Page 56 of Mischief at Marsden Manor
“Fine,” I said. “I didn’t really think he’d done it, anyway.”
Christopher snorted. “That’s a first. You always think he’s done it.”
“Not this time. And I didn’t think he’d bashed Abigail Dole over the head back in July, either. There are limits to what I think he’s capable of.” And killing pregnant women was certainly well over that line.
“Glad to hear it,” Christopher said. “So option one is, she took the pennyroyal herself because she wanted to rid herself of the pregnancy, and she died as a result, by misfortune.”
I nodded. “Option two is that someone else gave her the pennyroyal to force a miscarriage, and it backfired and killed her.”
“That would be the father of the baby, then, I assume? Not Crispin, but someone else who didn’t want to have to settle down and marry her?”
“Something of that nature,” I agreed. “Or alternatively, someone else who wanted to prevent that from happening. I think that motive can probably be applied to several of the men present, as well as a few of the women.”
“Most of them, I would think,” Christopher nodded. “Although for many of us, it’s also not a likely scenario. For instance, I wouldn’t have wanted to marry her. But I also haven’t put myself in a situation where I’d have to.”
“No, of course not. I didn’t include you on the suspect list. Nor did I include Francis or Constance. I don’t think Francis knew of Cecily’s existence until yesterday, and if he did, it was likely only from word of mouth because Crispin had dallied with her.”
Christopher nodded. “We decided it wasn’t Crispin.”
We had. “I don’t see how it can be Wolfgang,” I said.
“We don’t know enough about Wolfgang and who he might or might not know to say for certain,” Christopher said fairly, “but I agree that it seems unlikely.”
“That leaves Rivers and the Honorable Reggie, then, along with Bilge Fortescue and the Earl of Marsden?—”
“Bah!” Christopher said.
“The Earl of Marsden, do you mean?” I sniggered. “I agree with you. I doubt he would lower himself to dally with one of his daughter’s friends. I doubt Cecily would have wanted anything to do with him if he tried. And there’s no way Lady Euphemia would have let him live if it had happened and she found out.”
Laetitia and Geoffrey’s mother was a scary woman. Lord Maurice, meanwhile, was a friendly and likeable dumpling of a man who certainly didn’t have ‘great seducer’ written anywhere in his makeup.
“You asked Dominic Rivers,” Christopher asked, “I suppose? It seems like something you would do. Ask a bloke you barely know straight out whether he’d begat an illegitimate child on a woman.”
I nodded. “Of course I did. What’s the point in being well-mannered about it?”
He didn’t answer, and I added, “Besides, the fact that I barely know him, and really don’t care what he thinks of me, makes it easier rather than harder to ask him invasive questions.”
Christopher rolled his eyes. “What did he say?
“He said he would have married her if it had been his child, but it wasn’t. And I believe him; marrying Cecily would have been marrying up, wouldn’t it?”
“It would,” Christopher agreed. “Probably not him, then. Unless you think he had a reason to lie?”
“I never underestimate the reasons people may have for lying. But I don’t see how that particular lie would have helped.”
“Unless it was his child and he didn’t want to marry her, so he killed her,” Christopher said.
“Yes, of course. I don’t suppose we can write him off entirely. He did spend part of the evening with her. And he did have access to the dope.”
“But you don’t think it was him.”
“I didn’t get that impression,” I said, “no.”
“The Honorable Reggie, then?”
“I don’t know anything about Reginald Fish. I’m not sure I’ve even heard his name before.”
That might indicate that he was one of the more well-behaved members of the Bright Young Set, and not inclined to get up to trouble or to talk himself into Cecily Fletcher’s bed. Then again, looks can be deceiving.
