Promise Me (34 page)

“
I did,” Nicolas stated.

Gran sighed. “As did I.”

“
I did as well,” Miss Sheridan volunteered.

“
All right then. Let’s begin with who spoke to her first.”

“
That would be me,” Nicolas said. “She interrupted my conversation with Miss Sheridan out in the gardens.”

“
What did she want?”

“
I’d better start at the beginning, Inspector.”

“
I’d appreciate that, your Grace.”

“
After Miss Santiago abandoned her son, it was brought to my attention that the boy was my dead brother’s illegitimate child. I set about to adopt him and was told by Miss Santiago that she would not object if I’d part with half my shipping company.”

“
Blackmail, was it?”

Nicolas nodded. “Since I wished to secure Edwin’s future and avoid any further contact with his mother, I agreed.”

He explained the rest in greater detail...including the unexpected clause in his grandfather’s will, and the idea of pawning off his grandmother’s worthless diamond mine. He also explained that the document he and his grandmother had signed giving her sole ownership of Drake Shipping wasn’t binding because she’d used her maiden name.

The more he said, the guiltier he looked.

“
When Miss Santiago discovered the mine held no real value,” he concluded, “she showed up at the Bal Masque and demanded I repurchase Drake Shipping then sign the company over to her. She even provided the document.”

“
That’s when I came upon them,” Gran said. “I explained to Miss Santiago that she’d have to deal with me. We signed the papers in Lord Greyson’s study.”

“
Thank you, milady.” Brisbane eyed Nicolas. “At that point, Miss Santiago believed she now owned your company?”

“
Yes, but had she shown up to claim ownership, she would’ve received a nasty surprise. My solicitor rode to London this afternoon, and by now he’s alerted the local authorities. So you see, I had no reason to off the woman.”

“
I’m not sure I understand, your Grace. Why did you not attempt to contact the proper authorities when the victim first approached you with her blackmail demands?”

“
I had intended to do just that, but then she threatened to charge Miss Sheridan with abduction.”

The inspector turned his scrutiny upon Leah Sheridan.

“
I did not abduct Edwin,” she declared. “He really was abandoned.”

He stared for a moment longer before turning to Nicolas. “What happened after you left Lord Greyson’s study?”

“
I escorted Miss Santiago outside. We parted at the fountain.”

“
Lady Chase, did you follow them?”

“
Why the devil would she?” Nicolas inquired.

Did the man now suspect Grandmother Margaret?

“
I do not like your tone, Brisbane,” Lord Greyson declared. “I’ve known Lady Chase for many years, and she would never commit a foul deed of any kind.”

“
That may be, milord, but I wasn’t yanked from my comfortable bed to merely sit upon my thumbs.” Brisbane paused for effect. “Miss Sheridan, did you witness the conversation between your fiancé and Miss Santiago?”

“
No. I’d gone inside to search for my father.”

“
You spoke to his lordship?”

“
No. I couldn’t find him.”

“
How long before you returned to the gardens?”

“
Twenty minutes. Possibly less.”

“
That’s when you found Miss Santiago floating in the fountain?”

She brushed back a lock of blond hair, her hand shaking slightly, and nodded.

“
Inspector?” Grandmother Margaret rose from the sofa. “My grandson did not murder that woman.”

“
Did I accuse his Grace, milady?”

“
No, but you suspect him, do you not? If you wish to know the truth...” Her gaze hardened as she marched up to him. “I did the deed.”

“
Gran, what the devil are you saying?”

“
Hush, Nicky.” She held out her wrists. “Take me away, Brisbane. Put the shackles on and toss me into the back of your cart. I’ll not put up a fight.”

Good God! Even his grandmother believed him guilty.

Lady Westwood left O’Connell’s side. “Now you listen to me, Brisbane,” she snapped, waving a finger beneath his nose. “Margaret Chase is the kindest person I’ve ever met. If you dare lay a hand on her, you’ll get a tomahawk in your backside.”

“
Calm down, Granny,” O’Connell urged. “Or you’ll get yourself arrested too.”

Miss Sheridan hurried to Gran’s side. “Inspector Brisbane, I can assure you Lady Chase is no murderer.”

“
Of course she isn’t,” Greyson chimed in.

“
Inspector?” Nicolas called above the sudden chatter. “Is it not obvious what my grandmother is doing?”

“
It’s clear as a bell to me,” Lady Westwood announced.

Brisbane stared at Grandmother Margaret. After everyone had calmed down, he said, “Let’s see if I understood you correctly, milady. Not only are you admitting you struggled with a woman four or five decades younger than you, but you’re claiming you got the best of her as well?”

Her eyes flashed. “I certainly did.”

“
You held her head under water until she drowned?”

“
Yes.”

“
This is ridiculous, Gran. There’s no need to fall upon your sword for me. I do not need protection.”

Lady Westwood rushed to Grandmother Margaret’s defense. “Brisbane, I’m your murderer. I shot that trollop and...” Her face paled, and she cleared her throat. “I meant drowned. I drowned her, and I’m not sorry.”

“
Oh, Louise, you certainly did not. Inspector, you mustn’t listen to Lady Westwood.”

“
I should arrest you both,” he declared. “And I will if you continue to insult my intelligence. Now, Lady Chase, I doubt you could drown a fat hen. And Lady Westwood, you might possess the strength, but you lack a motive.” His eyes narrowed. “Or do you?”

“
Drowned?” Miss Sheridan repeated, her tone of voice distracting. “Inspector, Miss Santiago wasn’t stabbed?”

Brisbane spun around. “No, she wasn’t. Why do you ask?”

“
Well, I…”

Nicolas knew immediately why she’d asked. She had likely found the dagger Maria Santiago had taken from him. “Miss Sheridan, you thought that I…”

Her eyes widened. “Certainly not. If I thought anything at all, it was that you had defended yourself.”

With a huff, Brisbane pointedly stepped between them, his beady eyes constantly observing. Finally he turned his scrutiny upon the earl. “Lord Greyson, were you aware Miss Santiago planned to abduct your daughter and sell her to the highest bidder?”

Several audible gasps went about the room.

“
No, I certainly was not,” he replied.

“
What about you, your Grace? Did you know the dire fate Miss Santiago had intended for your fiancée?”

Nicolas clenched his fists, anger burning in his gut. “I can assure you, had I known that vile woman’s plans, I would’ve strangled her with my own hands.”

“
The duke didn’t mean that, Inspector Brisbane,” Miss Sheridan exclaimed.

“
I certainly did mean it,” Nicolas insisted.

Lord Greyson put his arm around his daughter. “Inspector, how did you come across this diabolical scheme?”

“
From the editor of the
Standard
, milord. Once he became aware of certain facts, he alerted my office. This afternoon we arrested the two men who were hired to do the job.”

Nicolas caught the strange, almost proud, look that passed between Lady Westwood and O’Connell.

Brisbane continued. “Lord Greyson, did you speak to Miss Santiago?”

“
No, I did not.”

The inspector paced about the room before halting. “Mister O’Connell, I’d like to hear your involvement in this.”

“
He’s not involved,” Lady Westwood insisted.

“
It’s all right, Granny. I can speak for myself. Miss Sheridan and I had just strolled into the gardens when the duke found us. He asked for a private word with his fiancée, so I returned to the ballroom. That’s when I realized I’d just passed Miss Santiago on the garden path a few minutes earlier. I recognized her perfume.”

“
After Mister O’Connell told me of his suspicions,” Gran said, “I knew right away what that woman wanted, and I hurried off to find my grandson.”

Brisbane resumed pacing. “O’Connell passes Miss Santiago. She meets Miss Sheridan and the duke. Miss Sheridan goes in search of her father.” He halted. “By the way, Lord Greyson, where had you gotten off to? When your daughter couldn’t find you, that is.”

“
The stables. I was showing off a recent purchase to an old friend.”

The inspector nodded. “Meanwhile, Lady Chase leaves the ballroom and finds the duke with Miss Santiago. They sign a false document, and she departs. Or so they believe. Miss Sheridan then stumbles upon the woman’s body floating in the fountain.” He shook his head. “I’m still missing a vital piece of this puzzle.”

Lady Westwood sighed. “I suppose that would be me, Inspector.”

“
You’ve thought up another ruse, madam?”

She frowned. “You want to hear this or not?”

“
Certainly. Please proceed.”

Nicolas wasn’t sure which woman had now taken center stage in this ridiculous never-ending drama. Infamous gossipmonger or devoted family friend.

Lady Westwood toyed with the fringes of her tunic. “After Lady Chase left the ballroom, I sent Trinity in search of Lord Greyson. He returned empty-handed, and I sent him off again while I slipped out into the gardens. When I reached the fountain, it was deserted. But then I heard someone coming down the path, and I hid behind a row of thick shrubbery.”

“
Who was it?”

“
Chase and that doxy.”

“
They were arguing?”

“
No. He told her she’d gotten what she wanted, and she should leave. And if she ever bothered his family again, he’d make good on his threat to have her arrested. Miss Santiago spat a few hostile words in Spanish at the duke before she withdrew a folded paper from her ample bosom and flung it at his feet.”

Brisbane turned, one bushy brow raised.

“
It was the deed to my grandmother’s diamond mine,” Nicolas explained.

“
Ah, yes, the worthless diamond mine.” The inspector’s attention returned to Lady Westwood. “Go on, milady.”

“
I’ve never been one to bite my tongue and after Chase departed, I confronted that floozy. I told her blackmail was a dangerous sport, and she’d better glance over her shoulder often if she wished to remain in good health. That’s when she drew the dagger.”

Brisbane stuck his hand inside the pocket of his overcoat. “Yes, we found it in the fountain.” He withdrew Nicolas’ missing dagger and tossed it upon the table beside the sofa. “You and the victim struggled, madam?”

Lady Westwood hesitated. “No. She came at me with a crazed look in her eyes. I pushed her backward, and she fell into the fountain. She managed to stand, but she’d lost the blade. She began a frantic search for it, cursing at me.”

Gran placed her arm around her friend’s shoulder.

“
Fearing she might find the dagger at any moment and fling it at me, I ran away. But I swear, Inspector, that woman was alive when I left her. I heard her splashing about in the fountain.”

Brisbane nodded almost absentmindedly. “My assistant found blood on the fountain’s bottom tier, leaving me to conclude that the victim likely slipped and struck her head. Unconscious, she quickly drowned.”

Nicolas’ breath left his lungs in one big swoosh. “Not murder?”

“
Apparently not, your Grace.”

“
I’m certainly relieved, Inspector,” Grandmother Margaret stated. “But what harm would it have done to tell us this from the beginning?”

“
Yes, Brisbane,” Greyson snapped. “Why the deception? Good heavens, do you know what you’ve put us through?”

“
Again, my apologies, milord. Having recently learned of the victim’s fondness for causing trouble, I was merely trying to ascertain how she ended up in the fountain. Now I know it was by accident and not malicious intent. Lord Greyson, my men took the body out the garden’s rear entrance. This should prevent any embarrassing questions from your guests.” Brisbane placed his hat atop his head. “I bid you all good evening.”

And just like that, the inspector left the room the same way he’d entered it.

###

Shaking with relief, Leah leaned against the fireplace mantle. The duke was no murderer. Hadn’t she known that all along?

“
You and I have unfinished business,” Chase whispered close to her ear.

She turned. “Do we?”

He offered the crook of his arm invitingly.

Leah hesitated, unsure of his motives.

“
Chase, I’d like a word with you.”

“
Certainly, Lord Greyson. There’s a matter I’ve been meaning to discuss with you as well.”