Eunice resisted a smile. “Forgive me, Aunt Hazel, but the East Indies and India aren’t in the same place.”
Aunt Hazel blinked. “But they’re similar names.”
“True, but should I assume you were one of the ones to write Douglas’s name down because of the connection you mistakenly assumed those places have?”
“I had to write someone down.” Aunt Hazel shrugged before she smiled at Douglas. “Not that I think you murdered James, dear, but I wasn’t comfortable writing down another name, although I do have a few thoughts.”
“And we’ll get to those thoughts later,” Eunice began, “or perhaps sooner once I tell you that your name is the other name submitted as a prime suspect for killing your brother.”
Aunt Hazel, instead of immediately denying the accusation, laughed. In fact, she laughed so hard that Lloyd fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her because her eyes had taken to watering.
“Has Aunt Hazel gone mad?” Doris asked.
“Mad with guilt if I’m not mistaken,” Alice replied.
Aunt Hazel gave a wave of the handkerchief. “I’m not mad, girls, merely amused that of everyone gathered in this room, I’d be the only suspect listed besides Arthur, Douglas, Eunice, and St. Nicholas—none of whom are involved, at least in my humble opinion, in James’s death.”
“You know you resented James for stifling you over the years,making sure you never strayed far from home,” Uncle Raymond said.
“Oh, he definitely stifled me, but I wouldn’t have murdered him over that,” Aunt Hazel shot back. “And I’d be careful, brother dear, about hurling accusations at me. You’ve been resentful of James and all he accomplished, always whining about not being given your share of his vast holdings or a lofty title that came with no responsibilities.”
“It’s not a secret I resented James at times, but you’ll notice that no one wrote my name down as a suspect,” Uncle Raymond snapped.
“Which only means that everyone is anxious to keep all of our family secrets secret.”
“But aren’t you curious as to who threw your name into the hat?” Doris asked. “If someone wrote my name down, I’d be burning to know who did that.”
“There’s no need for me to suffer any curiosity about who pointed the finger at me, dear, because I already know.” Aunt Hazel waved the handkerchief in Mrs. Wagner’s direction. “Mrs. Wagner did.”
Mrs. Wagner drew herself up. “Why would I, out of anyone in this room, want to throw suspicion your way?”
“Come now, Mrs. Wagner, you already know the answer to that,” Aunt Hazel returned. “I’m the only one in the family who knows you’ve been perpetuating a rather large lie regarding how you’ve been able to insinuate yourself into the Mason family.”
Mrs. Wagner’s eyes flashed with something interesting. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do, but because it’s a somewhat tawdry topic, you should simply admit you wrote down my name and leave it at that.”
“Unless, of course,” Cooper said, stepping forward, “this information could shed light on James’s death. Then I’m going to have to insist it be disclosed.”
Aunt Hazel tilted her head. “I’m not sure Mrs. Wagner lyingabout being my brother’s mistress has anything to do with his death.”
Dead silence settled around the room until Hester jumped to her feet, snapped her fingers in her daughters’ direction, and nodded to the door. “It’s time for the two of you to leave. Now.”
“Absolutely not,” Doris argued. “We’re Masons, Mother. Do you actually think anything is going to scandalize us after having been raised in this family?”
Hester stabbed a finger toward the door without saying a single thing, which had Doris and Alice exchanging mutinous glares with their mother before they finally stalked their way across the library and through the door, telling Ivan, who’d been blocking the door, that they’d be right outside.
After Ivan closed the library door, Eunice turned her attention to Mrs. Wagner, who was looking rather mutinous as well as she glared at Aunt Hazel. “If what Aunt Hazel says is true,” Eunice began, drawing Mrs. Wagner’s notice, “why did you allow everyone to believe something different?”
“There’s no proof that James and I didn’t share an intimate relationship.”
Aunt Hazel released a snort. “Except that after the carriage accident that killed his wife and grievously injured James in the process, he couldn’t share intimate relationships with a woman, nor could he father children.” Aunt Hazel got to her feet and moved to stand in front of the fireplace. “James’s condition wasn’t well-known because, for obvious reasons, he didn’t care to share the details of what happened to him. I only learned about it because I overheard a conversation he was having with his doctor.”
She narrowed her eyes on Mrs. Wagner, who was now looking decidedly uncomfortable. “I’ve always been curious, though, why you would have allowed everyone to believe you were his mistress. Because you first came to work for James as his nurse after the accident, you were told by his doctor about his condition and then instructed in minute detail how you were to care for all his injuries because you lacked any nursing experience. Truthbe told, I was reluctant to have you attend to James in the first place because of that and only relented because you were the only person capable of not dissolving into tears because of his surly temper.”
Mrs. Wagner narrowed her eyes right back at Aunt Hazel. “Did it ever occur to you that your brother wanted everyone to believe I was his mistress because he was ashamed of his condition?”
“That would certainly explain your continued employment, because I know for a fact you didn’t have any secretarial experience either before James offered you that role,” Aunt Hazel said.
