Page 19 of A Body, A Baron, and Miss Mifford
“If it’s pastries you’re after, I know that cook has some delightful French Fancies hidden away,” Jane offered before her tone turned more serious, “But if you’re looking for clues, Eudora, I beg you to stop. It’s rather obvious who killed Lord Albermay - Ivo and Northcott are keeping an eye on the suspect and will approach him when the time is right.”
“Who do they think it is?” Eudora pressed, keeping her tone lightly curious.
“Is it not obvious?” Jane smiled, “Lord Albermay; he arrived uninvited and immediately drew his father into an argument about money. He was overheard shouting that he’d spent his quarterly allowance before the first month had lapsed.”
“How on earth did he manage that?” Eudora could not, for her life, imagine how a gentleman could burn through so much coin in such a short space of time.
“Well-heeled gentlemen are masters of the art of extravagance,” Jane answered, her tone amused, “Especially ones as partial to a tipple as the new viscount. He petitioned his father for an increase in his allowance, but the late Lord Albermay refused, and from what we overheard of their shouting, he was not at all pleased. He made all sorts of threats; I would not have allowed him to stay if I thought he’d follow through on them.”
Jane looked so wretched that Eudora reached out to pat her arm.
“It’s not your fault, Jane,” she assured her sister, “The fault lies with whoever it was that murdered Lord Albermay.”
“Yes,” Jane agreed, offering her a grateful smile, “That’s true - and it was Lord Albermay himself who asked me to put his son up for the night.”
“He did?” Eudora could not help but raise a brow.
“Yes - according to Lady Albermay, such arguments between the pair were not unusual. They would often have terrible shouting matches, insult each other awfully, and then everything would be forgotten a few minutes later. How unfortunate that this time, the argument could not be forgotten.”
Eudora nodded her head in agreement; it did sound as though the killer had been correctly identified.
“I suppose I shall have to wait to solve a murder of my own,” she said, trying not to sound too despondent.
“You still have the mysterious body on the Bath Road,” Jane reminded her with a gentle smile, “And, on a nicer note, you have Lord Delaney to keep you distracted.”
Again, Eudora feigned great insult as she spluttered indignantly at the very idea - but inside, she had to agree that she was most glad to have Lord Delaney nearby.
CHAPTER SIX
AFTER HIS MEETINGwith Miss Mifford - or Eudora, as he now liked to refer to her in his mind - Rob had spent the afternoon attempting to investigate Lord Albermay’s murder. Unfortunately - apart from a frosty luncheon - the other guests had mostly retreated to their rooms.
The only opportunity he’d had to question one of the suspects was when he had stumbled across the new Lord Albermay in the library. Alas, the viscount had been so inebriated that he was almost unconscious, and Rob had given up on the task.
Now, as he dressed for dinner, he idly wondered what - if anything - Eudora had discovered. From a brief chat with Lord Crabb after lunch, Rob had gathered that the finger of blame was pointing quite squarely at Lord Albermay’s son.
“What’s this?” Higgins, Rob’s valet, queried as he tidied away the jacket Rob had worn earlier.
Rob turned and found the valet holding the old silk doll which Lady Albermay had taken from the bed in her husband’s room.
“That was found in Lord Albermay’s room,” Rob quickly clarified, lest Higgins thought it his, “I forgot that I’d taken it.”
“I can return it to his man when the time is right,” Higgins offered, “He’ll know what to do with it.”
Rob nodded, then paused thoughtfully, “While you’re there, might you press him on who he thinks the murderer might be? No one knows more about a gentleman than his valet.”
Higgins nodded in agreement. A valet washed, dressed, and took care of their employer’s most intimate tasks—Higgins probably knew more about Rob than he did himself.
“Though I doubt the man will suggest someone other than the main suspect,” Rob continued as Higgins handed him a brush to lather his shaving oil.
“Oh?” the valet raised a brow, his tone suspiciously innocent. Higgins was many things, but he was not a man who liked to miss out on a morsel of gossip.
“Lord Albermay’s son,” Rob informed him, “Though it goes without saying that that’s between us.”
“Of course, my lord,” Higgins solemnly swore as he took the brush from him and replaced it with a freshly sharpened blade.
As he removed the shadow on his jaw, Rob’s concentration was trained on the mirror, so he did not realise Higgins’ disquiet until he had finished shaving.
“What is it, man?” he queried as he noted that the valet’s mouth was twisted into a frown of worry.
