As Death Draws Near (20 page)

I caught the look Bree was giving me and wrinkled my nose in a scowl. I was not about to attribute my hunger or my finicky appetite to anything other than the result of a vigorous walk and thoughts of a disgusting dish.

“Is that why you've been so mopey lately?” I asked.

Her expression turned wary. “What do you mean?”

I glowered at her, letting her know she wasn't fooling anyone. “You've been uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, and downright uncommunicative at times.”

Her face went blank, and she stared straight ahead, refusing to look at me.

“Oh, come now, Bree,” I pleaded more gently. “I know you're unhappy. Won't you tell me why?”

“I didna ken I was required to report my every thought to ye.”

Her tart retort was like a slap in the face, and my head reared back as if it had been one. I was well aware that I was overly familiar with my maid. I certainly didn't need her to remind me of it. If she wanted it to be different, to be normal, then so be it.

“As you wish,” I replied, lengthening my stride so that she would fall behind me, as was proper.

“M'lady, I'm—” she gasped.

But I cut her off. “Let's not dawdle now.”

I was glad when she didn't try to speak again.

•   •   •

G
age was indeed waiting for us when we emerged through the door by the gardeners' cottages and rounded the corner of the abbey, but it appeared he'd only just arrived. He leapt down from the phaeton and paused at the sight of us crossing the front lawn.

“And where have you been?” he remarked with a smile.

“Out to the pond and over that hill dotted with sheep,” I started to explain.

His grin quickly faded. “Beyond the abbey walls?”

I paused before answering, uncertain of his expression. “Yes. I wanted to see if I could figure out where Miss Lennox . . .”

“Why would you do such a thing without me when you know two women have already been murdered there?”

“Why wouldn't I?” I scowled in growing aggravation. “I was perfectly safe, Gage. Bree came with me and the workmen are there preparing the wall. No one was going to harm us.”

“That may be so, but no one would have been able to see or hear you once you were on the other side of that hill.”

“And how exactly do you know that?”

He tapped his hat against his leg, his eyes darting across my face, searching for some reason not to answer me. “Because I went to look there two days ago.”

I arched my eyebrows in mock outrage. “Without me?”

He did not find my reaction humorous. “Yes.”

“Well, I suspect you didn't find what we did because you wouldn't have even known to look.” I blinked my eyes up at him. “So may I please tell you now, or would you like to scold me further?”

I took his silent glare as assent and swiftly informed him of Mother Fidelis's sketch and what we'd discovered.

His brow puckered in puzzlement. “That is interesting. Though I don't quite see yet how it fits with her murder or Miss Lennox's.”

“
Yet
being the operative word.” I moved forward so that he could help me into the carriage, and then I waited for him to hand Bree up to the footman's bench and take his place beside me. “I'm almost certain there's a road behind that wall, running west to east. Do you think we might drive down it? And then we should pay a visit to the priest at the Catholic Chapel. Mrs. Scully implied he might have some pertinent information for us about some ‘going-ons' Miss Lennox had gotten herself involved in. Her words.”

Gage sat quite still through this entire speech. “You've been busy today.”

“Of course I have.” I clutched my reticule in my lap,
staring over the front of the carriage at the Friesian black horses. “Someone tried to intimidate us last night, threatening to burn down the house we were sleeping in. If two murders weren't incentive enough, that certainly was.”

I felt his hand steal into my own, the warmth of his touch reaching me even through our gloves. “If they decide to return, they won't find us so taken by surprise. Or quite so unarmed.” His boot nudged a long canvas package lying at our feet in the front of the carriage. “I've seen to that.”

I glanced up in surprise as I realized they were almost certainly guns. Rifles, if the shape of the bundle was any indication.

“Courtesy of Corcoran. And he's agreed to spare a pair of cadets to man the gate lodge.”

“Well, that's somewhat of a relief.” A thought occurred to me. “Do you think these cadets can be trusted?”

“I should say so. But if not, we'll not be defenseless.”

I nodded.

He picked up the reins and prodded the horses with a flick of his wrist. “Now, let's go see about this road of yours, but I'm afraid the priest will have to wait until tomorrow.” His voice turned wry. “We've been summoned to a dinner party by Mr. LaTouche. You remember him?”

“From the constabulary.”

“Yes. Well, apparently all of the most eminent of Rathfarnham's citizens shall be there, and we simply
must
grace them with our presence.”

I smiled at the sarcasm in his voice.

“In other words, I do believe we are about to face an inquisition of the village's Protestant elite.”

“And we must attend?” It sounded like it would be about as much fun as an autopsy, and I'd had my fill of those long ago.

His demeanor turned sympathetic. “I'm afraid so. If for no reason other than it will give us a chance to question some men who have been dodging my visits.”

I sighed. “All right. If nothing else, I suppose it can be hoped they won't be serving boiled baby.”

He flicked a startled glance at me.

“You might know of it as roly-poly.”

He shook his head as if to clear it. “I know what it is. My father still talks about how they served it on board ship when he was in the Royal Navy. He tells a horrid story about trying to explain the translation to a Spanish general, which, of course, he finds absurdly hilarious. But what made you think of that?”

“Oh, Bree told me they were preparing it belowstairs at the abbey.”

“I see.” He slowed the horses as we came to the crossroads. Left would lead into town, while to the right sat the cottages we had seen from a distance behind the abbey. Instead, he drove us forward, toward where it looked like the road ended, but in truth it only turned at a right angle to head east.

I could tell immediately this was our road. It was extremely narrow, crowded between two towering walls, the sky blocked by overhanging trees. It was not a road I wished to traverse at night, but in the midst of a sunny summer day, it was quite lovely. Light dappled through the leaves on the overgrown track, as the trees swayed in the breeze, singing an airy, shuffling lullaby. Here there was no birdsong, and no encroachment of humans, not even the thwack of an ax or the scrape of a hoe. Lichen had overtaken much of the stone walls, perfuming the air with its earthy scent.

I didn't have to ask Gage to drive slowly, for the lane was filled with more right-angled bends, directing the road on a crooked course between what must have been the boundary between two properties. Populated by people who didn't desire to mix, if the height of the walls was any indication. I guessed the wall to the south bounded the full domain which formerly belonged to the original owners of Rathfarnham House. But what demesne lay to the north?

When I asked Gage, he considered my question for a moment before replying. “If I had to guess, I would say Rathfarnham Castle. From what I understand, the estate and parklands attached to it were quite extensive. But that land has long since been divided and given over to different uses.”

I nodded, remembering how Homer, the Priory's gardener, had told me that part of it was being used as a dairy farm a short time ago. Now that I'd seen the road and the second wall blocking off the castle's old land, it was even more difficult to believe Miss Lennox or Mother Fidelis had ventured beyond the other wall. I tapped my fingers restlessly against the carriage seat, trying to make sense of it all as Gage turned the phaeton around at the spot where the road widened beyond the walls and drove us back through the narrow lane.

Then something else Homer had said tickled at my brain. Something that could explain a great deal. It seemed fantastical, but it was at least worth considering, and paying another visit to the Priory gardener.

M
r. LaTouche's country home, Eden Park, lay only a short distance from the Priory, though I daresay we could have walked there by a more direct route as swiftly as we drove there. In fact, I suspected the grove of trees and chimney smoke I'd spied to the south, half a mile from the border of the Priory's property, belonged to Eden Park. Mr. LaTouche had declared they kept country hours, so the sun was still high in the sky on this long summer day as we pulled up to the columned exterior of his home in our borrowed phaeton. I supposed the grand classical white marble façade might appeal to some, but to my eyes, it looked like someone had attempted to re-create the Parthenon in the midst of the Irish countryside. I found I much preferred the quaint, almost rustic appearance of the Priory, with its ivy-covered walls and chimney, and rough-hewn stone.

Gage leaned toward me with a grin as we pulled up the drive. “Rather suits Mr. LaTouche's perception of his consequence, don't you think?”

My lips quirked. “Rather. Let's just hope he doesn't have an obelisk or shrine tucked away somewhere in his garden so we don't have to speculate on his perception of that.”

Gage snorted. “Just so.” Then his voice turned wry. “Although I don't think you shall have to worry about voicing that thought, for he shall do it for you.” He nodded toward
the door and I turned to see Marsdale standing atop the steps speaking to our host and a younger man beside him.

I supposed I should have ceased being amazed at where Marsdale turned up. In any case, I was not altogether irritated to see him. I figured we could count on him as an ally, and that was better than none, even if his ribald humor could sometimes be disconcerting.

Gage had told me he'd encountered Marsdale on more than one occasion about Rathfarnham as he sought potential witnesses with helpful information they were willing to share. I'd been spared his presence as I'd spent much of my time at the abbey. Though Gage admitted, albeit somewhat begrudgingly, that Marsdale had been more useful than he'd anticipated. Together they seemed less like a lone man on a single-minded mission, even as charming as Gage could be, and more like a pair of gentlemen out on a lark. Somehow this had made a few people more comfortable sharing what little they had about the abbey, the nuns, and the town in the form of gossip.

Apparently Rathfarnham was of three minds on the Sisters of Loretto. One, they were happy the sisters were there, and grateful for the services they provided the community. Two, the sisters stayed to themselves and had no effect on them, so they were content to leave them be. Or three, the sisters were a scourge that needed to be driven out. The first group consisted of Catholics, just as the third was Protestants, and their answers to the other questions posed became quite predictable. Either the women who were murdered were saints, or they'd gotten what was coming to them.

However, the second group seemed to be a mixture of the more apathetic Catholics and tolerant Protestants, and as such, their other answers were more interesting. There was some hinting that the nuns didn't stick strictly to their proscribed duties, nor inside the confines of their walls. How or why they knew or suspected this, they wouldn't say, still being too mistrustful of us as outsiders. Others suggested there might be some resentment on the part of a number of Protestants in
the community because they feared the sisters would attempt to convert their children. They admitted this made little sense because no one would be forced to send their children to the day school they proposed to open. There was already a Protestant-directed school in town their children could attend. But this proved how unreasonable people could be when it came to matters of religion.

So while Gage had little luck in finding out if Mother Fidelis's relatives might have stayed at a local inn, or uncovering which gentleman might have loitered at the pond outside the abbey—it seemed there were too many with residences in the area to differentiate—he had still had some fortune in gathering information. I had seen how frustrated he was growing at the villagers' refusal to speak with us, but now here was something he could point to, and I was grateful of it. Fear was no small motive, and fear for one's children even more so. If someone had been genuinely frightened for their children, irrational or not, would they have tried to do something about it? Would they have resorted to murder?

I couldn't answer that, but maybe one of the people here tonight could, even though I suspected most of their children had private governesses and tutors or attended elite schools in Dublin or England.

Mr. LaTouche grinned broadly as we climbed the steps toward him, looking as polished as ever, almost as if he'd been dipped in shellac. “Mr. Gage, Lady Darby, how good of ye to join us.”

I didn't fail to note he'd addressed me by my courtesy title when I'd asked him to call me Mrs. Gage. I was quite certain he had not forgotten.

“Ye look lovely as the sunset, sure ye do,” he added as he bowed over my hand.

I smiled tightly in response, feeling his compliment might have been a bit heavy-handed given I was wearing a dinner dress of golden yellow silk. It was one of my favorite gowns, in spite of its abnormal shade. The drapery crossed in front, allowing a hint of the blond lace chemisette underneath to
peek out. It boasted short beret sleeves of a more moderate width than most current fashion, with longer sleeves of white gauze extended from the top of the puffed sleeves to end in a ruche of blond net. Even my headdress of dark violet with white ostrich feathers surprisingly suited me. At least in this ensemble, I knew that I complemented instead of detracted from Gage's impeccable appearance.

Mr. LaTouche gestured to the young man beside him. “May I present my son, Colin.”

I could see the resemblance. He possessed the same raven dark hair, the same Irish blue eyes, but where his father was stiff, and rather too polished, Colin was relaxed and self-assured. In some ways, his demeanor reminded me of Gage—the careless, almost effortless charm and grace of a very attractive man, who both knows it and has learned no one likes a man who preens. However, Colin's manner was still colored by youth, and I couldn't help but wonder if ten years ago Gage had been much the same.

“Just returned from Oxford,” Mr. LaTouche announced with pride.

Gage congratulated him and shook his hand. “Any plans to see the continent?”

Like many young aristocratic and genteel men, Gage himself had embarked on the Grand Tour after his graduation from Cambridge. Though he had also taken an extended detour in Greece.

Colin's eyes gleamed. “I leave within the week.”

“Good man.”

“Perhaps you've some tips for the lad.” Mr. LaTouche's eyes were a shade less excited than his son about this undertaking, and I felt myself begin to soften toward him at this display of apprehension—a clear indication of his affection for his offspring. Maybe he was not entirely like Lord Gage.

“Of course,” Gage replied. “I'm at your disposal.”

Colin thanked him, and we passed through into the house, leaving our hosts to greet those who were climbing the steps after us.

The inside of the house was every bit as grand as the exterior, with high, soaring ceilings and wide rooms. No amount of gilding had been spared, and ornate moldings and cornices drew the eyes upward toward the murals painted on both the drawing room and the dining room ceilings. Why anyone should wish their guests to stare upward while they dined rather than conversing with one another, I did not know, but they were lovely, and I would have enjoyed examining them more closely at leisure. The drawing room ceiling depicted figures of Greek myth, while the dining room hosted angels, from strategically draped adults to small cherubs.

“You'd think the artist could have let just one of those togas slip.”

I turned a quelling look on Marsdale seated to my left. We were not a large party, only about a dozen total, most of whom were men. Mr. LaTouche, I learned, was a widower, and so could perhaps be forgiven this awkward arrangement. The other two women were obviously good friends with each other, and though polite, neither of them had the slightest bit of interest in me.

In any event, I was the highest-ranking female, thanks to my late husband, and Marsdale the highest-ranking male, so we were given the dubious pleasure of sitting at the middle of the table across from our host. This nod to French etiquette made me wonder whether Mr. LaTouche had more of a continental connection than just his name, or if he simply wanted to be at the center so that he would not miss a word of what was said.

Thus far, nothing had been mentioned of our inquiry, our conversation rather being filled with inconsequential things, but I knew that would not last. And indeed, as the second course of salmon on rye and stewed soles was laid before us, Mr. LaTouche looked up with a smile of commiseration. “Tell us, Lady Darby, how goes your inquiry into the misfortune of those two nuns?”

I glanced toward where Gage sat several places down the table to Mr. LaTouche's right, uncertain how much to reveal,
and caught sight of Colin's anxious frown. It was evident he didn't approve of his father's choice of conversational topic. “We're making progress,” I replied obliquely.

“That's excellent to hear. But no suspects to arrest yet?” His eyebrows lifted in query.

“No.” Then to stem any criticism, I added, “One has to be absolutely certain of such things before smearing a good man's name.”

“Certain, though, ye are, that it is a man?” a gentleman, who I seemed to remember being another mill owner, asked while licking sauce from his fingers. “It couldn't've been another one of these nuns?”

“Well, nothing is definite at this point, but we are relatively certain, yes.”

“I hear you've spent some time with the sisters inside that convent of theirs.” Dr. Lynch, a professor at Trinity College in Dublin, leaned forward in interest. “What was it like?”

“Much as you'd expect,” I replied, and then realized I had no idea what these men expected. “They keep to a strict schedule. Prayers, meals, classes, tending the garden and other areas of the abbey. It's very quiet, and for the most part peaceful, as are most of the sisters. The sort of place no one ever imagines murders happening.”

“But they did.”

I looked up into the hard eyes of Mr. Gibney, a man whose occupation—if he had any—I could not recall. He seemed to be the type of man who disapproved of anyone and everything, and delighted in nothing so much as correcting and belittling other people. “Yes.”

Before anyone else could ask me a question, Gage leapt into the small silence, rescuing me. “Actually, there is one thing we could use your assistance with.”

Mr. LaTouche perked up with interest. “What's that, Mr. Gage?”

Gage's mouth curled in a self-deprecating grin that still somehow managed to cajole. “We've been informed by several
witnesses that a man dressed as a gentleman was seen ambling about an area behind the abbey which we're told is, or used to be, called The Ponds. This area is close enough to where both women were discovered to cause some concern.” He raised his hand to forestall any arguments. “We know there might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for why this gentleman was there. Perhaps he's interested in architecture, or is a student of history. He could have been bird watching.”

I nearly choked at this reference to Miss Lennox's dubious excuse, and then my hand tightened around my fork at hearing the lie he so easily delivered next.

“Whatever the reason, at this point, we have no proof he had contact with either of the women. But the fact that he has not come forward to explain his presence, you see, is cause for some concern.” His eyes scanned the faces at the table, as mine did. “So if any of you know who happened to be there, please ask him to speak with us, that we might eliminate him from our suspect list.”

“What's it matter if a gentleman was there?” the mill owner asked. “'Tis clear to me he has nottin' to do wit dis.”

“You must be quite the prescient then, my good man,” Marsdale remarked, raising his glass to him.

“I don't like any untidy loose ends in my investigations. They cause problems for the King's Counsel later,” Gage explained. “And this gentleman may have seen something that could help us, something he may not even realize has importance.”

“Could it be one o' the Ribbonmen?” Dr. Lynch remarked as the footmen entered and began to whisk our plates away to be replaced by the next course. “After all, some of dem dress and display the mannerisms of a gentleman.”

I glanced sideways at the professor. That was as sly an insult as I'd ever heard pronounced, and from the look in his eyes, I didn't think he realized he'd even given it.

“Maybe. They're all up in arms about these tithes,” one of the other men interjected, and the conversation dissolved into a discussion of politics.