the two ladies made their way upstairs to the bedchamber the latter had been assigned.
It was only the fact that her friend had to use every ounce of her physical strength to keep Ludwig from leaping down and running amok through Thornfield like a whirling dervish that saved Kate from discussing her odd partnership with Eversham on the stairs, where anyone could overhear.
“Perhaps you have some task that might be more easily completed below stairs, Harrison.” Caro’s words to her maid after they’d closed the door to the chamber behind them were less a question than a request.
Used to her mistress’s need for confidentiality in her discussions with Kate, Harrison gave a brief curtsy and took herself off.
Once the servant was gone, Caro, who had settled Ludwig into his cushioned basket with a bit of catnip, turned to her friend and gave her a hard hug.
“My poor dear,” she said, then pulling away, she looked Kate over as if searching for visible signs of trauma. “Was it very dreadful? I know we’ve talked enough about the horrible things that can be done by one person to another, but we’ve never seen an actual murder for ourselves. You must have been overcome with nerves.”
Allowing her friend to lead her to the corner of the room with a pair of comfortable chintz armchairs and an overstuffed footstool, Kate took a seat and let Caro fuss over her a little. She, herself, wasn’t a particularly demonstrative person. But Caro, despite her rejection of many of the social expectations put on women, was a caretaker, and seeing to Kate’s comfort was her way of showing she cared.
Harrison must have known they’d be needing refreshment, because a tea tray was arranged on the table tucked between the chairs.
“It was upsetting, I will admit,” Kate said once they were both seated and each had cups of tea in hand. “I don’t even think I realized at first that he was dead. There’s an impulse, I suppose, for the mind to offer some other, less awful, explanation for what you’re seeing.”
“Had you spoken with him very much?” Caro asked, her dark eyes shadowed with concern.
But Kate was quick to reassure her. “No, we hadn’t spoken more than a few words to one another. I gather he wasn’t particularly close to anyone in the household, though he did spend some time with Valentine discussing estate matters.”
At the mention of Val, the sympathy in Caro’s eyes was replaced with a glint of cynicism. “Why am I not surprised that Lord Valentine was the one most familiar with the man found murdered on his property?”
This startled a laugh from Kate. “I hope you don’t mean to suggest Val is a killer, Caro, because though I understand you might not be overly fond of him, I don’t quite think his interference in your affairs warrants wishing him to hang for murder.”
Caro sighed. “Of course I don’t want him to hang,” she said with a grudging degree of remorse. “But you cannot deny me my right to loathe him. More than once, he’s seen fit to put his aristocratic nose in my business.”
“I can see now why neither of you has mentioned knowing the other to me,” Kate said with amusement. “Your antipathy knows no bounds.”
Then her expression turned serious. “I think he’s been more upset about what happened than he lets on. You know how men are. Always intent on keeping their emotions in check.”
The noise Caro made might have been sympathetic, but it also might have been critical. When it came to Lord Valentine, Kate wasn’t quite sure where her friend’s feelings might go.
“Enough about our infuriating host.” Caro leaned back in her chair. “I want to know how it is that you and Andrew Eversham appeared to be so cozy when you came in just now. Who knew the famous Eversham was so attractive? You certainly made no mention of it after you met him in London.”
Leave it to Caro to see romance where none existed.
“We weren’t cozy,” Kate protested. “It was just that we’d been discussing the murder and what we’d learned in the village.”
“You’d better tell me everything.” Having removed her shoes earlier, Caro tucked her feet beneath her and settled in. Kate knew from experience that she would receive her friend’s undivided attention for as long as she needed it. “So, has it been determined if the murder here was definitely committed by the same person as in London?”
It was a good question, and Kate gave