“What a good idea,” Evan approved. “Lord knows servants hear everything.”
“Indeed,” agreed Giles. “Anyway, we eventually managed to arrange an audience with Sir Gerald. He was away from home when we arrived, but we were told he was expected within the hour. It turned out that an hour to Sir Gerald is two or three hours to everyone else. So it was quite late when we finally met him.”
“The two of you?” Adalyn inquired.
“Yes, he saw us both. And for a somewhat scatterbrained official, he had a pretty good recall of the details of our case.” Giles took a quick sip of tea. “Charges had been formally laid the day before yesterday. There has been no definitive report on the cause of Sir Amery’s death yet, but apparently there was enough uncertainty for the Right Honourable Baxter Fairhurst to arrive at Sir Gerald’s door and demand he arrest Trick immediately on suspicion of murder. I’m not sure Sir Gerald was too fond of Mr. Fairhurst, but he is a man aware of his duty.”
“Baxter Fairhurst? Who’s he?” Evan blinked.
“A cousin, we understand.” Giles met his look with one of slight distaste. “Not a man of property, but one who manages money. An investment broker of sorts, I believe.”
“That sounds a bit havey-cavey,” frowned Jeremy.
“There are reputable brokers out there, of course. I’m just not completely convinced Baxter Fairhurst is one of them.”
Adalyn sucked in a breath. “This doesn’t make any sense, Giles.”
“Give us time, my Lady. It’s…complicated.”
Daniel picked up the story. “We asked Sir Gerald about this Fairhurst, and pointed out that we’d never even heard of him, let alone met him. He said he had been told exactly that, but that Fairhurst did, apparently, knowTrick.”
“What?” Jeremy sat up in his chair. “How on earth…”
Daniel held up a hand. “Not only did this man say he knew Trick, but he also said that he knew enough about him to suspect him of poisoning Sir Amery.” Daniel paused. “Apparently Trick has been accused of such a crime once before.”
The silence that followed that statement was deafening. Adalyn felt something was making her ears buzz and her skin tingle with an unpleasant prickling sensation. She blinked rapidly, afraid she might actually faint. “That’s impossible.”
Giles stood and walked to the fireplace, leaning his arm on the mantle as he stared into the flames. “This should be Trick’s story to tell,” he grumbled. “But there’s no way to conceal it now.” He turned his face to the four people watching him, and shrugged.
“A long time ago, when Trick was running a very large stable of thoroughbreds in Ireland, he was accused of poisoning a guest at the estate. This guest, a woman, alleged that Trick had made unwanted advances and when she rejected them, he slipped poison into her wine at an evening affair.”
Adalyn jumped to her feet. “Nonsense. Utter nonsense.”
“I will not believe Trick capable of such thing.” Jeremy rose as well.
“Not Trick. Not poison. That would not be his way at all.” Evan shook his head.
Daniel looked at Adalyn. “We all have secrets, Adalyn. And I do know that Trick was indeed accused. He let it slip one night when we were celebrating something or other a little too enthusiastically.”
Giles lifted an eyebrow, but let the comment pass so that Daniel could continue his story.
“What Trick told me was that this woman had taken a fancy to him. She was the kind of person one runs across now and again in Society. The type who thinks a dalliance with a servant is quite acceptable. In fact, she had already attempted to seduce the butler. As soon as she set eyes on Trick, he became her next target.”
Knowing how handsome Trick was, Adalyn could not profess surprise.
He cleared his throat. “She was, according to Trick, a woman of low tastes and no self-control. He was forced to throw her out of his quarters one night when she appeared at his doorway wearing a cloak and little else.”
“Good lord,” Adalyn’s eyes were wide. “And she has atitle?”
“Definitely an aristocrat. I never learned her name.”
Adalyn couldn’t think of a thing to say in response.
“It would seem that this woman might have been a little unbalanced. I shall hope that is so, since her behaviour was appalling, according to Trick’s account.” Daniel leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. “There was an al fresco event shortly after, and guests were roaming the grounds. He heard a lot of noise, ran to find out what was happening, and the next thing he knew was that she was pointing at him from the ground and accusing him of poisoning her.”
Jeremy’s cheeks twitched as he clenched his teeth. “I can guess what happened after that.”
“We all can, lad.” Giles looked tired. “Trick was immediately arrested and given few options. It looked as if he was headed for the noose. But the woman’s family stepped in and appealed for lesser charges. Quietly, of course. He was left with two choices. Australia or the Colonies. The lady recovered, as many expected, but by then Trick had been sentenced to the Colonies. It was the best option for a chance to escape before reaching the coast, which he did.”
