Page 45 of Murder at Hambledon Hall
Angry enough to kill?
Chapter10
Mr. Crippen was keen to talk. I didn’t have to prompt him to tell me about his confrontation with Shepherd. He seemed to think talking about it would exonerate him.
“My sister is a good woman,” he began. “She has never been in trouble before, never put a foot wrong, untilthatman came along.” Hearing his voice rise, he quickly glanced around to make sure he hadn’t been overheard, then leaned forward. “Shepherd convinced her he was in love with her. He took advantage of her gentle nature, her goodness, and made her fall in love with him. It was easy with his handsome face and honeyed words.” He sat back. “I didn’t know any of this at the time. It wasn’t until it all ended that she told me, when she paid me a visit on her day off. She was upset. Shepherd had lost interest in her and moved on to a new girl, a maid at the house, or some such.” He shrugged, the detail not important to him. “My sister was heartbroken, but Shepherd didn’t care. He was cruel to her, calling her a desperate and sad pest he couldn’t get rid of. He demanded she leave him alone. He even told her she should leave the employ of the Kershaws. The nerve of him!”
I could imagine how it had been. Shepherd had simply lost interest in her, but she thought she’d done something wrong and wanted to know what. Her questions were persistent, and he loathed being held accountable for his feckless nature. Mrs. Browning had led me to believe the couple were in love. Perhaps Miss Crippen had been, but Esmond Shepherd never had. It was clear he had been a predator who knew how to manipulate women.
“My sister complained to Lady Kershaw about his behavior, but her ladyship wanted nothing to do with it. She told her to ‘buck up’ and ‘get on with it.’”
“Did she dismiss your sister?” I asked.
The arrival of his meal distracted him for a moment. He waited until the waitress left before continuing. “Not in so many words, but her ladyship made it clear that she ought to resign.”
“It’s fortunate she could return to London to keep house for you.” Realizing how that sounded under the circumstances, I apologized profusely. “That was terribly unfeeling of me.”
He gave me a blank look.
“You need help at home after the passing of your wife,” I clarified.
He frowned. “I’ve never been married.”
That was another point Mrs. Browning had got wrong.
“Where can we find your sister? We’d like to?—”
“You’re not talking to her about that man. She’s upset enough.” He picked up his knife and fork but didn’t give his chops any attention. “The murder was nothing to do with either of us. In fact, I wasn’t the only one arguing with Shepherd that day. When I approached his cottage, I saw him with two other men. I saw one of them clearly, but the other had his back to me and was partly obscured by a tree.”
“Can you describe the one you saw?” I asked.
“Full black beard, dressed like a laborer. He wore a gray cap. I noticed it because I wore a similar one.”
The description matched Mr. Faine, the agitator we’d met in the Red Lion who was up in arms about the blocking of the bridleway.
Harry indicated the food. “Please eat. There’s nothing worse than cold mashed potato.” He watched as Mr. Crippen cut into his chop. “Did you hear what the argument was about?”
“A pathway, or something of that nature. Shepherd told the black-bearded man he was going too far. His tone was scolding, annoyed.” Mr. Crippen forked the meat into his mouth.
They must have been discussing the bridleway, with Shepherd telling Faine to cease his demands for it to be reopened.
“Did the third man say anything?” Harry asked.
“The gentleman? Yes, he did. Now what was it…?”
“You said you never saw him so why do you presume he was a gentleman?”
“His accent. He said something along the lines of ‘We’re not pleased with your vehemence.’ He may not have used the word vehemence, but that’s the gist. He sounded annoyed, too. The black-bearded man didn’t like being scolded and told them in no uncertain terms that he was only doing what they’d discussed. He got quite heated.”
“Did either he, Shepherd or the gentleman become violent?” I asked.
“No. The conversation ended, they left, and I went to speak to Shepherd.” He scooped up a forkful of mashed potato. “May I eat in peace now?”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Crippen,” I said.
We left him to his meal and exited the chophouse. The sky had darkened while we were inside, but it wasn’t yet night and the streetlights hadn’t come on. I didn’t ask Harry to walk with me back to the hotel, and he didn’t offer. He simply did it.
“Faine wasn’t telling us the entire truth.” I realized how unrealistic the notion of a thief being truthful was and gave a wry huff. “It sounds like Shepherd and the unknown gentleman wanted Faine to agitate for the reopening of the bridleway. The question is, why did they want it reopened? Indeed, why did Lord Kershaw want it closed in the first place? Whatever the reason, the gamekeeper didn’t agree with it.”
