Page 64 of Temptress in Disguise
“You know why we’re here. May we come inside?”
He glanced at the quaint cottage and released a soul-deep sigh. “I’ll not burden Sarah with my troubles. Happen you want me to return to London and speak to the sergeant. Tell him what I know.”
“Once we’ve heard your account, we can decide how best to proceed.”
Aramis was not so calm or understanding. “If you have information that may prevent my wife hanging for murder, why the hell haven’t you come forward sooner?”
Mr Maddock appeared confused. “Who’s your wife, sir?”
Naomi told the story she had repeated to all those shocked to hear of her nuptials. “Forgive my husband’s gruff temperament, but he is merely trying to clear my name.”
“Then he’s a better man than me. I’d be lying stiff on a cold slab if I’d stayed in town.”
With his impatience for answers evident, Aramis came straight to the point. “Do you know who killed George Budworth?”
Mr Maddock glanced along the lane. “I never seen it with my own eyes, but I’d swear on my mother’s grave I saw Edwin running from the alley. The whole world knows when he’s in a temper. Happen it got the better of him.”
“Because he wants to sell the theatre?” Aramis pressed.
“No one knows what goes on in that man’s mind. He paid me to do his dirty deeds. The night of the murder, he came for the key. He threatened me with a blade when I told him I’d given it to Kendrick. Said if he saw me again, he’d slit me throat.”
While she was keen to learn more about these nefarious deeds, Aramis asked practical questions. “How long have the brothers owned the Belldrake? How did you come to work for them, and why did Edwin permit George to take the reins?”
Mr Maddock shrugged. “Edwin hired me last year. He saw me cleaning Mrs Boyle’s windows and offered me a job. He don’t like coming to town and wanted me to keep an eye on things. Kendrick has worked there since George Budworth bought the place two years ago.”
“Are Edwin Budworth and my sister lovers?” She didn’t want to embarrass the man, but the answer might explain Lydia’s need to hide.
“That ain’t for me to say.”
“But you’ve seen them together?”
“Miss Fontaine keeps company with lots of men. It’s hard to know what’s true and what ain’t, but I heard it’s to bring punters into the theatre.” He turned to Aramis and lowered his voice. “She lets them think they have a chance but never does the deed, if you take me meaning.”
It was obvious whatthe deedmeant. It sounded sordid and crude, nothing like the beautiful experience she had shared with Aramis in bed. An experience they would repeat tonight.
“Miss Gray said Edwin visits my sister in her dressing room.” The fact Naomi had never seen them together proved puzzling. Perhaps Lydia was embarrassed to have set her sights on a man without a title.
Mr Maddock nodded. “Sometimes he comes when the Belldrake is open but keeps out of sight. Sometimes he asks for the key in the dead of night. I’ve heard him threatening to kill his brother before leaving with the day’s takings.”
Naomi fell silent. It was no secret that ticket sales barely covered the Belldrake’s running costs. Maybe Edwin cared about nothing but his share of the proceeds. As siblings went, Edwin Budworth made Lydia look like a saint.
“Mr Kendrick said you gave him the key to the Belldrake on the night of the murder.” Perhaps he’d left a door open, crept back inside and bludgeoned the manager to death. “Why not give it to him the following day before you left for Hounslow?”
Aramis answered for Mr Maddock. “Because he knew Edwin Budworth would come asking for the key. He knew tensions were running high between the brothers and didn’t want to implicate himself in a murder.”
Mr Maddock bowed his head. “I knew things were bad when Edwin told me to scarper. He had a hard look in his eyes, like he was born to the devil.”
A memory of Mr Ingram flashed into her mind, as jarring as a violent streak of lightning. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re safe here.” She would never feel safe at Hartford Hall with Melissa in residence. “Edwin Budworth cannot afford to let you live.” She gestured to the quaint cottage that looked in desperate need of repair. “Think of Sarah. In being here, you place her at risk, too.”
Tears filled Mr Maddock’s eyes. “I shouldn’t have come. I ain’t been the best of brothers, but I’ll not bring trouble to her door.”
“It’s too late for regrets.” Though Aramis spoke with a hint of compassion, he came straight to the point. “You will return to London and tell Sergeant Maitland the truth.”
Naomi considered clasping her husband’s hand and urging him to follow his own advice. He would be forever imprisoned in his nightmares if he didn’t speak openly to Aaron.
With a stern shake of the head, Mr Maddock said, “I can’t leave Sarah here alone. What if Edwin comes knocking? What should I do?”
“I’m not the best man to help you in this matter.” Aramis cast her a sidelong glance. The dark, sinister veil that kept everyone out slipped to reveal the man who had made love to her with surprising tenderness. “I care about no one’s welfare but my wife’s.”
