Page 23 of Lies in Little Sutherland
“Someone else, then,” I said.“Perhaps someone who was married already, who couldn’t marry Morrison and legitimize the baby?—”
“It wasn’t Dad,” Francis said.I opened my mouth to say that I hadn’t for a moment thought that it might have been—history notwithstanding—but Christopher twitched, and Francis added, “No, bear with me, Kit.I know he got Maisie up the duff, but that was before he was married to Mum.He wouldn’t have done it after.”
In this he was wrong, actually.Uncle Herbert had allowed himself to be blackmailed by Margaret Hughes over a further indiscretion that had happened during his marriage to Aunt Roz.Within a year or so of the time that Morrison had been traded to Lady Peckham, in fact.But now wasn’t the time to mention that, nor the time to think about the implications of it.As far as I knew, I was the only one who had overheard that fact.Neither Francis nor Christopher knew about it, although ostensibly Aunt Roz did.
“Uncle Herbert has enough taste not to settle for Morrison,” I said.“No offense, Constance.”
“None taken,” Constance chirped.“I don’t know why you’re all apologizing to me for casting aspersions on Morrison’s looks.It’s not as if I have any particular feelings about them.”
None of us said anything to that, and Constance continued, “If Morrison was pregnant at all—and we don’t know that she was—it wasn’t by your father or your uncle.One of the other servants, perhaps?Or someone in the village?”
“She had Doctor Meadows’s name and direction in her address book,” I said, “although there might have been other reasons for that.He might have delivered the babe.He delivered Crispin.Or he might have helped her get rid of it.Pennyroyal tea wasn’t invented in September of this year.”
“Or something else might have gone on,” Christopher said, “that made Aunt Charlotte decide that getting rid of Morrison was a good idea.The maid might not have been pregnant at all.”
I nodded.“You’re right.We don’t even know that it was Aunt Charlotte who wanted to get rid of Morrison.It might have been the other way around.Morrison wanted a change of pace, and Aunt Charlotte allowed it.”
“For that matter,” Constance added, “perhaps it didn’t originate in your aunt’s household at all.Perhaps something was going on with Hughes, and it was my mother who decided to ask her friend for a swap.It might have had nothing to do with either Morrison or the late Duchess of Sutherland.”
Perhaps not.“I wonder if anyone is alive who might know the answer?”
“It couldn’t hurt to inquire of Doctor Meadows,” Francis answered.“I don’t know how ethical it would be for him to tell us about Morrison’s baby, if she had one, or even tell us that she didn’t have one, if she didn’t.But it couldn’t hurt to ask.”
“Cook might remember if Morrison was with child,” Christopher said.“She’s been at the Hall for a long time.And doesn’t she have a child of her own out of wedlock somewhere?Do I remember that correctly from Grimsby’s revelations?”
I nodded.Grimsby had indeed dug that tidbit up, and Tom had shared it with Christopher and myself at some point during the investigation.
“Edith Morrison would know,” Constance said.“If she’s Morrison’s mother or sister or cousin or aunt, then there likely is no child.”
“We could write and ask, I suppose.”
“A note of condolence might be in order anyway,” Constance agreed.“If she’s on the exchange, I might even be able to ring her up and express how sorry I am for her loss.”
I eyed her admiringly.“That’s quite cold-blooded of you, Constance.”
“Not at all,” Constance answered with a little toss of her head.“Just because I have questions, doesn’t mean I’m not sincerely sorry.She was my mother’s maid for as long as I can remember.I’m very sympathetic to her mother or sister or daughter or aunt.”
But not above using that sympathy to get answers.Which was calculating enough to be admirable.
“When we get home, then,” I said.
“Back to Sutherland Hall, surely?All our luggage is there.”
“Unless Mum and Dad packed it up and took it back to Beckwith Place with them,” Francis said.
“Didn’t you motor down together?Or did Uncle Herbert have the Bentley?”
The burgundy Crossley—the motorcar we were currently in—belonged to Constance.It had been her mother’s car.Geoffrey had motored up to Beckwith Place in it for Francis’s and Constance’s engagement bash in July, and since then, it has been Francis’s domain.
Meanwhile, Aunt Roslyn and Uncle Herbert have a Bentley Touring Car, which Francis had driven before the Crossley fell into his lap along with a fiancée.Uncle Herbert knows how to drive the Bentley himself, of course, but if they were all four going to the same place—Sutherland Hall, in this case—they may all have traveled together in the Crossley.
Francis shook his head.“They had the Bentley.They’ve probably gone home already.”
“But even if Aunt Roz and Uncle Herbert have left, our luggage might still be at Sutherland Hall.We don’t live at Beckwith Place any longer.”
I glanced at Christopher.He nodded.“We’ll get Crispin to motor us up to Salisbury to the railroad station if we have to.Or all the way to London if he wants a break from Laetitia.”
“He’s marrying Laetitia in a month,” I pointed out.“There’ll be no break from her then.”
