Yet when he questioned how the letters had come to be inside her fireplace, she faltered.
‘I do not know, I tell you.’
‘Did you leave your room at any point?’
Lady Susan’s expression hardened.
‘Of course not. I was awakened only by the commotion in the hallway.’
‘You seemed remarkably composed when you saw the body,’ Charlotte observed, unable to entirely suppress the edge in her voice.
Lady Susan rubbed her temples.
‘I do not succumb to hysterics easily. I have seen corpses before.’
‘Is it not true you had a... close relationship with Lord Wolverton?’ Charlotte pressed.
Lady Susan flushed scarlet.
‘I may have... but that is none of your concern.’
Lord Stanley sighed heavily.
‘It is not looking favourable for you, my lady. You may as well confess and explain how else you were involved in this affair.’
But Lady Susan maintained her innocence.
Even so, the evidence against her was too damning to ignore, and she too was placed under arrest.
The following morning, Lord Stanley departed for Manchester alongside the suspects.
He carried the black book and burnt letter fragments as evidence, though Falcon’s identity remained a mystery. Stanley remained convinced the man was either Payne or Oswald and hoped one of them might finally confess once removed from the comforts of Alderley Park.
Before leaving, however, he stationed several Bow Street Runners at the estate for protection.
For the first time in weeks, Charlotte felt she might no longer need to watch constantly over her shoulder.
The remaining guests were finally permitted to leave, restoring the house to a degree of normalcy—much to the relief of Charlotte and Mrs Wilberforce.
Only Charlotte felt sorry to see the spinsters depart.
‘Not to worry, my dear,’ Miss Hill assured her. ‘We shall visit again as soon as we recover from our megrims.’
Charlotte gave them a puzzled look.
‘You have not complained of megrims before. I hope you are not falling ill?’
‘We are feeling a little fuddled,’ Miss Underwood admitted tiredly. ‘But I daresay it is merely all the excitement. Who would have imagined we were surrounded by so many villainous people?’
‘Still,’ Miss Hill declared brightly, ‘we must look to the silver lining. Our Miss Lucas managed to secure Lord Stanley amidst all the chaos.’
Charlotte did not have the heart to explain the engagement was merely for show.
After bidding them farewell, she retired upstairs that evening utterly exhausted.
‘When will Lord Stanley return?’ Sarah asked gently as she gathered Charlotte’s discarded dressing gown from the floor and began pressing it beside the fire.
‘Tomorrow perhaps. Or the day after,’ Charlotte replied, loosening her braid. ‘Is Tom asleep?’
