A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem - Manda Collins Page 0,20
the man’s card.
To Austen, he said, “Show him in. I’m sure he’ll wish to speak to all of us. He can arrange separate meetings after that.”
Kate glanced down at the cream-colored card with Eversham’s name embossed in black script across it. She wasn’t sure whether to feel optimistic that Scotland Yard had sent someone to investigate who didn’t believe John Clark was guilty, or concerned. For herself, she wondered what his reaction would be when he learned she’d been the one to find the body.
At their chance encounter, he’d shown in no uncertain terms that he held her to blame for the wrongful arrest of Clark. She hadn’t considered how their interview with Lizzie might be manipulated to suit the police’s needs, and that was something she regretted. But there was no denying that he’d neglected to interview Lizzie himself while he was in charge of the case. Which was what she’d tell him if he tried blaming her again.
A few minutes later, Eversham strode into the room after Austen. He was taller than she remembered. And unlike that day in London, the suit he wore was well tailored and neat. His light brown hair was neatly trimmed and his clean-shaven face was serious but not unpleasant. His nose was slightly crooked, but instead of marring his looks, it made his visage, which might have been too symmetrical without it, more interesting.
Though he had an air of authority, he managed somehow to blend into his surroundings. It was as if observing were his preferred mode of interacting with the world. Kate would wager that made him a better investigator.
She watched as Val greeted the newcomer and they spoke quietly for a moment. While they talked, Eversham scanned the room and Kate saw him notice her. His expression was inscrutable, but whatever he was feeling, she knew, given their last exchange, it wouldn’t be pleasant.
“May I have your attention, everyone,” Val said. “I’d like to introduce Mr. Eversham, an inspector from the Scotland Yard. He’s come to look into the matter of Mr. Jones’s death. And I’d ask that you answer whatever questions he might have for you so that we can get to the bottom of this business as quickly as possible.”
Val introduced the assembled guests, and it appeared that Eversham made an effort to greet each of them by name, as if trying to commit them to memory.
“How soon can we leave?” John Barton asked when the introductions were complete. “I don’t like my daughter here when there’s a murderer on the loose. And I’ve business to attend to in London.”
If he was flustered by the American’s blunt questions, Eversham didn’t show it. “I understand your concerns for your daughter’s safety, Mr. Barton. However, I would ask that you remain here until I’ve had a chance to make a preliminary investigation into the matter. I want to clear each of you before you leave.”
A few of the ladies gasped. “You don’t think that we could have done this, surely?” Lady Genevieve Thorn asked. Val’s sister was serving as his hostess for the party, and she was also an author of sensation novels, which Kate found intriguing.
Eversham seemed eager to assuage Genevieve’s worries. “I don’t suspect anyone at the moment, my lady. But you were all residing in the same house as Mr. Jones, so it would be remiss of me if I didn’t question all of you if only to eliminate you from suspicion.”
He hadn’t actually said they were all in the clear, Kate noted. But his words seemed to have a calming effect, as he’d no doubt intended.
When she felt his gaze on her again, Kate felt a fluttering in her belly.
“Lady Katherine.” His voice betrayed none of his thoughts. “Since you found the poor dead man, I’d like to speak with you first.”
She rose and made her way to the door, where the inspector and Val waited for her.
“I’ve put the library at your disposal, Inspector,” Val said as they walked together down the hall toward the book room.
When they arrived at the door, Val turned to Katherine. “If you’d like me to sit in for your interview…”
But Kate knew the discussion would be fraught enough without having Val along to witness it. “That won’t be necessary,” she told him before he could finish.
And before she could change her mind, she moved past where Eversham held the door open for her and stepped inside.
* * *
Lady Katherine Bascomb in her natural habitat was a sight to behold.