Page 28 of Corpse in the Canal

“We met in Jamaica. Before my marriage. I have cause to be grateful to him.”

Her words gave little away. Neither did her expression, impenetrably veiled.

“Shall I tell him you’re here?”

“By all means.”

“At what address?” David asked.

A cynical smile touched her lips and vanished. “The Harveys will know.”

The cart in front of her was ambling forward into the square.

David said quickly, “Is it far to Channing House? Will I need a horse?”

“No, you can walk there in half an hour. My regards to your brother. Goodbye.”

The boy, who had sat quietly appraising him throughout, bestowed a brilliant smile upon him, startlingly like his mother’s. And then David could only see their backs.

*

“Unless the stable staff are incredibly good liars,” Solomon said when Constance sat down beside him on the garden bench, “Percy never arrived here, even to leave his horse. No stray horses have appeared. The lads are unsettled over a death in the family, and shocked by the manner of it, but there is no display of either grief or unseemly cheering.”

Constance nodded, picking up Solomon’s hand and shifting closer, just because she wanted to. “It’s much the same in the house. I can’t find that there were any cases of maids leaving or being dismissed because of Percy, but according to the footman, Brian, the young master was known for putting his hands where he shouldn’t. Interestingly, Mrs. Harvey seems to have been aware of this, for the maids were instructed only to go into his room in pairs.”

Solomon smoothed his thumb across her palm. “Was she afraid for the maids? Or for paternity accusations against her son?”

“The latter would have gone precisely nowhere,” Constance said cynically. “Such accusations would have been turned against the maid, who would have been dismissed without a character. I suspect Mrs. Harvey was merely avoiding the unpleasantness.”

“Unpleasantness Harvey senior seems to have been unaware of.” Solomon rose to his feet, tugging her with him. “To the scandalous Mrs. Jenkins? I got directions from the head groom. It isn’t far if we walk through the woods.”

It was a pleasant day for a walk, too. They ambled through the woods hand in hand, enjoying the privacy and the dappled autumn sunshine spilling through the trees, kicking through fallen leaves to the joyful sound of blended birdsong.

I love my life, Constance thought. And therein lay her problem. She didn’t want her life to change. She thrust the difficulty aside. At this moment, she could simply enjoy the pleasure of walking beside him, holding his hand, while they concentrated together on the mystery of Percy Harvey’s demise.

Dare Hall, where the widowed Adelaide Jenkins lived, was older and smaller than Channing House, but it looked golden and pretty in the sunshine. There was no grand driveway, just a gravel track to the front door.

Solomon pulled the bell, and they heard it jangle within. A few moments later, the front door was opened by a smart maidservant.

Constance presented their card. “Is Mrs. Jenkins at home?”

“No, ma’am,” the girl said, without glancing at the card. “I’m afraid not. She went into Channing, to church, and won’t be back for at least another hour.”

Rats. Constance had forgotten it was Sunday. The Harveys had not mentioned attending church—and who could blame them?

“Ah. We had hoped to talk to her about the sad death of Mr. Percival Harvey.”

Instantly, the maid’s eyes widened with delicious shock. “I just heard from Cook. What a terrible thing!”

“It is indeed,” Solomon said. “We are helping his parents find out what happened to him, retracing his last journey, and such like. Did you by any chance see him since his return to Channing on Thursday?”

Her face went blank. “Oh, no, sir. Would you like to leave a message for Mrs. Jenkins? Or shall I just give her your card?”

“You might tell her we are staying at Channing House if she wishes to speak with us. But we’ll probably call again this afternoon.”

The girl was clearly anxious to close the door, so they stepped back and turned away.

“The stables?” Constance murmured.