A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem - Manda Collins Page 0,87
was trying to figure out how best to broach the question forming in his mind when Katherine spoke up. “Do they still live in the area? I should like to pay them a visit and give them my condolences about their mother.”
“They left these parts a little under a year ago, Mrs. Eversham.” Her mouth tightened. “I don’t wish to speak ill of them when they’ve borne so much in their young lives, but it’s for the best that they’re gone. Once their grandmother died, there was nothing left here for them. And I don’t mind saying I feared young Bastian would do his grandfather a serious injury one day.”
“His grandfather?” Katherine asked, her eyes darting to meet Eversham’s. “Is Reverend Hale still living, then?”
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Stringer said. “He’s no longer the vicar, of course, but lives in a little cottage not far from the church.”
In a low voice, she added, “Between ourselves, I was never that fond of the man. He’s a cold one. And I thought he was too hard on those children. They couldn’t help where they came from after all.”
“What do you mean?” Katherine had asked the question, but Eversham knew exactly what the innkeeper’s wife meant.
“Well,” Mrs. Stringer colored, “that they were not…that is to say…their parents weren’t…”
“My dear,” Eversham said, patting Katherine’s hand, “what I believe Mrs. Stringer is trying to say is that your friend was not married to the children’s father.”
Katherine gave an audible gasp. “But that’s—”
Before she could finish her sentence, revealing that they knew the truth about Delia Hale’s marriage to Philbrick, he cut her off. “I know, it’s terribly sad, isn’t it? But it’s the way of the world.”
“The poor girl was convinced that she actually had married the father, you know,” Mrs. Stringer said. “It was the saddest thing. She was mad, I’m afraid. Her father wouldn’t let her out of the house, of course, because of the shame. My sister Elsie was a maid up at the vicarage and said that she talked about her husband coming for her as soon as he was well enough. But the vicar assured her it was just a fantasy. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl. I suppose it was easier to believe that rather than that he’d left her high and dry in the family way.”
Katherine was visibly shaken by the news, so Eversham said, “What a sad tale. For poor Delia and the children. It’s no wonder they left Crossmere. I suppose it would be better to go someplace where their history wasn’t known.”
“Yes, it was a lonely existence for them, I fear,” Mrs. Stringer said. “The vicar, as I said, was quite hard on them. And you know how village folk can be. They kept to themselves.”
“I would like to pay a call on Reverend Hale.” Katherine set down her glass with a thump. “Do you think he’ll see us?”
“I don’t see why not.” Their hostess shrugged. “He doesn’t get much company these days, so I imagine he’d enjoy a visit. He’s not quite as hard, now that the children are gone.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Stringer.” Eversham rose and took Katherine’s arm.
Once they were out in the street again, Katherine hissed. “That horrible man. He told the world she was a whore when she was actually married to the father of her children. He branded those children as bastards rather than accept that she’d made a marriage to a man he found unsuitable.”
“Easy,” Eversham said in a low voice. “We don’t want to call attention to ourselves. And you definitely don’t want to approach Hale with rage in your eyes. We need him to talk to us willingly, and if we go in with accusations, he’s unlikely to tell us anything.”
She took a deep breath. “I know. I’m sorry, I’m just so angry. That poor girl. First she fell prey to Philbrick, who, though he was probably a decent enough man, was entirely unsuitable for one so young.”
“It’s chilling, I admit,” he responded. “Especially given how insular and judgmental small communities like this can be. Those children didn’t have a chance for a normal life. Their grandfather made sure of that before they were even born. And for what?”
“So that he could have someone to control,” Katherine bit out. “First Delia, then when she died, that left him with two infants to dominate.”
“It sounds as if their grandmother offered them some comfort, though.” He was trying to find a silver lining where