03 - Murder at Sedgwick Court Page 11

  ‘Rose, come here quickly,’ said Cedric. He spoke as if he had not heard Felix and was issuing a command; indeed, he was almost shouting. ‘Take my sister away from here. Have her change her clothes and get one of the servants to burn what she’s wearing.’

  As if by common accord the others, who all the time had been moving forward, turned and studied Lavinia’s clothes. From where they stood, the clothes did not look particularly blood spattered, although there were some light smears of blood on them.

  ‘But my lord – ’

  ‘Shut up, Thistlewaite,’ Cedric shouted, ‘this doesn’t concern you. Rose, please do as I say.’

  ‘Cedric, no, whatever are you thinking of?’ Rose said, appalled.

  Rose had never seen Cedric like this. She had never heard him sound so insistent or determined, and although she did not want to oppose him if she could possibly avoid doing so, she could not bring herself to do as he asked.

  As if aware of her hesitation, Cedric turned and gave Rose a look of such desperation that she felt his pain as if it were her own. He was beyond reason, she knew. Later he would bitterly regret what he had done, but now he was resolute. She could argue with him, but it would do no good. She hesitated for a moment longer. She reasoned that whatever fingerprints there might have been on the candlestick were not there now. The harm had already been done. Cedric had tampered with the evidence and the police were certain to make no end of a fuss about it all, and rightly so in her opinion. Cedric would have to deal with them later and explain his actions the best he could.

  What decided Rose in the end was her own eagerness to remove Lavinia from the scene. The girl looked quite ill with the shock of it all. There was no knowing how long she had stood there, poised over the corpse. Rose shuddered at the thought. She consoled herself that, although the damage had been done with regard to the candlestick, there was nothing to stop her from disobeying Cedric’s final request. She could keep the soiled clothes intact.

  Rose hurried over to Lavinia and put her arm around her shoulders. The girl was visibly shaking now and offered no resistance at being guided out of the maze. Rose only hoped that she would be able to retrace her steps without getting lost. Rose threw one final glance over her shoulder before she left. Theo Harrison had now collected himself sufficiently to examine the body and feel for a pulse. Felix Thistlewaite meanwhile was continuing to protest at the destruction of evidence, and Cedric was telling him to go to the devil. Jemima and Count Fernand were standing a little removed from the others, the former clearly in shock and the count doing his best to comfort her. It was a pitiful scene and she was glad to leave it behind.

  It seemed a long way back to the house. Lavinia walked so slowly, and had to be constantly encouraged to keep going. Left to her own devices, Rose thought the girl would simply have stopped and slumped to the ground. She was concerned that Lavinia had not uttered a word since they had discovered her standing over Emmeline’s body. On reflection though, she thought that perhaps it was just as well, for she had no wish to hear her confess to the crime. As they stumbled along, Rose half dragging Lavinia, Rose did not allow herself to think of the murdered body in the maze, or that the man she loved had so easily and willingly taken the law into his own hands. There would be time enough for that later. She would not let herself dwell on that now. Rose permitted herself only to feel relief that she had been given something constructive to do, something that would use all her energies and concentration.

  She realised later that Lavinia’s lady’s maid must have been watching from the window, because Eliza came hurrying out long before they reached the house. She took Lavinia from Rose and, without asking what had occurred, ushered her mistress inside, leaving Rose to trail behind.

  ‘What has happened? Is Emmeline all right?’

  Unseen by Rose, Vera too had come out of the house and was tugging at the sleeve of her coat, a wild look in her eyes. Something distracted her for she let go of Rose’s sleeve and stared across the gardens. Turning around Rose saw what had caught the woman’s attention. For in the distance she saw the remnants of the search party returning home. Although the party was still quite far away, it was obvious even to the most casual observer that they were walking in a sombre fashion, and that Emmeline was not among them.

  ‘There’s been an accident, Vera. Emmeline’s dead.’

  Rose realised as soon as she had uttered the words that she had spoken too bluntly. She should have softened it somehow, but she was too exhausted from the shock of it all, and having to physically support Lavinia half way to the house, to think properly.

  ‘Dead!’ All colour drained from Vera’s face and she clenched her hands. ‘No, she can’t be. She can’t be dead. Ah my God, what have I done? I never meant to – ’

  But Vera never finished her sentence for, as Rose turned to stare at her, trying to take in what she was saying, the woman slumped to the ground. Vera had evidently fainted.

  ‘Leave me alone, Eliza,’ Lavinia said wearily, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Her lady’s maid, regarding her with concern, hesitated a moment before carrying out her instructions. In her opinion, her mistress was in no fit state to be left alone.

  ‘It’s all right, Eliza’, Lavinia said sighing. ‘I want to see Miss Simpson. Get her for me now, will you?’

  Rose was waiting on the landing not far from Lavinia’s door. As she passed Eliza she noticed that the lady’s maid was carrying the clothes Lavinia had been wearing.

  ‘Miss Denning, let me have those please.’ Rose made to take them from her but Eliza snatched them back.

  ‘No, miss. They’re going for the wash at once, so they are,’ answered Eliza. Her manner was hard and unyielding, verging on impertinence. ‘Otherwise there’ll be no getting out the stains. This fabric here marks something rotten.’

  ‘No, you can’t …’

  Rose’s sentence faltered as Eliza hurried away from her, and out through the green baize door leading to the backstairs. She would have followed her into the servants’ territory and wrestled the clothes from her had Lavinia not chosen that very moment to become distressed, calling out as if she feared to be alone. The matter having been decided for her, Rose reluctantly went instead into Lavinia’s bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

  ‘Is she really dead, Emmeline, I mean?’ asked Lavinia.

  There were tears in Lavinia’s eyes as she clutched at her gold chintz bedspread, and to Rose she sounded exhausted.

  ‘Yes, at least I think so.’ Rose sat down on the bed beside Lavinia and held her hand. ‘Theo was checking for a pulse when we left, to make absolutely certain.’

  Almost to herself Lavinia said: ‘Poor Theo, it must be awful for him. I didn’t consider him at all.’ She turned to Rose and spoke slowly, almost reluctantly, as if she feared the answer to her question. ‘Do they all think I did it? Do they think I-I killed Emmeline?’

  ‘I don’t think anyone knows quite what to think,’ Rose replied truthfully. She might have reassured Lavinia that everyone considered her innocent but, had she done so, she knew she would have been lying.

  ‘Cedric thinks I did it, doesn’t he?’ Lavinia said, bursting into tears and mopping at her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘That’s why he asked you to take me away, isn’t it? Oh, how could he think it of me, how could he?’

  ‘He was just concerned about you, as we all are,’ said Rose, choosing her words carefully, and passing Lavinia a handkerchief.

  Rose was pleased that the girl was at last showing signs of emotion, and made no move to comfort her. She felt certain Lavinia would feel better after a good cry. Perhaps they all would.

  ‘You’ve had a great shock. It must have been awful for you.’

  ‘It was. I can’t tell you how awful it was, Rose. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t believe it was Emmeline. She was so bright and always laughing, and so full of life. And th-that thing on the ground, it was so d-dead and not like a real pe
rson at all. It certainly wasn’t like Emmeline. I couldn’t believe it was her at first, I couldn’t. I just went on staring and staring at it, and then I saw the blood and …’

  To Rose’s relief Lavinia faltered in the middle of her sentence, her voice having risen hysterically during her account, which had alarmed Rose considerably. She moved now and put her arm around the trembling girl.

  ‘Ssh, it’s all right. Try not to think about it anymore. Try and put the image out of your mind.’

  Of course, Rose thought, it was easier said than done, having herself had recent experience of being alone with a murdered corpse.

  ‘Y-you don’t think I killed her, do you, Rose?’ Lavinia asked, urgently. There was a desperate look in her eyes, and she clutched at Rose’s hand so tightly that the girl winced.

  ‘No, I don’t. Of course I don’t,’ Rose said quickly, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

  ‘She’s dead,’ said Theo, crouched over Emmeline’s body, and telling them what they already knew all too well. ‘Oh my God, how could anyone …’

  The doctor broke down, covering his face with his hands. Cedric and Felix stopped their arguing and both looked uncomfortable. It was not often, if ever, that either of them had witnessed a man cry, and certainly not under such tragic circumstances.

  ‘There, there, old chap’, said Cedric, awkwardly. ‘This is dashed distressing for you. Let’s get you back to the house, there’s nothing more you can do here. The poor girl’s beyond all help now.’

  He bent down and, taking Theo by the elbow, began to steer him out of the maze, all the time thinking how inadequate his words of condolence sounded even to his own ears.

  ‘We can’t just leave her here,’ protested Theo, struggling to free himself from the surprisingly firm grip Cedric had on his arm.

  ‘No, we can’t,’ agreed Jemima, rushing forward. ‘I’m going to stay with her.’ Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and her skin blotchy, but other than that she appeared remarkably composed.

  ‘You’ll do no such thing,’ said Cedric firmly, and addressing Count Fernand none too politely he added: ‘Take Miss Wentmore and Dr Harrison out of the maze and wait for us at the entrance will you?’

  ‘I’ll do that,’ offered Felix, keen to be by Jemima’s side.

  ‘No, the count can. I want you to stay here with me. We need to check the rest of the maze. For all we know the murderer may still be here lurking behind one of the hedges.’

  With that, Cedric proceeded to explain to Felix the various paths that made up the maze so that they could decide between them who should search which areas.

  ‘I say,’ said Felix, as soon as the others had turned the corner and were out of earshot. ‘Why wouldn’t you let me escort Jemima out of the maze? A fat lot of good our count will be. And Harrison is not much better, poor devil; he’s quite done in by it all.’

  ‘I don’t trust that fellow,’ answered Cedric frankly, ‘the count, I mean, not Harrison. And besides, he’d no doubt get himself lost in the maze.’

  ‘Who’s to say I won’t?’ retorted Felix, amicably, although he appeared satisfied with Cedric’s explanation. ‘But I say, old chap, I know it’s frightfully rotten for you and all that, but I mean to say, isn’t this searching business an awful waste of time?’ He averted his gaze so that he was looking up at the sky rather than at Cedric. ‘What I am trying to say is, we already know who the murderer is, don’t we?’

  As Felix had predicted, the search of the rest of the maze proved fruitless. There was no one crouching behind the hedge on any of the more obscure paths. The two men made their way back to the entrance to the maze where they met up with the others. Felix at once went over to Jemima but she withdrew from him. It was clear to all from both her manner and posture that she wished to be alone.

  Cedric, leaving one of the estate servants to stand guard at the entrance to the maze with strict instructions not to admit anyone, headed the party back to the house. It was a mournful procession that returned. Barely a word was spoken between them as each was lost in their own thoughts, trying to come to terms with what had happened as best they could. Notwithstanding their sorrowful state, they walked at a fair pace as if to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the scene of violent death.

  It was not long before the remnants of the search party made out the two young women in the distance making their own slow progress to the house. They were there to witness both Rose discharging Lavinia to Eliza’s care, and Vera’s sudden appearance. And although they could not hear what she was saying, they saw clearly that the woman was in an agitated state as she tore desperately at Rose’s sleeve. The look of horror on her face was not lost on them, the way her mouth fell open and she slowly released Rose’s arm. As they looked on she balanced precariously on the edge of consciousness, before tottering and falling in a crumpled heap at Rose’s feet.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘How is she?’ Cedric demanded, as soon as Rose joined the others in the drawing room. More quietly he said: ‘Did she say anything?’

  ‘Your sister’s still in shock, as you’d expect,’ Rose answered wearily, sitting down on one of the Queen Anne chairs, and suddenly feeling very tired. ‘Her lady’s maid is with her now. But I think she will be all right.’

  ‘But did she say why she did it?’ Felix asked, interrupting their conversation.

  The intrusion was unwelcome. Cedric glared at Felix and Rose averted her gaze to stare at the carpet miserably.

  ‘I mean to say, it’s awful and all that to ask,’ persisted Felix, apparently undeterred by his reception, ‘but the police will want to know. Personally I always thought that Lavinia and Emmeline got on like a house on fire. It just goes to show how wrong one can be.’

  ‘Thistlewaite!’

  Cedric leapt towards the man and Rose thought there was a real possibility that he was going to strike him. The count was obviously of the same opinion and moved surprisingly quickly to intervene. His dark, physical presence between them was effective in holding the two men apart. And although Cedric continued to glower fiercely at Felix, he made no move to push Count Fernand aside. Even so, Felix backed away a step or two, obviously frightened by the reaction his words had caused.

  ‘Everyone is very upset, I think,’ said Count Fernand soothingly, in his heavily accented English. ‘What has happened is most tragic. We say things without thinking, just as they come into our heads. We need to think a little bit before we speak, I think, do we not?’

  Rose did not know what to think. Part of her admired Felix for being so resolutely determined to find out what had happened however unpleasant the truth might prove to be. But another part of her felt only that he was goading Cedric, even if it were unintentional, and she wished he would leave well alone. There would be time enough later for accusations and incriminations when the police arrived. Most of all she wanted time alone to consider what Cedric, normally so upright and law-abiding, had done, and the part she herself had played. She thought of Lavinia’s blood-smeared coat, which now no doubt was freshly washed and drying in front of the fire in the servants’ hall. She stifled a sob in her throat. What had they done?

  ‘Lavinia didn’t do it, or at least she says she didn’t,’ Rose said at last.

  But even as she spoke it suddenly occurred to her that Lavinia had said no such thing. Admittedly Lavinia had been very worried that everyone would think she had killed Emmeline, but she had not actually denied doing the deed. Rose went over their conversation quickly in her head. Lavinia had been afraid that Rose thought her guilty and wanted her reassurance that she believed her innocent. If she really had something to hide, would she have been so persistent? And more importantly, thought Rose, warming to the idea, would Lavinia really have waited for them to find her standing over Emmeline and holding in her hand what they all believed to be the murder weapon? How easy it would have been for her to have fled the maze instead or, if there had not been sufficient time to do so,
to hide in another part away from the main path until the coast was clear.

  ‘Well, of course she didn’t do it,’ Cedric said with conviction. ‘That goes without saying.’

  Even so, the young earl looked relieved by Rose’s words. She studied his face closely and fancied she saw signs of something else, or perhaps it was just that she wanted so much to see another emotion etched on his face for all to see. She wanted him to feel a sense of guilt for what he had done, tampering with the evidence. Now that Lavinia was not standing before him, a bloodied candlestick in her hand, did he bitterly regret the rashness of his actions in his futile attempt to protect her?

  ‘If you were so very sure of your sister’s innocence,’ said Felix quietly, from the relative safety of the other side of the room, ‘why did you wipe off any fingerprints that there might have been on that candlestick, and insist that Lavinia leave the scene and be cleaned up? It seems to me that you thought she was guilty like the rest of us. Only, unlike us, you decided to do something about it. I think you’ll find that the police will take a pretty dim view of your actions, messing about with the evidence and all that.’ A sudden thought struck him. ‘I say, I take it you have telephoned the police, or at the very least instructed your butler to do so?’

  What might have resulted in an uncomfortable silence with Cedric finally being obliged to admit that the police had yet to be summoned, was prevented by Theo entering into the proceedings. Up to then, the doctor had been sitting so quietly in the corner, his head buried in his arms and uttering not a word to anyone, that his presence in the room had been all but forgotten.

  ‘Be quiet you two, damn it,’ Theo snapped.

  The doctor had not spoken loudly, but there had been sufficient anger in his voice to reduce the two young men to silence. He began to pace the room, and every now and then he passed a hand through his hair in an agitated manner. His face looked haggard and he had an unhealthy grey hue to his skin. To Rose, he seemed to have aged ten years since breakfast.