Page 64 of Evidence of Evil
“He is a menace,” she said slowly, “and I think Frances found him so in the end. Is he not a far more likely murderer than Sir Humphrey? Who is faithful to his wife and a basically kind man?”
“You want it to be Darby because you don’t like him.”
“Frances rejected him.”
“So he rode ten miles, poisoned her or whatever, dressed her in a nightgown, and dumped her in his neighbor’s lake? I won’t say it’s impossible, but it is unlikely.”
“And we have no evidence,” she admitted, jumping restlessly to her feet. “There mustbesome. We need to look for the place she met her lover, whoever that was. It must be within fifteen minutes’ walk from Fairfield Grange.”
Quickly, she told him about her conversation with Worcester, and then with Godden. He listened carefully, his eyes never leaving hers, which made her suddenly self-conscious. She stopped speaking. It came to her, with a strange little tinglein her stomach, that the light in his dark eyes was almost…admiration.
He raised his hand and touched her cheek, butterfly light. Then he strode to the door. “We’ll begin exploring this afternoon.”
*
The discovery ofDarby’s assault—and it was already assault, however Constance chose to interpret it—unsettled Solomon profoundly. Not just in the general sense of anger against a bully and the need to protect the weak. This was something much more personal to Constance, connected to the dangers of the profession she would not leave. Such encounters upset her, and yet she never let them hold her back. He admired that spirit, that courage, even while it made him ever more anxious.
If she—to Darby’s knowledge, a respectable married lady—could face such insult here, what dangers did she face as the courtesan she was? Some men felt entitled to any woman, let alone one they considered bought and paid for.
He hated that she could be bought. He hated that she could be hurt and afraid. Somehow she had overturned all his preconceived ideas about her, personally. He should not allow his feelings to soften, and yet he did. There was danger in this fascination, and he was well aware of it. He always had been.
He should not have touched her. Even as a friend. And yet it was human nature, human comfort, and she did not object. Why would she? She was too used to the touch of men—men who did not assault her.
He strode along the passage from their room to the staircase, trying to calm the turbulence of his feelings so that he was fit for Lady Maule’s drawing room. And to deal properly with the various matters he had to.
He found both the Maules entertaining the unspeakable Darby—and John Niall, who stood to shake his hand.
“Welcome back,” Maule said affably. “How was your journey?”
“Quick and surprisingly smooth.” Deliberately, Solomon chose the chair next to Darby, who shifted away from him almost unconsciously. He was probably marshaling his defense in the event of any accusations Solomon might make. But then, they both knew the futility of any such accusations, which would only hurt the woman in question, not the man who assaulted her.
For the moment, Solomon contented himself with making Darby feel uncomfortable, and conversed with the company about the railway and London and the latest news.
Only when John rose to take his leave did Solomon grasp the opportunity for a private word with Darby.
Keeping the smile on his lips but nowhere near his eyes, he held Darby’s oddly defiant gaze. “Did you offer Frances Niall such violence, and did she threaten to tell your wife?”Is that why you killed her?
“I am not a violent man,” Darby said haughtily. He genuinely seemed to believe it. “It may be a fault that I love the ladies a little too much—I am a man of passion, after—”
“Then you did,” Solomon interrupted.
Darby blinked rapidly. “Did what?” His eyes widened in clear alarm. “Dear God, of course I did not kill her! She changed her mind, grew hysterical, and made threats, but they were no danger to me.”
“Why not?”
“My wife would not have believed them,” he said with rather monstrous complacency.
Solomon stretched his lips once more. “Oh, I think Frances would have found a way to convince her. It was what she did best. However, from your reaction, I doubt she got the chance.She had bigger fish to fry. However,” he added as Darby opened his mouth once more, “there are dangers in what you do. Dangers to you—I mean, since it’s clear you don’t pay attention to anyone else. If you ever come near my wife again, I will show you exactly what those are. In fact, if I hear of your going nearanywoman who is not your wife, I will have you so tangled up in court cases that your life will not be worth living. I expect your wife will divorce you.”
Darby’s facial expressions were almost ludicrous. His mouth worked without any sound coming out. Finally, after glancing around to assure himself that his hosts were temporarily absent, he exploded into bluster.
“How dare you address me in such a manner? How dare you threaten me? Who do you think you are, you—”
“I am Solomon Grey, and I am the man who will kill you if you ever lay a finger—or a whisper of scandal—on my wife again. Is that clear?”
“You jumped-up… Your wife—”
“Is that clear?”
