03 - Murder at Sedgwick Court Page 10

  Rose noticed that for the first time Lavinia looked worried; she herself was seriously concerned. Emmeline had been missing for at least three hours and probably a lot longer. Where had the girl gone and what had happened to her? She was suddenly aware that Lavinia had clutched her hand as if instinctively, unconscious of what she was doing.

  If Lavinia had said to Jemima that they had indeed found Emmeline Montacute in a compromising position in one of the gentlemen’s bedrooms, the effect could not have been more devastating. For Rose thought for all the world that Jemima Wentmore was about to become hysterical.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you were aware that she was missing?’ Jemima had demanded furiously. Her face, Rose noticed, was quite ashen, as if she herself had experienced a sleepless night.

  ‘Pah! And have you run off to her father as soon as you were back home to tell him what his daughter had been up to?’ retorted Lavinia, equally angrily.

  ‘But isn’t it obvious that she’s been kidnapped?’ Jemima sobbed.

  The tears that had been all the while threatening to fall did so freely now, unchecked. Rose was pleased that they had had the foresight to take Jemima aside to tell her the news away from the others. The three of them were, in point of fact, in Lavinia’s exquisitely, and expensively, furnished boudoir.

  ‘Nonsense! You know as well as I do that it’s far more likely that she went off to keep some sort of romantic assignation,’ Lavinia retorted. ‘And now that all the men have been accounted for, unless of course she’s formed an attachment to one of our footmen and is stuck in one of those stark little bedrooms in the servants’ quarters, we must suppose that she arranged to meet the man in question somewhere in the grounds. And for some reason, which I have to admit escapes me at present, she has been detained. No doubt she’s in one of the follies,’ Lavinia paused a moment and then added gleefully: ‘I understand our housemaids use them often as convenient places to meet their sweethearts.’

  There was a certain gleam in Lavinia’s eye which made Rose wonder whether Lavinia herself might not have done something similar in the past.

  ‘She must have fallen asleep, I suppose,’ continued Lavinia. ‘Although how she came to, I can’t possibly imagine. I mean to say, most of those follies are jolly draughty places even in summer let alone winter. But, more likely as not, as soon as we mention to the others that she is missing and propose a search of the grounds, the man in question will hasten to where she is and bring her to us with some implausible story that we shall all pretend to swallow. Either that or he will suggest a likely location where she might be found.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose that’s possible,’ said Jemima, sounding less than convinced.

  Although some colour had returned to Jemima’s cheeks, her hands continued to play with the fabric of her skirt, as if she must pull and clutch at the material to stop herself from wringing her hands and tearing out her hair.

  She thinks we are clutching at straws, Rose thought, as do I. We’re all clinging to the notion that everything will be all right, even though in our hearts we know it won’t be.

  Chapter Eleven

  The atmosphere of anxiety was further heightened once the men had been informed that Emmeline was missing. Rose was to remember the expression on Cedric’s face long afterwards, a mixture of anger at not having been told earlier, and concern at what they might find. He had drawn Rose aside so that he could speak to her for a moment without being overheard by the others.

  ‘I’m worried, darling. It was particularly cold last night. Do you think Emmeline went out in the night or sometime early this morning? If it was last night, I’m jolly afraid she may have died of hypothermia or exposure by now.’

  ‘Ssh!’ said Rose, quickly, because she had just noticed that Jemima was standing not so very far from them and that she was looking at them intently, as if she had heard Cedric’s whispered words. Certainly she looked close to tears. Rose took Cedric’s arm and led him further away.

  ‘Apparently her bed had been slept in, so the maid thinks. Hopefully that means she went out this morning rather than last night. She was also wearing a hat and coat, so perhaps she hasn’t got so very cold. Poor Jemima’s convinced that she’s been kidnapped, but Lavinia and I think it’s far more likely that she arranged some clandestine assignation. Although why she hasn’t returned by now I can’t imagine, particularly as all the men are present. But that was why we didn’t say anything earlier. We were worried about the damage it might do to her reputation.’

  ‘If that’s the case then hopefully Harrison or that count fellow will come forward and suggest where she might be found.’ Cedric only looked slightly more relieved. ‘Why did the fellow leave her to return alone, that’s what I can’t understand?’

  ‘Well they are sure to have taken particular care that they were not spotted returning to the house together, just in case someone happened to be up and about or looking out of their window. Tell me, if you were to arrange to meet someone secretly as Sedgwick, where would you choose to meet?’

  ‘You’ve said that the servants have searched all the rooms, including even the lumber rooms and attics, while we were all at breakfast? Well then, if not in the house itself, I imagine one or other of the follies that are dotted around the estate. And of course there is always the boatshed down by the lake.’ Cedric gripped her arm suddenly, so hard that she was obliged to stifle a cry. ‘Oh my god, Rose, you don’t think that she went out on the lake do you? You don’t think we are going to find her drowned?’

  ‘No, I don’t,’ said Rose quickly, although a vision of Emmeline in a white gown drifting like the drowned Ophelia, her dark hair spread out and tangled, interwoven with river weeds and bedecked with flowers, came unbidden before her eyes.

  A search party was hastily established, made up of Cedric, his sister, their guests and servants. Rose overheard Vera making her excuses to Lavinia for not being one of the party, claiming a headache and the beginning of a cold. Rose saw her try to make eye contact with Theo before she departed to her room. But the man gave her no second glance, his mind apparently fully preoccupied with recovering the missing girl. His face was an unbecoming shade of grey, and there was almost a wild look to his eyes. It was all Cedric could do to stop the doctor from running off to try and find Emmeline by himself. But the Sedgwick estate was large, and Cedric sensibly argued that members of the search party be given specific areas to explore to ensure that as much ground be covered as quickly as possible.

  In the back of all their minds was the possibility that the girl might be found in a compromising situation. With this in mind, it was decided that Cedric and his guests should be given the task of searching the nearest follies and the boatshed. The servants were despatched to search the lake, the woods, and the follies located furthest from the house. Rose and Lavinia were assigned the formal gardens to search, and a time agreed when they should all meet. Each group of searchers was given a hunting horn to blow to let the others know if they discovered Emmeline. Although no one alluded to it, Rose thought that it was probably a relief to them all to have a medical man among them.

  Armed with blankets and flasks of coffee and brandy, the search party set off. Just as they were leaving, Rose happened to look up and caught a glimpse of Vera looking out at them from one of the windows. On realising that she had been spotted, she had quickly stepped back out of sight, but not before Rose had seen a look of apprehension on her face.

  The search party was in a focused mood, with words exchanged regarding the firming up of plans in respect of the various search areas. Cedric, as the young earl and host, was very much in command of the expedition while, every now and then, being obliged to digress from his plans to rein in Theo who, pulling at the bit, was desperate to set off as soon as possible. This would of course have been permitted if there had been any indication that he had any idea where the girl might be found. It soon became clear, however, that he was as much in the dark as the others. The fact that none o
f the men seemed to have any idea, or even offer any suggestions, where Emmeline might be found weighed heavily on Rose. If they really did not know then the possibility of a clandestine assignation faded and the possibility of a kidnapping became more credible.

  Rose looked over at Jemima. It was clear that the same thought had crossed her mind. She seemed to be all but shaking and had given up any attempt not to cry. Felix, obviously concerned, was fussing over her, whispering positive words of encouragement, while at the same time trying to persuade her to return to the house, which she resolutely refused to do.

  The party made a sombre procession across the estate, every now and then losing a couple or so of its members to search a particular area. When they had first started off there had been some chatter, but this had soon died down and all but fizzled out as the members of the party faced the reality of the situation. While a feeble sunlight fought its way through, it was a bitterly cold day, and few thought it likely that anyone could have survived long outside without warm clothes. Rose had caught snatches of the servants’ conversation before it too had faded. She heard them saying that the temperatures at night had been freezing and that a heavy frost had covered the estate at dawn.

  It was a relief to Rose that she and Lavinia were among the first to break off from the main party to search the formal gardens. It was good to have something to do, even if the task seemed fruitless, for Rose thought it highly unlikely that Emmeline would have come to harm so near to the house, unless she had stumbled and hit her head and lay unconscious on one of the paths. This did not appear to be the case. The gardens were quite deserted and when Rose looked up to scour the horizon to try and judge the progress of the others, the trees looked sadly naked and forlorn, stripped as they were of their autumn leaves.

  After an hour or so, Rose and Lavinia gave up searching and went to wait for the others, straining their ears to hear the welcome sound of someone blowing a hunting horn. But no such sound was forthcoming. Lavinia kicked at the gravel path and looked close to tears. Not only was Emmeline her friend, but as hostess she had an additional responsibility for her, particularly as she was aware that the girl had defied her father and left the safety of her Highland home. Awful as it was, it seemed that the most likely explanation for Emmeline’s disappearance was that, as Jemima had dreaded, she had indeed been kidnapped.

  ‘Rose, Rose!’

  Rose was awakened abruptly from her musings by the sound of Lavinia’s excited voice.

  Gone was Lavinia’s listless manner of a few moments ago. Instead she was pulling at the sleeve of her friend’s coat for all she was worth.

  ‘The maze! No one’s looking in the maze! Don’t you remember Ceddie going on and on about it last night? We were going to make a game of it today, don’t you remember, see which one of you could get to the middle first?’

  ‘I do,’ said Rose, ‘but surely you’re not suggesting that Emmeline might be there? Whatever would have made her go there in the dark?’

  But even as she said the words, the memory came back to her of Cedric telling them the story of the maid who had arranged to meet her lover in the maze. They had all crowded around him to look at the plan and he had explained how the maze should be navigated. It was just possible, she supposed, that Emmeline had arranged to meet Theo there. But why hadn’t she returned? After all, Theo obviously had, for he had come down for breakfast, and was now engaged in the search for the missing heiress. If he knew where she was, why had he not suggested that they explore the maze? Perhaps he had not wanted to let on that they had met there, but there were ways around that, surely? Far better that Emmeline’s reputation be ruined, than that she died of hypothermia.

  Not one to be discouraged from doing anything once her mind had been made up, Lavinia rushed off to the maze leaving Rose to stand around aimlessly, waiting for the others to arrive. This they did in dribs and drabs, and in answer to questioning looks, each shook their heads. They had seen no sign of Emmeline. The news that Lavinia had gone to search the maze, was greeted with an eager hopefulness and they proceeded to make their way there, following in Lavinia’s hasty footsteps.

  ‘How long has my sister been gone, Rose?’ enquired Cedric, leading the way.

  ‘Oh, about three quarters of an hour or so,’ replied Rose, consulting her wristwatch.

  ‘That’s strange. It only takes about a quarter of an hour to get to the centre of the maze, and I daresay only ten or twelve minutes if one were to run. She should have been back by now.’

  ‘Perhaps she decided to explore the other parts of the maze,’ suggested Felix. ‘If Emmeline has got lost in it, she more than likely took a wrong turning and has veered off from the main path.’

  ‘You may be right,’ agreed Cedric.

  But Lavinia’s prolonged absence had given an urgency to their steps, so that they were almost running by the time they came across the maze. Rose realised that she had already passed it several times during the course of her various walks in the grounds but that she had mistaken it for a hedge enclosing pasture.

  Cedric took them to the entrance and they peered in. Even in the daylight the maze looked formidable. For it was impossible to look over the hedges that enclosed the paths because of their height, or through them due to the density of the box, and so the effect was one of being confined. The party huddled together behind Cedric who took the lead and alone looked undaunted.

  ‘We’ll make our way to the centre of the maze first,’ Cedric said, ‘and then if we don’t come across them we’ll spread out and take the other paths. If we have to do the latter, one or two of you might well become lost, but there’s no need to worry. Lavinia or I will be able to find you and lead you out.’

  ‘I suppose there’s no use in us calling out?’ asked Felix.

  ‘No, the hedge is too dense, it muffles out sound. If we call out to Lavinia, she won’t hear us.’

  The search party followed Cedric, veering off to the right here, going back to the bottom there, ignoring paths which they felt certain were the ones that should be taken, but deferring each time to Cedric’s judgement. Rose tried to visualise the plan of the maze that they had studied the night before, but, for the life of her, she had no idea where they were or whether they had taken the right path or not. If Emmeline had indeed undertaken this journey in the dark, then she might well still be wandering around now in the light.

  When she studied the plan of the maze afterwards, Rose realised that they had not been so very far from reaching the centre when they came across Lavinia and Emmeline. They had been making their way back down so that, as the crow flew, they were near the start of the maze, although the entrance was obscured from them by a vast expanse of hedge. They had just turned the corner. If they had proceeded down the path that stretched out before them, and then turned right at the end as they had intended, they would very soon have come to the centre of the maze. But the scene that greeted them as they rounded the corner had the effect of stopping them in their tracks. Indeed, the leaders halted so abruptly that those behind Cedric and Felix, who had not had an opportunity to fully take in the scene, stumbled into them, and there ensued a few moments of confusion.

  Lavinia, oblivious to their presence, with all colour drained from her face so that she resembled more a ghost than a living being, was standing over what at first sight looked to be a bundle of clothes strewn out in a heap on the ground. As they edged nearer, the newcomers saw that the bundle took on a form that eventually revealed itself to be that of a body. And, as they came closer still, they recognised it as Emmeline, still and lifeless on the ground, the side of her head disfigured by a gaping wound, the blood from which was glistening in the weak sunlight. But more shocking still was the realisation of what Lavinia, standing there motionless as if in a trance, was holding clenched so tightly in her hands. A silver candlestick covered with blood.

  Chapter Twelve

  Cedric was the first to regain his senses insomuch as he ran forward a stride or two before
stopping and calling out his sister’s name.

  ‘Lavinia!’ There was an urgency in his voice that was not lost on anyone present. ‘Put down that candlestick and come here.’

  All the time Cedric was speaking, he was walking very slowly towards his sister, his arm outstretched, as if he feared that any sudden movement would scare her or make her panic-stricken. There were those present who assumed she must be of unsound mind. They held their breath, not certain what she would do, being cornered as she was.

  Lavinia gave no indication that she had heard her brother, and remained transfixed by the grim scene before her, swaying slightly. As soon as Cedric was standing beside her, he snatched the candlestick from her and flung it away from them as if it were diseased. Lavinia did not resist.

  ‘Rose, take my sister back to the house and get her washed and cleaned up, please.’

  He spoke abruptly, not even bothering to turn his head to look at her. But Rose heard the emotion in his voice that he was trying so hard to contain. They watched with fascination as he produced a handkerchief from his breast pocket and walked over to the discarded ornament. Bending down to kneel beside the candlestick, Cedric then gingerly proceeded to wipe it.

  ‘Lord Belvedere, I must protest,’ exclaimed Felix, running forward. ‘The police won’t want us to touch anything. They will expect everything to be left just as it is.’ He turned to address Theo. ‘That is right, isn’t it, Harrison? You’re a medical man, aren’t you, you must have come across a suspicious death before?’