03 - Murder at Sedgwick Court (8 page)

‘I say,’
whispered Cedric to Rose. ‘He’s a bit much, isn’t he?’ Why does the chap insist
on being so theatrical? I mean to say, his clothes are bad enough, but this?’

‘But he
is rather good at it, isn’t he,’ Rose replied, ‘putting on a show, I mean? And
it has made everyone forget about Vera’s spiteful remark about kidnapping. I
really can’t imagine why she said what she did. I suppose she was deliberately
trying to be hurtful.’

While
they had been talking, Lavinia had insisted that she have a go at looking at
her diamond earring through the jeweller’s loupe. The count, eager to oblige,
stood just behind her and showed her how to hold the loupe between her index
finger and thumb and to place it half an inch or so from her eye.

‘You keep
the loupe steady by resting it against your cheek … yes … just like that. Now, hold
your diamond just a little above your line of vision, so that you can look into
it … Yes, hold it here.’ He took her hand gently, ‘Just a little distance from
the loupe … exactly so, yes. Now, tell me, is it in focus?’

There
proceeded a number of excited exclamations from Lavinia as she regarded the
diamonds in her earring.

 ‘Oh, I
can’t see any blemishes, can you? They look absolutely wonderful, don’t they?
Do take a look, Max.’

‘Remarkable,’
agreed the count, courteously.

‘Oh, but
what about Emmeline’s necklace?’ asked Lavinia, admiring it rather grudgingly
from where she was standing. ‘I say, it does look rather grand.’ 

‘Oh, yes,
do let me have a go,’ answered Emmeline with enthusiasm. ‘Of course it’s not a
patch on the Montacute diamond necklace, is it, Jemima?’

Her
companion nodded, but said nothing. To Rose Jemima suddenly appeared rather
anxious, having emerged from her contemplations.

‘Now, you
must show me how to do it, Max,’ Emmeline said. ‘Just as you showed Lavinia.’

‘Emmeline
…’

‘Yes?
What is it, Jemima?’ The heiress looked annoyed as if she thought Jemima was
determined to spoil her fun.

‘Well, I
don’t know whether it’s wise to – ’

‘Oh, no
harm is going to come to it,’ snapped Emmeline. ‘I do wish you wouldn’t fuss
so. Now, Max, what do I do?’

‘I should
like to see your necklace very much,’ said Count Fernand, ‘but if you think …’
His sentence trailed off.

It was
obvious to everyone present that the count felt rather uncomfortable at being
instrumental in the disagreement between the two girls. Rose wondered whether
he regretted bringing out his loupe. 

‘Well, I
wouldn’t mind having a look too,’ said Felix rallying. ‘I’ve always wanted to
look at diamonds as a jeweller would. You’ll need to tell me what to look for
though. No need to worry, Jemima,’ he looked at her tenderly. ‘We’ll be careful
with the necklace, I promise.’

‘Yes, rather,’
agreed Cedric, moving forward and there were similar murmurings uttered by the
rest of the party, who followed his lead, with the exception of Vera, who remained
silent and abashed in the corner, and Jemima who still looked anxious despite
the various words of reassurance.  

The others
gathered around Count Fernand and waited impatiently for Emmeline to undo her
necklace, which did indeed consist of a very splendid array of diamonds, which
glittered invitingly in the chandelier light. It was not lost on them that
Jemima made no move to help her with the task.

At last
the necklace was unfastened and Emmeline was positioned with the loupe so that
she could examine the diamonds. The others then took it in turns to have a look
at the necklace, which was passed from one to another. They were not, as
Emmeline said, the Montacute Diamonds, but they generated as much interest among
the party as if they had been. Jemima alone watched the proceedings like a
hawk.

The
necklace had come full circle and now it was the turn of the count to examine
them. Slowly, the loupe to his eye, he passed the jewels between his fingers,
his dark head bent over them as he turned them this way and that to catch the
light. After a few moments of deliberation he returned them to the heiress.

‘Well?’
demanded Emmeline. ‘How do you find them?’

There was
a slight pause before the count replied: ‘They are exquisite, truly exquisite.’

‘There’s
been ever such a to-do in the drawing room,’ Charlie, the footman, said to
Eliza in the servants’ hall as he passed her on her way to help Lavinia undress.

‘Well, I
can’t say I’m surprised,’ replied Eliza, ‘not with Miss Montacute carrying on
the way she is with Dr Harrison. Who’d have believed it? Poor Miss Brewster. Anyone
can see she’s that upset by it all. Disgraceful I call it. But look here,
Charlie Barker, you watch your tongue. Don’t you go around gossiping or you’ll
have Mr Torridge to answer to, so you will.’

It was
only later when Eliza sat with Mrs Farrier in the housekeeper’s little sitting
room, indulging in a last cup of tea before retiring to bed, that she
confessed: ‘I’m that worried, Mrs Farrier. Something’s brewing, so it is. It
can’t go on like this. Something’s going to have to give. And what that’ll be
I’m sure I don’t know. Who’d have thought Dr Harrison would’ve behaved like a
love sick young puppy at his age, and with Miss Brewster here too. I feel for
that young woman, really I do. She’s taking it awful hard, even if she’s
pretending she’s not.’

‘Ay,’
said Mrs Farrier. ‘It can only lead to trouble one way or t’other.’

The two
women sipped their tea in companionable silence and gave a collective sigh. But
as each sat there contemplating the worst, it never occurred to either one of
them just how awful the worst might be.    

At the
same time that the housekeeper and the lady’s maid were having their discussion
in Mrs Farrier’s sitting room, a similar conversation was being held upstairs
behind closed doors in one of the guest bedrooms.

‘I wish
that dreadful woman had never mentioned kidnapping,’ Emmeline half mumbled, taking
her necklace off and placing it carefully in her jewel box.

‘Yes. It’s
made me realise how very foolish we’ve been. Oh, we shouldn’t have come here,
really we shouldn’t. Whatever were we thinking?’ Jemima stood by the door,
wringing her hands. ‘I’m frightened, oh, I tell you I’m frightened. We should
never have done it!’

‘I’m sure
nothing’s going to happen,’ said Emmeline. Despite her reassuring words, she
sounded anxious. ‘We’ve just allowed ourselves to be frightened by that awful woman.
All the same,
he’ll
be returning from abroad any day now. He mustn’t
find out what we’ve done. There’ll be all hell to pay if he does.’

‘You’re
right. He mustn’t find us here. Listen,’ Jemima grabbed Emmeline’s hands and
forced the girl to sit down beside her on the bed. ‘I know what we’ll do. We’ll
tell Lavinia some tale about being called away on some family business or
remembering another engagement, or some such thing, and we’ll go back home.’

‘But I must
speak to Theo first, before we do anything. I suppose you won’t want me to tell
him the truth? Oh, I wish you’d let me, I do really. There’s a possibility he’ll
still love me when he knows the truth, don’t you think so?’

‘I can’t
answer that, but you can’t tell him the truth, not while we’re still here.
Promise me you won’t. Promise.’ Jemima held Emmeline’s hands so tightly that the
girl winced, but Jemima did not let go until Emmeline had nodded.

‘It’s not
safe,’ continued Jemima, speaking with a degree of urgency. ‘I’m not saying you
can’t ever tell him the truth, of course I’m not. You’ll just have to wait,
that’s all. There’s nothing to stop you writing to him when we’re away. He does
seem very taken with you. But you must be careful. Really, must you make it so very
obvious to everyone how in love you are? Vera Brewster strikes me as an
unstable sort of a woman. A dangerous woman to cross, I’d have said.’

Emmeline
looked so crestfallen, that Jemima sighed and patted the girl’s hand.

‘Have it
your own way,’ Jemima said. ‘I suppose there’s no harm in waiting a day or two
before we leave, but no longer mind you. I can’t get the feeling out of my head
that it’s dangerous for us to be here at Sedgwick. I thought we’d be safe here,
but I think I was wrong.’

The
following morning, when Rose came down to breakfast, she was surprised to be greeted
by a scene of sorts, this time between Lavinia and Jemima, who appeared to be
engaged in some form of a dispute in the hall. Both women were glaring at each
other and Lavinia’s voice was quite shrill with indignation.  Jemima was
regarding her with obvious irritation.

‘I’ve
told you already, Jemima,’ Lavinia was saying in an annoyed tone of voice,
‘Emmeline’s gone out riding with Cedric. Really, I don’t know why you have to
go on about it so. Why shouldn’t she go out riding without you? Must you follow
her around everywhere like a shadow?’

‘How
could you be so irresponsible? She’s no good on a horse at all. She’ll hurt
herself, she’s bound to fall off!’

‘Nonsense!
She’ll be perfectly safe with Cedric. He’ll have put her on one of our steady
horses, I expect. Merrylegs or Moonstone. And anyway, why should you worry? I
was only reading in some newspaper or other how well Emmeline rode to hounds. If
she can manage riding miles at a time and jumping dozens of stiles and fences,
then I’m sure she’ll manage quite well riding one of our hacks around the
estate. And besides,’ Lavinia stood up tall and glared at Jemima, ‘I won’t be
spoken to like that, not in my own house and certainly not by the likes of
you.’

What
would have happened next was anyone’s guess, but fortunately Rose was relieved
of the necessity to intervene by the arrival of Manning who, even to her
untrained eye, looked somewhat flustered. As was usual, Torridge tottered in
his wake looking suitably composed.

‘What is
it, Manning? What is it now?’ snapped Lavinia, still in an ill humour.

‘It’s
Miss Montacute, m’lady. It appears she’s taken something of a tumble from her
horse. Miss Denning’s had a look at her and says as she thinks it’s no more
than a few cuts and bruises, but the young lady is quite shaken up, she’s …’

He
faltered to a stop as Jemima hurried out of the hall to see to her mistress.

Before
Lavinia herself had an opportunity to say anything, Cedric, in full riding
dress, came striding into the hall.

‘A word
if you please, Lavinia, in the library,’ her brother said coldly, at the same
time glaring at his sister, so that it was more a command than a request.

Rose had
never known the earl look or sound so angry. With a twinge of regret she noticed
that he hardly acknowledged her presence, so intent was he on his purpose.
Lavinia meanwhile looked about to open her mouth and protest. On reflection she
obviously thought better of it, for she followed Cedric reluctantly into the
library, where the door was shut firmly behind her. Rose was left standing in
the great black and white tiled hall, with only the dull and austere portraits
of the Sedgwicks’ ancestors for company.

‘Whatever
were you thinking, Lavinia, asking me to take Emmeline out riding?’ demanded
Cedric, as soon as the door was closed behind them. ‘You told me she loved
riding. I’d be surprised if she’s ever ridden more than a few times in her
life.’

‘Nonsense!’
protested Lavinia. ‘I read something in an article about her riding to hounds
and keeping up with the pack. One can hardly do that if one can’t ride, can
one? Although I daresay some of the details may have been embellished by the
newspaper reporter.’

‘I’d say
they were! Greatly exaggerated more like. Thankfully Cryer had the good sense
to saddle up Moonstone and not Captain. Really, Lavinia, I doubt if Emmeline
had ever done much more than trot. You should have seen the look on her face
when I suggested that we go for a bit of a gallop. Thankfully we hadn’t quite
got into a canter before she fell off.’

‘Well, no
real harm’s been done then, has it? A few cuts and bruises, that’s all, isn’t
it?’

‘Lavinia
–
’,
Cedric began, before his sister interrupted him.

‘You
needn’t go on and on about it, or look at me like that, Ceddie. I’m sure I’ve
learnt my lesson and all that. I just thought it would be a frightfully good
thing if I could tear Emmeline away from Theo for a little while, that’s all.
How was I to know that the silly girl would fall off?’

‘You may
be able to persuade others that your intentions were honourable, but it doesn’t
wash with me, Lavinia. I know you too well. No, I think your plan had more to
do with keeping Rose and me apart than Theo and Emmeline.’  

The
conversation between the siblings had been so short that Rose was still in the
hall when Lavinia came out of the library.

‘Really,
Rose, people will make such a fuss about things, won’t they? First Jemima, and
then Cedric. Why, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve fallen off a
horse. You just get straight back on and don’t make a song and dance about it.’

With
that, Lavinia hurried off into the breakfast room. Rose held back from
following her and decided instead to go into the library where she found Cedric
poring over an old atlas.

‘Sorry
about all that,’ Cedric said looking up and smiling. ‘I suppose no real harm’s
been done, no thanks to Lavinia. But I shudder to think what could have
happened if Emmeline had been riding Captain instead of Moonstone. I do wish
Lavinia hadn’t invited those people here.’

‘So do
I.’

‘Of
course, it’s her home as much as it is mine, but it makes everything so dashed
awkward. If only Harrison wouldn’t make it so damned obvious how infatuated he
is with Emmeline. One can hardly blame Vera for making ructions. It’s jolly rotten
for her. I’ve a good mind to have a word with him.’

It was on
the tip of Rose’s tongue to say that matters had only been made worse by
Lavinia’s antics of the evening before, but she thought better of it. Instead
she asked Cedric what he was doing with the atlas, which was spread out before
him on a carved oak, octagonal library table.

‘Trying
to find the country where our Count Fernand hails from,’ he said, studying a
page. ‘I say, Rose, did you happen to catch the name of the place? I’m dashed
if I can remember what he said, although that’s not surprising since the man
was mumbling at the time. I wonder if it was deliberate. But one doesn’t want
to admit to one’s guests that one wasn’t listening.’

‘No, I’m
afraid I can’t recall. I’m not even sure that he told me … Cedric, I don’t like
him very much, do you?’

‘Not a
jot. There’s something damn odd about him.’ Cedric shrugged and closed the book
with a bang. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d bought his title from some god
forsaken country or wasn’t a count at all. I mean, all that swishing of his
cloak and scarlet waistcoat business. It’s a bit much, isn’t it? I don’t mind
telling you that I’ve been awfully anxious about him ever since he began paying
his attentions to Lavinia. At first I thought it was Emmeline he had his eye
on, but of course that was before Harrison threw his hat into the ring.’

He linked
Rose’s arm through his and they made their way out of the library.

‘I don’t
think he is who he pretends to be, either,’ said Rose.

‘No,’
agreed Cedric. ‘I don’t trust the fellow at all. I don’t trust him one little
bit.’

The words
were no sooner out of Cedric’s mouth when, strolling into the hall, they walked
straight into the count himself, who appeared to be loitering there with no
apparent intent. Cedric immediately went a bright shade of red, but if Count
Fernand had overheard their conversation he gave no sign of it and smiled at
them affably.

Rose looked
at the count anew, contemplating Cedric’s suspicions. It was only then that the
rather bizarre notion occurred to her that Count Fernand might not be the only impostor
at Sedgwick Court.  

After
breakfast, Cedric advised Rose that he had a meeting arranged with his estate
manager, who was such a capable and competent sort of fellow that it shouldn’t
take long at all. After that he would be all hers and would join her for a
stroll in the grounds as there were still one or two items of interest that he
had to show her, and no doubt would have done already, had they not been
disturbed by the unexpected arrival of Lavinia and her guests.

The
morning promised to be a fine one for a walk, providing one was wrapped up well
before venturing out. The lure of the gardens and park seemed to Rose too
tempting to wait for Cedric. Besides, she had a sudden desire to leave the
guests and their various associated complexities and complications behind.
Exploring the grounds alone and taking in the beauty that was Sedgwick Court
seemed a suitable means of whiling away the time before Cedric joined her. 

Rose had
just decided on this course of action when she was joined in the hall by Vera
who, on discovering Rose’s intentions, asked if she might accompany her on her
walk. At a loss as to how she might politely refuse, Rose reluctantly
acquiesced, while severely admonishing herself for having remained in the hall
dithering. The truth was she did not relish Vera’s company. She thought the
woman was either likely to be quiet, nervy and on edge, or else give full vent
to her feelings towards Lavinia’s guests. Neither scenario was particularly
appealing.

The door
of the breakfast room opened again and this time Theo Harrison came out looking
none too pleased, in Rose’s opinion, to find Vera standing there. If Vera was
aware of his displeasure, she did not show it. ‘

‘Theo,
won’t you join us?’ cried Vera. ‘Rose and I are going for a walk in the gardens.
It’s such a delightfully crisp morning, don’t you think so? Such a shame to
waste it by being inside.’

‘Not now,
Vera,’ replied Theo, in a tone that was hardly friendly. Indeed he barely looked
at her.

To Rose
it was obvious that the doctor had not forgiven his fiancée for her behaviour
of the night before. Vera, however, appeared oblivious to this, for she kept
pressing for him to join them.

‘For
goodness sake, Vera. I have some medical matters to attend to, some writing up
of notes and so forth. I have not got time for this.’

With that
he was gone, mounting the stairs two at a time, leaving Vera to look after him
somewhat dejectedly.

‘He works
too hard,’ she said to Rose, ‘but he won’t be told.’

They made
their way to the formal gardens, which looked rather bleak in winter, there
being a dearth of flowers in bloom to brighten the landscape. Only the
marigolds seemed to be thriving, shining bright orangey-yellow in the thin
winter sunshine. How wonderful it would be to see the gardens in the spring and
summer, Rose thought, when they would be at their best. She wondered whether
she would be invited, if Lavinia had her way.

To Rose’s
relief, Vera appeared on good form, chattering happily about Theo’s work in the
village and her own charitable work.

At
length, Vera declared: ‘I daresay I took what Lavinia said last night too much
to heart. She does love to shock and say things are black when they are quite
obviously white. I can’t think where she got that ridiculous idea that Theo was
in love with Emmeline, or she with him come to that.’

Rose
decided to say nothing. If Vera had resolved to bury her head in the sand, then
who was she to make a fuss? Far better that than Vera try and put the cat among
the pigeons as she had done the previous evening. While a part of her thought
that the adoption of such an approach should at least make for an agreeable and
peaceful evening, another part of her wished that Vera would confront Theo in
private to determine his feelings for Emmeline, and to persuade him to rein in
his caddish behaviour.

Poor
Vera, Rose thought, as they wandered rather aimlessly around the gardens. They
happened to be talking about the latest church bazaar that Vera had become
involved with and the poor quality of the clothes donated, when they rather
unexpectedly came across Jemima and Felix sitting on a stone bench overlooking
the rose garden. Due to the positioning of the bench and the fact that the two
were seated facing away from them, the two women were placed in the rather
uncomfortable position of being able to observe Felix and Jemima while
themselves being unobserved.

If they
were tempted to make their presence known, then the intimate manner in which
Felix and Jemima were sitting together, hands clasped tightly and talking
earnestly and quietly to one another, rather deterred them from doing so. The
most discreet and appropriate course of action seemed to be to change course,
and this is what the two women did, but not before they had caught a few words
of Felix and Jemima’s conversation.

‘I’ll be
absolutely miserable in London without you, Jem. If only I didn’t have to make
my own way in life. I daresay I can make a reasonable living in the legal
profession if I put my mind to it, but it will be a few years before I can
support a wife. Will you wait for me, do you suppose? Is it too much for me to
ask of you? Tell me it isn’t?’

‘I’ll
wait, Felix, although Scotland is so very far from London. We’ll write of
course, but we’ll hardly see one another.’

‘Oh, I
don’t think I can bear it,’ groaned Felix, putting his head in his hands. ‘I
say,’ he looked up suddenly, ‘couldn’t you get a positon in London? It would be
too horrid and beastly for words if I never saw you. I’m afraid that it might
take me years and years to make a go of it in the law. Of course, I’ll try,
really I will – ’