“I don’t think the weather report indicated anything more than light snow today. So you couldn’t have known.” I glanced at Henry, then turned my attention back to the Longfields. “You arrived here around one o’clock, then. Did you start your gallery tour right away, or did you visit thegardens first?”
“Well, we walked about the garden for a little while. You know, over on the south end with all the holiday decorations.” Susan’s head bobbed up and down. “I think they’re the most beautiful I’ve ever seen and so tastefully arranged.”
“No,” Milo interrupted his wife. “We didn’t go straight to the gardens. We stopped by the main hall where visitors check in.”
Susan furrowed her brow at her husband. “No, remember we parked and walked around the side of the house where they’ve got the Christmas display. I think there was a gardener out there on a four-wheeler.”
“I don’t remember anyone on a four-wheeler,” Milo huffed back. “But maybe you’re right. I’m not quite sure.”
“Well,I’msure.” Susan sounded like she was correcting a child. "You need to get your hearing checked."
Maybe I should have laid the soothing magic on a bit thicker. Bickering couples made me uncomfortable, though it was mildly amusing. “All right, so you saw the Christmas garden and maybe checked in first? Or right afterward? Then to the gallery?”
“Yes, that sounds right. We visited the garden,thenwe checked in and toured the gallery. There was a gardener out there on a four-wheeler. Then inside, I believe another guest was exploring the statuary hall, and a young man was leaving the property.” Susan looked at Henry. “Could it have been you?”
Henry’s cheeks flushed. “No, not unless it was a bit later. I didn’t arrive until after 2:00 p.m. I wanted to see some of the older collection.”
“We have security cameras inside the house, so we can see who it was. But if Henry didn’t arrive until 2:00, perhaps it was just another guest that Susan saw. I’m more concerned about what happened outside,” I explained. “We had planned no work in the yards or gardens today. Do you think you can tell me what this gardener looked like?”
“No, not at all.” Susan shook her head. “He, or I suppose it could have been a she, was at the opposite end of the Christmas garden and completely bundled up in a big coat, scarf, hat, and gloves. I doubt I’d be able to tell who they were even from a few feet away with all the winter clothesthey wore.”
“Do you remember the colors?” I asked, wondering about the sopping wet coat in the mudroom.
“Oh, dark, I think. Grays and blacks,” she answered. “Whoever it was rode away quickly. They were at the opposite end of the garden.”
“Well, I’m wondering why I didn’t see this fellow you seem to remember so well,” Milo grumbled.
Susan rolled her eyes. “Dear, you didn’t notice when I cut five inches off my hair and bleached it. Unless you’re interested in seeing something, you just don’t.”
Milo looked chagrined. “Well, if something’s important…”
“It was important to me, dear,” Susan stated flatly and ran her fingers through the hair by her temple.
I couldn’t stand much more of their silly passive aggression toward each other. “Well, thank you for sharing. Please let me know if there’s anything you need at all. Dinner is in the main dining hall at seven o’clock.”
I stood, gently taking Henry by the elbow and guiding him out of the sitting room, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Longfield to figure out their own issues. Dan silently followed us.
“Dan, I think we’ll take a brief break from interviews. We’re fine on our own. Thank you.” I dismissed him.
Dan looked annoyed, but muttered, “Of course,” and left us alone.
When we were far enough down the hall that the bickering couple wouldn’t hear us, Henry let out a laugh. “They remind me of my grandparents.”
I smiled. “Cute, but pretty uncomfortable. I think I want to check the security cameras for the time the Longfields arrived. I don’t think Zac ever came into the house. But it’s worth checking. Whoever was on the four-wheeler would have been leaving with enough time to make it to the embankment where I heard the gunshot.”
“Good idea.”
Again, I noticed a dimple on his right cheek. Butterflies rushed through my stomach, and I tried to shove them away. The last time I’d felt that way was with George Wickham, and that had been a monumental mistake.I increased the space between us, hoping to avoidanother heartache.
I showed Henry to our elevator, which looked like it had been fashioned in the early 1900s, with clanging fence lattice doors and Art Nouveau marble motifs. But it was actually state-of-the-art, responding to my fingerprint, which also prevented most visitors from wandering into our private quarters. I still couldn't explain how Lizzy ended up in my library.
Similarly, the security room on the third floor looked like nothing more than a closet until we entered. We had high-definition cameras with facial recognition software set up around the entire estate, except for in private quarters and our secret passageways. We also had programs in place that could lock down all or parts of the house with a moment's notice.
“Wow.” Henry whistled softly, looking over the multitude of screens and controls. “This is something. Pemberley really is more like a hotel or a corporation than a house, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yes. Pemberley's magic also has a way of guiding people to the right place. It somehow knows where we all should be. I always tell myself I’m just a normal girl, but then I remember things like that.”
Henry shrugged. “Who’s to say what’s normal? You have used your gifts in a lot of ways to make the world a better place. That’s what matters.”
