She looked relieved.
“You’re owed an apology for the way my grandparents responded to your letters,” I said.
“Yes, but not by you, dear. No more than I need to apologize for the way my parents treated your mother and father.” She patted my hand. “I admit to being angry when your mother chose him over me. I looked up to her so much, you see. I adored her. And by choosing your father, she knew she might never see me again. That was painful, at the time, and my last words to her were angry ones. I was foolish and jealous, still just a silly girl, in many ways. I regret parting with her like that.”
She sank back into the sofa and her gaze took on a faraway look. She’d been hurt by her parents’ cruelty just as much as my mother had, and had lost a sister too, yet her gaze seemed more wistful than sad.
“I’m glad we had this conversation,” she suddenly said.
I kissed her cheek. “Me too.”
I sawMr. Hobart in the foyer while I waited for Frank to hail a cab to take me to Kensal Green cemetery. He greeted me cordially, but there was a slight strain to his smile. Mr. Armitage must have informed him of my involvement in the murder investigation.
“Let me explain,” I began.
“There’s nothing to explain. Harry told me you weren’t aware Lord Rumford had approached me about his suspicions and I was going to give the investigation to Harry.”
“Did he also tell you I tried to offer it to him but he refused?”
He nodded.
“You’re upset with me,” I said.
“Of course not.”
I gave him an arched look. “Your disappointment is written all over your face, Mr. Hobart. I can read it as clearly as a book.”
He sighed. “I’m not disappointed in you, as such, just disappointedforHarry. If it does turn out to be murder, and he could prove it, his name would get into the papers. It would have led to more clients.”
I sighed too. “I know. I really do want to share the case with him, at the very least.”
“His pride won’t allow it. He thinks you’re offering out of charity.”
“How can I get him to change his mind?”
Frank opened the front door and cleared his throat. “Your cab is waiting, Miss Fox.”
“Just a moment.” I turned back to Mr. Hobart. “What shall I do?”
“You’ll think of something when the time comes.” He frowned at Frank. “You ought to be riding in a hotel carriage, not a cab. Frank, next time, have a conveyance brought around for Miss Fox.”
Frank stiffened. “Yes, sir.”
“There’s no need for a fuss,” I told them both asI slipped on my gloves. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a funeral to get to.”
It had been raining steadilysince I awoke and it hadn’t eased by the time the burial began. The small crowd huddled under umbrellas at the plot as cemetery staff lowered Pearl’s coffin into the ground. Her sister wept. Beside Mrs. Larsen stood a man, most likely her husband. They hadn’t brought Millie.
When Lord Rumford took up a position beside the plot, Mrs. Larsen had moved to the other end, her husband following. If he’d noticed, Lord Rumford gave no sign. He seemed lost in his own thoughts as he stared down at the coffin.
I took note of the other faces in the small gathering. Some wept, but most didn’t. The majority of the thirty-five mourners were men. The funeral had not been announced in the newspapers, however this morning’s editions reported there would be an informal public memorial held at the Piccadilly Playhouse this afternoon. The show would resume tomorrow night with Pearl’s understudy in the lead role.
I’d already added her to my list of suspects.
A movement at the edge of my vision caught my eye. A man stood a little distance away, almost hidden by the trunk of a chestnut tree. He had no umbrella and hunched into his great coat, but I could just make out his face and the wart-like rash at the corners of his mouth.
The service came to an end and the crowd dispersed. I hurried off in the direction of the man, but he’d already disappeared. I followed the path to the cemetery’s entrance just in time to see a brougham drive off. Instead of the ubiquitous black, its doors were painted dark green and the curtain fabric matched.
I waited as the other mourners left and nodded at Lord Rumford. I had assumed he wouldn’t want to acknowledge me, but he approached.
