Page 54 of The Hollow of Fear
“You are welcome to it.”
“And one last thing before I let you go, ladies. Have you heard, by any chance, of a man Lady Ingram might have loved as a girl, before she married Lord Ingram?”
“We have, but fairly recently. The first we heard was this past summer.” The ladies each opened a large diary and found the record almost simultaneously. The last day of June, as a matter of fact.
“Do you believe it?”
Lady Somersby closed her diary. “That’s difficult to say. We had thought, at first, that it made a great deal of sense. But now when we consider everything together, we ask ourselves, as much as it pains us to do so, whether Lord Ingram might not have had a hand in its dissemination.”
Treadles stiffened, recalling his own doubt about the likelihood of Lady Ingram giving up everything for a man.
“To what end?” asked Fowler
“Should people doubt the validity of the initial reason given for her disappearance—her health—he could then fall back on a different one. Much more embarrassing, granted, but believable—that she might have run off with the man she loved—with no hint of wrongdoing on Lord Ingram’s part.”
This was exactly the explanation Lord Ingram had given. It didn’t mean that Lord Ingram had lied—Treadles prayed that he had not—but it now behooved Treadles to proceed with at least as much skepticism as did ladies Avery and Somersby.
Did Lord Ingram understand the uphill battle he faced?
Treadles remembered him standing outside the icehouse, staring off at nothing in particular, with only his cigarette for companion.
He understood. He understood better than anyone that he was in a fight for nothing less than his life.
“Since you are vocal about where your suspicions fall,” said Fowler, “let me ask you, then, ladies, do you think anyone other than Lord Ingram might have wished Lady Ingram harm?”
“I know a number who would derive a certain satisfaction if he found grounds to divorce her, but frankly I can’t think of anyone who would want herdead,” said Lady Somersby.
“What about Miss Charlotte Holmes?” Fowler asked.
Lady Somersby grimaced. “I must say, Miss Holmes had never displayed the slightest interest, benign or otherwise, in Lady Ingram. She is a difficult one to understand, that one.”
“Lord Ingram insists that he would not have proposed to Miss Holmes, even if he were a free man. He also insists that Miss Holmes would not have accepted any proposal from him, not even today. How do you assess those statements?”
“Well, it is true that Miss Holmes had turned down some highly eligible men in her time.” Lady Avery frowned, but shook her head. “I can’t predict with any accuracy what she would do, if she were presented with a proposal from Lord Ingram, as a free man.”
“Even in her current state of ruin?”
“Even so. Miss Holmes isodd, Chief Inspector. And I don’t mean eccentric. Eccentric is wearing two hats on your head because you like it. Miss Holmes’s oddity is both different and... larger.”
“The fact that no one can be sure she will accept a proposal from Lord Ingram—does it not undermine your claim that he would murder his wife to make that proposal possible?” Treadles pointed out.
He certainly wanted to believe that.
“Not as much as you would imagine, Inspector. First, Lord Ingram could very well be prepared for an initial rejection. As long as he remains an eligible man, he would be able to repeat the same overture and gradually wear her down. Second, Miss Holmes is in a difficult position. She has diminished her parents’ standing and severely impaired her sister’s chances at a good marriage. She knows it. And she knows that only by marrying a man in a position of power and prestige can she hope to undo some of the damage.
“And third, but perhaps most important, Lord Ingram might not be able to help himself on this matter. Part of the reason he was eager to marry Lady Ingram was because she appeared to require a knight in shining armor to rescue her from her penury. He could easily convince himself that he was the cavalry charge Miss Holmes didn’t know she desperately needed.”
“Lord Ingram does not seem to me a fanciful sort of man,” countered Fowler. “In fact, he appears very much in control of himself.”
“Lord Ingram is good at appearing so. But he is a man in love, and a man in love will do just about anything for the object of his affection.”
Fowler’s eyes widened. “You allege that Lord Ingram is in love with Miss Holmes?”
Lady Avery exchanged a look with her sister. “Why, isn’t that obvious?”
12
The interviewwith Lady Avery and Lady Somersby did not conclude there.
