Page 68 of The Hollow of Fear
Having spoken to all the staff, Charlotte was inclined to agree. “The men who came with the crate were lucky. The station agent is a talkative chap and probably told them everything they needed to know—and their arrival coincided with the mass migration of Mrs. Newell’s guests.”
“They seemed to know the estate rather well for strangers,” Lord Bancroft pointed out.
“Mrs. Watson and I toured the grounds a few days ago, before the imbroglio with Lady Ingram. We were given a map of the entire estate and its walking paths, and on the reverse side was a smaller map of the house, the garden, and the outbuildings. Perhaps the men who put Lady Ingram in the icehouse had done a similar tour earlier, which would have given them all the familiarity necessary for their task.”
Great country estates often permitted sightseers on the grounds—some even allowed the public rooms of the house to be viewed, when the family was away. And it was not uncommon to have maps at hand for the tourists, so that they would know how to proceed.
“But why did those men choose the icehouse? Why not dump her body in the gardens? And is the icehouse even labeled on this map you speak of, the one handed out to tourists?”
Lord Ingram and Charlotte exchanged a look.
“You are right. It may not be,” said Charlotte. “I don’t recall seeing the icehouse on the map.”
“Then why?” Lord Bancroft murmured, as if to himself.
“You were out in the afternoon, did you find out anything?” Lord Ingram asked his brother.
“I went to see the body. Couldn’t quite believe it until I’d seen it with my own eyes. The pathologist is arriving tonight—Scotland Yard wanted their own—and the autopsy has been scheduled for the morning. We’ll see if we learn anything. What do you suppose she did to turn Moriarty against her?”
“I thought it was simply a case of his having no more use for her. But Holmes disagreed. She thought a woman such as Lady Ingram would be highly valuable, even after she had lost her proximity to you.”
“I agree with Miss Holmes. Which makes the entire matter even more incomprehensible.”
No one said anything else for some time. Charlotte ate doggedly. It was enough that her lack of appetite had struck fear in the hearts of Mrs. Watson and Lord Ingram. She didn’t want Lord Bancroft also to wonder about her current state of mind.
Lord Bancroft broke the silence. “Those are excellent garments, by the way, Miss Holmes.”
“Thank you, sir. Men’s clothes are far more interesting than I first assumed. I have now made a rather thorough study. Do feel free to inquire,” she said solemnly, “should you find yourself with questions concerning the latest fashions in gentlemanly attire.”
“I will be sure to take advantage of your expertise, if and when the need arises,” the perpetually stylish Lord Bancroft answered with equal gravity. “Have you been handling cases that necessitate dressing as a man?”
“Not yet. But Mrs. Watson and I both thought that it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. It would be only a matter of time before such a case arose.”
“What made you think that you’d need men’s garments for a two-week stay in the country?”
“I didn’t think so, but they are rather like new toys. I didn’t want to part with them.”
“You’ve also had practice speaking and acting as a man.”
“Mrs. Watson was a professional actress—and her butler had been on the stage, too. They make for excellent tutors.”
Charlotte, who didn’t have a high voice to begin with, had learned to pitch it much lower. She didn’t need to drop it a whole octave for Sherrinford Holmes—no one expected that gentleman to have a gravelly voice—but she could, if necessary.
“Quite a bit of practice. I thought you were an odd fellow, but until Ash mentioned Sherlock Holmes, I didn’t think you were Charlotte Holmes.”
“Why, thank you, my lord.”
“My point is, you didn’t arrive overnight at this level of proficiency. And I can’t see you putting in this much effort for a mere nebulous future need. What is going on that I don’t know about?”
Charlotte glanced at Lord Ingram, who took a bite of his filet of leveret, and seemed to concentrate on only his chewing.
“Well, before this unfortunate incident with Lady Ingram, Ash and I were discussing taking a trip abroad after Christmas. While under my parents’ roof, I rarely set foot outside of Britain—something I wish to rectify. And Ash, of course, could use some time away from Society.
“My reputation is beyond recovery, but he still has his to think of. And since the children would have come along, we must conduct ourselves withsomesemblance of propriety. If I could pass for a man, well, then, problem solved.”
Lord Bancroft was in the middle of slicing through a vol-au-vent of chicken. He stilled. “Where were you thinking of going?”
This question was directed at Lord Ingram, who took a sip of his wine and said, “Warm places, since we would have left in the middle of winter. Spain, Majorca, Egypt, the Levant. By the time we reached India, it would probably have been unbearably hot in the plains, but the hill stations should still have been pleasant.”
