“And two of his four sons, and the parson, who called that night. His sister is married to one of the sons, so he often spends the evening there.”
“They are quite certain of the date?”
“They are. Mrs Gowland keeps a diary.”
“Hmm.” Sir Hubert frowned. “I do not quite see why the fellow would confess to a crime he did not commit. It seems… irrational. Unless—?”
Edward had no wish to raise the subject of Tess’s fortune, so he said only, “Captain Edgerton suspects he is protecting Miss Nicholson from close enquiry.”
“I can see that he might think that, but surelyTesswould not—? I mean, such a quiet little thing, and surely too delicate to wield an axe with such… with such…”
“Quite,” Edward said hastily. “One expects the murderer to be a man, naturally, but the captain likes to address all possibilities.”
“Well, I suppose I must go out to Gowland’s Farm myself and take written statements from them all. Then perhaps we can get Shapman out of York Gaol. It is all most inconvenient. Now Edgerton has to start all over again, I suppose, and his wife’s companion is still missing, too, or she was the last I heard. The poor fellow is not having much luck, is he? After all this time, and still no satisfactory conclusion.”
“I suspect the real murderer is long gone now,” Edward said. “As for York Gaol, I have some business in York, so it would be easy enough for me to collect Shapman for you, and bring him back here, if that would be agreeable to you?”
“That would be most obliging of you, Tarvin, if it would not be too great an imposition.”
“Not the least in the world. I should be delighted to spare you the journey. If, when you have talked to the Gowlands, you are satisfied with the veracity of their assertions, then you need only write the appropriate letters of authority, and it would be my pleasure to see it done.”
He returned to Corland Castle well satisfied with his progress. The butler greeted him with relief.
“We were beginning to wonder if we should send out a search party, my lord,” he said. “You have just time to change before dinner. Allow me to show you to your room.” As they proceeded up the stairs, he went on, “There were some letters for you, which your man is looking after. Also a person called, asking to see you.”
“A person, Simpson? What sort of person?”
“A Mr Ramsbottom, my lord.”
“I am sure I know of no one by that name.”
“He wouldn’t write a note or send a letter. He wished to speak to you in person, but he wouldn’t say whether it was a business or personal matter, only that it must be conveyed to you in person. He was informed that you had gone on to York.”
“How very mysterious!” Edward said, amused. “I did not come across him in York, so I dare say he has given up and gone home. Wherever home might be.”
Dinner was a fraught affair, as everyone plied Edward with questions about Tess and her sudden betrothal, and then, when they discovered it, the news about Shapman. On both subjects there was much that he could not say. Nothing, for instance, about climbing trees or forcing open windows or opening safes. Nothing at all about the contents of such safes. Nothing about Shapman confessing to give Tess time to find her fortune. Not too much about Ulric, either, except his status as a gentleman, although something of his nature was already known.
“Lady Tarvin says he is not right in the head,” Olivia said pertly, as they sat in the drawing room with their tea after dinner. “I hope that is not true, for Tess’s sake.”
“Ulric is perhaps not the cleverest of men, it is true,” Edward said cautiously. “It is my opinion that he would be happiest not marrying at all, but I cannot prevent him from doing so if he wishes.”
“Is he a suitable husband for my daughter, Lord Tarvin?” Lady Alice said. “She can be a trifle wayward at times, and I would prefer her to marry a man of strong character who can rein in her little quirks.”
“I cannot claim to know your daughter well, Lady Alice, but I have known Ulric for a great many years, and I believe they would be very ill-suited. Ulric devotes all his time to his horses. People are of less interest to him, and if he were married, his wife would be of small consequence to him. I am doing what I can to prevent the match, for both their sakes, but it may be that I cannot prevent it, in the end.”
“We must all hope you are successful,” Lady Alice said. “She cannot marry him until she is of age, for I shall not give my permission. She has chosen this man purely to comply with the terms of her father’s will, I doubt not. Mr Frith is a gentleman, and therefore Tess’s trustees must release her inheritance to him if he becomes her husband, but it sounds as if she will be at liberty to do as she pleases thereafter, and that is not healthy for any woman. I always hoped she would make a marriage of affection, Lord Tarvin. I have been so fortunate as to experience that felicity, and I very much wished that for Tess, too. For that reason I never encouraged her to go to town for the season. I am told she is very pretty, so undoubtedly she could make a good society match, but I do not think that would satisfy her. A good, kind man who loves her — that is the ideal.”
“And perhaps she may yet make such a match,” he said evenly. “I hope so, certainly.”
“Ah.” She turned more fully to face him, her sightless eyes fixed on his nose. “I share your hope, then, Lord Tarvin.”
She turned the subject after that, but he felt that however blind her eyes might be, Lady Alice saw into his heart with unnerving accuracy.
Later, in his room, he found a neat pile of letters awaiting him. Some had been forwarded from London to Harfield Priory and then on to Corland. He recognised the strong hand of Sir Ernest Peterson.
‘Tarvin, You have been so good in the past as to send one of your experienced grooms to Myercroft and take on our new recruits to be trained up at Harfield. May I ask you in your kindness to do so again? We have a lad of twelve just started in the stables, very keen but with no experience of horses at all. You know what Ulric is like! He is a dear boy, but he has no patience with any degree of incompetence, and I should like to remove the young groom from Myercroft until he knows what he is doing. Six months under your head groom would teach him the basics and give Ulric no cause to shout at him. However, if it should be inconvenient, I shall quite understand and shall find some other use for the boy. Yours respectfully, Ernest Peterson, Bart.’
Edward sat down at once to pen his reply.
