Eighteen
Talking to the people at the pub hadn’t done much for Victor’s investigation, much to his dismay. According to the serving women and the barman, the rumors of Arthur’s affairs were just that. He’d never actually come to the pub with anyone, male or female, that they’d seen. It seemed like everyone who had been repeating the gossip had only heard about it from people who said they’d seen it.
Victor was more than a little annoyed when he went back to his office. He hadn’t expected the answer to leap out at him but he had hoped to find a little more to go on. There weren’t many times he wished he was a detective but this was definitely one of them.
“Did you find what you needed, sir?” Bradley followed him into his office and Victor shook his head. “Maybe if you told me what you’re looking for I’d be able to help a bit. I hear all sorts of gossip when I’m running errands for you.”
“Perhaps later,” Victor said. “There are a couple of things I want to check into first.” Bradley nodded and pointed to his desk.
“There’s an invoice there from a Mr. DuVerne for music lessons,” he said. “I didn’t know you were taking music lessons.”
“They’re not for me.” Hanging his jacket up on the coat rack in the corner, he sighed. “Thank you, Bradley. Anything else?”
“Mrs. Traynor stopped by while you were at the pub,” Bradley replied. “She wanted to talk to you a little more about setting up that trust for her grandson you talked about. I told her you would be back before too long but she didn’t want to wait.”
“Did she say when she’d be back?” It struck him at last that he did still have other clients, all of whom felt they needed his help just as much as Cordelia, and he opened his drawer to pull out a folder of paperwork. He’d drawn up sample papers to show her the week before, though it seemed like it had been much longer than that.
“This afternoon.”
“Excellent.” Victor tapped the closed file folder. “Do you know if Edward is available? Or even in town at the moment?”
“Edward Godwin?” Bradley frowned. “Last I heard he was in Scotland. The rumor is that he was trying to keep from having to marry a woman that came up pregnant.”
“That came out to nothing,” Victor said. “It turned out she wasn’t pregnant after all. She was trying to get money from him before people noticed her belly wasn’t growing.” The door to his office opened without a knock and both Victor and Bradley turned to it, expecting to see Miss Wright. Instead, a man in a police uniform that Victor didn’t recognize walked in. “Can I help you?”
“Good morning, Mr. Pembroke,” the man said. “My name is Arnold Christianson, I’m a police detective from Elston. I’d like you to come with me.”
“To Elston?”
“No, just down to the police station,” he said. “I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“You can ask them here,” Victor said, pointing to the door. “It’s private enough here and I’m rather busy at the moment as I’m sure you can understand, what with my client being murdered last night. Bradley, could you step outside for a few minutes? Tell Miss Wright I’m busy as well.”
“Yes, sir,” Bradley said with a nod and a glance at Mr. Christianson. He closed the door after him and Victor looked up at the detective.
“Please have a seat, Mr. Christianson. I’m happy to answer any questions you have.” He motioned to a chair in front of his desk but Mr. Christianson didn’t move.
“If you don’t come with me of your own accord, Mr. Pembroke, I’m going to be forced to place you under arrest.” He gave Victor a tight smile that didn’t convey even a hint of happiness. “You wouldn’t want your clients to see that, would you?”
“What are you talking about?” Victor looked at Mr. Christianson irritably over his desk. The detective came toward him and he stood up. “You’ve no reason to arrest me, sir. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“That’s for the court to decide,” the officer said. “Lady Whittemore admitted to having intimate relations with you at the time her husband was murdered. Do you deny that?”
“She did?” Victor’s mind raced. If Cordelia had already said it, there was no point in arguing it. If he tried to deny it, it would make both of them look worse. “All right, yes, we were together that night. That should prove to you that neither of us could have killed Arthur, unless you’re suggesting we did it in the middle of the act.”
“Maybe you didn’t do it yourself,” the officer said, “but Lady Whittemore is a very wealthy woman now that her husband has passed away. It wouldn’t be unheard of for someone in your position to hire a man to do the murder so that you and she could be together afterward.” He gave Victor a knowing look. “Or was it her idea? I could always get in touch with your sister as well. She knows a bit about how miserable it is to be a divorced woman, the jury would love that.”
“Leave my sister out of this!” Victor leaned over the desk at the officer, who smiled. He’d gotten a rise out of him and Victor immediately regretted it. “Get out of my office.”
“I shall be leaving momentarily,” the detective said. “As will you. You’re coming with me.” The door opened again and the chief of police came in, trailed by Miss Wright and Bradley. “Chief,” Mr. Christianson said with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I had a feeling you would be here,” the chief said. “I’ve just had a visit from General Richard Ellison and he was none too pleased with the way things are being handled. From what he told me you bullied his sister-in-law into confessing some rather private information mere hours after her husband was murdered. Is that true?”
“I was trying to get to the truth of it,” the detective said. “You were the one who said he wanted things taken care of as quickly as possible.”
“I did and I do,” the chief said, folding his arms over his chest. “That doesn’t mean I want you to go round Greenley threatening our citizens and especially not our Lady Whittemore.” He motioned to Victor. “Whatever you may think he and Lady Whittemore have been up to, it doesn’t give you the right to antagonize Mr. Pembroke. Save that for when and if a trial is necessary.”
“Which it won’t be,” Victor said, narrowing his eyes at both men. “I plan to prove to both of you that Lady Whittemore and I had no hand in any of this, and find out who killed Lord Whittemore besides.”
“Thank you for your enthusiasm, Mr. Pembroke,” the chief said. “I think we’ve got the situation well in hand.”
“Obviously not, if your men are resorting to threatening people,” Victor replied archly. The chief looked somewhat abashed, a rarity for him, but the detective continued to stare him down. “If that’s all, I’ll thank you to leave my office. I have clients to see.”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Pembroke,” the chief said with a nod. “I would take it as a personal favor if you didn’t leave town while the investigation is going on.”
“The only place I’m going is out to the Whittemore estate to check on my client,” Victor said. “I have more than enough trouble here without going all over England to find more.” He watched the two policemen leave, then sighed heavily and shook his head. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said to Bradley and Miss Wright. “I didn’t want to involve you in any of this.”
“It’s quite all right,” Miss Wright said, and Bradley nodded.
“Rather an exciting day, though.” He grinned at Victor, who gave him a look of disdain before taking his jacket off the rack and putting it on. “Where are you going now?”
“Out to the Whittemore estate as I said,” Victor said. “Not only do I want to check on Lady Whittemore after that man interrogated her, I want to thank General Ellison if he’s still there. I assumed he’d gone back to Elston but I’m rather glad he hasn’t.”
“Yes sir,” Miss Wright said with a nod. “I’ll be sure to inform anyone who comes by that you’re out on business.”
“Thank you.” He watched the young lady depart, then picked up the folder he’d taken from the drawer and handed it to Bradley. “Here. I want you to take this to Mrs. Traynor. Tell her that I’ve had an unexpected emergency and that these are the papers for the trust. Have her go over them and write down any questions she might have, and I’ll speak with her personally about it tomorrow. Do you think you’ll be able to handle that?”
“Of course, sir.” Bradley took the papers from him and thumbed through them. “Is there anything else I need to know about them?”
“Not at the moment,” Victor replied. “Thank you for your assistance.” He walked with Bradley to the door. “I’ll likely be back in the afternoon. If not, please close up the office. Between you and Miss Wright you should be able to do it rather quickly.”
“I think so.”
“Mr. Pembroke!” A booming voice caught Victor’s attention as Bradley started off down the main street and he turned to see the General coming toward him. To someone who had wronged him, the General no doubt exuded an intimidating air but Victor had never been happier to see someone in his life. “I’m glad I caught you.”
“As am I,” Victor said, going down the steps to meet him. He extended a hand to the General, who shook it firmly. “I wanted to thank you, sir. The chief of police was in my office a moment ago and said you spoke on my behalf.”
“On both your and Cordelia’s behalf,” the General corrected. “It may have been indiscreet of my wife but Birdie told me about your and Cordelia’s, er, situation and I could only imagine how she must have felt being bullied by that man.” He shook his head. “An overzealous man can be rather harsh and I’m sorry Cordelia was subjected to that.”
“Yes, well,” Victor said. “I’m used to it.”
“Whether you are or not, Cordelia isn’t,” the General said. “To be perfectly frank, I can’t say I approve of the two of you going behind Arthur’s back but I also can’t say that I know the entire story. Birdie suggested there was more to it, so I’ll reserve my judgment until that time. However, I do care deeply for my sister-in-law and don’t want to see her hurt any more than she has been. Can you at least promise me that much?”
“Absolutely,” Victor said. “There is nothing in the world that could make me harm Cordelia.” He hesitated, then decided a bit of the truth wouldn’t hurt. “I was working on going forward with a divorce for Arthur before he died, and doing my best to find a way to proceed that wouldn’t cause her undue discomfort. Cordelia has always been my first priority.”
“Good,” the General said. “She needs that at the moment.” He looked up at the sky. “It looks like rain. Would you care for a ride out to the estate? I presume that’s where you were going.”
“You would be correct,” Victor said. “I was planning on riding out there but if you’ve got a carriage waiting I certainly wouldn’t say no.”
“Excellent. Come on, then.” They walked together to the police station where the General’s carriage and horse were waiting and he pointed to it. “Just there. You know, I’ve seen a few automobiles round Elston lately.”
“Oh yes? I’ve yet to drive one of them but my friend Judge Perkins in London has one and it was quite different to ride in.” The carriage driver got down to open the door for the two men and the General nodded at him. “I wonder if they’ll ever replace horses entirely.”
“Perhaps,” the General said as he climbed up into the carriage. “It will involve quite a bit of work to do it, though. Roads will have to be paved over or the damn things will get stuck in the mud, they’ll have to come up with some sort of station to put petrol in them. They’re quite the novelty now but it’ll be some time before they’re truly in the mainstream.”
“You’re probably right,” Victor said. His mind was already starting to wander. With Arthur gone, he wasn’t sure Cordelia would want to stay out at the manor. She might not want to stay at his house either. It wasn’t small but it likely wasn’t as lavish as she was accustomed to. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the money to get a larger house and more servants, he just never saw the point of hiring more for a single man.
“Are you planning on marrying her?”
“Excuse me?” Victor turned to the General in surprise. It was as if the man had read his mind and the General raised an eyebrow at him.
“Cordelia. Are you planning on marrying her now? It won’t be long before everyone in town knows about the two of you and there’s bound to be talk. She’s no doubt done a bit of harm to her reputation and as you bear some of the responsibility it’s only fitting for me to ask what your intentions are regarding her.” It was clear from his words that the General was fully stepping into his role as Cordelia’s brother-in-law, and as strange as it felt to be asked these things straight out, he was grateful to the man for his candor.
“Of course I am,” Victor said, though he hadn’t given much thought to it up to that point. “I wouldn’t have gotten involved with her if I hadn’t.” It wasn’t the whole truth but it was close enough to satisfy the General. Whatever he’d felt for Cordelia at the beginning was irrelevant now, though. All he cared about now was taking care of her.
“Good,” the General said. “Glad to hear it.” Thunder rumbled overhead and he looked out at the sky. “I’m glad I keep my umbrella in the carriage for situations like this. That’s another problem with those automobiles, half of them don’t have a roof. What are you supposed to do when it rains if you’re riding in something like that?”
“Good question,” Victor said, sitting back against the seat with relief. It wasn’t quite the man’s blessing, but at least he knew the General was on his side. That was more than enough for the time being as far as Victor was concerned.
When they got out to the estate, Victor and the General shared the umbrella and hurried into the house through the rain. It had started raining halfway through the trip and by the time they got up the driveway it was pouring. Birdie and Cordelia met them in the foyer as the General shook off the umbrella and folded it up.
“It’s really coming down out there,” he said as one of the staff came to take the wet umbrella from him. “I didn’t think it would be quite so bad.” He went to Birdie and kissed her on the cheek. “Good thing I offered Mr. Pembroke a ride out here or he’d be soaked to the bone.”
“Thank you for coming, Victor,” Cordelia said, taking his hands. He wanted to kiss her the same way the General had kissed his wife but felt somehow it would be a step too far, especially with both of the Elllisons’ eyes on him. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about speaking to the police.”
“It’s all right,” Victor said. “I honestly didn’t expect them to start threatening you right away.” He squeezed her hands. “I’m sorry to have put you in this position, my dear.” Without warning, Cordelia put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
“I’m glad you did,” she said. “Otherwise they might have arrested me.”
“Let’s go into the sitting room,” Birdie said. “Otherwise we’ll all catch our deaths standing in the door.” For being the younger sister, Birdie seemed to have no problem taking charge of a situation and they all followed her to the sitting room where one of the housemen was putting logs into the fireplace. “I took the liberty of asking them to light a fire. It’s so chilly in here when it rains.”
“Since you’re all here, I suppose there’s something I should tell you,” Cordelia said, letting go of Victor and looking at him. “You already know, of course, but I should probably explain it to Birdie and Richard as well.”
“Whatever it is, you can tell us about it,” Birdie said, taking her sister’s hand and twining her fingers through it. “But I am interested in hearing whatever it is you have to say. You did promise me you’d explain it to me and I’ve been ever so patient.” Something in her voice made Cordelia laugh and it warmed Victor’s heart. He did want her to be happy, more than anything. The women he had been with before hadn’t mattered to him, hadn’t gotten into his heart the way Cordelia had, and she was so different from them it was as if she was a different creature altogether. He’d wanted to possess her and gotten his wish, now all he had to do was hold onto her.
When they were all in the sitting room, Cordelia sat in one of the wing-backed chairs and Victor sat in the one beside her automatically. Birdie sat on the loveseat with her husband and Cordelia cleared her throat as she watched the houseman light the fire. It really was a bit chilly in the house but warmed up quickly with the fire. As soon as he was gone, she looked to Victor, who nodded.
“After Arthur and I were married a few months, he suggested we sleep in separate rooms,” Cordelia said, looking down into her hands. “He said he needed a firmer bed than the one we shared so I took the one we had and put it in the room I have now. We weren’t being intimate with one another so I didn’t think much of it when he suggested I sleep in the other room, but I confess that I felt a bit slighted. He was distant with me and seemed to only show affection when someone else was around.
“I was wondering what exactly was wrong with me and went to ask him why he’d turned cool on me as soon as we married, determined to get an answer out of him. That was the first time I walked in on him with another man.”
“Another man?” Birdie gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “You mean, he was---“
“Yes,” Cordelia said, holding up a hand. “I prefer not to go into detail if that’s all right with you. He told me that his father had pressured him into getting married and producing an heir to the estate, and that we only had to stay married until Lord Whittemore died.”
“At which point he would divorce her as I said,” Victor added. “Unfortunately, his father had written a provision into the will that would force them to remain married or Arthur would lose everything, and if he was to be ruined so would Cordelia. If he could find a way to divorce her, which was what I was working on, then he had promised to take care of her until she found another husband.”
“I spoke to Victor about it after I caught Arthur in the house with another man again after he promised me he would keep his lovers out of the house, and he told me everything that had been going on.” Her cheeks filled with color and Victor thought he’d never seen anything so beautiful. “I’d started having feelings for Victor before that, but once I knew he was trying to protect me it only grew stronger.” She reached for him and he took her hand, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Birdie smiling approvingly.
“Did anyone else see any of this?” The General looked closely at Cordelia. “The lovers, I mean? I believe you of course, my dear, but if this goes to court you’re going to want a witness.”
“Yes,” she replied. “My lady’s maid, Patricia. In fact, she’s the one who brought it to my attention that he was having an affair while I was right downstairs. She’s a very sweet girl, very honest and dependable. She was also with me when I discovered his body.”
“If all this was going on, it seems obvious to me that one of Arthur’s lovers may have had something to do with the murder,” the General said. “I’m sure it’s crossed your mind as well. Have either of you mentioned this to the police?”
“I haven’t,” Victor said. “I didn’t want to do so without evidence, or without Cordelia’s consent. It didn’t seem my place to do so.”
“Nor have I,” Cordelia said. “Somehow I feel as if I’d be dishonoring Arthur’s memory. I know that sounds a bit silly but it’s how I feel. Not only that, I don’t want people to blame me for his indiscretions. It’s made me feel a bit like a bad wife.”
“You’re not a bad wife!” Birdie jumped up from her seat and went to hug her sister. “Poor Delia, you’ve been through so much.”
“Thank you, darling,” Cordelia said. “It means a lot to hear you say that.” She turned to the General. “Thank you too, Richard. I know this is a lot for you to hear all at once. Thank you as well for talking to the police. I’m so glad you married my sister.”
“Think nothing of it, my dear,” he said. “If there’s one thing I won’t stand for, it’s someone bullying a lady, especially a new widow.”
“Speaking of Ladies and widows,” Birdie said, looking at Victor. “Does Delia still keep her title? And will she inherit Arthur’s estate?”
“Seeing as how she and Arthur were still married at the time of his death, and that Arthur’s will specifies her as the sole beneficiary, she almost certainly will. It still has to go through the proper channels but once the police finish their investigation and clear her of any wrongdoing Cordelia should inherit the entire estate. I don’t know about keeping the title but everything else is hers.” He smiled. “In spite of all that happened, he did keep his promise to take care of you.”
“What if I don’t want it?”
“It’s yours to do with as you see fit,” Victor said with a shrug. “Put it in trust for your children if you like, or donate it all to charity. Whatever you wish. You don’t have to decide right now, you have plenty of time to think it over.” Silence filled the room. No one seemed to know what to say, and Victor was relieved when someone finally spoke.
“I don’t know about you,” the General said, “but I’m quite hungry.”
“As am I,” Cordelia said. “Lunch should be ready soon. I’m not sure what’s on the menu but I did hope Victor would come back out so I took the liberty of telling the cook that we’d have four for lunch.” Birdie grinned brightly and her face turned red. “What? Did I say something funny?”
“More like five,” she said, and immediately all eyes were on her. “I was going to tell you all after the party but then everything turned a bit crazy. Now seemed like s good a time as any, though. We could all use some good news.”
“A baby? Birdie, that’s wonderful news!” Cordelia jumped up and hugged her sister tightly while Victor shook hands with the General, who looked stunned by his wife’s words.
“Good work, General,” Victor said. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” the General said, then went to his wife. She looked up at him and he put his arms around her, pulling her close. “Nothing could make me happier, my dear. The way you care for Walter with so much love in spite of the fact that he’s not yours makes me certain you’ll be a fine mother. I simply cannot wait to grow our family with you.”
“Let’s give them some privacy,” Victor said, touching Cordelia’s arm. She nodded and followed him into the hallway. As soon as the door was closed, she turned to Victor.
“I’m sure they’re going to want to go back to Elston now,” Cordelia said. “To give the General’s family the good news.”
“How many children does the General have?”
“Just one. A boy from his previous wife.” She smiled. “It took him a little while to get used to Birdie because she’s so young but they’ve grown quite close. She’s had her challenges but she’s been an excellent mother.” Cordelia sighed. “I hope I’m able to be as good a mother someday.”
“I’m sure you will be,” Victor said, pulling her close. “Someday. If they go back to Elston, will you be all right staying here by yourself?”
“I don’t know,” Cordelia said. “This place was always too big, even with Arthur here, but now it feels like it’s haunted.” She leaned against Victor’s chest and he tightened his arms around her. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to stay here with me?”
“Aren’t you worried about what people will think of you?” For his part, Victor could care less what people thought of him. People had been saying things behind his back for years, often with good reason, but he didn’t want to make things harder for Cordelia. She smiled up at him.
“I’m sure the police already have people thinking I murdered Arthur for his money. How much worse could people think of me?” The door opened behind them and the Ellisons came out, the General’s arm around Birdie’s waist. It looked like Birdie had been crying but her face was shining with happiness. Victor hoped he could one day see Cordelia like that.
“Well,” the General said with a grin. “Any word on lunch?”
Nineteen
In spite of the shadow of the investigation hanging over Cordelia’s head, Arthur’s funeral went ahead as planned. Word of his indiscretions hadn’t gotten around to society circles the way it had been whispered in the pubs, so there were quite a few people around his grave when his casket was lowered into the earth. Not as many as his father, but he hadn’t been as well known.
If anyone thought it was unusual that Cordelia wasn’t crying much, they didn’t remark on it. She stood like a statue beside the grave, thanking people for their condolences and letting them clasp her hand before they walked away. The entire time, all she could think about was going home and working on her music. Maurice had been surprised that she wanted to keep their appointment for her next lesson but he’d agreed all the same, telling her that music would take her mind off her sadness.
Victor had been spending the night with her at the Whittemore estate so she wouldn’t feel quite so uneasy, and while no one was talking about Arthur’s affairs Cordelia had heard more than one person whisper about her as she passed in Greenley.
It was almost as improper to be seen out of her house while she was in mourning as it was to have a single man staying in the estate with her, but because Birdie and the General were also in residence the gossip was somewhat subdued. After the way he had stood up to the chief of police, no one wanted to get in the General’s bad books. He and his wife were set to return to Elston after the funeral, though, so the talk would surely begin in earnest once they did.
“It was a lovely funeral,” the last mourner, an older woman in a very old-fashioned black dress, was saying to Cordelia with a sad smile as she shook her head. “Poor Arthur. Such a tragedy to be taken from us so young. Have the police found anything out yet?”
“Not yet,” Cordelia said. “I’m sure they’ll inform me when they do.” She looked up and saw Victor talking to Birdie and the General, then turned back to the woman.
“If you need anything at all, please let me know.” She patted Cordelia’s hand, then went in the direction of the church where her carriage was no doubt located. Cordelia watched her go, then joined Victor and her family.
“I’m glad that’s over,” Cordelia said, brushing aside the black veil that covered her face. “Is everything all right? You all look so serious.”
“It’s a funeral,” Victor said. “We’re supposed to look serious.” He had been very careful not to show any affection toward Cordelia in public. As far as the majority of people in town knew, the rumors about her and Victor were just rumors. Even when they were trying to ruin someone’s reputation, the police knew better than to spread gossip about a grieving widow and her solicitor.
Cordelia rode back to the estate with Birdie and the General, while Victor rode his horse just behind them. Birdie kept her sister’s mind occupied with her opinion of everyone at the funeral, and this time when her husband looked at her with bemused affection Cordelia wasn’t jealous in the least.
As soon as she got back to the manor, Cordelia went upstairs and took off her black hat and veil. She tossed it on her bed as Patricia came in with a smile.
“How was the funeral, ma’am?”
“To be honest, Patricia, it was extremely boring. I would have much rather spent my time here practicing.” She sighed. “I trust you’ll keep that between the two of us.”
“Of course, ma’am. Your hair is a bit flat, would you like me to try and fix it a bit before you go back downstairs?” Since Mrs. Richmond had been ill, Patricia seemed to have gained a bit of confidence and Cordelia hoped it would continue when the old woman returned. She was very fond of Patricia and wanted her to be comfortable in her new role.
“No thank you,” Cordelia said. “I’m not going to be leaving the house again today and I may wish to take a nap.”
“That sounds quite pleasant. I wish I had the time to take a nap,” she said with a smile, then put a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful!”
“You didn’t in the least,” Cordelia said. “If you like, you can take a nap. Just tell people that you have a headache, it always works for me.” This made Patricia laugh and Cordelia smiled. “I’m going downstairs. I’ll call for you when I want to rest.”
“Very well, ma’am. Thank you.” She started to go and Cordelia couldn’t help feeling a bit of affection for the girl. She supposed you couldn’t find a dead body with someone and not feel close to them. To think she’d almost dismissed her.
She found Victor and the Ellisons in the sitting room and Birdie met her at the door, taking her hands. Victor was talking to the General, and both men looked over at the women.
“Is everything all right?”
“Oh, yes of course. We were just telling Victor that we need to be going back home,” Birdie said, and Cordelia was pleased to hear that she was using his first name. “Walter will be giving Miss Carroll fits by now and I want to give him the good news.”
“Of course,” Cordelia said. “Did you need help packing your things?”
“They’re already packed and ready,” Birdie said. “Your Patricia is so helpful, she did it while we were at the funeral. At my request of course.”
“Yes, she’s wonderful,” Cordelia agreed. “Such a quick learner, it’s sometimes hard to believe she wasn’t a lady’s maid before she came to us. I’m glad I have such a sweet girl looking after me.”
“As am I,” Birdie said. “It means you’ll be taken care of after we go.”
“Don’t worry about that, you just take care of yourself.” She squeezed Birdie’s tiny hands. “I’m grateful you stayed as long as you did.”
“I wanted to stay until Mrs. Richmond was better,” Birdie said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “She’s getting the care she needs, though, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Cordelia said with a smile. “In fact, I was planning to go to town to check on her so she’ll have the opportunity to lecture me about being out in public. She’s stronger than most women her age.”
“She’s a tough old bird, that’s for certain,” the General said. “I have no doubt she’ll live to see our child come into the world.”
“Of course she will,” Birdie said. “She’d never pass up the chance to tell me exactly how a lady is supposed to behave when she’s giving birth.” They laughed at this thought and Cordelia hugged her little sister tightly.
“Take care, Birdie. I hope you’ll visit me while you’re still able.”
“Nothing’s going to keep me away from my big sister,” Birdie said. She put a hand in front of her abdomen with a grin. “I’ll be out to here and still coming to hear you play piano. They say music is very good for babies.” She linked arms with Cordelia and they walked to her carriage. The trunk containing the clothes they’d bought while they were staying in town was strapped to the rear board of the carriage, and the driver opened the door. The General helped his wife into the cab before getting in himself, and the driver closed the door. Birdie scooted closer to the window and leaned out. “’Bye, Delia!”
“Goodbye, darling,” Cordelia said as the driver snapped the reins and the carriage began to move forward. Birdie continued to lean out the window and wave to her until they were at the end of the drive, then pulled herself back inside. Cordelia watched until the carriage disappeared into the woods, then turned to Victor.
“Are you certain you want to go into town?” Victor took her hands the same way Birdie had done, but it somehow felt different. More intimate. She liked it. “I know it’ll be a bit lonely without your sister and the General but Mrs. Richmond would be right. You shouldn’t be seen around town too much while you’re in mourning.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Cordelia said. “My husband was having affairs all over town and I’m expected to keep myself closed in the house for a year, and wear these dreadful black dresses besides.” She sighed heavily. “I suppose I should at least keep up appearances until the investigation is finished. I can worry about what society thinks of me after that.” Victor rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs.
“It’s overrated,” he said. “At least in my opinion.” He nodded toward Cordelia’s carriage, which had a large, ornate coat of arms painted on the side. It hadn’t been put away after the funeral and Cordelia went toward it.
“I don’t care,” she said. “I want to see Mrs. Richmond. She can be difficult but she’s been with me since I was born.” Cordelia wasn’t surprised when Victor caught up with her on her way to the stables.
“It seems she taught you a thing or two about being stubborn,” he said. “It’s just as well, I have some business to conduct at my office.” He put his arm around Cordelia’s waist and pulled her to him firmly. The strength she felt as his eyes locked onto hers sent warmth flowing through her body and she wanted him to pull her into the house, away from the carriage, and make love to her the way he had at the party. He kissed her, his lips igniting a further struggle to control herself, and just when she thought she might melt into his arms, he released her. “Something for you to think about until I return this evening,” he said, reaching up to hold her chin between his thumb and forefinger. Then he strode away, leaving her in the yard with her body on fire with longing for him.
“Are you ready, Lady Whittemore?” Her driver’s voice snapped her out of the daze she was in and she cleared her throat.
“Just a moment,” Cordelia said. “I should go get my hat.” Victor was already riding off down the drive and she hurried into the house to retrieve her hat before he got too far ahead of them.
When she got to town, she was surprised to find him waiting for her at the doctor’s office, a small building near the police station. Cordelia could feel the eyes of a police officer as she walked up the steps. They hadn’t come to bother her since she’d admitted being with Victor, and as far as she knew they hadn’t bothered him either. It made her nervous.
They walked a respectable distance apart into the doctor’s office, Cordelia slightly behind Victor but with her head held high. She hadn’t put the veil back over her face but she didn’t want to see Mrs. Richmond from behind a sheet of black, even if it did mean a lecture about her reputation. It would come, she knew it would, but she’d made her choice and was going to have to live with it.
“Lady Whittemore,” the doctor said, hurrying over as soon as he saw her. “Thank goodness you’re here. I was just trying to decide what I should do.”
“About what?” A cold knot formed in her stomach as she looked at him, then looked at Victor. He stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Cordelia knew how it looked, but she didn’t care. Not Mrs. Richmond. It can’t be.
“Your Mrs. Richmond was doing so much better that I mentioned to her that she could return to the estate soon. She apparently took that to mean that she could leave whenever she liked.” He shook his head. “I came back from seeing to Mr. Halford’s pneumonia and she was gone. Told the nurse I said she could leave.”
“That does sound like her,” Cordelia said with a sigh. “But where did she go? Do you know?”
“I’m afraid not,” the doctor said. “She told the nurse she had some rudeness to address before she went back to the estate but she didn’t say where.” Cordelia looked at Victor, who was rubbing his temples as if he had a headache.
“I have a feeling I know where she may have gone,” he said, then looked up at the doctor. “Thank you for your time, sir.”
“You’re quite welcome,” the doctor said. “I would like to recheck her in about a week if that’s all right,” he said to Cordelia. “I imagine you’ll have better luck talking her into that than I would. Also, here’s some medication.” He took a small amber bottle from the corner of his desk. “This is in case she has another episode.”
“What does it do?” Cordelia looked at the tiny pills in the bottle and the doctor smiled.
“It’s a pill for the heart. If she has chest pains or starts acting lightheaded, have her put one of them under her tongue. If she needs more, she can always get some here.” He handed the bottle to Cordelia. “It’s very safe.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Cordelia slipped the bottle into her handbag. “I’ll be sure and give them to her when I see her. She doesn’t listen to me any better than she’ll listen to you but I’m sure she’ll take these if she needs them.” She looked at Victor. “Where is it you think she’s off to?”
“Follow me,” Victor sighed. He led her out the door and to the police station, where he held the door for her. As soon as he opened it she could hear Mrs. Richmond’s voice, sharp as ever.
“No call to keep the staff up all night,” she said, anger plain in her voice. “Absolutely no call. It was rude, not to mention you frightened quite a lot of people.” They rounded the corner to find Mrs. Richmond standing in front of the police chief. She was leaning on a cane, which was new for her, but still had her finger in the chief’s face. It was something Cordelia had seen plenty of times as a child and she glanced over at Victor.
“How did you know?”
“She passed out while she was telling off one of the officers in the servants’ quarters,” Victor said, hands on his hips. “From what you and your sister have told me, I gathered the rudeness she referred to was probably something to do with the police.”
“Mrs. Richmond,” Cordelia said, trying not to laugh. “What are you doing? You scared me half to death disappearing from the doctor’s like that.” The old woman turned to her, frowning.
“Lady Whittemore, what are you doing here?” Cordelia was glad to hear she was back to herself enough to return to formality. It was a good sign.
“Collecting you, it seems.” She looked at the police chief, who was studying her warily. “Thank you for your time, sir. We’ll be getting out of your way now.” She held an arm out to Mrs. Richmond for her to lean on, and her longtime companion gave her a withering look.
“I can walk on my own.” She stumped past Cordelia with her cane, giving the police chief a look that clearly said she wasn’t finished with him. “Are we going back out to the estate? I expect there’s a lot to be taken care of. Did Bridget and General Ellison already return to Elston?”
“They left just after the funeral this morning,” Cordelia said. “They didn’t know when you’d be ready to leave the doctor’s or they would have come.”
“What a shame,” Mrs. Richmond said, and she sounded as if she really meant it. Cordelia wasn’t sure if she should be the one to tell their former governess about her sister’s pregnancy but she was spared having to make the decision when Mrs. Richmond looked at Victor. “May I ask why you’re walking around town in your mourning clothes with a single man?”
“A lot has happened,” Cordelia said, her cheeks burning. There was no doubt about it, Mrs. Richmond was as sharp as she’d ever been. “I’ll explain it to you when we get back out to the estate.”
“You most certainly will not,” Mrs. Richmond said, stopping in her tracks. “You’ll explain it now, or I shan’t take another step.” Cordelia’s face grew redder as she felt the police officers staring at her, and she lowered her voice.
“Mrs. Richmond, please---“
“Would you care to come to my office?” Victor interrupted her smoothly, and Cordelia could feel the charm coming off him. “It’s a bit more private and my assistant can make you some tea while we chat.” Mrs. Richmond sized him up with narrowed eyes and Cordelia held her breath, hoping she would agree.
“All right,” she said, and Cordelia was awash with relief until Mrs. Richmond turned her critical eye on her. “This had better be exceptionally good, Lady Whittemore.” The officers were still watching them and Cordelia tried to laugh good-naturedly as she led Mrs. Richmond out of the station.
Once they were in Victor’s office, she sat on the chair across from his desk and sighed. She somehow looked smaller to Cordelia than she had when she was a girl, and more frail in spite of her performance in the police station. Bradley brought her a cup of tea and she took a polite sip before setting it on Victor’s desk.
“Well,” she said, looking between Victor and Cordelia. “You said you’d explain what’s going on here. Let’s hear it.”
“The long and short of it is that the police have accused both myself and Cordelia of murdering Arthur,” Victor said, leaning on his desk. “After speaking at length with the General and Mrs. Ellison, the four of us have concluded that it was likely one of Arthur’s lovers that killed him but we have no idea of knowing which one.”
“Which one?” Mrs. Richmond looked scandalized beyond anything Cordelia had ever seen. Even seeing her walking around town as indiscreetly as she was with Victor paled in comparison to what she had just been told. “Do you mean to tell me he was having affairs while you were in the house?”
“Yes,” Cordelia said, looking at Victor for support. He motioned for her to continue and she opened her handbag and took out the vial of pills the doctor had given her. “Here. The doctor gave me these. If your chest starts hurting, put one under your tongue.” She handed them to Mrs. Richmond who gave her a suspicious look.
“Why would I need these right now?”
“Because Arthur wasn’t having affairs with other women,” Cordelia said. She took a deep breath. “He was having affairs with men.”
“With men?” As expected, the color drained from Mrs. Richmond’s face. She looked to Victor for confirmation and he nodded. “For how long?”
“Since before we were married,” Cordelia said. “I caught him at it and he made me promise not to tell anyone. In fact, I caught him at it just a few days before he was murdered. From what Victor had heard in the pubs, he had quite a few lovers so we don’t know who it could have been.”
“Is that so, Victor?” The way she said Victor’s name was dangerous and Cordelia knew he could hear it too. Rather than back down the way Cordelia always had and Birdie never did, he simply became more charming than ever.
“I’m afraid so. Though I’m certain you suspected something was going on,” he said, not bothering to address Cordelia’s familiarity. “You don’t strike me as the type to let anything happening in the manor slip past you.”
“It did seem that something wasn’t right,” Mrs. Richmond said, a satisfied tone in her voice. “The spark I saw between General Ellison and Bridget was quite different from what I saw between the two of you.” She shook her head. “You should have had the marriage annulled. Now you’re a widow. That’s going to make things much more difficult when it comes to getting remarried.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Victor said, almost lazily. “I know a gentleman who would consider it a great honor to marry Cordelia.” He looked at her, his blue eyes serious above his rakish smirk. “If she would have him, that is.” When the meaning of his words hit her, Cordelia put a hand over her mouth. She didn’t know what to say. Nothing seemed appropriate, but she was saved from having to come up with something by Mrs. Richmond.
“Yes, quite,” she said with a frown. From her lack of a reaction, Cordelia assumed she hadn’t heard what Victor had said and she leaned down.
“Is something the matter?”
“So that young man at the manor,” she said, still frowning, “he must have been one of the lovers you spoke of?” Cordelia looked at her curiously and she curled her hands around her cane. “I saw a young man at the manor the day Cordelia and Lord Whittemore argued and she went down to Greenley in a terrible temper. I assumed he was a friend of Lord Whittemore when I saw him at the party as well. It seemed odd that he was leaving right at the beginning of the party.”
“At the beginning?” Victor looked at Cordelia, who tried to remember if she’d seen anyone leaving. “As a matter of fact, there was a young man who almost knocked me down the stairs when I was on my way in. He seemed in a hurry to leave. I’m afraid I don’t remember what he looked like,” she said, then looked from Mrs. Richmond to Victor.
“Vaguely,” Mrs. Richmond said. “Slender, with sort of dark blonde hair. And I believe he had a birthmark,” Mrs. Richmond said. “Just below his eye. I remember thinking its placement was rather unfortunate. It made him look very feminine.”
“I don’t even remember that much,” Cordelia said with a sigh. She shook her head and Victor folded his arms over his chest.
“This is getting us nowhere,” he said. Cordelia went to him and put a hand on his arm.
“We’ve got more to go on now,” she said gently. “The police will have to believe us. As much as I didn’t wish to bring Arthur’s preferences into the public eye, it seems it’s the only way to keep the both of us out of jail.” With a smile, Victor put a hand on her waist lightly and pulled her closer. It felt good to be near him again and if it hadn’t been for a small, disapproving sound from Mrs. Richmond behind her it would have been perfect.
“Please remember where you are, Cordelia,” she said coolly, and as tiring as it was to have Mrs. Richmond constantly reminding her that she was being improper, it was good to hear her sounding like her old self. “You are also supposed to be in mourning. This sort of behavior simply will not do.”
“Excuse me,” a soft voice said from the door. “Mr. Pembroke?”
“Yes, Miss Wright?” He took his hand off Cordelia’s hip as the door swung open and a pretty young woman with dark blonde curls looked in. She was slender and looked as if she could be nobility herself, but if she had she probably wouldn’t have been working in a solicitor’s office.
“A telegram was just delivered for you from Judge Perkins in London.” She stepped into the room and held out the letter to him. Victor took it and nodded to her.
“Thank you. Where’s Bradley?”
“I believe he went down to the bakery,” Miss Wright said. “He said something about wanting to get a certain kind of biscuit they were only selling today and that he would be right back.” She looked around the room. “I’m sorry to disturb you. I’ll leave you to your meeting.”
“One moment, young lady.” Mrs. Richmond was frowning at the girl and Cordelia wasn’t sure if it was because she disapproved of her working for a single man, or one of the hundreds of other reasons the old woman could find to be critical. She came closer to Miss Wright, leaning on her cane. “You look very familiar to me.”
“Do I?” Miss Wright looked confused. “I don’t believe we’ve met before today.”
“Have you a sister? Or perhaps a brother?”
“As a matter of fact I do have a brother,” Miss Wright said with a nod. “He’s my twin brother, actually. Ten minutes younger than me.” Mrs. Richmond got even closer and the younger woman looked uncomfortable. “Why?”
“You have a birthmark,” Mrs. Richmond said. “Right underneath your eye. Does your brother have one as well?”
“He does.” Now Miss Wright sounded cautious, and Cordelia looked at the girl as well. They weren’t the same but if she put aside their gender, she could certainly see that Miss Wright looked very much like the young man she had walked in on with Arthur during their last argument. “Why are you asking? Has Samuel done something wrong?”
“Why would you ask that?” Victor’s tone was conversational but Cordelia could hear a deliberateness to it. He obviously didn’t want to frighten the girl away from talking to them but they needed the information. “Has he been in trouble before?”
“Yes,” Miss Wright said, sounding defeated. “He’s always getting in trouble. I took this job to help support Mother during her illness but it seems that I’ve ended up supporting him as well. He loses money gambling, he gets into fights in bars, and every time there’s a fine to be paid it comes out of my pocket.” She sighed. “I feel obligated because he’s my brother but there’s a limit to what I can do for him. What has he done this time?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Victor said. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention this discussion to him, though. I may need to speak to him and I don’t want him coming in here with his mind made up.” Miss Wright nodded.
“Of course, Mr. Pembroke.” She left the office and closed the door, and Victor sighed.
“This just gets better and better.”
“Come along, Mrs. Richmond,” Cordelia said, taking the old woman’s arm. “That’s quite enough excitement for your first afternoon out of the doctor’s.”
“I think I’ve had enough excitement to last me the rest of my life,” she muttered. “Take me home, Cordelia. I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight.” She cut her eyes toward Victor. “I suppose you’ll be coming along with us?”
“I have some things I need to take care of here,” he said, shaking his head. “This could get extremely ugly and I want to make sure everyone, including Miss Wright, is protected as best I can. I’ll be along this evening.” He looked at Mrs. Richmond. “If that’s all right with you, ma’am.”
“Just so long as you’re discreet about it,” she said crossly, not looking at him as she made her way across the room with her cane. Cordelia trailed after her just in case she looked like she might fall but the old woman moved more quickly than she had expected. “Honestly, Cordelia, all the time I spent raising you, you’d think you’d have learned by now how to act like a lady.” She continued to nag as Cordelia looked back at Victor helplessly. He shrugged, looking like he was about to start laughing, then sat down at his desk and opened the envelope Miss Wright had given him.
“Our carriage is just outside,” Cordelia said.
“You’re lucky Mr. Pembroke is your solicitor,” Mrs. Richmond said. “Otherwise there would be even more talk about your impropriety than I’m sure there already is.” Bradley came through the front door as she was talking and she looked over at him. “Young man!” Her tone of voice suggested that he was in trouble and Bradley looked guiltily at her. “Our carriage is outside, go out and fetch our driver.”
“Yes ma’am,” Bradley said with a nod. He put the wrapped package in his hands on Miss Wright’s desk and hurried back out the door.
“You see, Cordelia? That’s how you handle these matters. You’re a widow in mourning, you shouldn’t even be out of the house without an escort.” Cordelia opened her mouth and Mrs. Richmond shook her head. “Your Mr. Pembroke does not count. It’s as if you and Bridget are still girls, trying to drive me to an early grave.”
“Yes ma’am,” Cordelia said absently. Since becoming an adult Cordelia had learned the best way to deal with Mrs. Richmond was to be as polite as possible and pay as little attention as she could get away with.
While Mrs. Richmond gave Cordelia a lecture on exactly how she should behave as a widow, Cordelia’s mind wandered back to how Victor had held her before they left the estate. He hadn’t even kissed her and she’d felt as if he was claiming her all the same. It made her as happy as it excited her, and the feeling was strange but entirely welcome.
It had always felt like there was a wall between her and Arthur, even when they’d first met, and she had just assumed that was what being married was supposed to be like. Now that she had fallen in love with Victor, she knew that this was what it was supposed to be like. She wasn’t sure if Victor had been serious when he was talking about marriage or just trying to placate Mrs. Richmond, and there was no way for her to ask if he meant it until she saw him later. The odds that they would get to be alone together were slim with Mrs. Richmond back in the house but Cordelia supposed she would just have to get creative.
I suppose I am getting to be a bit more like Birdie, she thought as she nodded in what she hoped was the right place in Mrs. Richmond’s admonishments. That’s not altogether a bad thing, I don’t think.