‘You’re Gull’s wife, it’s a different relationship from the one I share with her,’ said Tabitha. ‘Edith’s old-fashioned, perhaps she feels she has to treat you in a more formal manner.’
Lucia shrugged and the momentary glimpse of vulnerability vanished beneath her usual haughty expression.
‘On this occasion, I shall allow it,’ Lucia said. ‘In future, please remember this is our family home and you aren’t welcome here outside of office hours.’
‘Until Gull tells me otherwise?—’
‘Do you think he cares about you?’ interrupted Lucia with a brittle laugh. ‘I’ve seen you gazing at him, throwing yourself into his arms in the barn. He finds it amusing.’
‘Amusing?’ muttered Tabitha, her own temper rising. ‘Is that why he kissed me? And told me he was filing for a divorce?’
Lucia’s face blanched with fury. ‘He would never kiss you and he certainly wouldn’t discuss such an important personal issue with the staff,’ she snapped.
‘Staff?’ said Tabitha and the word rang with contempt. ‘What century are you living in?’
‘Get out of my house,’ Lucia hissed.
‘It isn’t your house,’ replied Tabitha.
‘It will be,’ Lucia responded and turned on her heel. ‘I’m married to the heir and with Edith and Gull both?—’
But she did not finish the sentence because Tabitha shouted, ‘I know you’re descended from Eglantine Last,’ to Lucia’s retreating back, ‘the illegitimate line can’t inherit over the legitimate heir.’
Lucia stopped, turning to Tabitha, her face remaining blank, before she gave a cruel smile and said in a quiet voice as though explaining to a child, ‘The house is mine. The manuscript is mine. The day Wilbur Swanne allowed Helena Last to die, then left Eglantine penniless, our family knew it would one day be avenged upon the entire Swanne family.’
‘“Avenged upon the entire Swanne family”?’ said Tabitha. ‘What are you? The villain in a pantomime? Edith and Gulliver haven’t done anything to you. Anyway, you’re wrong. Wilburloved Helena, he wanted to marry her and, after she died, he was devastated. He tried to provide for Eglantine, but her aunt, who adopted her, refused his help.’
‘No,’ said Lucia in determination. ‘Wilbur abandoned Eglantine.’
‘He didn’t,’ said Tabitha.
‘You’re lying…’
‘Did you target Gull because he was the heir of Cerensthorpe Abbey?’
‘At first,’ Lucia admitted, ‘but we had a lot of fun together. When he proposed, it was easy to accept.’
‘What about Priya Constance and her marriage to Jayden Packet? Or Lola Buckley and Jonjo Stiles? Or, my particular favourite, Flora Lions and Zac Fresher? Did you enjoy being Flora Fresher?’
Lucia was momentarily silenced as Tabitha reeled off several of her pseudonyms.
‘Why did you use your real name to marry Gulliver? Were the stakes so high, you wanted to be able use your family connections?’
Lucia moved with such speed, Tabitha did not have time to duck. She screamed in shock as Lucia placed a stinging slap across her face.
‘You can’t win,’ Lucia hissed, her face centimetres from Tabitha’s the cloying scent of Poison filling her nostrils, making her wretch. ‘With him gone, everything is mine!’
Fear trickled through Tabitha at Lucia’s words. ‘Gone?’
‘Edith was easy to finish off. I’ve been adding small amounts of arsenic to her food for weeks,’ said Lucia. ‘It was simple to hide in the Blue rooms and sneak down the old servant’s staircase to the kitchens.’
‘Lucia, no,’ said Tabitha. ‘Edith is a defenceless elderly woman.’
Mikey’s words whispered in Tabitha’s mind:‘Take her seriously and be very careful. The Forelli family is not one you’d want to cross.’
Lucia did not acknowledge Tabitha’s words, instead she continued, ‘Gull caught me injecting an arsenic solution into Edith’s cake this afternoon,’ she sneered. ‘Sadly, he had to go too. I’d always planned to kill him in the end, but I had hoped to stage one final passionate reunion first.’
She’s insane, thought Tabitha.No one rational would be discussing their plan for a double murder.
