had. Hopefully, Bree could find a servant who could answer this question once and for all.
In any case, I was soon distracted by the stench of decay that still lingered in the hexagonal chamber where the corpse had been laid out in a niche. It seemed to have soaked into the very dirt and stone, as well as the bone and fabric of the neighboring monks, though I knew this was more my imagination at work than the truth. A quick survey of the other recesses showed these bodies were long dead, so we moved on to the next chamber.
When the catacombs branched off in two directions, we split into two groups, with me and Gage following Lord Edward, while Trevor partnered with the other brothers. The temperature grew incrementally colder as we neared the entrance. The wind swirled through the stone chambers, making me glad I’d chosen to wear my winter cloak.
As we regrouped in the outermost chamber, I spied a set of stone steps leading up toward an opening which at one point must have boasted a door, but now stood wide open to the sky. Neither trio had had any luck. From all appearances, the remainder of the crypt had been undisturbed.
I frowned at this discovery—or lack thereof. Not that I’d wished for the valet to be found dead. But his continued absence only seemed to point the finger further in his direction. It answered many of the questions, including one that had just come to mind.
“It must have been cold in early December,” I remarked as I pulled the fur-lined hood of my cloak over my head. “And yet the victim didn’t appear to have been wearing a greatcoat.” I looked up at Gage. “Unless you found one and didn’t tell me?”
“No, there wasn’t one with the body,” he admitted.
Did that mean he hadn’t worn one, and so had come down the tunnel from inside the castle, or had the killer taken it along with his other possessions? But if he’d been wearing it during the attack, it would have been splattered with blood, and so useless and incriminating to the murderer.
“Then Helmswick must have come from inside the castle. The killer must be Warren,” Lord Edward exclaimed, latching on to the explanation just as I’d known the family would. After all, it neatly cleared all of them from blame. And who was this valet anyway? Just a lowly servant, one who wasn’t even answerable to them. A better scapegoat could not have been found.
“Now, let’s pause one moment.” Gage’s brow had lowered in irritation. “We are getting ahead of ourselves. Yes, I agree this Mr. Warren warrants further investigation. But not thirty minutes ago, all of you were still doubtful of the identity, if not adamant the body could not be Helmswick.” He glared at the Kerr brothers. “Now you are sure it is him?”
“I agreed there was a possibility it was him,” Lord Edward protested. “One that’s grown stronger.”
Lord Henry nodded in agreement, though he didn’t seem as certain as his older brother.
“Well, my opinion has not changed,” Lord John declared, pointing his finger back in the direction we came. “That body you found is not Helmswick. It’s not.”
At least, he was consistent.
I studied his features—the hard line of his jaw, the spark of defiance in his dark eyes, as if he was daring us to contradict him. “How can you be so certain?”
“Because I am! You haven’t shown us any conclusive proof. And until you do, I won’t believe it. I’ll go to Paris, and track down my dashed brother-in-law myself, if I have to, just to show you you’re wrong.”
I didn’t know what to make of this display of temper. Did he know something the rest of us didn’t, something he refused to share? Or was he trying to protect someone—most likely his sister—and he thought the best way to do so was by stubborn denial?
“Well, we’re going to pursue all angles until we have enough proof either way,” Gage told the men in a stony voice. “And until then, we’re going to treat all the evidence equally.” He flicked a glance down at me, crooking his arm. “Now, let’s discover what these abbey ruins look like.”
Though the late afternoon sun was blocked by heavy clouds, after the dark of the crypt the sky was almost blinding. True to my prediction, snow had begun to fall. The soft flakes swirled through the air on the stinging breeze, dampening my cheeks. Putting my