Murder on Charles Street - Leighann Dobbs Page 0,38

across from Katherine’s chair, Dr. Gammon’s son took a seat. Katherine gaped, momentarily speechless to find him at the gathering. If he was here, she could have been searching Dr. Gammon’s house at that very moment!

But wait, shouldn’t he be at home, in mourning? He wore black from head to foot, but aside from his aloof demeanor, he showed no visible signs of grief. The moment he recognized her, he narrowed his eyes. He focused on his wine glass rather than confront her in company.

As the dinner started to get underway, the guests chattered as they helped themselves to the scrumptious dishes uncovered by the staff. Katherine regained her faculties. Mr. Gammon would not be able to leave the table until the host bid everyone to do so. That meant he was entirely at her mercy. If she wanted answers from him, she would find no better time than the present. And now that they were in company, he certainly couldn’t act as rude as he had when he found her in his father’s study. She had him precisely where she wanted him.

As Katherine piled her plate high with food, she struck up a conversation. “Mr. Gammon, I’m quite astonished to see you here tonight. I would have expected you to be at home, given recent events.”

At his side, Lady Dalhousie wrinkled her nose. She looked from her dinner companion to Katherine and back again as she trailed her fingers along the glittering necklace at her throat. “Do you know each other?”

Mr. Gammon gave a tight smile. “Only in the barest of capacities, I assure you,” he mumbled under his breath. He directed the comment to his plate and lifted his fork to occupy himself.

Katherine wasn’t about to let him wriggle out from under her thumb so easily. “Oh yes. In fact, I was a friend of his father’s. His father, Dr. Gammon, lived only two houses away from my own. I’m afraid he died earlier this week.”

Miss Ball gasped, raising her napkin to her lips. “I’m terribly sorry for your loss, sir.”

She tilted her head toward Katherine, widening her eyes in a speaking look. It was the first time Katherine had seen her look anything but meek.

Mr. Gammon spared Miss Ball the barest of glances before stopping, turning back, and lingering over her with a frown. “Thank you, Miss…”

Katherine sighed inwardly. She waved her hand at his dinner companions. “To your…” She paused, reorienting herself in her head. “To your left is Lady Dalhousie, and to your right is her niece, Miss Ball. Ladies, this is Mr. James Gammon.”

Miss Ball cleared her throat. It would have been a delicate noise, if not for the urgent look she shot at Katherine.

Belatedly, Katherine amended, “Miss Ball is an accomplished musician.”

She blushed prettily, laying her napkin in her lap as she simpered. “Why, Lady Katherine, you flatter me.”

Had Katherine ever thought her modest? Perhaps it was all affected, and she was as shameless as her aunt.

Mr. Gammon inclined his head toward her, the picture of gentlemanly manners. “If she speaks truly, you must play for me at some time. What instruments do you play?”

“The piano. I’m also a fair hand wit—”

Miss Ball had mistaken Katherine’s attention to the gentleman in question. Somehow, she had gotten it into her head that Katherine meant to pair the two! Nothing could have been farther from the truth, not when Katherine suspected the man of murdering his father. Although she held Lord Westing’s daughter as a more likely suspect, she still had not discounted his son.

Pointedly, she said, “I didn’t see you in the parlor, Mr. Gammon, or I would have introduced my companions sooner. Truly, I didn’t expect to find you here tonight at all. I would have imagined you to be deep in mourning.”

The look he shot her contained not a sliver of gratitude for the sympathy in her voice. “I’m afraid I was a late arrival. I would have stayed home altogether, for my father’s sake, if I hadn’t accepted this invitation weeks ago. I could not leave my gracious host with an uneven number of guests.”

Considering that Katherine had been a very recent addition, they were already at an uneven number of guests. However, she didn’t get a word in edgewise as Miss Ball made a cooing sound more akin to a bird than a woman.

“How very brave of you, to honor your host in such a way. I must admit, it is my pleasure to have you.” Her cheeks deepened with