She nodded.
“Does Mrs. Wiggons know?” Sophia asked.
“I assume…”
“Perhaps we should investigate,” Rosemary suggested. “Find out where Miss Doyle went and what she’s been up to. Maybe it’s even scandalous,” She grinned.
Sophia glanced at Eliza and held her breath.
“I would, but I don’t have time any longer,” Eliza replied. “Not if I’m going to finish my story.”
Sophia blew out a sigh of relief. She didn’t know if Eliza would continue to write beyond a week, but it was a welcome reprieve that her friend didn’t want to go snooping around in the life of their teacher.
However, even though they weren’t going to investigate their teacher, the new arrivals at Harrington Manor still held their attention and the girls inched forward, staying close to the bushes so that they could spy. The first to exit was a gentleman that Sophia had never seen before. His arm was wrapped in a bandage and another was around his head.
“I wonder how Lord Kilsyth was injured,” Olivia said.
“Kilsyth?” Rosemary questioned.
“A friend of my brother. He lives in Mayfair.”
The next person to exit was Mr. Keegan, who had visited last winter. A servant rushed around and handed him a crutch before he slowly lowered himself to the ground.
“Maybe they had an accident.”
Both gentlemen were helped into the manor when the second carriage pulled further up the drive. This time four footmen came out and assisted another gentleman, who was unable to walk on his own. His head was bandaged and he was practically carried into the manor.
“Who is that?” Olivia asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before,” Victoria answered.
Finally, the wagon pulled up and more servants came forward, but what Sophia saw next chilled her to the bone.
“Is that a coffin?” Rosemary cried.
“It would appear so,” Eliza offered with little enthusiasm.
Had her friend changed so quickly? Instead of being intrigued and getting into mischief, Eliza appeared almost bored with the idea of a coffin being taken into Harrington Manor.
“We need to find out what happened,” Victoria pulled on her sister’s hand.
Eliza tilted her head and studied the gathering. “I suppose we should.”
“I do hope that you haven’t lost someone dear to you,” Rosemary said to the twins.
Oliva frowned. “The only living family we have is Gabriel so I can’t imagine why a coffin was brought to his home.”
“Perhaps someone died within,” Rosemary suggested.
The girls shared a look then glanced back at their friends.
“I’m certain we would have been alerted,” Victoria finally answered. “But I still wish to learn who it is.”
* * *
Henry hurt from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, but at least he could walk about. Keegan was barely mobile, as he could only put weight on his left leg due to the right one being injured in the accident. Then there was Pickmore with possible bruised or broken ribs. Thankfully he had been given laudanum before they’d left the physician. The worst off was Ashford, who now lay in the pine box.
This was all of his fault. He’d been the one who had pushed to get to Kirksbury from the very beginning. When his driver had a chance to beat his brother’s record, they’d all encouraged him to drive faster. But even as they reached Kirksbury and Jamie had won, he had continued to race once they left the village behind. That’s when the carriage had rolled, not that Henry remembered much after that, only coming to with Jamie and his son standing over him. They’d managed to jump free of the carriage before they were crushed by it.
