Page 35 of A Slight Problem with the Wedding
“I suppose you are right. There will always be someone out there looking to marry me for my fortune, assuming I am to inherit it and not be sent to the gallows.”
“I am never going to let them imprison you, Gory. In truth, I think Havers does not believe you are guilty of the crime. He’s a good ally to have, for the arrests are made upon his recommendation. As for your marriage prospects, I expect they are excellent. You are intelligent, warmhearted, and beautiful.”
“Do not make me laugh, Julius. It hurts my head. Not even my parents liked me all that much. Well, they were good parents and they did dutifully care for me. I truly loved them and I expect they loved me. But they did not really like me. They did not know what to make of me. I suppose I worried them when they realized I was more interested in taking my dolls apart than playing with them. My aunt and uncle never tolerated me, that is for certain. I could have been a perfect child and they would have despised me. Not that I was ever that good a child.”
“I’m sure you were delightful.”
“You are going to make me gag, if you keep spouting such compliments.”
He laughed again and began asking her questions about her childhood. She found herself rambling, probably making little sense as she spoke about her past. But she appreciated his questions. No one other than her best friends and her dowager angels, Lady Dayne and Lady Withnall, ever cared enough to ask.
Her mind was suddenly awash in these recollections of her younger days. Could it be that her memory was opening up? Is this why Julius was asking her these questions?
Clever fellow.
And he did it so smoothly, appearing to be interested in her early years when all he really meant to do was jar her memory of the present.
It was a good idea, so she allowed her thoughts to wander.
Julius said nothing, just kept hold of her hand and listened to her babble about anything that came to mind. She was now blurting trivial facts about the number of bones in one’s body. “Did you know that babies have more bones than adults do?”
“I did not, Gory.”
“Do you not find this fascinating?”
“Yes, quite.”
She laughed softly. “You do not. You are merely humoring me.”
“Not at all.” He arched an eyebrow, looking quite wickedly attractive as he smiled at her. “You are a font of knowledge and I am in complete and utter awe of you. What other interesting bits of knowledge do you have to impart to me?”
“My uncle has a mistress.” She gasped and stared at him with her mouth gaping open. “Why ever did I say such a thing?”
Julius was also startled by the remark and seemed to be devouring her with his gaze. “Is this what the argument you overheard was about?”
Gory tried to think back to last night, but she simply could not recall. It felt more like something she had overheard weeks earlier, but it was all a fog to her. “Oh, Julius. I don’t know. In truth, I do not think so. But who can tell?”
Julius remained visibly tense as he regarded her. “It came out just now for a reason. Who was he arguing with? Your aunt?”
She delicately touched her hand to her temple and rubbed it lightly, hoping to massage the thought from her brain. Losing all memory of these past hours was the most frustrating thing she had ever had to endure. “It feels more like an old argument between my aunt and uncle. Not a new revelation. How could it have been them arguing last night when my aunt was in Windsor?”
“Or so she claims. But this is something to question your staff about. If you heard them arguing, whether last night or in the past, then others in the household might have heard them, too. Perhaps it is relevant to his murder and this is why you suddenly remembered it and brought it up.”
“But the voices feel different. Is it not odd that it is the feelings I seem to remember and not the facts? I cannot think…oh, Julius, it is all so jumbled in my head. What if I am remembering things wrong? My words might condemn an innocent person.”
“Havers and Barrow are gathering clues. They’ll be able to tell if something appears not to fit right. But your uncle possibly having a mistress is an important development. It adds another potential suspect. It also gives Lady Easton an added motive for murder.”
“Do you think so? I would not call theirs a loving marriage. They were just as miserable to each other as they were to everyone else. Why would she care if he went into the arms of another woman, especially if the liaison was carried on discreetly? Have you ever had a mistress, Julius?”
“No, Gory.”
In truth, she did not think he was the sort who ever would, even though it was not all that uncommon for bachelors or married men to do so.
“Do you recall the lady’s name? His mistress, I mean.”
“No. But perhaps Jergins will know it. Or my uncle’s valet. Yes, they are good ones to ask. I’m sure my aunt also has that information. But it is cruel to ask her, especially now that my uncle is dead.”
“It may be cruel, but it is necessary. All possibilities must be explored. If your aunt is innocent, she would want the killer apprehended and punished.”
