“A few had been profitable and returned a good income for their investors. Even Lord Allendale had invested in one of my uncle’s ventures, and–”
“Allendale? Did this not worry you?” Julius had returned and was now standing at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest and his brow furrowed as he listened in. “A snake does not suddenly sprout legs and walk,” he muttered. “Once a thief, always a thief.”
Gory frowned at him. “Are you suggesting my uncle was a thief?”
Julius arched an eyebrow. “Wasn’t he?”
“Possibly,” she grumbled, and then sighed. “Probably. How was I to know Lord Allendale had decided to invest with my uncle? Gentlemen are not in the habit of discussing financial matters with ladies. But I would have stopped him had I known about it. Fortunately, the venture paid off and he was quite pleased.”
“As I said, snake oil,” Julius muttered. “This is how a mark is lured in.”
“What do you mean?” Gory knew a lot about medical matters, but had to admit she was lacking in knowledge of general business dealings.
She only knew never to trust her uncle.
But Julius’s mind was as sharp as a finely honed blade. “It is a matter of gaining one’s confidence. Your uncle proposes a venture. Allendale puts in a small sum. He gets back a nice return. He invests another small sum in the next venture. Gets back another decent return. Then he is ready to invest in a big way. That’s when your uncle reports the failed venture. Only there never was a venture, it was all a ruse, and your uncle has pocketed the funds.”
Gory could not believe what she was hearing.
Well, she did believe it to some extent.
But her betrothed would have said something to her, surely. “Are you suggesting Allendale was fleeced, got angry, and had something to do with my uncle’s murder? Julius, that is outrageous and completely off the mark.”
He held up his hands. “It is just supposition, Gory. And I do not mean to single out Allendale. Your uncle probably had a dozen other lords he was looking to fleece.”
“I can assure you, Lord Allendale was not one of them. Perhaps he was meant to be an eventual mark, but he was only starting out. I’m sure he reaped a handsome profit. Besides, I do not even know if he is in London. He has been very busy, which is why you were put in charge of escorting me on my errands these past few days.”
“Fine, let’s forget about Allendale for now,” he said, raking a hand through his hair. “There’s still the matter of your wedding gown. I sense it is important.”
“Why?”
“Because it is such an odd thing for you to do, is it not? I saw you earlier in the evening at Lady Dunbarton’s musicale and you were wearing something different. A very pretty peach silk that suited your complexion.”
She regarded him in surprise. “You noticed?”
He nodded. “I’m glad Lady Dayne and Lady Withnall insisted upon a new wardrobe for you.”
“They have been ridiculously kind to me.” In truth, these dearest dowagers had taken on the cost of several new gowns for her, ones for every occasion, because her uncle would not part with a shilling of his own.
Julius cleared his throat. “But as I was saying about your wedding gown, why return home…it would have been late, and then change out of the peach silk into something other than your nightgown? Close your eyes and try to think back, Gory. You were in your bedchamber. Would you not have required assistance removing the gown you wore to the musicale?”
“No, I would have managed it myself. Unlacing a gown is a much simpler matter than lacing it up.” As he well knew, Gory thought morosely.
Where had he gone after the musicale?
To some widow’s boudoir?
“All right, so you managed the gown on your own. But then you put on your wedding gown instead of preparing for bed? Why were you wearing it? And did that not require assistance to properly lace it up? It was done up with impeccable precision. This was one of the first things I noticed when I–” He groaned and winced as Mr. Barrow eyed him. “The gown was soaked in blood. I had to get it off Lady Gregoria.”
“I am not judging you, my lord. You’ve shown me the evidence. It is no surprise Lady Gregoria was in shock when she came to you and remains so, as one can tell by her glazed eyes.”
Mr. Barrow cast her a look of genuine concern and continued. “Mick will report to me soon. We’ll know if anyone on the staff was awake and might have heard something. He will have questioned them all by now.”
“And the magistrate’s constables will let him? Are they not in charge of this investigation now?” Gory asked.
“We have very good working relations with the constabulary. In fact, we are all Bow Street men and they often bring us in on their investigations.”
“So they will allow you to see whatever evidence they gather?” Gory pursed her lips in thought. “That is a very good thing. Perhaps we shall be able to make sense of what happened if we all work together. My actions do not make any sense, do they? Why would I not prepare for bed once my uncle and I returned home from the musicale? I cannot even remember who sang or whether it was wonderful or awful.”
