Lady Arabelle’s bottom lip trembled and her brow knitted. After several moments, she shook her head. “No. I… Mother and Molly and Mrs. Lester and I all arrived together.”
Lady Harriet had been rendered speechless apparently, because now she was simply staring at Lady Arabelle in awe, waiting for her answers, her turban also tipped forward as if it was on tenterhooks.
“And did you stay together all evening?” Mark asked.
“Yes. Of course.” Lady Arabelle nodded.
“None of you left one another’s company?”
The young woman’s face clouded with confusion. “No. We were in the dining room most of the night. Why?”
“Did Lord Hillenbrand or Mr. Cartwright do or say anything out of the ordinary that night?”
She sat quietly for another moment. “No. We were alltalking and laughing and having a good time until…” She drew a long, shaky breath. “Until John collapsed.”
Tears filled Lady Harriet’s eyes too. She dabbed at them with her handkerchief and squeezed Lady Arabelle’s hand.
Mark finally pulled a notebook from his coat pocket. He opened it to a blank page, then stood and crossed to the writing desk in the corner where he found a quill and ink. He quickly drew a large oval on the blank page. He put the initialsJCat the top. He strode back to where Lady Arabelle sat. “John was sitting here, correct?” He pointed at the diagram on the page.
“Yes.” Lady Arabelle nodded.
“Where was everyone else?” Mark asked.
While Lady Harriet hovered over her shoulder, Lady Arabelle took the quill from Mark and added initials to indicate where the other diners had been. “I was to his right. Then Mother. Then Molly and Mrs. Lester. Lord Anthony was to his left, then Lord Hillenbrand, then Mr. Cartwright.”
Mark took back the quill and notebook. “Thank you, Lady Arabelle. Just a few more questions.”
“You’re doing splendidly, dear,” Lady Harriet said, as if she participated in investigations regularly.
Lady Arabelle nodded bravely. “Yes, go ahead.”
Mark sat back down and faced the young woman. He wanted to look into her eyes when he asked this question. “When John collapsed. What happened? Who tried to save him?”
Lady Arabelle’s eyes filled with tears that spilled down her pale cheeks. “I… did. I stood and tried toreach him but Mr. Hillenbrand and Mr. Cartwright stopped me. They said we should wait for the doctor.”
“Oh, dear, how awful it must have been,” Lady Harriet interjected.
“What did the others do?” Mark asked, still focused on Lady Arabelle’s face.
“There wasn’t much they could do.” The young woman uttered a shaking sigh. “Everyone jumped from their seats and stared for the most part. Lord Anthony rushed to him and listened to see if he was breathing.”
Lady Harriet dabbed at her eyes while nodding intently. “Awful, dear. Just awful.”
“One more question,” Mark said. “Did John say anything to you that night or just before that indicated that he’d had a falling-out with any of the other men who attended the dinner?”
Lady Arabelle sat silently for a few moments more. “No, nothing. He didn’t know Mr. Cartwright well and he was fast friends with both Lord Hillenbrand and Lord Anthony.”
Mark closed the notebook and stuck it back into his coat pocket. He stood again and crossed to the desk to return the quill, making a mental note to never allow Lady Harriet into another interview. “Thank you, Lady Arabelle. You’ve been quite helpful. That will be all.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Nicole and Regina hovered outside the doors to the small green drawing room, their ears pressed against the wood. “Mark is in there with Lady Arabelle,” Nicole reported. A zing of excitement shot through her. She loved the start of an investigation. Even one she hadn’t been invited to participate in.
It was much better listening at doors than dwelling on what had happened last night between her and Mark in bed. It had been… amazing. Unforgettable. At the moment, she was doing her best to try and forget it. Because if she thought about it… considered what had happened between them last night, the intimacies they’d shared, the walls she’d spent ten years building tumbling down in a matter of a few hours, she would go mad. It was much better to focus on the investigation, at least the part she and Regina could help with. It was the only thing keeping Nicole sane at the moment. She likednothing more than a good investigation. It was the perfect distraction.
Regina nodded. “Who shouldwestart with?”
Nicole’s voice remained a whisper. “They suspect Mr. Cartwright and Lord Hillenbrand. There’s little chance they’ll allow us to question either of them first. So I propose that we start with Miss Lester and her mother. No doubt they have the least to say, but we can begin at the bottom and work our way up.”
