“Hmm.”Amity summoned a mental image of Logan and could not recall seeing a ring on his left hand. “Please don’t tell me that he is married.”
“No,” Penny said. “He told me that he was engaged at one time but his fiancée and her family concluded she could do better than to wed a policeman.”
“Well, in that case, I see absolutely no reason why you should not feel free to explore any romantic feelings that might develop between yourself and the inspector.”
A wary hope flickered to life in Penny’s eyes. It vanished almost at once. “I have only been in mourning for six months. Society—not to mention my in-laws—would be horrified if I abandoned my widow’s weeds so soon.”
“Do you really care for Society’s opinion?”
“At one time I did, yes.” Penny clenched one hand into a small fist. “But no longer.”
“And as for your in-laws, forgive me, but I got the impression that you are not overly fond of them—nor they of you.”
“They never approved of the marriage. They wanted Nigel to marry someone who could bring more money into the family. There is certainly no love lost between us. I think, in a way, that they blame me for Nigel’s death.”
“That is ridiculous,” Amity said. “Nigel broke his neck going over a fence. How could anyone possibly blame you for that?”
Penny’s mouth curved in a rueful smile. “You don’t know my in-laws.”
“I suspect that what really annoys them is that you wound up with so much money from Nigel’s estate.”
“You’re right, of course.”
“As I recall, there are two other sons, a daughter and a vast fortune. They should not begrudge you the money and the house that you inherited from your husband.”
“I appreciate your support more than you can ever know,” Penny said. “It has been very lonely here with you out of the country for weeks and months at a time.”
“I can only imagine how much you must miss your dear Nigel.”
Penny took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “No, actually, I don’t miss him a bit. I hope the bastard is burning in hell.”
Amity stared at her. “Sorry, I think I missed something. What did you say?”
Penny looked at her. “I thought he was the love of my life. But Nigel Marsden proved to be a monster.”
“What?”
“I was plotting to leave him when he very conveniently broke his neck.”
“Good heavens, Penny. I... don’t know what to say. I’m stunned.”
Penny closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, Amity could see remembered pain, fear and rage.
“At first I believed him to be merely overprotective,” Penny said. Her voice was low and even, almost detached. “It was rather charming for the first few months. I told myself that he loved me so much he wanted to take great care of me. But gradually he took away every piece of my life—my friends, my little pleasures such as the theater and walks in the countryside.”
Amity was aghast. “You never gave me so much as a hint in your letters.”
“Of course not. He insisted on reading every letter I wrote to you before it was mailed. He hated you. He said you were a bad influence on me. He said that about all of my friends, too. There was always something he did not like about everyone with whom I was accustomed to associate. Within three months the only visitors I was allowed to receive were his dreadful mother and his sister. He beat me if another man so much as spoke to me. He claimed that I was trying to seduce his male acquaintances.”
“I do not know what to say,” Amity whispered. “I am beyond horrified. Father would have been so angry.”
“It was not long before I found myself alone in the household all day and most nights with only the servants. I could not trust any of them. I knew Nigel asked them what I did while he was gone and whether I had left the house or received any callers.”
“I would kill him if he were not already dead.”
“I seriously considered poisoning him but I was afraid I might fail in the attempt. If that happened I knew that he would very likely murder me instead. I intended to disappear. He gave me no money, of course, but there were valuables everywhere in the house. I was going to take some, pawn them and buy a ticket on a passenger ship to New York. I planned to telegraph you as soon as I was free and beg you to meet me.”
“Why didn’t you send for me? I would have come at once.”
