"Smithson, set these two up in the den and let them interview you," said Chudleigh shortly, clearly stressed. "You're dismissed for the night once they're done with you. Try to get some rest, if you can."
"Yes, sir," said Smithson, sounding relieved rather than upset. "If you'll come with me?"
"Can we have a pot of tea?" asked Alex, snagging the two plates of snacks now gone cold that they'd been brought at some point.
"Of course, sirs," said Smithson, leading them into the den and going to the bar in that room, which was more self-serve than thedrawing room, but still had a nook for a servant to stand in and mix drinks or make tea.
Alex and Julian spent the time the tea brewed stuffing their faces so that they'd at least be presentable for the next set of interviews. Smithson seemed amused but not bothered by it, so Alex swallowed his mouthful and asked, "All right, so what happened from your point of view?" before going right back to eating.
Smithson's mouth quirked, but then he settled on the chair across from them and really thought about it.
"That one lady asked for tea, which caused a rush of 'em wanting it. Lady Halliwell, I think?" he began, moving on when Julian nodded. "So I made a big pot, and then the Lord as was flirting with all of them wanted a refill on his brandy, which was easy enough. I ferried cups over a few at a time, the trays back here ain't, aren't, that big, and handed the man his drink last, as is only proper."
"How did you hand it to him?" asked Julian.
"Oh, he turned around and reached out so I didn't hafta come around all the ladies for it, and that's how he ended up bumping the one lady, who stumbled into the other, and I'm not real clear on who ran into who but he managed to save it and get it down on the table without anyone spilling. Um, I dunno if he sipped then, but he must've, because next thing I knew he was dying."
"Did you see anyone particularly close to him?" asked Alex.
Smithson shook his head. "He had a lady on either side of him, and a few standing around looking entertained, but I don'tremember which was who really, except that the one that started the rush was behind the couch to one side, so she was easy to deliver to."
"So she wasn't really sitting or fawning, just kind of hovering?" Alex sipped his tea and sighed at the warmth of it.
"I guess? I mean she was mostly focused on her tea, to be honest. The rest were all flirting, though, the way ladies do." Smithson paused to think, then he shrugged. "To be honest, I was paying attention to the drinks and getting everyone's tea right, not the ladies."
Julian nodded. "My attention was on Alex, not you or them."
"Same," said Alex, "I was talking to Julian, not watching the victim make an arse of himself."
"What was everyone drinking?" asked Julian.
"Oh, well, you and your man here wanted cider, as did a few of the others. Lady Halliwell likes hers black with a bit of lemon. Most of the rest wanted one sugar, but the one on his left also got a splash of milk. Nonami-Finklewick likes a certain brandy that Lord Chudleigh got in just for the party, we have a bottle at every bar." Smithson stopped to think and said, "That Gallowglass had the mulled wine, not a lot of takers on that this time around."
"I bet McGuinness would've liked some," said Julian fondly. "Does Chudleigh like it?"
"Oh, yeah, his lordship loves mulled wine and cider both." Smithson was slowly relaxing as their demands were reasonable,hands still fidgeting with each other but no longer in fists. "His doctor friend, too."
"Does the staff like Dr. Geoff?" asked Julian, clearly just nosy now.
Smithson smiled. "Oh, yes, he's a kind one. He helped out Miss Alice when she scraped her knee up something fierce, and didn't even try to charge or anything."
"I've found him to be a good man and a good friend," said Julian warmly.
"We knew him before Lucas did," said Alex. "It's good to see your friends being happy, tragedy aside."
"Oi, yeah, he ain't too happy he couldn't help with that," said Smithson. "He tried his best, yeah?"
"He did," assured Alex. "Iridescent Western Vipers are magical creatures, and their venom is nearly always fatal even with a small dose."
"Alex looked it up earlier," said Julian. "Once he drank a sufficient amount, there was nothing anyone could have done."
"And it would only take a drop to pass his lips, maybe not even that," said Alex sadly. "That stuff is really lethal, even skin contact can make you sick."
"I'm glad it wasn't in the glass or on my hands, then," said Smithson, looking at his hands like he was expecting them to show that he'd managed to touch it somehow.
"No, I think someone dropped it in when everyone was jostling around," said Alex. "I'm just wondering who took time out of their preparations for tea or dinner to go milk that snake. The venom is also extremely rare, so it would have to have been today."
"I can ask around the girls, see who was in rooms they weren't supposed to be. A few of those posh gits went snooping, wanting to see the private quarters they weren't invited to view." Smithson put his finger to the side of his nose and nodded.
