Page 19 of Dark Tidings on the Thames
She was correct. Knocking, they found Beth still clad in her nightshift and curled up in bed. Gyda stood at her wardrobe, tossing clothes at her. “Time to rise,” she commanded. “We are going and I do not wish to hear an argument. It will do you good.”
“Where are you going?” Niall asked as he followed Kara in.
“I’m taking Beth to Donnelly House, as my guest,” Gyda declared over her shoulder. “A long soak will help her feel better.”
Gyda was proud to be, to date, the only female voted into the private, very exclusive bathhouse.
“That’s a good idea,” Kara said. “But Emelia wants you both to come down to breakfast.”
“We’ll eat at the baths. They serve the best kedgeree in London.”
“Will you spare a moment to speak with us first, Beth? We have questions for you—and a bit of news, too.”
“News?” Gyda spun around. “Has Scotland Yard tracked the cobbler down, then?”
“They did,” Niall said, his tone full of irony. “After he showed upat Bluefield begging an audience with Kara.”
“What?” Beth sat up, her eyes wide. “Are you all right?”
“Perfectly all right,” Kara assured her. “We wanted to tell you all about it and see what you think.”
“But what did he say?” Beth asked, pulling on a dressing gown. “Was it an argument gone too far? Did he say what happened?”
“He denied everything,” Niall said flatly.
“He would, wouldn’t he?” Gyda snorted.
“He not only denied killing Miss Foulger, he vehemently declared it was not him who was harassing her. What are your thoughts on that, Beth?” Kara watched the girl closely.
Beth seemed to seriously consider the matter. “Well, Glynn was convinced it was him. She was furious about it—mostly because she was so frightened. She hated going anywhere alone at night, because she said footsteps followed her and figures darted in the shadows. Even locked up tight in her rooms, she wasn’t left in peace. Stones or rubbish would come flying at her window at all hours of the night. There would be pounding at her door—but no one ever saw anyone outside it. Then came the notes and drawings.” Her face grew red. “Terrible, they were. Mean and… explicit. We found them everywhere. In the streets outside her home, outside the Wardrobe, in Covent Garden. Everyone knew they depicted her.”
“How did they know?” asked Niall.
“The scar on her face?” Kara asked.
“Yes. Glynn has always been self-conscious about it, but when the broadsheets exaggerated it… and they were so vile… she was mortified and furious.”
“Did she ever catch a glimpse of Yardley actually at any of it?” Niall asked. “Did she see or know anything that made her so certain it was him?” His brows rose. “What about when her cart was destroyed? Were there any witnesses to it?”
“None that I am aware of, but who else could it have been? Theywere often tussling with each other, and their arguments were long, loud, and full of temper.”
“It must have been a relief for her when Yardley was dismissed,” Kara said.
Beth nodded. “It was. It was like a weight rolled off her, especially after the Duchess of Rowledge paid to have her stall rebuilt.”
At Kara’s questioning look, Gyda spoke up. “The duchess and her friend, the Countess of Canfield, are the founders of the Waif’s Wardrobe.”
“The farmer had blamed Glynn for it all, but the duchess’s kindness fixed everything between them,” Beth explained.
Thoughtfully, Kara nodded. She wasn’t well acquainted with either of the founding ladies, but she thought she might like to be.
“I know Glynn felt good about Yardley being gone, because she felt that the many women who volunteer there were safer.” An odd expression crossed Beth’s face and she paused a moment. “But, you know, she had begun to fret again in the last few days. She grumbled about the Wardrobe becoming a hunting ground for unscrupulous gentlemen. I thought she was still talking about Mr. Yardley, but could she have meant someone else?”
“Of course she could,” Gyda stated. “There’s no shortage of men willing to harm women, should they be given the chance.”
“I’m beginning to think that another man might be a possibility,” Kara said. “And not just because of Mr. Yardley’s denials.” She told them about her encounter with Lily. “The girl seemed sure that Yardley was just a convenient answer, and the killer might still be unknown.”
“Lily is young, but she’s no fool,” Beth said. “She knows everyone in the Garden and she watches everything. She sees quite a bit for herself. If she said that much, she likely has a reason to believe it.”
