“Perhaps it had something to do with the scandal Headmaster Egan was talking about.”
“Perhaps.” Nate sighed. “The question is, who can tell us?” He scanned the area, and his gaze landed on a church that stood beside the old school building.
It was exactly what he’d been looking for. Most public schools were tied to churches, so the chance of the vicar knowing something about Collins and the scandal at St. Joseph’s was high. The chances that the vicar would talk to them, on the other hand, remained to beseen.
He turned back to the school and rattled the locked gates in frustration.
“I’m afraid that won’t help. They’ve moved,” someone said behind Nate. He immediately let go of the gates and turned around to see a short, balding man wearing the vicar’s cloth standing a few feet away. “I saw you from across the street”—the vicar pointed to his church—“and I was wondering if there was anything I could help you with.”
Nate straightened his jacket and cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said and proceeded to tell the vicar why they’d come.
The vicar clasped his hands together and nodded. “I knew a Mr. Douglas Collins. But he wasn’t a pupil at St. Joseph’s. He was one of the masters.”
Bridget gasped. “A schoolmaster!” She glanced at Nate, and he knew what she was thinking. The mystery of Mr. Collins’s age had been solved. He had been too old to be a pupil at the school, but he was not too young to have been a teacher.
“He was only a young man. In his first or second year of teaching,” the vicar said, “but very clever. He’d received an excellent education—although I cannot recall where he’d studied.” The vicar scratched his lined forehead. “Anyway, he seemed a respectable sort. And he was popular with the boys, but maybe a little too gentle for the headmaster’s liking. He used to complain that Collins wasn’t fond of corporal punishment.” The vicar stuck out his chin in apparent disapproval. “I must say, the headmaster had a point. Young boys need a firm hand, you know. And there’s nothing wrong with a smart cane to keep them in line.”
Nate flinched as if a thin wooden cane had come down against his flesh. The sound, the sting…those were memories that could never be erased. He swallowed. “Can you tell us what caused him to leave his post at St. Joseph’s?”
“He was terminated.” The vicar sighed. “It was an unpleasantbusiness, but it had to be done.”
“May I ask why?” Nate tried to keep the eagerness out of his voice.
“I was wanting to ask the same thing of you. Why are you so interested in Mr. Collins? Did something happen to the man? Or are you looking to employ him?”
“Indeed, I am,” Nate lied. “As a tutor for my son.” He could feel Bridget’s eyes on him.How can you lie to a vicar?He heard her scold him in his mind.
“Oh, well, in that case, I’d better explain everything and give you fair warning.”
Nate glanced again at Bridget, suppressing his smile. He’d told a small lie to the vicar, but it had worked. The man was now eager—if not determined—to tell them everything he knew about Douglas Collins.
“I’m afraid Mr. Collins was involved in a scandal of a somewhat delicate nature.”
“Oh dear,” Nate said, continuing his charade.
The vicar glanced at Bridget and rocked back and forth on his heels, indicating that he was uncomfortable saying what was necessary in front of a young lady.
Bridget must have understood immediately because she said, “I’m just going to have a look inside your lovely church.”
“Excellent idea. Be my guest.” The vicar gestured toward the building.
Nate watched her go. He knew it must have irked her to leave, but he admired the grace and understanding with which she had handled the situation. The vicar would likely not have spoken freely in front of her.
Once Bridget was out of earshot, the vicar continued eagerly, “One of the students claimed he caught Mr. Collins in a ‘lewd act’ with a young woman. He told the other students, and word spread like fire around the school. Disgusting things were said, which I am certainwere exaggerated, but that was of no matter. The man’s reputation as a respectable teacher and gentleman was tarnished. The headmaster had to act swiftly. Boys at St. Joseph’s come from good Christian families, and the school prides itself on producing upstanding, moral young gentlemen. Their reputation depends upon it.”
“Understandable, of course,” Nate said. “But did Mr. Collins admit to these charges against him?”
“He didn’t deny knowing the young lady in question, but he vehemently denied having engaged in any…well…ungentlemanly behavior. Of course, none of that mattered. The scandal was enough to ruin him. So they had to get rid of him.”
“Do you happen to recall the name of the young lady in question?”
“I’m afraid not. All I know is that her father had a farm. I believe he’d sell his meat and buy cattle in Harrogate on market days. And that’s how Mr. Collins became acquainted with his daughter.”
Sell his meat? So, she was a butcher’s daughter.
“And what about the student who reported Collins? Do you recall his name?”
“Oh, yes. Mr. Phillips.”
