Page 6 of Murder at Hambledon Hall
Lady Elizabeth’s breath hitched. “I heard the gunshot, but I presumed it was simply Mr. Shepherd shooting at a rabbit. Did he…? Was it…an accident?”
“Of course it was. It must have been.” Janet patted her aunt’s hand. “What else could it be?”
“I overheard them say a poacher was in the vicinity,” Flossy said.
One of the gentlemen claimed a witness had seen blows exchanged between the gamekeeper and a trespasser. I didn’t bother to tell them I was the witness and only one punch had been thrown.
“What happens now?” Lady Kershaw appealed to her sister-in-law. “Do we wait for the police to interview us?”
Mrs. Browning was quite composed by comparison, and looked comfortable taking charge. “We carry on as we were. It’s an unfortunate incident, but we mustn’t let it ruin the weekend. It’s the final day, after all. The family and staff can mourn and pay their respects tomorrow. Perhaps you can have luncheon brought forward, Marion. That’ll take everyone’s mind off it. In the meantime, anyone for bridge?”
A look of relief passed over Lady Kershaw’s face. “An excellent idea. I’ll send word to the kitchen.” She made eye contact with a footman who stepped forward to receive instructions.
Some of the party followed Mrs. Browning into the West Gallery and principal drawing room beyond, while others headed upstairs to change for lunch. I broke away while no one was looking and turned into the East Gallery. Thanks to the tour of Hambledon Hall by Lady Kershaw, I remembered the armory was located on the first floor of the bachelor’s wing, accessed via a spiral staircase in the East Gallery.
I fished my lockpicking tool kit out of my pocket as I passed another set of stairs, then the smoking room and billiard room. To my surprise, Harmony stood outside the armory, a feather duster in hand.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw me. “It’s you, Cleo. I thought you’d come up here.”
I indicated the feather duster. “You’re a lady’s maid, not a parlor maid. No one will believe you’re up here dusting.”
“One maid looks a lot like any other to most.” She tucked the duster under her arm. “I heard you were first at the scene.”
“Second. The vicar claims he was walking toward the house when he heard the gunshot. I’m glad you’re here. You can keep watch while I pick the armory door lock.”
“You fetched your tools already?”
I unfolded the tool kit and removed a pair of slender picks. “I carry them with me everywhere, nowadays.” I crouched and set to the task. “How long have you been waiting for me?”
Harmony checked the watch she kept in the pocket of her skirt. “Seven minutes. The shot was fired ten minutes ago, and no one passed me while I waited here.”
“So the murderer had three minutes in which to return a gun after firing it from a window, assuming it is in here. That’s not long in a house this size. This wing is quite separate.”
“Are you sure it’s murder?”
“Unless I hear a good explanation for why it’s not, I’m treating it as suspicious.”
“Was the shot fired from the direction of the house?”
“I can’t be certain. The body was in front of the house, at the point where the long drive opens up. It’s an exposed area.” The lock clicked and I pushed the door open. “If someone took a gun from here, it’s my guess they still have it and will return it later, when things have settled down, mostly likely during the night.”
The armory housed new guns as well as antiques, including shotguns that were used for hunting and by the previous day’s shooting party. There was other military paraphernalia, too, including dozens of swords and knives displayed on the wall, and a shirt of chain mail that an ancestor had worn in battle. The more decorative pieces were on display either on the wall, or behind glass in cabinets.
“There are so many,” Harmony said, wonder in her voice.
“Lord Kershaw is a collector, as was his father and grandfather before him. He inherited most of these. When Lady Kershaw gave me a tour of the house, he was already in here with all the gentlemen.”
“I don’t understand why all the guns are stored here,” Harmony said. “Even the ones used for hunting.”
“They’re safer in the house than an outbuilding.”
Harmony studied a pair of dueling pistols, their bone handles etched with the Kershaw crest. She opened the glass door of the display cabinet and picked one up. “Do these old ones still work?”
“I don’t know.” I was more interested in the modern guns, stored in two cupboards. Neither cupboard door was locked, but none of the guns were missing.Drat. I’d been so sure the murder weapon had been taken from the armory.
“Cleo.” Harmony sounded ominous. “Was that space empty when you came in here on your tour?”
I followed her gaze to the wooden display pegs sticking out from the wall. “No. Those were holding an antique rifle.”
