theory might be plausible. But to repeat it a further twice? That seems horribly cruel. So, on the grounds of our host assuring us that his brother wasn’t the malicious kind, we can discard him as the perpetrator. We’ve also been told that there weren’t any local children—apart from John Baylis—who would have looked like Edward. Thirdly, as Baylis said, children would likely have been at school at those times.”
“Not if they were tutored at home.” Jonty pointed out. “By the way, do you think Edward fell in the lake accidentally or did he jump?”
Orlando suddenly concentrated on the fire, clearly avoiding the scrutiny of eye contact. “Funny you should suggest that, because it’s been exercising my mind. We know how much he loved his father and that he took the loss very hard. If he missed the man, could he have deliberately jumped into the water thinking that if he drowned, he might re-join him in heaven?”
Jonty, knowing how close this might come to the matter of his lover’s own father, and the love borne for him that was never overtly reciprocated, chose his words carefully. “Children can take things very literally, especially if they’re very young and particularly if they’re like the lad next door I told you about. He had no comprehension of allusion or the like, so to him everything was literal. I remember him asking me if I knew where the cook kept her other head, because he’d overheard the maid call her two-faced. Edward might have heard something in church or been told something by Matilda, or another person he trusted. Papa is safe with Jesus and you’ll meet him again one day kind of thing.” “Yes, that’s what I had in mind.” Orlando raised his eyes. “Isn’t that desperately sad?”
“It is. Although to mitigate against that, wouldn’t he have mentioned his intentions to Richard, the brother he worshipped?”
“Clearly not, or Richard would have had a watch kept on the boy, surely.” Back to staring at the fire again.
Time to defend—or was it attack? Jonty felt his metaphors were getting muddled—against a potentially treacherous delivery or two. “Could Edward have been feeling guilty about something?”
Orlando’s attention was now firmly fixed back on him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you’ve been talking in your sleep. No need to elaborate, because I suspect you’ve been mulling over the great secret Beatrice entrusted you with and, while your night time murmurings can’t be classed as vow breaking, anything further could.”
“When did this happen?”
“Early on Tuesday morning. I suspect you were too raddled on Sunday night to do anything but sleep. I’d been tossing up whether to tell you, so when you said something similar last night, I felt I had to confess.”
Orlando’s shoulders, which had been hunched almost to his ears, eased back slightly. “What exactly did I say?”
“Not a lot the first time. The boy, the boy. And then something about cursing a man, or the man. I guessed then it was connected to Beatrice’s secret, but concluded it was all so vague it wasn’t worth upsetting you about. Last night was slightly more specific. The boy again and cursing some man, followed by could Edward have done it? I have no idea if you meant the theft or causing his father’s death and, as I said, I don’t want to know.”
It had been the right decision to air this now. The flood of relief on Orlando’s face was unmistakable. “You’ll keep this secret, too, I know you will. And anything else that emerges, although there can’t be much else.”
“Of course I will. I’m bound by your vows.” Jonty smiled. “Perhaps your subconscious was working as you slept, determined that I should know while ensuring you kept your promise.”
“Yes.” Orlando appeared happier every moment. “Maybe it did the right thing. There’s no evidence that Edward went wandering the night his father died, however, but he seems—as you pointed out at the start—to be somehow at the heart of the business.”
“Then we have our next step. We arrange to meet his nurse maid, Nanny Matilda as was and Mrs Cadmore as is, and see what she has to say. If he had anything to confide, she’d surely have known about it.”
Orlando nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’d concluded. If she can’t help, then I fear we’ll draw a blank. As we seem to be doing with the treasure, unless Applecross had more to say.”
“No wince that time. Well done.” Jonty raised an eyebrow. “He’s going to keep