studied her for a while, no doubt replaying her words in his head to see if he was missing something in the way she had worded her answer.

  The detective leaned back. “I have a few more questions.”

  William nodded.

  “Did Harding have any enemies?”

  William’s brows rose almost to his hairline. “Clearly, since this has turned into a murder investigation, Detective.”

  Carson flushed and growled, “Any that you can name?”

  He thought about DuBois, but further questions from Carson about the man would reveal where they’d gotten his name. William still hadn’t decided yet what he would do with that information. Tracking the man down didn’t seem to serve his purpose and would only put him and Amy in danger. DuBois might be on their—very short—list of suspects, but William would hold tight to that information for now. Unless the police charged him with the murder, there was no hurry to solve this mystery. He still wanted to find out how his man of business had been cheating him and at least one other client and how much Harding had pilfered from his own funds.

  “How well did you know the deceased?” the detective asked Amy.

  “Not at all, Detective. I heard his lordship speak of the man on occasion, but I never met him or had anything to do with him.”

  “He didn’t handle your finances?”

  “No. I believe I told you at our last encounter that he was not my man of business, that my brother handles all my family’s finances. I know nothing about our money.”

  “Except how to spend it, no doubt,” the detective mumbled.

  William felt his face flush. “Detective, I see no reason for this line of questioning. If you have some sort of charge you wish to advise us of, I will be more than happy to have my barrister accompany us at another time.” He stood and grasped Amy’s elbow. “Other than that, I feel we have spent enough time answering your nonquestions.”

  Both detectives stood. “Now wait just a minute, your lordship. I have no further questions—at this time—but I will advise the two of you to remain in Bath, notify us of any plans to leave the city, and most of all do not involve yourselves in another police matter.”

  Rather than arguing that there was little reason for the detective to order them to remain in Bath, William decided a quick exit was in their best interest. If he lingered much longer, he might very well be rightly charged with assaulting an officer of the law.

  He nodded. “If that is all you have to say, we will leave now and wish you a good day.” With determined strides, he moved to the door, opened it, and escorted Amy—a bit enthusiastically, perhaps—from the building.

  * * *

  A mere five hours later Amy sat in her drawing room, awaiting William’s arrival once again. He was escorting her to the book club gathering this evening. He had sent around a note to alert her that his mother had decided she wanted to go with them to the meeting.

  Amy had laughed out loud when she read it. She could almost hear him saying the curt words, and the sound was not a pleasant one.

  She started when the front door opened but was surprised to see Aunt Margaret sail through the drawing room doorway, removing her gloves. “Amy, dear! I am so glad to be home.”

  “Aunt Margaret. I thought you were to be gone another three days.” Amy hurried to her aunt’s side and kissed her cheek.

  “Yes. I was supposed to be gone longer, but the visit became, shall we say, troublesome?”

  “Pray tell,” Amy said, taking her seat on the sofa again. Aunt Margaret sat down next to her.

  “Devon and Mary Woods are a wonderful couple. How such wonderful, kind, thoughtful, caring, and loving people could produce such horrid children is beyond me.”

  “Oh dear.” Amy smiled.

  “Oh dear is correct. The little monsters put a snake—nonpoisonous, thank goodness—in my luggage. When I went to reach for my underthings, the creature snapped at me! I thought I would have a heart attack.”

  “Did you tell Mary?”

  “Not the first time.”

  Amy’s brows rose in surprise. “There were others?”

  “With the snake? Of course. Then the urchins spread rice on the wooden floor in the bedchamber I was assigned, and in the dark I didn’t see it until I slid and fell—quite hard, actually—on my bum.”

  “Did you tell Mary about that?”

  “No. Then the little darlings switched the sugar with salt. I didn’t have to tell Mary about that, because she also put salt into her tea.”

  Amy smiled, not able to help imagining Aunt Margaret, who was not overly fond of little ones, in such a predicament. “That is why you left?”

  “Oh no. That was just the beginning. I can’t even remember all the tricks they played on me.”

  “You were only there for a couple of days! How many children does Mary have?”

  She waved her hand. “Too many.” She sighed. “The last time I counted, I think there were four of them. Although there is a possibility that a couple of them were hiding.”

  “So you took your leave?”

  “Yes.” She grinned. “But not before I played my own trick on the devils.”

  “Oh, good lord, Aunt, what did you do? I don’t like the look in your eyes.”

  “Well, let’s see. Each morning they must be fully dressed before they go to the nursery for their breakfast. I helped with that by removing the tie strings from all their shoes. Then I might have put some lard on their doorknob to make it a bit difficult to open the bedroom door. And when the little dears pour honey on their porridge, they will soon learn that the honey jar might be part honey and part castor oil.”

  “Aunt Margaret, you didn’t!”

  She sighed. “Not the last one, although I had planned to do that. I really didn’t want to hurt them; just a bit of payback. They really are lovely children, but there are far too many of them, and I’d had enough to cut my visit short.”

  Aunt Margaret leaned back and seemed to notice for the first time that Amy was dressed to go out. “Oh, it’s Thursday, isn’t it? Book club meeting night.”

  “Yes. I am waiting for William to arrive.” Amy grinned. “By the way, Lady Wethington has taken up residence at William’s house.”

  Aunt Margaret smiled. “Is that good news or bad news?”

  “Both, apparently. She is a lovely woman, but her foot is planted firmly on William’s back. Pushing him toward the altar has become her goal in life.”

  “Oh dear. How does William feel about that? I have always seen him as a confirmed bachelor. Although I guess with his title, he will have to marry one day.”

  “He is feeling quite nervous, actually.” Amy laughed.

  Her aunt waved her finger at her. “Don’t laugh, niece. I’m sure Lady Wethington will soon have her eye on you.”

  Amy sighed. “I’m afraid she already does. I just happened to be at his home for tea when she arrived Monday afternoon.”

  Amy did not appreciate how her aunt threw her head back and roared with laughter.

  “Now she wants to go to our book club meeting. That’s why I’m waiting for William to escort me. I think he’s afraid his mother will take one look at all the ladies in the club and begin to drool.”

  Aunt Margaret turned serious and took her hand. “Actually, Amy, I think William fancies you. If I can see it, I’m sure Lady Wethington does.”

  Amy hopped up, not ready to have that conversation. “I think William has arrived.” She hurried to the entrance hall and shrugged into her coat. The door knocker sounded, and Stevens opened the door.

  “I’m ready.” She stepped out of the house and moved swiftly down the steps.

  “What’s your hurry? It’s like you’re running from something.”

  “Yes. That is precisely how I feel. Like I’m running from something. An idea, actually.” She climbed into the carriage and settled next to Lady Wethington. “Good evening, my lady. It is a pleasure to see you again.”

  Lady Wethi
ngton smiled at her. “So nice to see you as well, Lady Amy. I am so looking forward to tonight’s entertainment.”

  William took his seat across from them and tapped on the ceiling. Lady Wethington chattered all the way to the bookstore while William stared out the window.

  Once they arrived, he helped both ladies out of the carriage. Inside the store, his mother gasped and looked around. “Oh my, what a lovely bookstore. I must spend some time here.” She looked at William. “Do we have time before your meeting begins?”

  William checked his timepiece. “Yes, we have about twenty minutes.”

  Lady Wethington clapped her hands. “Wonderful. I will join you in a bit. Where is the meeting held?”

  William waved to the back of the store. “Just follow this path to the back of the store, and you will come to a door on the right-hand side. We will be in there.”

  She nodded and walked toward one of the bookcases, her eyes alight with joy.

  As William and Amy headed to the meeting room, he pulled her aside and whispered, “I have information that will remove Mr. DuBois from our suspect list.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Before William could tell Amy why Mr. DuBois was no longer a suspect, Miss Gertrude and Miss Penelope jumped from their seats and hurried over to say hello. “Good evening, Lady Amy, Lord Wethington.”

  As expected, the ladies were dressed in identical dresses. The pretense that they were twins was a mystery Amy would solve one day.

  Amy and William returned the sisters’ greetings and walked with them to the front of the room, where Mr. Davidson and Mr. Colbert were conversing. “How did you make out with the police last week?” Mr. Colbert asked William.

  “I confirmed his identification.”

  “Oh dear,” Miss Gertrude said. “What is that all about?”

  William turned to her. “My man of business, Mr. James Harding, was found floating in the River Avon last week. Since he had one of my business cards on him, the police asked me to confirm his identity, as they were unable to find any next of kin.”

  Miss Gertrude tsked and shook her head, her eyes quickly darting from William to her sister. The woman did not seem too upset—though if she didn’t know the man, there was no reason for her to be wailing and wringing her hands. Then again, Amy had been shocked when the ladies asked about joining the mystery book club. Their enthusiasm had been quite startling. It appeared one never really knew the people one saw on a regular basis.

  Mr. Davidson paled but offered his usual scowl, which Amy easily dismissed. Mr. Colbert returned his attention to William. “I received your note that your mother will be joining us tonight. Did she change her mind?”

  “No. She is browsing the bookshelves in the store. I will fetch her when the meeting is about to begin.”

  “Is she visiting you, then?” Miss Penelope asked.

  William cleared his throat. “Actually, she intends to take up permanent residence with me.”

  Mr. Davidson snorted, and the two ladies offered William a warm smile. “How very nice of you to offer your mother a place in your home.” Miss Gertrude placed her hand on William’s arm and patted it as if he were a small child. Or a pet dog. “Very few children are so considerate.”

  “Am I in the right place?” Lady Wethington’s voice carried to the front of the room, where the group stood.

  “Yes, Mother. Come join us,” William said, holding out his hand.

  Lady Wethington glided up to them and smiled at the group. William made the introductions, and Amy was amused to see a look of stunned admiration on Mr. Colbert’s face.

  Lady Wethington was an attractive woman. A widow for many years, she could certainly turn heads. Her light-brown hair had a fine thread of gray mixed throughout, while her skin had remained youthful, with mere delicate lines along her mouth and eyes. Eyes that could capture a person’s attention—bright, lively, and full of humor. And she possessed a voluptuous figure that would catch any man’s notice.

  The rest of the group began to arrive, and the chattering went from subdued to loud enough that Mr. Colbert called the meeting to order.

  They all took their seats on various sofas and chairs, and just as Mr. Colbert opened his mouth to speak, the door opened, and Eloise raced in. She plopped down next to Amy and placed her hand over her chest as she drew in deep breaths. “I see I’m late again.”

  “More like always,” Miss Sterling offered with a sniff.

  Eloise nudged Amy and mouthed, “Who is that?” She nodded toward Lady Wethington.

  “I will introduce you later. She is Wethington’s mother.”

  Eloise’s eyebrows rose. Then she smiled and covered her mouth with her hand to hold in a laugh. Amy rolled her eyes at her friend as Mr. Colbert addressed the group.

  The meeting went as most meetings did. Miss Penelope and Miss Gertrude offered opinions on the club’s current book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—opinions that not only surprised Amy but impressed her. Amy was particularly excited and pleased when the sisters mentioned one of her own books.

  Lady Wethington remained silent for the most part, but whenever she spoke, Mr. Colbert gave her his undivided attention, a slight smile on his lips.

  “I think your mother has an admirer,” Amy whispered to William.

  “She does not need an admirer,” he snapped.

  Amy almost swallowed her tongue trying to keep the laughter in. It appeared William was very protective of his mother and had every intention of guarding her virtue.

  Later, as the little group from the bookstore who generally stopped at a local restaurant after the meeting convened for a late supper, William appeared no more pleased with Mr. Colbert when the man finagled his way into a seat next to Lady Wethington’s, then focused all his consideration on her the entire time.

  Amy had much more fun watching William watch Mr. Colbert. And glower.

  Since no one appeared to be paying much attention to her, she turned to William while they were enjoying their meal. She lowered her voice. “Why is Mr. DuBois no longer on our list of suspects?”

  William took a sip of his wine and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I stopped in to see Mr. Nick Smith today after our interview with the police. Do you know the man?”

  Amy shook her head. “The name does sound familiar, but I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

  “He was the former owner of the Lion’s Den, a high-class gambling hell in Bath. He sold it several years back after he married his wife, Lady Pamela Manning, the Earl of Mulgrave’s sister. He then used the money to invest in hotels and restaurants. Smith comes from a shady background, and although he is now above reproach in all things, he maintains his contacts in the underworld.

  “I thought if anyone knew about DuBois, it would be Nick. As it turns out, he did know DuBois and told me the man’s been back in prison for the last six weeks.”

  Amy huffed. “He must have gone back soon after he sent Mr. Harding the note. In any event, it appears we can cross him off our list.”

  “Yes. Which is probably a good thing, since I had no idea how to unearth the man without us getting killed.”

  She perked up. “We could always buy a gun.”

  William drew in a deep breath. “No. No gun, Amy.” He shook his head. “I don’t like this obsession you have with guns.”

  “The protagonists in my books always have a gun handy.” Amy lowered her voice. “In fact, in my last book, the female character had a gun. She also could shoot quite well.”

  “Fiction, my dear. You can control the gun in fiction. You cannot do the same in real life.”

  On William’s other side, Miss Sterling asked him a question. Amy took the time to consider how she might buy a gun and where she could practice. Without telling William. Or her papa. Or her brother. She sighed. There were far too many men watching over her.

  William turned back to her. “Since the police are now investigating Harding’s death, we need to get the files before they do. I am es
pecially interested in getting my file back. The last thing I need is having our favorite detectives pointing their fingers in my direction once they learn that Harding was stealing from me. I am sure that tidbit of information will give them leave to assume I pushed the man into the river.”

  Amy nodded. “They will have legal steps to go through first to do their searches. We should go to Harding’s residence on the road to Bristol as soon as possible.”

  * * *

  Bright and early the next morning, Amy settled into William’s carriage to make the trip to Mr. Harding’s home. “Have you decided how we are going to get into the house?”

  William tapped on the ceiling, and the carriage moved forward. “Ever since we searched Harding’s flat two days ago, I have been asking questions of those who might know. I’m pretty certain there are very few, if any, staff left at Harding’s house. Until the estate is settled and the new owner takes possession, there is no reason for the servants to remain. Plus their pay would have stopped as well.”

  “I don’t suppose you have a key to this residence like you did for his flat?”

  “No. But with no one around and the home being set back from the street with woods behind it, I think we can go in through the back door.”

  “You’ve been there before?”

  “Yes. A few times.” William looked over at her shivering body and moved across the space to sit alongside her. He put his arm around her and pulled her close to his body.

  “Why is it you are always warm?” she asked as she looked up at him.

  He smiled down at her. “I don’t know, but it’s always been that way.”

  She should have felt a bit uneasy with him being this close, but she was reluctant to give up the toasty warmth coming from him, right through both of their coats.

  It wasn’t a very long ride, and they spent the time discussing his mother (he had nothing good to say about Mr. Colbert’s interest), the current book the club members were reading, and how odd it was for Miss Gertrude and Miss Penelope to be so very enthusiastic about the books.