An image of the golden locket Sir Robin found flashed in Clio’s mind.
‘Then Anna became ill. When the specialist I hired told me he suspected arsenic poisoning, I didn’t believe him. Who would want to poison our sweet Anna?’
‘Surely not her father?’ Thomas’ emerald eyes widened in disbelief. ‘How could a father even think of doing that to his child?’
Clio fell a little further in love with him. Something she predicted would continue to happen for the remainder of their days together.
Violet narrowed her gaze, her voice growing hard as the tea cooled. ‘I thought the same. I suspected Mrs Coggins, in some effort to destroy our marriage, was going after Anna, but even that seemed incomprehensible. Then our solicitor stopped by when Arthur was out carousing at his club. He left papers for me to give toArthur. I thought they might be letters of debt, but it was something else entirely. Life-insurance policies for myself and Anna. I was confounded. Anna was ill, but surely, he didn’t believe she would die.’
‘He was going to cash in on the insurance policy?’ Nausea, similar to when she had one of her visions, swirled in Clio’s belly.
Violet caught Clio’s gaze and held it. ‘Berty came to collect on his debts, and I realised how deeply ruined we were. Arthur’s motives became clear. He’d always cared more about his title and his comforts than his wife and child. Anna was a girl, after all. She couldn’t carry on his name, so what use did she have other than to burden him with the need of a dowry? Killing us both was an easy solution. He could claim the insurance policies and stave off Berty, then remarry another poor, rich debutante who might be more easily cowed by Mrs Coggins. She was happy to help him in the task.’
Bile rose in Clio’s throat. ‘That is monstrous.’
‘He was a monster.’
‘So, you used his own weapon against him?’ A hint of respect seeped through Thomas’ careful question.
‘I knew I needed to work quickly. He had to be stopped before Anna suffered any more harm. I thought cyanide would be faster than arsenic, though I wasn’t sure about the dose. There was a large amount of it in the larder to rid us of rats, so I took some, knowing it wouldn’t be missed.
‘I told Arthur I wanted to apologise properly for fighting with him about Anna. That I was ready to accept her illness might not be curable. When Mrs Coggins brought the tea, I sent her away, telling her I would pour so we could have privacy. The way she looked at me.’ A small smile curled the corners of Violet’s mouth. ‘I thought she’d kill me right then. But she nodded her head and walked away. I dosed his tea. I thought it would take a few hours, that he mightdie in his sleep, but the effects were almost immediate. And when he realised what I had done, he came after me.’ She unbuttoned the high neck of her gown and pulled the material aside to show an angry scar.
‘Dear goddess. He stabbed you?’
Violet rebuttoned her gown with shaky fingers. ‘He tried. The cyanide stopped him before he completely succeeded. I ran, too terrified to think, knowing if they found us like that, my conviction would be certain. I was going to return for Anna, but the cut became infected. I found a doctor near the docks, though I doubt he ever went to medical school. He sewed me up as best he could, and I paid him for his service and his silence. I spent the next few weeks in a rented room, sure I would die of fever. I thought God was punishing me for my crimes.’
Thomas shook his head. ‘Protecting your daughter and yourself from a man intent on killing you is hardly a crime.’
Violet laughed, but there was no joy in the sound. ‘I doubt the House of Lords will agree with your reasoning, sir.’
‘They won’t ever hear this tale,’ Clio said, looking at Thomas for confirmation. When he nodded, she continued with a daring plan. ‘We will go to Mrs Coggins and tell her what we know. Either she admits to “accidentally” poisoning Viscount Beachley’s tea and thieving from the family, or we make the case that she was poisoning Anna, then killed Viscount Beachley outright when he discovered her crimes.’
Violet shook her head. ‘She’ll never do it.’
Clio smiled. ‘She will if she wishes to avoid the hangman’s noose.’
‘But I killed Arthur. I deserve to pay for my crime.’
Thomas shook his head. ‘In war, soldiers fight for many reasons. To claim more territory. To protect what is theirs. To find glory on the battlefield. But there is no cause more honourable than fightingto protect your child. You were in a battle, Lady Beachley. And you fought with courage and valour. How would it be justice to see you hang for protecting Anna?’
Violet opened her mouth, then closed it again. Tears glistened in her eyes as she inhaled a shaky breath.
Holy Hecate. I shall fall forever if he keeps saying such lovely things.
Clio pulled her thoughts back to the crisis at hand. ‘Mrs Coggins would have killed you and Anna for far less worthy motives. You did what you had to do to protect your daughter, Violet. Now, let us protect you.’
Violet exhaled a shaky breath. ‘All right. I put my fate into your hands.’
It took the rest of the night and early evening to devise a plan. Though she nearly refused to leave Anna, they were able to convince Violet to return to London with Thomas as her escort and report directly to Superintendent MacDougal.
Violet would give him all the evidence he needed against Mrs Coggins and return to Lady Langley’s post haste once arrests had been made. They would tell the papers that Superintendent MacDougal had been keeping her in protective custody the entire time to ensure her safety while seeking the evidence they needed to prove Mrs Coggins’ guilt.
She only agreed if Clio promised to keep a close eye on her daughter while she was gone. A task imminently more pleasant than spending any more time with Lady Langley. Especially when the duchess learned Thomas had once more been called back to London on business.
It was an interminable six days, seven hours and thirteen minutes until Thomas and Violet were able to rejoin the houseparty. By that time, the scandal had blazed throughout England. Lady Langley was salivating to hear all the gory details while loudly proclaiming she never trusted the horrible Mrs Coggins, and Anna had completely won over Sir Robin.
Clio had just left Anna after a day of reading fairy tales, practising to be ravens – except for Sir Robin, who was already an expert – and pretending the floor was burning brimstone while needing to get from one side of the room to the other without touching it.
