As for his bottle of brandy, would anything show up once he had it tested?
His grandfather’s journal revealed a concerning incident, but what was the secret he’d been hiding about a young woman called Elspeth?Was it not likely he’d taken that secret to his grave?
Yet, Alex had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that simply would not go away.
He silently cursed himself for being too besotted with Tulip to accept the obvious warning signs about Thornwycke Hall.Instead, he’d barreled ahead and made her his.She had even suggested they wait to be married, but this was the last thing he ever wanted.
It was selfish of him to bring her back to Somerset.
Well, they were here now and he did not think Tulip would ever accept to be sent back to London.
Nor did he wish it, for he truly liked having her in his life.
But he would have her stay with the Hesters for a few days, a week, or a month, if necessary to keep her out of the way while he caught a killer.
Tulip continued to smile at him as they rode toward Burnham, but he was glad when she turned away to gaze at the passing scenery that was so familiar to her.
He needed to think logically about all that had happened at Thornwycke Hall, and this included thinking about Tulip’s dislike of the duchess bedchamber.
She had felt too unsettled to sleep there.
In fact, she would not go near her bed.
He ought to have questioned her more thoroughly about this because Tulip had excellent instincts, perhaps even better than his own.If the sight of that bed curdled her stomach, was it possible this terrible incident his grandfather had written about so cryptically had happened there?
This was another mystery to pursue…and possibly connect to Elspeth.
He ought to have considered Tulip’s instincts sooner.It was stupid of him to dismiss her unease simply because he was glad she wanted to sleep with him in his bed.
He would question her further about it tonight, and also ask questions of the long-time household retainers.Ernfield was the head butler and had to know plenty about what went on in the past.For years, he had been standing at the front door and seen everyone who traipsed in and out.
There was also the cook, Mrs.Crabbe.And Mr.Carver.Possibly others…grooms, gardeners, household maids.
However, he set aside the thought as they reached Burnham.
Their visit to the Hesters was a friendly call for Tulip, but it was a hunt for information for him.These Hesters had grown up here and had to know something of what went on at Thornwycke Hall.
He might dig up a lot of useful information by engaging them in casual conversation.
Yes, getting them to talk first made the most sense.Their livelihoods were not linked to Thornwycke Hall, which meant he was more likely to get the truth out of them than his estate manager, Carver, or his head butler, Ernfield.
He trusted Carver as far as it came to running the Davenport properties.As for Ernfield, he was a bit enigmatic, but weren’t all head butlers trained to keep their mouths shut about what they saw?
Both men had reasons to hold something back, especially if their silence reflected badly on them.
Well, maybe the Hesters would shed sufficient light to get him started.
He smiled at Tulip as their carriage drew to a halt.“Seems we have arrived.”
She cast him a heartwarming smile.“Thank you for this, Alex.”
He merely nodded, for he refused to take credit for a kind gesture when his true purpose was to investigate.
Where to start?
There were so many lines of inquiry whirling in his head.
But he sensed that he needed to start in the past and find out more about this Elspeth hinted at in his grandfather’s journal.
