Murder at Locke Abbey (6 page)

“Yes, of course.” Eliza was better able to read people than Thea, and clearly realised that she had offended Cole. “Perhaps we could take a walk in the grounds while you are here, Lady Copley.”

“Yes… perhaps.” Thea’s tone said that it was highly unlikely.

Before things could become any less comfortable, the
butler called dinner and the guests made their way to the dining room.

Cole sat
at the head of the table since his father was feeling unwell that evening, and Thea sat to his left. Both Copley’s were relatively quiet, observing those around them rather than venturing their own opinions, unless specifically asked.

As the dessert plat
es were cleaned away, conversation turned to the troubles in Ireland, how awful things were and how they might be improved.

“It is quite a state,” Lord Small said. “But I am not sure what can be done about it.”

Thea had been becoming rather agitated as the conversation progressed, and Cole saw her open her mouth to reply but she evidently decided against it.

“Did you have something to add?” Mr Garwood asked. He had land in Ireland and had been playing down the severity of conditions there, brought about by the potato famine.

“Only that a lot can be done to better the situation and only greed keeps landowners from improving matters.” Thea said with confidence.

“Such as?” Mr Buchan asked.

“Middlemen for a start. The land owners must ensure that they are fair with tenants. Secondly the profits are being taken out of Ireland, which keeps Ireland poor.”

“But our agents collect the rents and pocket the difference,
and they live there so they spend the funds there.” Mr Garwood explained, as if Thea were a simpleton.

“And yet an estimated six million pounds leaves Ireland each year. Landowners
are
draining the people and land dry.”

“Ridiculous, we’re
providing employment.”

“On land that was confiscated from the Irish and then denied them by law.”

“That’s how conquering works, my dear,” Mr Buchan laughed, as if her misinformation greatly amused him.

“So that makes it acceptable to strip the land and the people of every penny they have?”

“That is the business of the middlemen.”

“Who only exist because you do not want to tend your own
estates. You would rather be here, spending Ireland’s money, caring nought for the suffering your money is earned on the back of.”

“We have no control over our agents. If the government has a problem with them, then they must legislate.”

“In one breath, you call them ‘our agents’, and in the next absolve yourself of all responsibility. The truth is that you simply don’t care to discover what life is like on your estates.”

“Girl, you know nothing of my business.”

“Then when was the last time you visited Ireland, Mr Buchan? Prove to us how much you care about your land and tenants.”

Mr Buchan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, no longer finding her amusing.

“Lady Copley,” Lord Buchan attempted to sweet talk her, giving his brother a break. “I realise this is a subject that you are passionate about-”

“People are dying in their thousands, anyone with a heart would be passionate about it.”

“Quite,” he gave her what was probably supposed to be a charming smile. “However, I believe you are misinformed.”

“Yet I
have read the Royal Commission’s findings, the commission that your government set up. Have you?”

“Now, Lady Athena, telling untruths does no one any justice.”

“I am not lying, Sir. The findings of the Commission were that the Irish people, and I quote ‘
forbear expressing our strong sense of the patient endurance which the labouring classes have exhibited under sufferings greater, we believe,
than the people of any other country in Europe have to sustain’. They call your middlemen ‘
land sharks
’ and ‘
bloodsuckers
’ and ‘
the most oppressive species of tyrant that ever lent assistance to the destruction of a country
’. Such oppression and tyranny represses ingenuity and enterprise.”

“This is hardly polite dinner conversation!” Selena interrupte
d. “You must wait until the women have withdrawn to speak of such awful things!”

“But Lady Copley’s opinion was sought,” Cole reminded her. “And she will be unable to give it once the ladies are gone.”

“Her opinion means nothing!” Selena reminded him. “Women have no business interfering in such matters.”

“Just because they do not like her opinion, does not mean t
hat they should not hear it!” he said with conviction, then turned to Thea. “Please go on. What would you suggest?” Cole asked, growing rather tired of her being maligned when, although he did not claim to be as well versed in the matter, from what he had read, she spoke the truth.

“The system in Ulster seems to work far better, creating an atmosphere of prosperity. Tenants there have some rights and are rewarded for improvements made to their properties. Further, b
etween thirty and fifty shiploads of food leave Ireland every day, to be sold elsewhere, while Ireland’s inhabitants, who grow and farm it, are dying in their thousands. Banning exports from Ireland, at least temporarily, would solve the famine overnight.”

A chorus of discord rose from many of the men at the table, all of whom were yelling over each other to explain why she was so wrong, and why the landowners couldn’t do without their profits from selling corn and grain, how they
were entitled to make a profit and how she was suggesting communism.

“I am suggesting nothing of the sort.” She answered in a quiet voice, so quiet that only Cole, seated beside her, could hear. However, it silenced the men, who were keen to hear her next words, probably believing she had repented. “Irish landowners of course have every legal right to sell their crops, I am only suggesting that they be limited to selling them within Ireland.”

“Selling to peasants?”

“Perhaps if they were paid more and not milked for every penny, they would not be peasants,” Cole suggested.

He could tell that Thea was flagging however and he doubted her quiet reply was from a clever attempt to gain their attention, and more from a sense of disappointment combined with lethargy. She had after all, travelled quite a distance on horseback today.

“And now Gentlemen, I must ask you to excuse me and the
Copleys. I have a few matters to discuss with them before bed.”

The
gentlemen grumbled their assent.

Cole held the door for them and as he went to step through after, he heard Mr Garwood mutter, “Put her in her place!” probably meaning to show affinity.

“Why would I do that?” he asked, a wry smile on his lips. “Especially after she has done such a good job of putting you in your places.”

He nodded to
the men who had not entered into the argument.

“Goodnight, G
entlemen.” He closed the door firmly. “Would you like a nightcap?” Cole asked Thea and Lord Copley.

“I am well used to such reactions, Mr Cole, I do not need alcohol to sooth
e me.”

“Perhaps you don’t need it but it also cannot hurt.”

“I apologise for my behaviour in there, Sir, I will try to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

“That was hard
ly your fault,” he assured her.

“B
ut I have offended your friends.”

“There are few at that table I would call a friend,” he said with an easy smile. “I care little for the opinions of slave owners, absentee landlords and philanderers. While
I do not claim your knowledge of Ireland, I do know something about running an estate; I was born for the task after all, and have been trained for it since I was a boy. Landlords must keep an eye on their tenants and ensure that dealings are fair.”

Copley nodded
to him, a small, proud smile on his face.

“You must be tired however, so if you would rather retire for the night, please feel free.”

“I am feeling tired actually, I think it best to get an early night.”

“Of course. Do not feel the need to arise too early, no one else in this house does, other than me. Breakfast is at ten.”

“I understand, Sir, thank you.”

“Good night, Thea.” He turned to Lord Copley. “And what of you, Sir, will you join me?” Cole asked.

“I believe I will.” He turned to his daughter and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, dearest.”

“Good
night, Papa, Goodnight, Cole.”

Both gentlemen watched as she walked away and up the main staircase then when she was out of sight, Cole led them to th
e library and poured two glasses from the decanter.

“Is brandy acceptable?”

“Sounds very good.”

He handed the drink over and they sat in the wingback armchairs by the fireplace.

“You have an exceptional daughter there, Sir.” Cole began the conversation.

“Indeed I do, almost as exceptional as my wife.” He sipped his brandy. “It is difficult to live with someone who possesses such extraordinary gifts, but the rewards are more than worth it for the gentleman who is up to the challenge.”

“I can imagine.”

“I’m just glad that only one daughter seems to have inherited her mother’s talents. I think if I was surrounded by women who were able to outwit me at every turn, ou
r house would be a savage land.”

“Outwit?” he asked, unsure what Copley meant by that.

“Even as a child, Thea could outsmart her governesses. By age ten, she was devising means to escape the school room and by the time she was twelve, most windows were nailed closed. A year later a prank war broke out between Thea and her next two siblings. Just harmless larking around, nothing malicious in it, but Thea’s tricks were ingenious. Trip wires turned up everywhere, dyes were added to soap bars to colour the skin, perfume bottles were emptied and replaced with rather unpleasant scents.”

Cole smiled at the image.

“Don’t get me wrong, her sisters aren’t dim-witted at all, but it took two of them working together to fool Thea. Were she inclined to turn her mind to a life of crime, England would be bankrupt by now, I’m sure.”

“And the rewards?”

“Trust, loyalty, love and passion. The women in my family do nothing by halves, and that includes love.”

Cole smiled.

“Also, both Thea and her mother excel in mathematics, and I have not added up my own accounts since before Thea was born. She and her mother do a much faster and more accurate job than I ever could.”

Cole laughed, since
it was said in a teasing lilt. “That is certainly a reward worth having.”

Thea arose at eight the following morning, slightly later than usual for her but seemingly early by this house’s
standards. Late rising had been common a few decades ago, under the rule of the decadent George IV, with the ruling classes taking their cue from him and staying up late into the night, drinking and gambling.

The practice
was dying now though and most people took the running of their estates seriously, meaning that most people of Thea’s acquaintance were early risers. Perhaps not as early as their tenants and the working classes, but the practice of sleeping the morning away was unusual these days.

Thea intended to make the most of the
peace and quiet however, so she dressed quickly and after checking in on her father, she made her way to Mrs Garwood’s bedroom again.

Something told her that what had happened in this room held the key to everything and by looking closer, she hoped that a solution would present itself.

Ann, Mrs Cole’s pug, was waiting patiently on the landing outside her door as she exited, and wagged her tail when she saw Thea, who bent down to pet the animal.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, scratching gently behind her ears. “I expected you to sleep with Mrs Cole given how spoilt you are. Go on now, hurry along, I have things to do.”

The pug followed her to Mrs Garwood’s room and she didn’t have the heart to shoo the animal away again.

She looked around from the doo
rway, taking in the whole room, then she went to the dressing room, looking around in there too.

The dressing room was relatively small by country house standards, clearly designed for a guest rather than a family member. It was perhaps half as wide as the bedroom and half as long, making it about a quarter of the size. The dressing table stood directly in front of the window and while she had looked for scuff marks on the floor yesterday, Thea hadn’t attempted to open the window behind. Now she did, seeing first if it was possible to get to the window without moving the table and mirror.

It wasn’t.

The little dog watched her closely and with curiosity as she worked.

She moved the table then, doing her best to lift it high so as not to damage the floor. It was exceptionally heavy but once she had made eight or so inches of space between the table and wall, she squeezed into the gap and attempted to open the window. The sill was perfectly clean, so there was no telling if someone had crossed it recently.

The sash was
stiff but relented with the application of a little force, so she opened it a few inches. She closed an opened it again and this time it opened easily. She had obviously been the first to open it in a while. Still, assumptions led to wrong thinking, as her mother frequently said, so she opened the window once more and looked out. Not only was there a good twenty feet to the ground level, there was a level below that, adding another ten feet to the drop.

She had observed as much yesterday from the bedroom windows, hence she had ruled those out as an escape route. This one clearly had to be ruled out as well. Someone could have jumped but they would surely have been injured.
She rang the bell by the door for a servant and began to look through the rest of the belongings here.

She had considered that a rope might have been used but if it was secured to something in the room, then it would surely have been discovered along with the body.

That sparked another thought, that a rope could have been tied off and lowered from a room above. It wouldn’t explain why the windows were closed when the guests broke into the bedroom, but it might be possible to close a window, at least mostly, from the outside, especially with practice. She opened a bedroom window as wide as it would go then sat on the sill and gripping the frame tightly, leaned back to look above.

There was a window directly above
but it was small, clearly not a sash, although it could be a casement window that opened on a hinge. She would have to check the attic rooms.

“M-
ma’am, are you all right?”

Thea jumped with fright and for a moment, feared she might fall, but she managed to regain her grip on the window frame and slipped back into the room.

By the door stood a youngish woman, her hands clasped in front of her.

“Forgive me,” Thea smiled. “I was just checking
for something.” She pushed the window almost closed, then placed her open handkerchief over the frame, then closed the window on it.

“Can I help you with something, Ma’am?”
the servant asked hesitantly.

“I hope so. Are you Mrs Gar
wood’s maid or one of the housemaids?”

“A housemaid, ma’
am.”

“Your name?”

“Ella Fisher.”

“Nice to meet you, Ella, I’m Lady Thea. I need to ask you some questions, if I may.”

“Of course you may, ma’am.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “First, is
Mrs Garwood’s lady’s maid still here?”

“No, she
had to leave and seek employment elsewhere.”

“Did she not receive any severance?”

“No Ma’am, Mr Garwood said he had no use of her now, so she may as well go sooner than later. Mr Black, he’s the butler, allowed her to stay for a few days while she wrote to a family member in London and asked to stay with them while as she looked for a new position.”

“How very heartless,” Thea exclaimed.

“Oh no, Ma’am, Mr Black said she could stay as long as she needed, he even offered to give her a reference, but she left when she heard back from her uncle, said it’d be easier to find a new situation in London.”

“Forgive me, I meant Mr Garwood, not Mr Black.”

“Oh, yes…”

“Do you have a name and address for the lady’s maid?”

“Her name was Mrs McCall, and Mr Black has an address for her. She was intent on finding a new position as soon as she could though, so she may have moved on already.”

“Had she been with Mrs Garwood for long?”

“Since Mrs Garwood first came out. She were something broken up when it happened, inconsolable.”

“Did she say anything about her employer, or why this might have happened?”

“She said that she’d bet good money her husband were involved. He couldn’t have been of course, he were with the others all evening, and Mr Black were serving and he swears Mr Garwood never even left the room after his wife retired for the night.”

“But there was n
o love lost between husband and wife?”

“I’d say that were
a fair statement.”

“Who cleaned this room?” Thea asked, getting to her feet.

“I did, Ma’am, me or Laura. And we lit the fires and turned down the beds each day.”

“So you are familiar with Mrs Garwood’s possessions?”

“I s’pose.”

“Good. I wonder if you would take a look around with me and tell me if anything looks out of place.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Where would you like to start?”

“By the writing bureau.”

Thea crossed the room, the maid joining her.

“The ink well was on the floor, do you know why it was out of the
desk set?”

“No, Ma’am, it was always put away properly when we came in.”

“Did she ever leave letters out?”

“No, they had always been put away.”

“So she must have been interrupted while writing,” Thea mused. “What about the paper knife, where did that sit?”

“She always placed it in front of the desk set, handle to the right.”

“She was probably right handed,” Thea guessed, as the desk set was also positioned to the right of center. She began opening drawers.

“We never looked in there,”
Elle said.

“I don’t doubt it,” Thea assured her. She looked in every drawer but saw nothing untoward.
She also looked in the bedside drawers and a dresser, but there were few personal effects in here.

“Has anything been removed from this room?”

“There was a book, we returned it to the library.”

“Do you know the name?”

Ella blushed and looked away.

“Can you read?”

Ella shook her head. “Not well. They tried to teach me, all servants here must be able to read a little but… Please don’t say anything, I don’t want to get fired.”

“I won’t, Ella, I have no interest in getting you fired. In fact, if you’d like, I might be able to teach you.”

Ella raised a hand to her lips and bit her fingernail.

“I promise, it will be our secret. Wouldn’t you like to work your way up to a lady’s maid or housekeeper some day?”

“People have tried, Ma’am, I just can’t… get it.”

“If all maids have to read, how do you disguise it?”

Ella shrugged. “I cheat.”

“How?”

“Depends. Some things I recognise because the markings on the labels are distinctive, others I mark with coloured chalk, like the things we use to clean with, so I know them by the chalk colour, or three chalk lines is bleach, while two is bicarbonate of soda. Some things I get Missy, she’s another housemaid, to read to me and I memorise it, like new prayers or hymns in church.”

“You are obviously bright to invent such schemes. Let me try
and teach you, please.”

“My Mam, Pa and Sunday school all tried. It just doesn’t take, no matter how hard I
worked. Words just seem to jumble.”

“My methods are slightly different.
My mother taught me what she calls speed reading, which is quite different from what most children are taught. Perhaps a different method would work.”

Ella shook her head.

“Well, if you change your mind, just say so.” Thea wanted to help the girl, after all, she couldn’t progress her career without being able to read. She didn’t want to force the girl into it however, especially not if she was fearful of losing her position.

“Come.”

Ella followed her into the dressing room and Thea looked through the trunks. Most of their contents had been unpacked but there was a sewing kit still in there, probably used by the lady’s maid for repairs and alterations, and a few personal hygiene items, such as scented soap, creams and the ingredients to make more if necessary.

The dressing table held the most personal items, such as hair brushes and ribbons, all neatly laid out.

“What’s this?” Thea picked up a bottle of Le Mort's elixir.

“
Mrs McCall said it were an elixir. Mrs Garwood had a summer cold and took that every night before bed, to ease the cough.”

Thea looked at the label, which gave the dose as one to two tea spoons. She opened the bottle to sniff the contents but could smell little other than
liquorice and aniseed, which she knew were used to flavour the mixture. She had been given small doses of Le Mort's elixir as a child and had always hated it since she disliked liquorice but this wasn’t as bad as she remembered, and she wondered if the recipe had changed slightly.

She replaced it and opened a jewellery box, but it held nothing of value.

“Is this all her jewellery?” she asked, Ella.

The girl stepped forward. “I don’t think so. I don’t remember everything she had
, but I know she had some pearls ‘cos I admired them one evening.”

“If her pearls are gone, we must wonder what else is missing.”

“The staff haven’t been allowed in here since that night, Ma’am.”

“Did you see her body?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Was she dressed for bed?”

“She was.”

“So where are her pearls?”
Thea wondered.

“I don’t know, Ma’am.”

Thea turned to her and smiled. “Sorry, that was a rhetorical question.”

“
Wot?”

“A question that
isn’t meant to be answered; I was thinking out loud.”

“Oh.”

“Tell me, Ella, has anyone been inappropriate with you at this gathering?”

“Inappropriate?”

“Yes, I know that some men view maids as sport. Have they been suggestive towards you or anyone else, or perhaps made you feel uncomfortable?”

“Mr Garwood. We all soon learned to mind his hands and give him a wide berth,
or else we girls would go about in pairs.”

“And what about the rest of the party, any unusual behaviour?”

“I’m not sure it’s my place to say, ma’am.”

“Please, Ella, anything you can tell me might help me discover who did this.”

“You, Ma’am?”

“Yes. Why do you think I’ve been searching these rooms?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then why were you helping me?”

“Master William told us to do everything we could to accommodate you.”

“Master William? Oh, you mean Cole.”