Page 35 of Dark Tidings on the Thames
“Excellent. We will require a list of those guests. We will question them, but I must assume, if you speak the truth, that your son did not kill Glynn Foulger. There is, however, the matter of the very distasteful harassment he subjected her to.” The inspector raised a hand as the earl began to object. “And now we know he’s begun the same pattern with another young woman.”
“Ridiculous. You can have no proof of such a thing.”
Niall bristled. “I saw him in the act tonight, with my very own eyes.”
The earl looked him up and down, sneering at his kilt—and likely at his dirty knees. “And who the devil areyou, sir?”
“You are understandably distraught, sir,” Wooten said. “It is no surprise that you do not recognize the gentleman.” He turned to Niall. “Your Grace, if you will permit me to present the Earl of Fenton?”
“Your Grace?” The other man’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “Who the hellareyou?”
“As I said, you are perhaps too upset to recognize the Duke of Sedwick? I believe he is known by most of Society as a favorite of the queen. Were you, perhaps, present at Her Majesty’s soiree a couple of months past, where she presented him with an award for courageous service to the nation?”
The earl gaped.
“Shall we step into my office to discuss the matter?”
Fenton’s belligerence returned. “No. I want to see my son. If I hear he has been treated with anything but the utmost respect—”
Wooten sighed. “We have multiple witnesses of your son’s disgraceful behavior.” He pulled out the file and flipped it open to read what was inside. “And physical evidence, as well, it seems.” He looked up. “In addition, your son confirmed his transgressions in his discussion with us this morning.”
“He was likely intimidated,” the earl blustered.
“You cannot excuse his misdeeds, my lord. Nor should you.” The inspector pursed his lips. “Here is the thing. This sort of violent emotional reaction doesn’t just come from nowhere, does it?”
He waited, but the earl did not respond.
“Here is what I am going to do, my lord,” Wooten continued. “If you continue to bluster and discount our very convincing evidence, then I am going to speak with your neighbors at your country estate.To the villagers nearby. To your servants. To the servants who have been dismissed from your household. Then I will go to the very fine school I am sure your son attended, where I will interview his professors and fellow students.”
Fenton had grown noticeably paler.
“Yes, you know exactly the sort of stories I will hear about your son, do you not? I shall collect them all into a file.”
“And do what with your file? My wife is a cousin to the commissioner’s wife,” Fenton declared with quiet triumph.
Wooten nodded. “Ah. Then perhaps you will be successful in keeping his misdeeds quiet—for a while. But every constable, detective, and inspector in the Metropolitan Police will hear the whispers. And they will be watching. Please, I beg you to do your best to turn your son to more honorable pursuits, for if you do nothing to curb his abusive behavior toward those less fortunate than him—those it should be his duty to care for—and he engages in this ugly sort of harassment again—”
“Then you will do what?” Fenton demanded.
Wooten shrugged. “I am an inspector. I have newspapermen dogging my heels day and night looking for a story—the more sensational, the better. I think a young nobleman allowed to indulge his cruel urges would make for some very clever headlines, don’t you?”
The earl glared, but did not respond.
“Good, we understand each other, then.” The inspector waved a hand to indicate the officer standing guard outside the interview room at the end of the passage. “The constable will allow you inside to see your son, but he may not yet leave.”
“When?” Fenton asked.
“Not for a little while longer. We will let you know when it is time.”
Fenton stalked past them without a further word.
“That was well done,” Niall said when he and Wooten finallyreached the inspector’s office.
“Frye should be in soon,” Wooten said, dropping into his chair. “He will have to let go of the harassment charges against Mr. Yardley.”
“He won’t like that,” Niall said. “He will like it less if he spots me and knows I have something to do with the bad news. I should go before he sees me.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. That was a good catch. You may have stopped the young man’s cruelty from growing even more dangerous.”
