“Mr. Percival, I have a question about my father, if you do not mind my asking.”
The man swallowed and looked at him, surprise evident on his face. “Of course, any question I can answer, I gladly will.”
“What he became… The mad Earl, as he is known today. The murderer that he became. Did you ever see any indication of this over the years? Anything that might have pointed toward this outcome?”
The steward picked up the glass once more and swirled the liquid in the glass before answering.
“I do not believe there was ever any indication that he would resort to actions such as that. He seemed devoted to you. He and the Countess were… I would not say they were happy, for how many arranged marriages are ever happy? But they were comfortable. I was as shocked as anyone to discover what had transpired that night.”
Daniel nodded, relief washing over him. However, he was about to exhale when Mr. Percival spoke up once more.
“Although there were, perhaps, indications that his lordship was somewhat…” He stopped and glanced at Daniel with hesitation.
“Somewhat what? Go on, man. Do not keep me in suspense.”
With a sigh, Mr. Percival continued. “There were indicators that might have pointed toward a certain emotional instability, should we call it that.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes and chewed his lip, contemplating the comment. He nodded for the man to continue.
“He was quick to anger. He would go into fits of rage or deep periods of melancholy. He would at times be volatile even with his wife, shouting. He was prone to drinking. It seemed he had trouble managing his feelings and would become overwhelmed by them easily, often leading to overreactions.” He shrugged. “Personally, I only witnessed these behaviors once or twice. Mr. Scott, who was a close friend of mine, informed me they were frequent occurrences.”
Daniel said nothing. He sat back.
Overreactions caused by overwhelming emotion. Was killing my mother an overreaction to one such emotion? Was drowning himself in the lake one?
He leaned back and thought of the overpowering feeling of anger he’d felt when Alistair and Penelope conversed with one another. He’d wanted to interrupt them, intercede. Why did he feel that way? There was no cause of jealousy, for Penelope was nothing to him but someone he’d once shared a childhood with. And yet, it took all he had to stop himself from grabbing his friend by the collar and dragging him away from her. Had his father felt that way the night he killed his mother?
Daniel didn’t know. He never would, for his father was gone forever and there was nobody who could answer these questions for him. He was on his own, in every sense of the word.
Chapter 9
Penelope made her way through the ballroom at Branigan Manor. It was a beautiful open space with ceiling to floor windows adorned with red and white curtains. The floor was polished pine wood. Penelope had hired an artist to paint lovely chalk drawings all over the floor, a custom made popular in the ballrooms of London. In addition to looking beautiful—until danced upon—the chalk kept the dancers from slipping on the polished floors.
She looked around, pleased with the turnout. The ballroom was filled with all the finest ladies and gentlemen of the area. Her father had allowed her to spare no expense and thus, the entire ballroom was lit with almost one hundred beeswax candles. The best orchestra in Banbury was set up on the edge of the room, filling the space with their beautiful music. In the adjacent drawing room, a banquet table was brimming with the finest foods money could buy.
She spotted her good friend Margaret, and her husband, Lord Warton, chatting with the Duke. As her eyes settled on her father, she smiled. He was dressed in his finest attire with a beautiful tailcoat. He’d even decided to use his best cane, one adorned with precious stones. The last time Penelope remembered him using it was when he was invited to Court.
“Penelope!” A voice called and she turned to see her friend, Kathleen, the new Marchioness of Ravenbrook, heading her way. “This ball was such a wonderful idea!” Kathleen wrapped her arms around Penelope, who kissed her friend’s cheeks.
“Thank you, I am pleased you think so.”
“Half of Oxfordshire is here, I declare!” Kathleen smiled as Penelope waved a hand in modesty.
“I should think not. However, I am pleased everyone appears to be having such a wonderful time.”
“Are they ever? And the food? Out of this world! Henry is presently filling his plate with all the plum cake and sweetmeats it can hold. I dread this evening when he will be groaning about the state of his stomach.”
The two young women giggled and Penelope found herself feeling lighter than she had in some days. While she loved Bridget dearly, her friend had spoken of nothing but the impending ball and the man she hoped to spend all night dancing with, Daniel. It was bad enough that he seemed to occupy Penelope’s dreams, for she’d dreamt of him most nights this past week. No, she could not even find respite from his name in the daytime due to Bridget’s preoccupation with him.
Speaking with someone who had no involvement in the matter was a delight. She and Kathleen chattered away for some time, until they were joined by Lady Warton, who’d broken away from speaking with Penelope’s father at last.
“Penny! I must thank you for inviting me. I never knew your father could be such a wonderful host. He’s kept me and Lord Warton entertained for nearly an hour. In fact, were it not for the arrival of Lord Carlton, I am sure we would be entertained by him still.” She smiled and waved her white feather fan in front of her face, even though it was not at all hot.
“Lord Carlton is here?” Penelope heard herself ask, a quiver in her voice. She’d hoped that since the ball had been in progress for some time, he’d decided against joining them. However, it seemed now her hopes were dashed.
“Over yonder.” Margaret replied and pointed discreetly toward the other end of the room.
“Jove! Would you look at his attire! Scandalous!” Kathleen gasped and Penelope craned her neck to see better. As soon as she spotted him, standing across the room next to her father, she knew exactly why Kathleen was so alarmed.
