“Hello there,” I said as the footman took my coat. “I’m Mrs. Harper. Delia’s sister.”
Her eyes lit with recognition. “Yes, of course. I’m Mrs. Braithwaite. I came to call on your sister.”
This was the woman who had acted as a chaperone during Delia’s outings with Charles—though given my sister’s current state, I assumed she hadn’t taken her role very seriously. But perhaps that was unfair of me. Even a diligent chaperone couldn’t watch their charge all the time. In any case, this was someone I very much wished to speak to. And better still, someone Mr. Dorian had no idea existed.
“That is very good of you. I came to do the same.”
“She’s just gone upstairs for a lie-down,” Mrs. Braithwaite said, then leaned in towards me. “Poor dear. I think the grief is taking a toll on her,” she murmured.
I gave a sober nod even while I was relieved that the woman must not know of the pregnancy, as that was the more likely explanation for Delia’s late-afternoon nap.
“Do you have a moment?” I asked, flicking a glance towards Cartwright, who was still manning his post by the door.
Mrs. Braithwaite followed the movement and gave a hesitant nod. “Certainly.”
“I will be in the parlor with Mrs. Braithwaite,” I said to the footman before ushering the woman down the hall.
She and Delia must have only recently vacated the room because a healthy fire still roared in the hearth and the tea service still remained.
“Shall I ring for more?” I asked, gesturing to the teapot.
“Only if you wish,” she said. “I’m very well.”
As I moved to tug on the bellpull, I took a moment to look over Mrs. Braithwaite. Admittedly, I had assumed she was older than Delia, given her marital status, but with her round, angelic face and nervous expression, she seemed younger. I took the seat across from her and noted that the cuffs of her coat were worn and several buttons on the front had been replaced by ones that did not exactly match. Delia had mentioned that her husband was a relation of Earl Drummond, but I knew very well that being related to an aristocrat was no guarantee of wealth.
“My sister said you met at Slade,” I began after I asked for a fresh pot of tea from the maid who answered my ring.
“Yes,” she said with a quick nod. “We were in all the same classes, Delia and I. She sat next to me on our very first day and introduced herself. She was so friendly. Some of theother girls were not as welcoming.” She hesitated. “I was there on scholarship, you see. But Delia never made me feel like I didn’t belong because of it. We’ve been friends ever since.”
I smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. And have you been married long?” I couldn’t help wondering how a scholarship student crossed paths with the relation of an earl.
“No. Just under a year,” she said, dipping her chin shyly. “We met at the Royal Exhibition, actually.”
“How lovely.”
“My husband is a barrister, but he always wanted to be an artist,” she explained with an indulgent smile. “He’s been so supportive of me. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.” Then her expression clouded. “What an awful thing to say with poor Delia upstairs. I was so sorry to hear about Mr. Pearson, and even sorrier that she found him. I can’t imagine …”
I let the silence stretch for a moment before I continued my questioning.
“I understand you were the one who introduced them.”
She gave a solemn nod. “Charlie—that is, Mr. Pearson—was a friend of my husband’s. Back in the spring Delia, myself, and a few other girls we knew from Slade put on a little art show and Charlie came by one night with my husband.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And that is when they began courting?”
Mrs. Braithwaite’s cheeks flushed prettily, and she looked away. “More or less, I believe.”
The woman might be married, but Delia seemed far more worldly than this shy creature.
“She said you often acted as their chaperone.”
Mrs. Braithwaite cleared her throat and kept her gaze on the rug. “I did. Yes.”
“I’m not here to chastise you. I know that my sister andMr. Pearson were not exactly following all the rules of courtship.”
She glanced up in surprise. “You do?”
I nearly laughed at her expression. “Yes. Though I trust that you will keep any indiscretions on their part to yourself.”
