Thea’s eyes widened, and she saw similar reactions throughout the room.
‘Foul play?’ she asked, her eyes on Herbert.
‘Foul play,’ confirmed Herbert, but he did not elaborate.
‘You mean?’ she addressed the constable this time but didn’t dare finish the sentence.
‘In the happenings to do directly with the expiration of the duke,’ said the constable, stretching his neck slightly as if his collar were too tight.
‘Murder,’ said Doctor Herbert. ‘To put it plainly. There is reason to believe that the duke’s death may have been hastened by someone in the property.’
‘How can you suggest such a thing?’ asked Mrs Phibbs, clearly furious. ‘The man was about to murder the duchess himself. He had to be stopped.’
‘And yet he did not die by natural causes, did he?’ asked Doctor Herbert, smugly.
Thea was about to react, when Mrs Jenkins stepped forward and held out her hands. ‘Well, I think this must be very clear. It was me what done it. Clap me in irons or whatever it is you do these days. I hit him with a shovel, and I would do it again tomorrow.’
‘No,’ said Thea, stepping in front of Mrs Jenkins and her outstretched arms. ‘Constable, we have been assured that it was not the blow of the shovel that ultimately killed the duke.’
‘The medical records seem to agree,’ said the constable, glancing again at Doctor Herbert.
‘Indeed,’ said the doctor. ‘From the information I have been able to glean from Doctor Cope, the manner of death seems to be far more consistent with poisoning.’
‘Poisoning?’ Thea started. ‘Who would have poisoned him? And who would have had the chance?’
‘Well, that is the question, is it not,’ said Doctor Herbert in his infuriating monotone. ‘Perhaps we should consider whom stood to lose the most if the duke survived, and whom stood to gain the most if he did not?’ He looked around himself pointedly, at the mouldings and gilt work of the parlour, and then back at Thea. In addition to being accused of murder, she couldn’t help thinking that she hated it when people used the word whom to make themselves sound clever – especially when it was grammatically incorrect.
‘You think I poisoned my husband?’ she asked, incredulous, almost disappointed that it hadn’t occurred to her when she had considered hastening his demise. ‘With what?’
‘The poison seems to be opiate in nature,’ said Doctor Herbert, presumably aiming to unbalance her. ‘Although there are a few irregularities.’
‘Laudanum?’ said Thea, unperturbed. ‘He was taking it for his pains, and I never administered it.’
‘I am afraid we will have to ascertain that through questioning, Your Grace,’ said the constable uncomfortably. ‘There is some evidence.’
‘What evidence?’ asked Thea, wondering if the thought had, in fact, occurred to anyone else in the room.
‘Doctor Cope’s testimony suggests that the poison was subtly administered. It may have gone unnoticed if not for the tip off from an inside member of the household.’
Thea was blindsided. That couldn’t be true, could it? Who within her staff would suspect foul play and try to pin a crime on innocent members of the household?
‘Who?’ she asked. Nobody moved.
‘If you are going to come here with such serious accusations,’ said Martha in a particularly measured tone, ‘I should thinkthat you would find it necessary to make your intelligence plain. Accusations to a duchess and those close to her can be particularly serious, if they turn out to be unfounded.’
Doctor Herbert looked sideways. At the butler.
‘Indeed,’ said Mr Fletcher. ‘I have made the suggestion to the constable.’
‘Fletcher?!’ said Thea, astonished. ‘Why?’
‘Someone must be mistaken,’ said Martha, by now clearly unable to hold her tongue.
‘There is no mistake, My Lady,’ said Fletcher, and the whole room turned to him. ‘I am quite clear in my assertion and that assertion is similarly founded by Doctor Cope.’ Fletcher was almost always emotionless unless he was around the children, but now there seemed to be no warmth at all.
‘Why would you suggest that,’ asked Thea, her eyes boring into him. She was shocked to her core but did not let it show.
‘The situation in this house was becoming untenable,’ he said, ‘for everyone concerned. The duke’s legacy needed to be defended.’
