Page 16 of Secrets of Capell Manor
Devlin thought for a moment, “But what of the children? Ridley said Capell had found a way to recover his losses concerning Luella and Kaylyn as well. What did he mean?”
Benton lowered his gaze for a second, but when he raised his head, he looked Devlin right in the eye. “I was not privy to Lord Edmond’s plans for the girls. But I do know that many of his acquaintances were some of the most unsavory of characters with the blackest of hearts. I have no doubt that our girls could have ended up leaving with any one of the degenerates he often associated with.” Benton’s eyes teared up.
Was this the type of man the king relied on? Did King Charles know the depravity of Lord Edmond’s character? Or maybe the king did not care. His main concern was protecting the absolute power of the monarchy.
Devlin was afraid of what Benton would reply, but he asked, “Did Edmond abuse the children?”
“He tried, Sir Devlin. The children often raised his ire. But Lady Rosalind never allowed him to harm them. She kept them out of his sight as much as possible, but sometimes that wasn’t enough. She would then become the object of his anger and suffer for it.”
Devlin thought of Rosalind. Her devotion to the children and her obvious love and care for the servants was unlike anything he’d ever seen or experienced. Her affection and fondness for the entire household was not something seen amongst the nobility. Devlin thought about how fortunate she was to have found a family, though unconventional, that obviously adored and loved her in return after being sent to live with her rotter of an uncle.
Devlin steered the discussion back to the beginning. “Let’s return back to the night in question, the last night Edmond was seen. What happened after Capell struck Lady Rosalind? Did she fight back?”
“The argument became very heated,” Benton said. “Lord Edmond told her she would soon be gone, and his troubles would be over.”
Devlin leaned in, “Go on. What did she say?”
“She told him that she would never marry any of the churlish swine that he wanted to sell her off to. She then left the hall and ran to her chamber.”
“Did Capell follow?”
“No. He downed his goblet of wine and yelled for another. I gave him another and then left,” Benton answered. “Usually, when he was in that dangerous of a mood, he went to the village for more drinking and to find a whore, willing or unwilling.”
“Did you hear Capell come back to the manor that evening?” Devlin prodded.
Benton shook his head, “No, but that wasn’t unusual. He often stayed out all night.”
“Did you see anyone else leave the manor after the argument?” Devlin stared into Benton’s rheumy eyes. “Answer carefully.”
Benton paused. “No, I did not see anyone leave the manor.”
Devlin sat back in his chair and sighed, “Thank you, Benton. I don’t have any other questions. Could you please ask Marta to come here? I’d like to question her now.”
“Very well, sir.” Benton rose from the table and again began his trek back to the kitchen.
As the flames from the fire danced in the hearth, he realized that everyone in the manor had the motive to see Lord Capell dead. But it was unfathomable to him that anyone here could actually accomplish the deed. The risks were too high. His thoughts were interrupted as Marta entered. He motioned for her to sit down.
Devlin didn’t need to hear any more about how much of a louse Capell was, so he thought he would get to the point with his questions for the cook. “Marta. Did you hear the argument or see the altercation between your lady and Lord Capell on the night he was last seen?”
“Oh, no, sir,” she replied quickly. “I was in the kitchen and I didn’t even know there was anything going on until Ridley ran in and got the girls and said they needed to hide. I then knew something had happened. I made sure the children got up the stairs, and then I peeked around the corner.”
“What did you see?” Devlin hoped to glean some new information.
“I saw Lady Rosalind running from the room. Lord Capell sat for just a moment, downed his wine, and threw the goblet to the ground. He yelled for more. I made sure he didn’t see me.”
“Did you see Lord Edmond after that? Even later in the evening or through the night?” Devlin asked, but he knew the answer.
“No sir, no, I didn’t.”
Frustrated, Devlin waved his hand, dismissing her with a long sigh. There was only Lady Rosalind to question now. He left to seek her out.
Grim, feeling rested after his nap by the fire, joined him as he searched for the lady of the house. She had said she would be conducting the children’s lessons. After finding no one in two of the downstairs rooms, he finally heard voices in the stairwell, and laughter. Grim was attracted to the sound, and he led Devlin up the steps and down the hall to a solarium.
Moving quietly, he approached the open door and peered inside. The room boasted several large windows that surprisingly held glass instead of being covered with wooden shutters. Warm sunlight filtered through each one, casting swathes of light throughout the room.
A fireplace helped keep the chill from the room, and a comfortable woolen rug, dyed red, sat at the edge of the hearth. In the middle of the chamber, a sturdy wooden table stood with six chairs around its perimeter. Two additional tall-back chairs rested against the far wall, and a settee was positioned in front of the fire.
The room was warm and comfortable. It was obvious Lady Rosalind and the children spent much of their time here. A basket of blocks, a collection of homemade dolls, and a sewing box with threads and unfinished embroidery pieces rested by the settee that was near the fire.
