practical, she leaned forward and braced her elbows on the table. “By the by, did you do it, my dear?”
“Y-you need ask?” replied Kate.
“Yes,” replied her fellow ‘Sinner.’ “If you did stab the man, I imagine there would be a very good reason for it, and we would need to start marshalling the facts for your defense.”
In spite of her shock, she felt a burble of laughter well up in her throat. “Oh, Charlotte, what would I ever do without your stalwart support and unshakable sense of humor? You are quite the most wonderful friend in the world.”
Charlotte blinked several times in succession. Carefully removing her spectacles, she polished them on the sleeve of her wrapper. “You are very special to me, Kate. The Circle of Sin has been a blessing in my old age. But let us not get too sentimental.”
“Aye,” piped up Alice. “The magistrate will be arriving at any moment, so you had best come with me and get dressed, Miss Kate.”
“I am sure we will all soon be summoned to face him,” agreed Charlotte.
The speculation proved quite accurate. Within a half hour, word was sent to all the guests requesting their immediate presence in the drawing room.
Standing by the portal, rigid as a pillar of carved marble, the duke avoided meeting Kate’s eye as she passed. His expression looked as though it had been sculpted in stone.
Once everyone was accounted for, Cluyne cleared his throat. “I regret to inform you all that an unfortunate incident has taken place here at Cluyne Close. Sometime during the night, Colonel Von Seilig was…” He hesitated, seeming to struggle with how to phrase the death.
The magistrate had no such qualms. “The gentleman was murdered,” he announced loudly. “The coroner has not yet made an official pronouncement, but that is a mere formality. There is no question of it.”
A collective gasp greeted the statement.
“Sir Reginald Becton, our local magistrate, will be conducting the investigation,” said the duke, introducing the man by his side. “He will, of course, need to ask all of us some questions.”
The other ladies in the room looked confused or frightened, noted Kate. Save Charlotte—and Lady Duxbury, who fixed her with a spiteful look.
Word must have already spread about the knife.
The gentlemen, though solemn, were quick to voice their own queries.
“Have you apprehended the perpetrator?” asked Rochambert.
“I thought England was a civilized country—how did a murderer gain entrance to a duke’s abode?” demanded Vronskov.
“Do we have any idea why?” said Lord Allenham.
Sir Becton raised a hand to silence the murmurs. “Colonel Von Seilig’s body was discovered early this morning in the conservatory with a knife pierced through his heart.”
The dowager Countess of Hammond let out a little moan and began rummaging in her reticule for her smelling salts.
“As to who and why, that is my business to find out. And be assured that I will.” He raked the group with a grim gaze. “To begin with, I shall speak with each of you individually about last evening. The duke has allowed me use of the morning room for that purpose, and I will begin with the ladies.”
“Surely that is not necessary,” said Vronskov. “The fairer sex should not be subjected to such an ordeal. They are far too delicate.”
The magistrate’s mouth curled in contempt. “I’ll be the judge of that, sir. Perhaps in your country no female has ever committed a violent crime. But I rather doubt it.”
The Russian looked affronted but had no retort.
“Lady Hammond, I shall begin with you, if you please.”
Revived by a whiff of vinaigrette, the elderly matron rose from the sofa. The rustle of her dark-hued skirts and flapping shawl around her reminded Kate of a ship of the line setting sail into battle. Her two daughters dutifully followed in the mother’s wake.
“Hmmph.” Becton’s eyes narrowed, but then he gave a grudging nod. “Very well, I’ll see the three of you together.”
An uneasy silence descended over the drawing room. Chairs had been arranged near the hearth, and one by one, the guests settled down to wait, scrupulously avoiding each other’s eyes. Several servants quietly set up a table with refreshments, but no one appeared to have any appetite.
Kate chose to stand by the windows, while the duke began pacing the length of the room. Marco, she noted, was the only one who looked unaffected by the shocking news. If anything, he seemed bored by the proceedings. Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled from the curio cabinets to the display of rare engravings,