Page 40 of Secrets of Capell Manor
“The children, are they Edmond’s bastards or Lady Rosalind’s?”
Devlin explained that the children were neither but were the children of servants who had passed away years prior.
Accepting Devlin’s explanation about the children, he inquired about Edmond’s men. “I, too, find it odd that Edmond’s guards are absent. Where did they go?”
“They left when Edmond could no longer pay them,” Devlin said flatly.
“From what I see here, Edmond didn’t spend his money on the upkeep of his home. It is practically bare of any comforts, and what is here is worn and tired. And the lady of the house dresses practically in rags. I know the king compensated himfor the information he provided, and he had funds from Lady Rosalind’s estate. Why weren’t his guards paid? Where did the money go?”
Devlin was relieved that Kelly had noticed the state of disrepair the manor was in. And he was grateful that he noticed that Rosalind had not been afforded the luxuries of a lady of her title. “He had a weakness for strong drink and spent too much time at the gaming tables. But I think I need to dig deeper to find the true reason his accounts were depleted. I think there was more going on than just losing at the tables.”
“And your reason for thinking this way?”
“On the first day after our arrival, I asked Lady Rosalind if Lord Edmond kept ledgers or records. She directed me to his study, and there I found what I expected to find. Lord Edmond carefully considered the rents he collected from the estate lands, the sale of some livestock, and a few other receipts. But then I also found another ledger that recorded debts he owed and those who owed him.”
“And do you know who he owed? Any of these men could have sought out Capell.”
“No, unfortunately, the ledgers had no names. Just a single initial is recorded next to a total.”
“And what of the debts? Were any of enough amount to justify the risk of killing one of the king’s loyal and trusted barons.”
“In my opinion, no,” Devlin stated with regret.
How easy it would have been if that were the case.
Edward Kelley stayed quiet for some time. And when he finally did reply, he posed a question that Devlin dreaded.
“And what of this Roland Kirkeby? His message to the king was quite, shall I say, passionate in his petition. He claims that Lord Capell owed him, and he didn’t get his payment due to some interference. What do you know of this?”
Devlin took another deep breath. He’d hoped that Kelley hadn’t spoken to Kirkeby or at least wasn’t aware of Roland’s claim to Lady Rosalind. He knew he had to tell the truth about Roland’s claim, but he wasn’t going to implicate Ridley in any way. Only Ridley and Capell knew that the contract proposal was drafted, and Ridley was the only one who knew that the document wasn’t actually sent. And as far as he was concerned, Kelley didn’t need to know about the boy’s involvement.
“Kirkeby contends that he won Lady Rosalind in a card game.”
Kelley blurted out loudly, “Capell handed his niece over after a card game? That’s preposterous! The king would never approve of this union. Kirkeby isn’t even titled!”
Devlin was grateful for Kelley’s indignation. The man was arrogant, but he seemed to have something of a moral compass. His arrogance could play in Devlin’s favor in this particular aspect of the investigation, so he continued with more details.
“Kirkeby claims that he beat Capell soundly, and his winnings totaled more than Capell could pay. Supposedly, Capell offered an all-or-nothing hand. Roland accepted, and he won. When Capell couldn’t pay his debt, he offered Lady Rosalind as payment, but he stipulated that he couldn’t just take her and that Roland would have to marry her.”
“At least there was that,” Kelley said dryly. “Still, it is unacceptable, and it never should have been considered. However, Kirkeby claims that Capell submitted a betrothal contract to the king. Is this true?”
“I found no draft of a document in his study nor anything written in his ledgers that would indicate Lady Rosalind would be used to cancel out a debt.”
At least that wasn’t a lie.
“And Lady Rosalind, did she know what her uncle had done?”
Devlin chose his words carefully, “Lady Rosalind was aware, yes. I questioned her extensively about the agreement between Capell and Kirkeby. She knew very little of the details except that they were both nearly passed out drunk when the men agreed to this outlandish plan. She was surprised that Kirkeby even remembered. She also added that she assumed the king would never allow it.”
“So, she is not fond of Kirkeby then?”
“I think not. He appears to be cut of the same cloth as the uncle. A lover of too much drink and gaming. No, she does not favor him in the slightest.”
“It seems to me the person who benefits the most from Lord Capell’s death is right here under this roof. It’s Lady Rosalind.”
Devlin muttered a curse under his breath. He had tried to steer Kelley toward Capell’s debtors as the most likely suspects, but he failed. “It is true. If I were the lady, I wouldn’t want to be sold off to a drunkard like Roland Kirkeby, but Lady Rosalind? She is too kind. I cannot believe she is capable of murder.”
“You’d be surprised at what the supposed “weaker sex” is capable of, Sir Devlin. Look at what she inherits with Capell gone. She is the sole heir to this estate and her father’s as well.”
