Page 15 of Secrets of Capell Manor
Rosalind nodded and then stood. “I have to start the children’s lessons. Please excuse me,” she said curtly as she gathered her mug and trencher.
The men waited until she left the room, and Alden shook his head, “I do not think our lady is telling us all she knows.”
Devlin looked down the hall. “I agree, Alden. I agree.”
After completing their meal, mostly in silence, Benton appeared with Ridley tagging along. The man and boy cleared the table.
“I’d like to speak to you, Benton. Right away,” Devlin said, using a tone that left no question that he would tolerate anything other than immediate compliance.
“Certainly, sir,” Benton replied. “Let me return the tray to the kitchen, and I will return post haste.”
Each step was painfully slow. But Devlin also noticed the loving respect Ridley showed Benton. He carried the water pitchers so that Benton’s tray was not overly heavy. And he didn’t run ahead. He walked with Benton and never seemed to mind his snail’s pace.
“You’ve got time for a lie-down before he gets back,” Alden jested.
Not in the mood for jokes, Devlin’s scowl was fierce, but he did not offer to comment.
“Grim will make room for you by the fire.”
A frustrated grunt escaped from Devlin, but he was now alone in the great hall. His mind worked to deduce who was the most likely suspect in Lord Capell’s demise. Yes, the discovery of his horse, saddled and no rider, led him to conclude that the lord had most likely died. But was it foul play or an accident? Even if he were thrown from his horse, he would have died from the elements by now, and wild animals would have taken his remains. However, considering that Henry had made a search and another by her ladyship and her servant, he was more inclined to believe foul play was involved. And if there was a crime, it was not committed by common thieves. Ruffians would have taken the fine saddle, bridle, and the horse itself.
Devlin heard the soft shuffle of feet and looked up to see Benton entering the room.
“Send Ridley to the stables if he is free from duties this afternoon,” Alden said as he stood to leave. “I have some repairs to my saddle that I need done. The boy can help.”
Devlin nodded, and Alden left the room. Benton made his way to the table. He motioned for the butler to sit, and the old man sat gingerly in the chair across from Devlin.
For a moment, the two men looked at each other. The only sounds heard in the room were the occasional crackle of the fire and Grim’s soft snores.
“Benton,” Devlin finally began. “Were you witness to the tense exchange that occurred between Lord Capell and Lady Rosalind the last night he was seen?”
“Yes, sir. I was in the dining room when the altercation began,” he replied.
“And what did you believe your Lord was angry about?”
“Oh, he was enraged about what he was usually angry about, Sir Devlin. He was furious about the state of his finances, or lack thereof, I should say.”
“Didn’t Capell bring in enough money from the rents of his lands?”
“Lord Edmond collected the rents each year, as he should have. He also received funds from Lady Rosalind’s estate. But he was not wise in managing his funds.”
Benton’s face flushed with emotion. Devlin could not tell if it was from anger or maybe it was sadness.
Benton continued, “This lord squandered every shilling he had on drink and whoring. And what he had left, he gambled away. I served his father, and my father served this family two generations before that. The Capell name was respected once. But no more!”
“Yes, I gather from the questioning Alden conducted in the village and the farms that no one held him in high esteem.”
“And the way he treated his only relation. Lady Rosalind was more of a servant here than his niece and heir. A disgrace, I tell you!”
Devlin hadn’t thought about Rosalind’s value. Value in that she would inherit not only her father’s lands but also Capell’s.
Devlin wondered if the king had planned to use Rosalind to bolster allegiance from the border lords through a marriage contract. “Who was to decide on Lady Rosalind’s future husband? Lord Edmond or King Charles?”
“I understood that the king would allow Lord Edmond to choose her husband, but he would not turn loose of her estate unless the future groom agreed to continue the work Edmond does to ferret out and report any suspicious activity to the king directly. The king fears that the Parliamentarian movement will gain in popularity, and he wants to know which of his lords and citizens would support a rebellion,” Benton said.
“So, the king wishes to strengthen his alliances along the border of Wales,” Devlin said more to himself than Benton.
But none of this was particularly nefarious. Marriages were arranged all the time. It was a woman’s duty to secure her family’s future or benefit her country with a sound marriage arrangement.
