“No,” Carling carried on.“I’m not speaking about the facthe gave no references, so one couldn’t leave his employ even if they wanted to,for they’d never find another position, and they were forced to stay tied tohim, like indentured servants.”
At that, Mom and I both gasped.
“No, I’m talking about the fact that Beacher here”—he turnedto the handsome fellow—“andHagley”—he turned the other way and jerkedhis chin to the slim fellow—“bothconsummate groomsandconsummate horsemen, warned his lordshipnotto put his littledaughteronthat large and unpredictable of a horse—”
Oh…my…gods!
Mom shot out of her seat.
Everyone looked to her.
I rose, getting close, holding on tight, staring at herashen, distraught face.
“Mom.”
“Carling, don’t,” she whispered to Carling.
“I’m sorry, milady, it has to be known,” he replied.
“It does,” the inspector said gently.
Carling hurried on, jumping forward in the story, thank God.
“She blamed him, as she would.Who wouldn’t?”Carling askeda question with an answer everyone knew, so no one answered it.“He was besidehimself with fury at what he considered her audacity.Heneverdidanything wrong.Henevertook responsibility for mistakes he mightmake.To be honest, for twenty years, simply to stop his wife from demanding hereturn her daughter as well as stand up for what he had done and perhaps feelahintof remorse for his actions, I thought he’d murdered her in thatgazebo.”
“Bloody hell,” I breathed.
Carling sniffed the air and regarded Mom.
“I knew you didn’t take your own life.You loved thatgazebo, for one.You took Lady Maxine there to nurse her.If you felt itnecessary to leave this world, you’d never have done it there.Notever.”
Okay, good news, Carling pretty much corroborated our story,in a sense.
Bad news, it seemed us being there meant maybe we’d justaccidentally falsely exonerated Edgar for murder.
“I need to get back to Maxine,” Mom murmured.
“Momma,” I whispered.
She looked to me.“I’m fine.”
She wasn’t.
The dad of this world hurt the me of this world, a me whowas now her daughter as sure as I was.
I didn’t blame her, and I wasn’t surprised.If I were her,I’d probably feel the same way.
But this further complicated things.
By a lot.
Now it was a definite that I had to getall threeof us back to our universe, and how would Maxine handle that?
“If you have what you need, inspector, I’d like to escortthe countess home,” Ansley said.
“I feel we do indeed, from Countess Derryman.Though, I’llneed a few words with Lady Dawes before she goes.”
“I’ll stay withSatrine, Father.Take Lady Corliss,” Loren said.
