An Improper Death (Dr. Alexandra Gladstone Mysteries Book 2) (15 page)

“Ah, but there’s more to it than that.”
Nicholas stood, picked up the tea cup and saucer, and paced the floor between the two women. The untouched brew grew colder by the second. “First of all, it’s not at all likely a woman could successfully seek a divorce because of some dispute her husband has with one of her children, even if the dispute resulted in physical cruelty. There is, after all, the law of coverture.”

“Coverture?”
Nancy asked.

“It means simply that a man is allowed a great deal of leeway in chastising his wife and children, since he can be held legally responsible for crimes they commit or for the wife’s torts.”

“Well, yes, I suppose we all know a man has a legal right to beat his wife and children,” Nancy said.

“The courts assume, of course, that sort of thing happens only among the lower classes,” Nicholas said. “Not likely in Mrs.
Orkwright’s situation.”

Nancy beamed.
“How fortunate for the upper class!”

Nicholas frowned. “You’re leading me astray from the subject, Nancy. My point is, even if Mrs.
Orkwright felt one of her sons needed protection—John most likely—since he didn’t get on with the admiral, divorce is not a likely means of achieving that protection, and I suspect any barrister representing her would tell her so.”

Nancy was persistent. “But if she were seeking protection for herself?
In the unlikely case of a woman of her class needing it, I mean.”

Nicholas shook his head. “Adultery is the only suitable grounds for a woman, and then only if there are aggravating circumstances such as incest or bigamy or bestiality.” He turned to Alexandra. “Forgive me for being so blunt.” He blushed as he spoke.

Alexandra brushed his apology and his embarrassment aside. “Perhaps that’s why she dropped her petition.”

“Or perhaps because she could very well lose legal custody of Will,” Nicholas said. “The law leans heavily toward granting custody to the father. The mother can, in fact, be forbidden to see her children.”

Alexandra was momentarily stunned by this information. “So she would be separated from Will if she were to divorce?”

“Yes, and even on the admiral’s death, she might not be given custody of her son,” Nicholas said. “And so, as Nancy pointed out, she must find another way.”

“But murder?” Alexandra spoke barely above a whisper.

“We have to assume that’s a possibility,” Nicholas said. “So the question is, is it a probability?”

Alexandra shook her head. “That’s very difficult to imagine. In spite of…”

“In spite of what?”
Nicholas leaned toward her as if she was in a witness box.

Alexandra hesitated a moment. “That John is convinced everyone thinks or eventually will think his mother is guilty.”

“He told you that?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes.”

“But why?

“He was about to tell me why when he was shot,” Alexandra said.

Nicholas’ glance moved quickly to the top of the stairs and back to Alexandra again.

“No,” she said. “You may not question him yet. Allow him to rest a little longer.”

Nicholas’ expression was, for a moment, impatient and disgruntled. He seemed about to say something, but hesitated. Then he took a deep breath and spoke. “All right, let’s assume for a moment that Mrs. Orkwright did, in fact, kill her husband. How would she carry it out?” He continued to pace the floor.

“She’d drown him!” Nancy was obviously unable to keep quiet any longer.

“That’s even more difficult to imagine,” Alexandra said.

“Even though his body washed up from the sea?
Even though he had a mouth full of seaweed,” Nancy said, challenging her.

“Nancy, I told you there is no way to prove he drowned. The autopsy was not conclusive.”

“Of course I know that, Miss Alex, and I, like you, find it hard to believe that Mrs. Orkwright could have drowned her husband. I am simply trying to examine all possibilities.” Nancy had discarded her feigned embarrassment and had now grown quite serious.

“How wise you are, Nancy, old girl,” Nicholas said. “Let’s take it down the path you’ve started a little further.” He turned to Alexandra. “The autopsy was not conclusive in that it did not reveal any certain cause of death, am I correct?”

“Yes,” Alexandra said.

“And so,” he continued, “we will say that drowning is the cause of death because everything else has been eliminated.”

“Probably the cause,” Alexandra said.

“Very well.
Probably the cause.” Nicholas sat down and put his teacup aside then leaned toward Alexandra. “How did she do it?”

“We keep coming back to that don’t we?” Alexandra said. “How could she get him out to sea? She is a small woman and he was a rather large man. She would have a difficult time overcoming him.”

“Unless he was unconscious before he was put in the water.”

“Even a small person is difficult to handle when he or she is unconscious,” Alexandra said. “I find it hard to believe Jane
Orkwright could have gotten a man as large as her husband into a boat and out to sea under any circumstance. Especially if he happened to be unconscious.”

“What if Annie helped her?” Nancy’s words caught the attention of both Alexandra and Nicholas. “Annie could have even acted alone. She’s quite a large woman, you know.”

“Indeed!” Nicholas said. “And her motive?”

“Loyalty to Mrs.
Orkwright,” Nancy said. “If Mrs. Orkwright wanted the admiral out of the way for whatever reason, Annie would see to it that it was done. And if she was afraid John knew the truth, she would try to kill him.”

Nicholas frowned,
then turned to Alexandra. “Would you find it improbable that Annie could commit murder?”

“I find it puzzling,” Alexandra said. “If her motive was to protect Jane
Orkwright from any form of hurt, then it doesn’t make sense that she would try to kill her son.”

“I beg your pardon? You and Nancy are both implying Annie tried to kill her son? I thought you said you weren’t certain about
who—”

“I’m not certain, of course, but there is a suspect,” Alexandra said. She told him what the boys claimed they had seen. “So if her interest is in protecting her mistress, it seems it would be rather obvious to her that John’s death would be a blow to Jane equally as devastating as anything her husband may have done.”

“Perhaps her motive wasn’t to protect Mrs. Orkwright after all.” Nancy spoke this time with less conviction. She wore a puzzled look.

“Then what?”
Nicholas said.

Nancy shrugged.
“To hurt her somehow?”

“But why?”
Alexandra asked.

“I don’t know,” Nancy said.
“Perhaps because she was in love with the admiral. Perhaps because she killed the admiral herself, and she’s threatening to do John harm if Mrs. Orkwright tells what she knows. Perhaps—”

“We’re getting nowhere with this,” Alexandra said, standing up from her chair. “We’re simply making improbably wild guesses, and I must open the surgery. Patients will be arriving soon.” She looked at Nicholas. “And we must deal with the problem of turning John over to the constable. And of having Rob tell him what he thinks he saw.” She hesitated for a moment, silently wishing there would be a way not to have to do either of those things. She turned toward the stairs. “Young John should be awake by now,” she said. “I’ll show you to his room.”

Nicholas seemed oddly hesitant to follow her at first. “Yes. Yes, of course,” he said finally. “You must open your surgery, and I must…” He moved with some reluctance toward the stairway. He was obviously no more eager to have to turn John in than Rob and Artie were. Yet Alexandra was sure he was as eager as she to ask him why he thought his mother would look guilty.

When they were upstairs and with Nicholas standing behind her, Alexandra tapped gently on the door to John’s room, then opened it when there was no response. John was sitting up in bed, his eyes two dark hollows in a pale, drawn face. He turned his face away as soon as he saw the two of them.

“I might have known you would betray me.” His words were angry and clipped.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Nicholas asked as he stepped in front of Alexandra and walked to the bedside. He had regained his old swagger and confidence. With a hand behind his back, he waved Alexandra away. It was, she assumed, an indication that she was to leave the room, but it was an indication she ignored.

“I should think you would know exactly what it means.” John’s voice was weak but angry. “She told you I was here, and you’ve come to take me straight to Newgate.”

“It’s my responsibility to do what’s best for you, John,” Nicholas said.

“You make me ill.” John looked away again.

“There are several questions I must ask you,” Nicholas said. “First, I want you to tell me exactly what score you felt you had to settle that was so urgent you had to escape prison to accomplish it.” Nicholas’ words had a sharp, authoritative sound.

“It’s not your concern, you bastard.”

“As I told you before, it is my concern because I am your barrister.”

“I don’t care if you’re the queen’s bloody barrister. I don’t have to talk to you.” John’s voice had grown noticeably weaker and his face even paler. Alexandra could see beads of sweat on his forehead.

“John…” she said. Nicholas turned around suddenly as she spoke. It was obvious he hadn’t expected her to be there, that he had thought she would disappear when he waved her away. Unsure whether he was angry or merely surprised, she tried to avoid his eyes as she walked toward the bed. “It’s true, John, I told Mr. Forsythe about you. I thought it was the right thing to do, the best way to protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection,” John said.

“Obviously you do. Someone shot you.” Alexandra said.

“Does this have something to do with the death of your stepfather?” Nicholas asked.

John didn’t answer. He only looked at him with his defiant expression.

“And why do you think people will blame your mother for his death?”

Still no answer.

Nicholas kept pushing. “Does this have something to do with your mother’s divorce petition? You’d be much better off if you’d—”

John jerked his head around to face Nicholas. “What divorce petition?”

“The petition your mother made to the Divorce Court,” Nicholas said.

John’s face grew
even  paler. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My mother is a lady. She’d never petition for a divorce.”

Alexandra touched Nicholas’ arm and moved her eyes to indicate that she wanted him to follow her out of the room. He followed reluctantly. “We must let him rest,” she said, keeping her voice low. “He’s lost quite a lot of blood, and we’re getting nowhere with this questioning except to agitate him.”

“Do you think the constable or the authorities from Newgate are going to be any easier on him?” Nicholas sounded angry. “He’s better off allowing me to question him first so I can prepare a defense.”

“Perhaps we could delay turning him in if I can convince the constable young John isn’t well enough to—”

Nicholas interrupted. “It is inevitable that one of us will turn him in. No matter how long we postpone it, it’s still inevitable.” His voice was grave.

Alexandra hesitated, knowing he was right, yet still wishing he weren’t. Finally, she gave him a slight nod and turned away toward her surgery. She would put the fate of John
Killborn out of her mind. She also must rule herself not to think of Jane Orkwright and her failed divorce petition or of Nancy’s last remark about the possibility that Annie may have wanted to hurt her mistress. She would submerge herself in dealing with the usual flood of quinced throats, nasal catarrh, and rheumatic limbs. Then she would visit Gull House and its occupants one more time.

Zack was reluctant to obey Alexandra’s command to stay with Lucy while she knocked at the door at Gull House. She had to send him back to Lucy with a scolding twice. He wanted to wait at the door, as was his custom when she visited a patient. Alexandra, however, knew he was likely to raise the ire of Annie, and she didn’t want to give her any excuse not to admit her.

As she waited for her knock to be answered, she tried to rehearse in her mind what she would say to Jane. Jane would not appreciate anyone prying by asking questions about her motive for petitioning for a divorce, of course, but Alexandra had to admit that prying was precisely what she would be doing. Did it make it any less distasteful that she was doing it because she wanted to help Jane and not for some prurient reason?

When the door opened, she was not surprised to see Annie greeting her with her usual angry scowl. She was both surprised and startled, however, when Zack suddenly appeared next to her, barking and snarling with anger equal to the housemaid’s. She called his name, scolding him again, telling him to be quiet and go back. He obeyed only so far as to cease his barking, changing his protest to a low, nervous growl. He did not turn around and go back to Lucy.