“Because he didn’t have it when he attacked me.His footsteps sounded different.And he didn’t have his cane with him.”
Edith smiled slowly.“How very clever of you.I wouldn’t have noticed that.Any other thoughts?”
Una hesitated.“Well, it just occurred to me…his limp might have been so convincing because it had been real once.”
“You mean, he’d had a game leg, and got over it?”
Una nodded.Her eyes fell on the ring of keys on the night-stand.
“The key,” she whispered.“To the reliquary box—I had it with me in the room—and now it’s not on the ring.”
“Another mystery,” Edith said with relish, and Una wished her cousin was enjoying it all a little bit less.“But don’t worry, Simon and Janushek will make sure he’s caught or chased away.Either way, he certainly won’t show his face near Ormdale again!”Edith looked back over her notes.“So—we have a clean-shaven, possibly religious suspect from Devon who probably served in the African war around nineteen hundred, perhaps invalided home, and perhaps jilted by the girl he thought would be waiting for him—based on his jaundiced view of the female sex—and in his early thirties.”Edith folded her notepaper very cheerfully.“Well done!I’d say we have a real chance at finding him, especially with that unusual eye.I’m going to send this description off to London.But first, I’ll ask Pip to try his hand at drawing him from your very thorough description.”
“Oh, you won’t have to—Pip sat with him on the train from Ormby,” said Una.
“Really?”asked Edith.“Even better.Would you like to come and stay with us for a few nights?At the Hall?The children would love it, and I’m sure Hanna could stop them jumping on your bed at dawn.”
Una thought her cousin said this as if she weren’t really sure it was true.
“No, thank you,” Una said politely, “though it’s lovely of you to offer.But Cousin Edith…please—thereissomething I’m anxious about.”
Edith nodded.“It would be odd if there wasn’t.My nerves were wrecked for months after one of my ordeals.”
“It’s Pip.I’m worried about him.”
Edith blinked.“Worried aboutPip?“ she repeated.
“Yes.”Una hesitated, realising that this touched on private matters.“He—he had a bit of a shock last night.”
Edith snorted.“I should think he did!We all had a shock, finding you like that.”
“No, it’s something else.I—don’t know if I can say.”
Edith searched her face.“Is he wondering about his connection to our family?”
“Yes.”
Edith sighed.“Then I’m afraid I can’t say anything either.The only one who can is Lily herself.”
Una blanched.It didn’t seem right for her to address such a subject with Lily.
Edith patted her hand.“Pip will sort himself out, Una.He’s going through a trying phase, most likely.Most boys are unbearable at one stage or another.And Pip has one of the best men in the world to help steer his course—revolutionary though he may be!—so there’s no need for you to worry about it.Now,” she said, lowering her voice, “are you intending to eat this bacon?We mustn’t offend Martha, you know.And the more food that is gone from your tray, the happier everyone will be, won’t they?”
Chapter eleven
Ormdale
SimonDrake-Forresterrodehishorse into the stables of Wormwood Abbey with an effortless grace and authority which spoke of centuries of breeding.
Generally, this caused Janushek to chuckle, for in fact, Simon hadn’t a speck of upper-class blood in him, despite his imposing double-barrelled family name.
But this morning, Janushek was not chuckling.
“He’s gone?”Janushek asked without preamble, his voice hoarse from sleeplessness.
Simon nodded, dismounting.He, too, had passed a disturbed night on the trail of the mystery man.“He was seen getting on a train in Embsay, with a great lump on his forehead.”
Janushek held up a wad of bloodied rags.“I found this in here in the stables.”
