Page 68 of A Duke's Unwanted Bride
Warner’s fist clenched. “And what reason have they claimed that you would do this?”
“For his money and for the freedom.” Adele’s shoulders slumped. “The paper references the way I behaved before we were married. That I gained the kind of money few people can even dream of. God, they even know that I increased the servants’ salaries, but they paint it as further indication of my guilt. As though it were some kind of hush money.”
“They were already on generous wages.” Warner frowned at her. “Why would you increase them?”
“It seemed like a kind thing to do.” Adele swallowed. “I thought they might be kinder to me if I did such a thing.”
Warner glanced at the rest of the newspapers. He did not need to read them to know what they would say nor to see how easily they would paint a damning picture of his wife.
“They talk about me interfering with the investigation — that is not true! I was trying to solve this dratted murder. I wanted justice, not to thwart it.” Adele chewed on her lip. “I do not know how they found out about some of these things; I thought I was careful.”
Not careful enough.
“That there is truth in their words only lends credibility to the story. It makes it easier to believe in your guilt.” He massaged his temples, his mind working furiously.If they knew about the salaries, that would suggest someone with access to the accounts which points to a servant in her household.
His frown deepened as he tried to think of who might have done this. He knew that the servants had not been particularly kind to Adele, but to make an accusation like this? It was a huge risk to take.Why would anyone do that?
“But you do not believe it, do you? I swear on all that I hold dear, I did not end your cousin’s life.” Adele’s eyes searched his face. “I was trying to find his killer. You know that.”
“I know.” Warner met her gaze. “I believe you.”
Warner gestured towards Mr. Turner. “You may leave us, Mr. Turner. You will find out who has taken this to the papers, and you will do it with the utmost discretion.”
“Your Grace, that will —” Mr. Turner began, but Warner cut him off.
“I do not want to hear excuses, Mr. Turner. I want results. You are a resourceful man; see that it is done.”
Mr. Turner’s skin was so pale it was practically translucent. He nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”
Warner noticed the man was pointedly not looking at Adele, and his heart twisted. “You will, of course, remind the staff that I have no doubts the Duchess’ innocence. I should hope that all of you have worked here long enough that you trust in my powers of discernment. Any suggestion of guilt is to question my competence.”
Mr. Turner winced, his gaze darting to Adele and then back to Warner. “Of course, Your Grace.”
“Good. You are dismissed. No doubt the servants will have seen the papers — you will remind them how I value loyalty.” Warner gestured for the man to leave.
He waited until the door of his study was closed and the sound of Mr. Turner’s retreating footsteps were no longer audible before he turned to face Adele whose face was white. “Now that we are alone, tell me everything.”
“I thought you said you believed me.” Adele stiffened at his words.
He made a placating gesture and poured Adele a cup of tea, placing it in her hand, his voice gentle. “I do, but if we are going to get to the bottom of this, I need to know everything you know. Everything this accuser might know. From what they have told the papers, it seems likely they are a servant or else had access to the house and your possessions.”
“I know the staff did not care for me, but I did not think they would do something like this. I could be hanged.” Her hand shook so badly that tea nearly spilled into her lap.
Warner shook his head, his heart juddering to a stop. “You will not be hanged. Even though they claim to have proof, they have not yet released it. I can only conclude that they are looking into the claims. Especially as the Bow Street Runners have not come calling. Nor have you been arrested.”
“It seems only a matter of time. If a servant is willing to testify falsely against me…” Adele’s lip trembled, and she placed the cup back on the desk. “Warner, I am as good as dead if we cannot clear my name.”
“Then we will clear it,” Warner growled softly. “You were conducting your own investigation, were you not? I need to see everything you discovered.”
“I can fetch the journals. They are in my room. But I seemed to have only run into a spate of dead ends. I was looking into the procurement of oxygenated water —” Adele began but Warner cut her off with a questioning look.
“Oxygenated water?”
“You can make cyanide by combining it with a certain pigment, Prussian Blue. Or at least, that is the easiest way to make a lethal dose. One could, of course, try and gain it from almonds, but for to work, you would need an unusually large amount. The cost would be extraordinary.”
“A suspicious man might wonder how you know that.” The hair on the back of his neck and arms stood on arms.
“It is hardly difficult to discover. It was one of the first things I looked into during my investigation.” Adele ran a hand through her hair. “To be honest, it was a rather unsavoury fellow at the King’s Arms who gave me that particular bit of information.”
