Murder at Locke Abbey (4 page)

“I assume you didn’t decide this?” Thea asked. He was so against the
idea, that his step-mother would have been refused had she asked his permission.

“No, she sweet talked my father into it. I’m considering having him declared unfit and taking over his legal affairs but his decline in health is very recent and I’m reluctant to take that step.”

“How recent?” Thea leaned forward, wondering if perhaps there was a connection to the recent events.

“
I first noticed around two months ago, I suppose. Although his confusion has only been very evident for four weeks and even then, it’s intermittent.”

Thea wasn’t sure what to make of such a quick decline, so she filed the information away to revisit at a later date.

A knock came at the door and the butler entered when bidden.

“Lord and Lady Copley’s luggage has arrived, Sir.”

“Have it taken to the Cavendish suite, please, and settle their servants in.”

“As you wish, Sir. The party will be heading inside again soon, to prepare for dinner.”

Cole looked to the grandfather clock, which ticked quietly in the corner. “I didn’t realise it was so late. Thank you, Black.”

The butler left and Cole placed his cup down.

“You will join us for dinner?” he asked.

“Of course,” her
father answered. “It will be a good opportunity to observe everyone.”

“Then would you like to freshen up first? We can resume
tomorrow.”

“What time d
o you eat dinner here?”

“We meet for drinks from
eight, dinner is served at nine.”

That left two to three hours. “How can women spend so long getting ready,” She wondered out loud. “I think I would go mad were I forced to spend so long changing clothes and hair styles.”

She noticed Cole’s eyes widen a little in surprise.

“She does not mean to be so forthright, but often these things slip out,” her father explained.

“Yes,” she blushed. That was a rather rude thing to say, especially considering that his family and friends were surely among the party. She thought distraction might be her best option and she returned the conversation to the reason they were here. “Perhaps you could talk us through the final death?”

“Yes, of course. Do you want to see where he died?”

“Please.”

“Right this way.”
He led them to a drawing room. “We had not long joined the ladies after dinner, so there were many witnesses to what happened.”

“What did happen?” Thea asked, looking around. Unlike the other rooms, there were no signs of a disturbance in here.

“He complained of a headache which quickly worsened and then became violently ill. He, uh, well he made it to the coal bucket, where he was…”

She understood that some things were unpleasant to talk about
, and that most men had been conditioned never to speak of such things with ladies, but talking in roundabout ways was so imprecise.

“He vomited in the coal bucket,” she
filled in the blanks to make this easier on him.

“Yes. I called for a doctor and one of the grooms was sent to fetch the local physician. Once the episode had passed, Mr Lanning
said he was going to retire to bed and would await the doctor there. He and Mrs Lanning both got up, a few gentlemen were close by him, ready to offer assistance if necessary. Before he had taken a half dozen steps towards the door, he paused and swayed on his feet, he tried to say something but all that came out was gibberish, then he fell to the floor and began to convulse. When the convulsions stopped, we tried to rouse him. I tried to open his eyes and found that his right eye had turned blood red. He stopped breathing moments later.”

“I take it the doctor examined him?”

“Yes. He was far too late to help but he issued the death certificate.”

“What was the cause of death?”

“He declined to give one, instead recording his findings for an inquest.”

“The red eye, was it the pupil or the sclera?”

“The sclera?”

“The white of the eye.”

“The white,” he confirmed.

“Was it all red?”

“No, there was some white visible.”

“Do you have the doctor
’s report?”

“I don’t, I’m afraid. I’m sure he would give us a copy though, he and his father before him, have treated our family for generations.”

Thea made her way to the coal bucket but it had been emptied and cleaned. “What did everyone make of what happened?”

“They, uh, well, being possessed by a demon seemed to be the most common sentiment.”

“What did the doctor make of it?”

“I think he tried to dismiss their claims but he seemed affected by it, as we all were. I have never witnessed anything quite so… odd.”

“The convulsions, can you describe them?”

“He went rigid, although his limbs would flail around randomly.”

“How long have you known Mr Lanning?”

“Since I was a child, he is
a friend of my father. I invited him to the house party actually; I hoped that seeing him might bolster my father’s mood.”

“Have you ever seen him have a seizure or convulsions before?”

“No. Why?”

“Because that sounds very much like something called a grand mal seizure,
which is caused by a condition known as epilepsy. Until recently, sufferers were often thought to be possessed. Some still believe the seizures are the work of the Devil.”

“And the vomiting and speaking in tongues?

“Speaking in tongues?” She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

“That’s how people have been referring
to his attempt at speech.”

“Was he speaking another language
, or did peoples’ imaginations run away with them?”

“I
can only speak Latin and French, but I believe it is your latter suggestion. In all honesty, his words were more like grunts and groans, I could make out no pattern to his speech, as I might expect to in a foreign language, even one I wasn’t familiar with.”

“Given the other odd events of late, I can see why this would seem supernatural, but I believe it has a rational explanation.”

“Oh?”

“Assuming that he doesn’t have epilepsy, which I can confirm with his wife, he likely suffered
an apoplectic seizure, which is bleeding in his brain. Obviously the skull is a bone and cannot stretch to accommodate the increased pressure, and I have heard of cases where that has caused bleeding into the eye. The reason for such episodes is still being debated but some appear to be the result of injury, a blow to the head, while others can be due to a weakness in the blood vessels. Whatever the reason, they are natural, not supernatural in origin. Was an autopsy performed?”

“
No.”

“That’s unusual, isn’t it, given that the doctor
was unsure of the cause of death.”

“Mrs Lanning requested that he be left in peace.”

Thea pursed her lips together. “That is annoying.”

“Why?”

“Because the only way I can confirm that diagnosis, is to look at his brain and see if there was bleeding into the cranial cavity.”

“You mean, you want to cut into his skull?”
Cole sounded upset.

“How else can we confirm if he was bleeding into his brain?” she asked.

“But what about his wife?”

“What about her?”

“She doesn’t want him disturbed.”

“I realise that but superstition and fear thrive in ignorant
environments. If you want to discover the truth, I need to start gathering proof.”

Cole looked rather shocked, as if she had slapped him. “I rather think compa
ssion for a recent widow shows good manners.”

She realised she had offended him but she spoke the truth.

Her father stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“She means a lack of knowledge,” he explained. “She was not calling you or your friends ignorant. You are right, of course, that we should show compassion to a widow but that leaves us at something of an impasse. We can perform this procedure and prove Thea correct, or show consideration to Mrs Lanning and
make do with theories. Of course, in the absence of proof, the rest of your party will find it easier to argue against a rational explanation. These are
your
guests however, as are we, so we shall abide by your judgement.”

Cole’s expression softened
but Thea felt mutinous.

“
Father?” She slipped her shoulder from his grasp and made her way to the corner of the room, so they could talk with some degree of privacy.

“Excuse us a moment, Cole.” He joined his daughter.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low. “If we don’t autopsy, people will continue to believe it was some sort of demonic possession!”

“And if we do this, we could c
ause pain to a grieving woman.”

“But surely she wants to know the truth!”

“Sometimes a lie offers more comfort than the truth.”

“But even when uncomfortable, the truth is always preferable! Mother told me that.”

“Most of the time, she would be right but in this instance, we have to be compassionate. To you, this is just another mystery to be solved but to everyone else here, the dead people were their friends.”

“But they believe he was killed by a demon! Surely proving that it was not satanic will provide comfort.”

“Not necessarily. Some faiths even prohibit autopsy and many believe that the body should be left to ‘rest in peace’.”

“But-”

“No, Thea, no buts. You will need the cooperation of these people if we are to solve this riddle and appearing cold and heartless will not help our cause.”

“How can you say such a thing?” Her eyes felt scratchy and she blinked rapidly to
hold her tears back. “I’m not cold! Or heartless!”

He put his arms around her shoulders and drew her to him. “I know that,” he kissed her forehead. “Unfortunately
, most of Society has rigid expectations of women and if you defy those, they will make things difficult for you. I’m merely asking you to pick your battles wisely. As it stands, you have a rational explanation for everything that happened to Mr Lanning, and that has to be enough for now.”

“Very well,” she answered. “I won’t press for
this. But I will suggest it to the doctor. Once he has done some research, perhaps that will be the official verdict of the inquest.”

“Good idea.” He kissed her forehead again and released her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded and stepped away. As they walked back to Cole, who seemed to have been watching them avidly, she felt shame. Not for pushing for the autopsy, she still believed that was the best way to get answers; rather she felt embarrassed at having been chastised by her father, as if it had undermined her intelligence.

She knew her father meant well but seeing her chastised would make it easier for Cole to dismiss her, and that thought upset her more than she would like.

“I’m sorry if I appeared thoughtless before, I can get carried away by my desire to uncover the truth sometimes, although that is no excuse.”

“It’s quite all right. I
understand the frustration.” He smiled. “Let’s go and see Mrs Lanning, then I’ll show you to your room.”

“No, she has enough to worry about. Besides, I belie
ve this mystery is solved, confirmation would just be the icing on the cake, so to speak.”

“In that case, I’m sure she would like the peace of mind knowing that her husband wasn’t possessed.”

“Then please, tell her.”

“I’m sure it would be better coming from you. I can't even remember what you called the episode.”

“An apoplectic seizure.”

“Besides, didn’t you want to ask her about other seizures?”

Thea looked from Cole to her father, who gave no sign of stepping in to save her.

“Very well but I should warn you,
although I doubt it’s necessary, but I’m not good with people. I won’t try to offend her but equally, I can't promise that I won’t.”

“Come, she should be sitting vigil with her husband and the Smiths.”

As she followed him from the room, she wondered if he had faith in her, or if he was hoping she would fall flat on her face. She hoped it was the former, but experience told her to expect the latter.

Cole wasn’t sure what to make of the woman, Athena. Such an odd name but fitting for such an odd woman. He admired her spirit and intelligence, he just wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.

A woman who wanted to look inside a dead man’s brain and who saw nothing wrong with possibly grieving his widow?

He had been ready to argue, thinking her cold and callous, until her father had stepped in. He had been unable to hear their words as they spoke but he could see her demeanour, which became markedly more relaxed after a few moments, he might even call her vulnerable.

He had his first insight into her character. Her efficient and business-like
behaviour were a defence.

He could well imagine how some treated her, with condescension, scorn and when they were forced to admit her gifts, resentment. He had witnessed his sisters all receiving the same
sort of treatment at various times, often for nothing more serious than daring to venture an opinion. Sometimes even from their own husbands.

His mother
had been a strong woman and had encouraged all of her children to think for themselves and to read and learn. Being the youngest and the only boy, with seven older sisters, ensured that he had the proper respect for women; after all, they were bigger and stronger than he was back then.

They also gave him insights into womanhood that many of his school friends seemed to
lack; they spoke of women and girls as a foreign species, to be tolerated and even enjoyed, but rarely respected.

Cole got to hear their hopes and dreams. He got to witness their bravery in midnight kitchen raids (and share in their spoils if he kept their secret). He saw them hurt when men were fickle and capricious in their treatment of them, and he witnessed their pleasure when treated as equals and respected.

Unfortunately his sisters were scattered around the country now, married and raising their own families, one had even gone as far as India with her husband. Cole was in close contact with most at the moment, thanks to their father’s swift decline, but none of them would mourn his passing with the same emotion that they had for their mother, who had been taken from them far too soon.

They walked in silence to the great hall and although it was a large and public space, he knocked before entering, as a courtesy. Thankfully the widow Lanning was dry eyed, so they hadn’t interrupted her in a moment of grief.

Mr Lanning’s coffin sat at the other end of the hall, surrounded by flowers, both given as tokens of grief and to hide the smell of decomposition.

The Smalls sat either side of Mrs Lanning, seemingly happy to sit in silence.
The smalls were in their 50’s, both had salt and pepper hair and a grave demeanour, even when not in mourning. Mrs Lanning’s hair was pure white and pulled back into a severe bun at the nape of her neck, although quite a few strands seemed to have come loose and were pushed behind her ears.

“I do hope we aren’t interrupting you,”
Cole said as he grew near.

“Of course not.” Mrs Lanning did her best to smile at him but it was a poor reflection of the smile he used to see on her lips.
She got to her feet to properly greet her guests.

“
I’d like to introduce you to some friends. This is Lord Copley and his daughter, Lady Athena. This is Mrs Lanning, as well as Lord and Lady Small.”

They bowed and curtseyed to each other, uttering the usual pleasantries, then the ladies retook their seats.

“I’ll fetch some more chairs,” Mr Small offered.

Cole
moved to help but Copley stopped him, offering to help in his place, so Cole turned to Mrs Lanning.

“Mrs Lanning, my friend here is unusually gifted and she believes she can explain what happened to your husband, and she assured me, it was not demonic.”

Her dark eyes widened with hope as she looked to Thea.

“Are you from the C
hurch? A novice perhaps?”

“No, Mrs Lanning, my knowledge does not come from the church,” she said, sounding uncomfortable. “Although
I have read many religious texts,” she added.

The men returned with additional chairs and they sat down, roughly in a circle. Thea folded her hands in her lap and stared at them for a moment. Cole had the desire to reach out and place a reassuring hand on hers, but resisted
the urge. After another few moments, she steeled herself and looked up.

“First, I must ask if your husband has ever had a seizure before, either like the one he had
that night, or perhaps he has simply lost consciousness, many doctors might call it being prone to fainting.”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Good. In that case, I believe I can say with some certainty, that your husband suffered what is known as an apoplectic seizure. Something happens in the head and the sufferer bleeds into their brain, just like we would bleed from a cut. It can cause headaches, sickness, confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures and even the bleeding into the eye, although that is rare. I know what happened to him must have been terrifying to witness but it is not supernatural. It might also give you some comfort to know that as soon as he collapsed, he would not have been aware of what else happened. He would not have felt pain.”

Mrs Lanning was silent for a very long time before finally asking, “Why?”

“Why?” Thea repeated. “Why did he bleed?”

“Yes.”

“I cannot say with certainty, but sometimes it is as a result of a head injury. Even one received a while ago can appear to have healed outside but suddenly worsen.”

“And you are sure this is
what happened?”

“As sure as I can be. For absolute proof, we would need an autopsy but I understand that would be traumatic for you.”

“And what you describe, it is… natural?”

“
Oh yes. Science is now finding answers for many things that used to frighten us, deaths like your husband’s have been recorded since Ancient Greece. Everything I’ve told you can be verified, I can even tell you which books to reference, if you wish.”

Mrs Lanning reached to her neck and closed her fist around the cross on her necklace.

Cole saw Thea notice the action and frown for a moment, before her features smoothed once more.

“It may also interest you to know that while many call this an
apoplectic seizure, many others refer to it as ‘
The Stroke of God's Hand
’. If anyone took your husband, it was God, not the Devil.”

Mrs Lanning’s eyes filled with tears and spilled over.

“I’m sorry,” Thea apologised. “I’m so sorry, I thought-”

“Do not apologise.” Mrs Lann
ing accepted the handkerchief Lord Small handed her and dabbed at her eyes. Lady Small held her hand out and Mrs Lanning took it. “You have set my mind at ease, thank you.”

Thea gave a small smile.

“Might I have a copy of the list of reference books?” Lord Small asked, immediately wiping the smile from Thea’s face.

“Is that really necessary?”
Cole asked.

“
Of course,” Thea answered, ignoring Cole’s attempt to protect her. “If you have a pencil and paper, I can write it down now.”

Lord
Small looked nonplussed and Cole glared at him.

“Unless you can remember them,
” Thea continued. “The first description of the symptoms is by Hippocrates, in the
Corpus Hippocraticum
. It’s in Latin but the original Greek is better, if you can read it. There are more modern references in
the Edinburgh Surgical and Medical Journal
, where it’s sometimes referred to as meningeal haemorrhage. You’ll find papers in volume one, issues seventeen, volume two, issue thirty one-”

“Hush,”
Lady Small said and although she was talking to her husband, it silenced Thea also. “She has given Mrs Lanning some comfort, let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

Lord
Small looked rather as though he were swallowing an egg whole. “As you wish.”

“Well, I’ll show our guests to their rooms now,” Cole cut in before things could become any
more tense. “Will we see you at dinner, Mrs Lanning?”

“I don’t think so. If it’s no trouble, I’ll have a tray in my room again.”

“I quite understand, and it’s no trouble.”

“You’re a good boy, Cole, your mother would be proud.”

“Thank you.”

***

Thea followed Cole to rooms in the east wing, presumably the Cavendish suite he spoke of earlier. There was a central sitting room with a bedroom and dressing room on either side. The suite was beautifully appointed and elegantly furnished.

“They’re lovely,” she said as he showed them around. Their lady’s maid and valet had already unpacked most of their belongings.

“These were my mother’s rooms,” he explained. “Selena prefers the west wing, so that she might sleep late more easily. That’s where most of the guests are housed too, so it’s just us in this wing, my rooms are across the hall if you need anything.”

“Are you sure it’s all right, we wouldn’t want to intrude,” Thea said. It felt very strange to be in the room his mother had occupied.

“It’s fine. Besides, I think she would have liked you. She did not have your intellect but she had a sharp wit and didn’t tolerate fools gladly.”

Thea blushed, unsure what to make of his words.

“Well, I’ll leave you to settle in. Shall I call at eight and escort you down to dinner; will that give you enough time?”

“Ample,” her father assured him and Cole left with a bow, leaving them alone in the sitting room. “Are you all right?” he asked her.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” She pretended confidence, although she feared that it sometimes came off as arrogance.

“This is the first time we’ve attempted an investigation without your mother.
I know you’ve witnessed her working for many years, but it is quite something else to bear her burdens alone.”

“I’m not alone
,” she smiled, holding her hand out. “I’ve got you.”

When he took her hand, she went into his arms and he held her, gently stroking her hair as he did when she was a girl.

“You did well today,” he said. “I think you may have made a friend for life with Mrs Lanning.”

“She’s sweet.”
Thea pulled away and smiled. “Now it’s your turn to work your charms,” she said, a teasing lilt to her voice as she took a seat on the sofa.

“You make it sound as if I have some mystical powers,” he said, an indulgent smile on his lips as he took a seat on the opposite couch.

“No, but you see things in people that I am blind to.”

“I can't read everyone as well as I can read you, my dear.”

She smiled, although she was sure she looked tense. She certainly felt tense.

“I do believe that Mr Cole is developing a fondness for you however.”

“Don’t be silly.” She blushed and lowered her head, although she knew that her father could probably see her interest in Cole, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself. “I’m sure he is the toast of society, with beautiful women hanging on his every word.”

“You are a beautiful woman too, Thea.”

“Yes, but hardly the type to flatter an ego.”

“Just knowing you are mine and that I can take some credit for you
, flatters my ego,” he assured her.

Thea didn’t reply. Fathers were supposed to be proud of their children so in her mind, his praise didn’t count.

“Just…” he began but tapered off.

“What?” she asked, her interest piqued, even although she was far from sure that she wanted to hear his judgement.

“Recently- well, ever since Johnathan, you seem to have resigned yourself to being alone. I know he hurt you and I know you needed time to grieve, but it has been two years. Each day I see you build the walls around your heart a little higher, and it pains me to think you might believe yourself unlovable.”

“I’m fine,
Papa, truly. I’m happy with my life. If I should find someone like you to love me, then I shall consider myself exceptionally lucky but if I do not, I won’t pine. I only have one life and I intend to live it to the fullest, whatever may come.”

“And that is a good outlook to have, as long as you aren’t ruling
out the possibility of love. It’s often found in the strangest of places, and at times when we least expect it.”

“Mr Cole is a fine gentleman,
Father, but please don’t try to force things. He may prove to be as shallow as the others were, young men are notoriously fickle creatures.”

He smiled. “Some are, yes, but Cole is approaching thirty, if memory serves,”

“Eight and twenty,” she corrected automatically, then blushed as she realised how her knowledge might be taken as interest. Was it her fault that’s she couldn’t forget anything? “He appeared as a witness in a trial a few years back, and they published his name in the newspaper article.”