James laughed. “Good man. Let’s find the vicar and tell him you are at his disposal to attend to the repairs.”
“Reet behind ya, sar,” Mr. McCurdy said as James walked out the side door of the church.
They found Mr. Jones at the open door of the rectory, glowering after a visitor who scuttled away.
“Mr. Jones, is there a problem?” James asked.
“What?” Mr. Jones said, jerked out of his thoughts. He turned toward Sir James. “That is the second person in two days togentlysuggest my Miranda accidentally killed Miss Inglewood with her tisane. Thought that explained my wife’s death, that she took her own life in guilt and sorrow, never no mind what the inquest said.” The vicar shook his head, then ran his hand through his sparse white hair. “This village likes its drama and will make it up out of whole cloth if they need to. –But I’m sorry, I’m sure you didn’t come here to discuss the unfortunate gossip.”
“Hardly,” agreed James. “I’ve brought Mr. McCurdy around to survey repairs to be done here. He tells me they will be straightforward.”
“Aye,” said Mr. McCurdy. “Work be slow up at the Park now. I’d be reet glad to busy ma hands with work. And I wouldna mind but to put a bee in an ear of any who want to come by to speak badly of yur missus. She were a good woman.”
The vicar smiled slightly. “Thank you, Mr. McCurdy.”
“I’m a goin’ to hie meself on up to the Park now to git ma tools, and I’ll be back after noonins.” He reset his cap on his head, and after a nod to both of them, he trotted down the road toward Summerworth Park.
“I’m hearing noises from inside your house,” James observed after Mr. McCurdy left.
“Mrs. Hull. She simply came and started doing for me. I didn’t have much say, other than I know of other parties who want to do the housekeeping and cooking for me. Did make a fine meat pie last night.”
“My wife told me that Mrs. Hull feared you would give the job to Mrs. Ralston.”
“I was thinking about it. She is younger than Mrs. Hull, and I thought she could get around better,” the Vicar confessed. “But Mrs. Hull has dug in and done stuff even Miranda hasn’t done in a couple of months.”
“Lady Branstoke told me she used to come around to help Mrs. Jones in the garden.”
The vicar nodded. “And in her still room as well.”
James paused and tilted his head for a moment. “Would she know the recipe for the pennyroyal abortifacient?”
His brow furrowed. “Probably,” he said slowly. “It is most likely in one of Miranda’s herbal journals.”
“Do you know if Mrs. Hall can read?”
“Yes, she can. At one time, when she was young, she was a governess. I heard her and Faith talking about that when Faith was thinking of answering advertisements for governesses. Gave her lots of advice. Now you’ve got me wondering if she made the tisane for Miss Inglewood.” His brows furrowed together as his lips compressed, and he turned to walk back into the house.
James caught his arm. “Easy. No sense running off with worries and assumptions. That will make you no better than those who come to you with their suspicions of Mrs. Jones.”
The vicar stopped, his expression crumbling. “There is truth in what you say.” He ran a hand through his thinning hair. “But I just want to know!”
“As does everyone else. We’ll go together. Let me lead the conversation.”
“All right, Sir James. Now that you brought my head around, I hope my wild thoughts are wrong.”
They found Mrs. Hull cleaning the shelves in the vicar’s study, humming a tuneless song as she worked.
“Mrs. Hull? …Excuse me, Mrs. Hull?” the vicar said, striving to get her attention.
The woman jumped. “Oh!” she said as she turned around. “Oh, vicar, you gave me such a fright, so in my head I be dustin’,” she said with a merry smile. “And me hummin’ when I know I cain’t carry a tune in a bucket,” she added with a laugh. “Oh, and hello to you, too, Sir James. I didn’t see you there.” She curtsied hastily. “Is there somethin’ I can do fur you gentlemen?”
“Yes, Mrs. Hull,” James said, stepping further into the room. “I would like to know more about Mrs. Jones’ herbals. The vicar said he didn’t pay much attention to the herbals, but said you often helped her and you might be able to answer some of my questions.”
“Yes, I did, so I rightly guess I know more than anyone.”
“Can we talk? Vicar, if you’ll take your seat behind the desk, Mrs. Hull and I can then sit here, in your visitor chairs… Excellent,” he said as everyone settled in place.
“As no doubt rumor has shared, I was with Mrs. Jones when she died and heard her last words.”
