I made note of everything discussed, including questions that arose as a result as Brodie continued with the usual questions in an inquiry case.
Did Sir Collingwood seem upset or distracted by anything?
Was there anything unusual about this particular gathering at Sandringham?
Did he perhaps mention anything that he was concerned about? Or a recent difficulty?
Then, one final question, of an extremely private nature but necessary.
Did Sir Collingwood ever mention someone by the name of Angeline Cotillard?
“A woman?” he remarked with some surprise, then replied. “No, not that I’m aware, sir.”
Brodie thanked him. He then asked to meet with each of the other servants in turn.
Each one was asked a variation of the same questions with much the same answers. Then we met with Sir Collingwood’s housekeeper.
Miss Burrell was somewhere near fifty years of age, tall, thin, with pinched features and a formal demeanor that reminded me of Mr. Jamison’s rigid, military bearing. She had been in Sir Collingwood’s employ for ten years.
Brodie deferred to me in questioning her, as had become quite useful in our previous inquiries.
I proceeded to ask much the same questions as before, but with a different purpose as I inquired if there had been any recent changes in the household, perhaps a member of the staff that might have departed?
Did Sir Collingwood seem preoccupied in any way? What about social engagements? Or entertainments that he had scheduled? And possible guests?
The responses were all the same, and he had not entertained guests in the weeks leading up to his departure for Sandringham.
She hesitated when I inquired if there was any change in the usual routine of the household.
“Was it something he said?” Brodie added.
She angled a look toward the hall just beyond those double doors.
“He told me there was no need to make my usual purchases at the grocer as he would be quite busy with work at the Admiralty office.”
That didn’t seem particularly unusual to me. There was another look to the hallway.
“And he gave us our weekly pay before he left to meet with the other gentlemen for that weekend. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but when I opened the envelope, he had paid mefor the full month. When I spoke with Mr. Fields, his driver, about it. He had received the same.”
Most interesting.
“There’s more,” I quickly added, when she had gone. “I found Sir Collingwood’s accounts ledger in a drawer of the desk.
“Ye just happened to see it?”
“I thought it might be useful...perhaps unusual amounts drawn on his bank, that sort of thing.”
“Go on.”
“In addition to paying their wages in advance, there were entries for all of the household accounts. He paid everything in advance, as if he wouldn’t return for some time.”
Or at all? I thought. Brodie had the same thought. I did know how his thoughts worked.
The last person we spoke with was Sir Collingwood’s driver, Mr. Fields, who would have been responsible for taking him back and forth to the Admiralty offices, or any other location.
While we waited for him to arrive, I made my usual notes, then set aside my notebook and pen as I moved about the library.
It gave me the opportunity to observe things beyond the questions that were asked, and had provided valuable information in the past.
