Page 12 of The Hazardous Measure of Love
‘Oh.’ She sat down abruptly, then clapped her hands over her mouth and closed her eyes. I expected sobs, gasps, but after a moment she opened her eyes then lowered her hands slowly, as though she might need to hold back words again at any moment. ‘Who killed him?’
It took us both aback. Adrien just stared at her, so I said, ‘What makes you think he was murdered?’
She flinched at the word but said, steadily enough, ‘He was perfectly healthy. We are in London, so he would not be riding fast or going shooting or anything like that. So, itwasan accident?’
She seemed far too calm, but I knew that shock takes people in many different ways. ‘No. It was not an accident and you are quite correct, he was murdered.’ I expected her to fall apart at that but, although she went white and she gave a little gasp, her back straightened and her fists clenched in her lap.
Adrien, who had half-risen from his seat, his hand held out as though to comfort her, sat down again. He knew her well and, it seemed, he found her reaction even more confusing than I did.
‘Do they know who did it?’ she asked again. No,Did he suffer?Or,What happened?Or even,Are you absolutely certain?In my experience (fortunately very limited) and from my police training, I knew that the most common reaction to news of an unexpected death was denial, not this immediate acceptance of a quite shocking fact.
‘We have no idea who was responsible. Haveyousome idea who might have killed your betrothed?’ I asked bluntly.
If anything, she became paler. ‘No. Of course not. How could I? How would I have any idea who his enemies were?’
Then it seemed to hit her. She made a choking sound, put her hands over her face and burst into tears. Adrien shot out of his chair and went to take her in his arms and she collapsed, sobbing wildly, on his shoulder.
I went downstairs and found Lady Radcliffe and Lady Jordan. ‘She is very distressed,’ I told them. ‘Adrien is comforting her.’
If Lady Jordan had rushed out to chaperone her daughter, left alone with a man, I would not have been surprised, but she nodded and stayed where she was. ‘Such a good friend,’ she said vaguely.
‘Would you like me to stay?’ Lady Radcliffe offered.
‘No. No, thank you for coming. I appreciate such thoughtfulness.’ Lady Jordan still sounded utterly miserable, but at least she seemed rather more focused now.
‘Do let me know if there is anything I can do,’ Lady Radcliffe said.
‘How was Arabella?’ she asked when we were driving back to St James’s Square, leaving Adrien behind.
‘Strange,’ I said. ‘Do you mind if I tell you and Luc together? I need to think about my impressions a little more.’
* * *
We found that Luc had come home and that Garrick and Carola, his wife, had returned from Greenwich. Luc had told them the news and we all gathered in the drawing room. Carola had her feet up on a stool because Garrick was fussing, but otherwise it was barely possible to tell that she was pregnant. There were months to go yet, as she kept telling her husband.
‘How was Miss Jordan?’ Luc asked.
‘I found her very confusing,’ I admitted. ‘When told only that Lord Tillingham was dead, she immediately asked who had killed him. When we confirmed that he had, in fact, been murdered she again asked who did it. It was only then that she collapsed and began weeping. I wasn’t –’ I broke off, reluctant to be bitchy about a young woman I didn’t know.
‘Go on,’ Garrick urged.
‘I wondered whether the tears were entirely genuine. I couldn’t see her face and she cast herself into Adrien’s arms.’
‘Shock takes many forms,’ Carola said. She was a herbalist and had far more experience with disease and distress than I had.
‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘I thought that too. But she didn’t ask how he died, or whether he lingered or suffered. Or when it happened, who found him – not any of the things you would expect.’
‘I suppose that she knew him well, if they were betrothed,’ Carola said. ‘He may have mentioned enemies –’
‘Or she may have thought him the kind of man likely to be murdered,’ James said. He had been sitting quietly to one side with Kit Lyle, who was looking a touch taken aback by three women discussing murder.
‘He was almost twice her age and Adrien said it was not a love match. Just how well did she know him, do you think?’ I retorted.
Something about Arabella’s responses was troubling me. It was not what she had said, exactly… I couldn’t put my finger on it. ‘What we need are the boards to begin to get all the evidence and speculation organised.’
‘I must go and see the boys,’ Luc said, getting up. ‘I’ll be down in an hour.’
‘I have the boards we used last time. I’ll get them if you can give me a hand, James,’ Garrick said, standing up, and the three of them went out.
