Page 49 of Dead Beside the Thames
“There has to be a reason,” Stokes stated. “I’ll put my men onto scouring the area for witnesses. Now we know where he was, we can be much more thorough.”
Again, Jonathon and Bryan exchanged a glance, then Jonathon looked at Stokes. “We’ll help. It might be useful to have someone to point to instead of just a vague description, and as much as it pains me—and Bryan—to admit it, Sedbury and the pair of us are similar enough to be mistaken at a glance.”
Barnaby nodded. “That would help, possibly a great deal. Having you along might jog someone’s memory.” He glanced at Stokes. “Enough for them to react and, thus, label themselves as a person with information.”
Stokes’s wolfish grin said he approved of that tack. He looked at Jonathon and Bryan. “We’ll be happy to have you two along. Anything we can do to better our chances of learning all we need has my vote.”
“Meanwhile…” Penelope had been thinking and, now, looked at Claudia. “When I spoke to your mother, I received the distinct impression that while she didn’t have any specific information, she suspected that there was more to Sedbury’s nefarious activities in London than she and the family knew. For instance, she alluded to many of Sedbury’s victims in town—those with motive to kill him—coming from outside the ton.” Her gaze on Claudia’s face, Penelope tipped her head. “Your mother mentioned that your aunt, Lady Selborough, was Sedbury’s godmother. I would describe her ladyship as the meddling sort. Do you think she might know more about Sedbury’s London activities?”
Claudia looked much struck and eagerly replied, “I would be very surprised if she didn’t. Aunt Patricia is one to poke her nose into her relatives’ lives without quarter.” She glanced at herbrothers, both of whom plainly agreed with that statement. “So yes!” Claudia straightened and returned her gaze to Penelope. “We should definitely ask Aunt Patricia what she knows and wheedle whatever she does from her.”
Penelope nodded decisively. “We—you and I—will interview her tomorrow.” She looked inquiringly at Charlie. “It might help if you came along as well. You might be able to make more of what her ladyship tells us than Claudia or I.”
Charlie readily nodded. “Happy to help.” He paused, then, frowning slightly, added, “Just as long as I don’t have to interrogate her ladyship.”
By the looks on all the other men’s faces, they agreed with that stipulation, but Claudia just smiled, and Penelope laughed. “I believe,” she told Charlie, “that you can leave that to me and Claudia.”
Claudia beamed, and in much better moods, each with their task for the following day settled and before them, the company made arrangements where to meet and when, then broke up.
As arranged with Claudia, at precisely eleven o’clock the following morning, Penelope stood beside Charlie on the porch of Selborough House and watched him pull the bell chain.
The butler recognized them both and bowed them in, then took their hats and coats.
Claudia peeked out of the drawing room, then came quickly to join them. “Aunt Patricia has agreed to speak with us.” She lowered her voice to add, “It took quite a bit of convincing to make her see the need, but Mama helped.” Claudia pulled a face. “While none of us want to air Sedbury’s linen in public, Mama pointed out that the alternative was potentially much worse.We can’t simply ignore his murder and hope the situation goes away. Unless the murderer is caught, the speculation over who killed him is only going to grow worse.”
“To the detriment of all the Hales,” Penelope added.
“Exactly!” Claudia led them toward the open drawing-room door. “I just wanted to warn you that Aunt Patricia remains reluctant over speaking of Sedbury and his habits.” Just outside the door, Claudia paused and, in the tone of one struck, concluded, “That likely means she knows something she believes will be detrimental to his and the family’s reputations.”
“Indeed.” Penelope’s eagerness to question her ladyship escalated. “Let’s see if we can induce her to tell us what that is.”
With Charlie beside her, Penelope followed Claudia into the drawing room. Lady Selborough sat in one of the chairs before the fireplace, while the marchioness sat on the sofa, in the corner closest to her sister-in-law.
Lady Selborough was of average height and build, with faded curly blonde hair and pale-blue eyes. Being Rattenby’s sister, she was several years older than the marchioness and was a typical matron of her vintage, with her rather fussy taste in dress a reflection of her fussy nature. She was fidgety, too, and as Claudia made the introductions, incessantly fiddled with her rings, turning them around and around.
After acknowledging Penelope’s greeting, her ladyship gushed, “I do hope, Mrs. Adair, that we can rely on your discretion.”
Penelope blinked, then countered, “I can assure you that the only information we will carry from here will be facts relevant to establishing who murdered your nephew.”
Lady Selborough looked faintly peeved. “Well, I suppose…”
The marchioness patted Lady Selborough’s arm bracingly. “Stop worrying, Patricia. As Claudia and I explained, we all need to know anything pertinent you can tell us.” The marchionesswaited until Penelope and Charlie sank onto the seats Claudia steered them to, then commanded, “Now, my dear, please enlighten us as to what you know of Sedbury’s doings.”
Lady Selborough continued to look uncertain. She glanced at Penelope, and Penelope schooled her expression to one of mild inquiry.
Finally, her ladyship cleared her throat and said, “When Sedbury came on the town, as his godmother, I made an effort to keep in touch. He used to call occasionally, albeit only when I sent around a note to summon him to tea. Some years ago—three or four years after he started living in London—I became aware, largely from comments he made, that he had developed a liking for…I believe the term is ‘roughing it.’” Faint color appeared in her ladyship’s cheeks. “Apparently, some quirk of his nature led him to seek entertainment in circles far removed from the ton. After noting my reaction to his occasional revelations, he took positively evil delight in slipping tidbits about his low life into our conversation purely to disconcert and worry me.”
Plainly captured by her memories of such exchanges, Lady Selborough raised her hands to her lined cheeks. “I was so thankful that Selborough was never around to hear some of the things Sedbury claimed to have done. It was…mortifyingto think of a Hale behaving in such a way.”
Lowering her hands, her ladyship hauled in a fortifying breath. “In the end, I grew soangrywith him—at the way he was thumbing his nose at the family and, indeed, at the very values that are the hallmark of a gentleman—that I pretended not to listen anymore, and gradually, I invited him less and less frequently, until over the past year or two, he hasn’t been to this house.”
Carefully, Penelope probed, “What, exactly, was he doing that so bothered you?”
Her ladyship’s lips firmed, and her eyes flashed. “He was using his position to satisfy his darker cravings. I firmly believe that the power of being heir to the marquessate had quite gone to his head. While within the ton, his position would let him go only so far, in lower circles, he was able to lord it over anyone and everyone.” Her voice lowered, and she went on, “Even as a child, he’d shown a tendency toward being viciously cruel. As a man, by exploiting his position, he was able to feed his liking for cruelty and unspeakable pleasures—he literally enjoyed causing others pain.”
The marchioness had paled. Now, she said, “Perhaps it’s fortunate for the ton that Sedbury preferred the lower orders on whom to visit his tastes. That said, I wouldn’t wish the fate of being Sedbury’s victim on anyone.”
Penelope regarded Lady Selborough. “I accept that you will not know details, but from what you did gather, how low had Sedbury sunk?”
