The Wicked Wager (28 page)

Nutters rang for the duchess instead of
commenting any further.

The duchess strolled in serenely and
artfully arranged herself on the chair.

“Would you like some tea?” the duke asked,
buying time.

“I should be asking you if you would like
tea. After all, that is
my
job,” she said, amused.

Nutters mentally slotted the duchess as
insensitive.

The duke, in turn, ignored her jesting
mood. He spoke
coldly, “Were you out of bed last
night?”

“What time?” she asked, still smiling.

“After midnight”

“Yes, I was. I often walk around the house
at night as you know. Last night was especially momentous, since I saw a
strange vision of a man walking down the hallway. I followed him hoping to
speak to him. He did not look like my father, so I think it was one of your
ancestors visiting. Spirits have a way of knowing when a tragedy is about to
strike a family. They must have come to give Esther support.”

Nutters choked on his tea. He glanced in
alarm at the duke who ignored him.

“What did this man look like?”

“He was tall and blonde. I only saw his back,
before he disappeared into the darkness.”

“I see, did you have any reason to dislike
Esther?”

“Yes, I never liked her. She was nosy and
controlling. She always thought she was better than me, since I do not come
from an aristocratic family. She never liked the fact that you married someone
below your station. She would have preferred if you had kept me on as a
mistress.”

Nutters made another strangled sound.

“Are you about to die on us? Is the tea
poisoned?” she enquired mildly, glancing at Nutters.

“The tea is fine,” the duke snapped.

“So, how did she die?” the duchess asked,
yawning.

“She was stabbed,” he said shortly and then
asked, “Did you do it?”

“I wouldn’t ask how she died if I had done
it, now would I? What sort of knife was it?”

“A butchers knife,” the duke replied
shortly.

“Ah, the spirits knew,” the duchess said
triumphantly.

“What do you mean?” Nutters asked, sitting
up.

“Why, I think that blonde vision was giving
me a sign. I distinctly saw some sort of blade in his hand. The candle I held
reflected off its surface. I thought it was a sword and the man from the dark
ages. But now I see it was a warning for what was to come. I told you all a
danger was coming, and no one believed me. They are often vague in their signs,
and only when a thing comes to pass do you realise what they meant.”

Nutters looked visibly excited at this
news.

“Do you have anything else to add, anything
further to tell me?” the duke asked, ignoring Nutters.

“No”

“You may leave”

The duchess floated out of the room. She
still wore her white robe over her nightdress. She presumably wanted to return
to bed.

“She saw the murderer!” Nutters exclaimed
as soon as the door closed.

“It is possible,” the duke said
thoughtfully.

“A tall blonde man … that fits only one person,
and that is the earl.”

“You are wrong. It also fits the next
person we are going to speak to, Joe the under-gardener,” the duke corrected.

“He is our man!”

“Let us first speak to him and then decide.
Don’t throw your list into the fire just yet, Nutters.”

A handsome young man entered the room. His
clothes were cheap, and mud stains splattered his shoes. Dark shadows stood
stark in his white face. He stood nervously, shifting from one foot to the
other. He clutched his hat in a deathly grip.

The duke indicated the chair, and he
hesitatingly did as he was bid. He sat.

“This is Mr Nutters, and he will be here
during the entire conversation. You may speak freely in front of him.”

“Em, who do you suppose did it?” the earl
asked.

The two couples had met in the empty music
room to go over the day’s discoveries.

“I am not sure, though I think it could be
… Prudence? She had the most to lose,” Emma replied.

“Do you think she is capable of murder?”
Catherine asked dubiously.

“I think anyone is capable of murder if
cornered,” Lord Raikes replied.

“Even the duke,” the earl added.

Catherine did not deny it.

“Emma heard him threatening Lady Babbage.
We also know he was in some sort of difficulty, since we read his letter to Nutters.
He had sounded grave in his letter, and he even stated that he was no longer
sure what action he may take, since the situation was so dire,” the earl said.

“What about Mr Barker?” Lord Raikes broke
in, catching sight of his fiancée’s distressed face.

“He was scared of a mouse. I doubt he could
murder anyone,” Emma scoffed.

“Mr Barker was in financial difficulty, and
how can we be sure Lady Babbage had nothing against him as well? He was deeply
troubled and tried to involve me in some grand speculation. He was forced to
appeal to an acquaintance for money. He could also have been aware of
Prudence’s situation. He could not want his daughter’s name ruined either. He
may not care about her, but he does care about his own family’s reputation,”
Lord Raikes paused and then spoke further, “The same holds true for Mrs Barker.
It is more likely that she became aware of Prudence’s condition.”

“I can imagine Mrs Barker wielding a knife
but not her daughter or even her husband,” Catherine mused and then added, “Did
you notice that man … not Nutters, the other one. I think he was the
under-gardener. I wonder why he was invited?”

The earl proceeded to fill Catherine in.
She had been unaware of her aunt’s attempts to blackmail the earl and all that
Lady Babbage had revealed of her association with Joe, until now. It had
slipped everyone’s mind due to the events of the day.

She heard him out in silence.

She finally said, “Joe must have done it.
Why else would the duke invite him to our conference this morning? He must have
some suspicion. He was the only outsider apart from that London detective.”

“You may have something there … I say, what
about our old chap Pickering? He was in the house as well,” the earl said
excitedly.

“Just because he tailed you last night and blabbered
to the duke does not mean he is the culprit. You have not forgiven him for
ferreting your secret out. I do not think he is a possible suspect. Lady
Babbage was a highbrow. She never acknowledged anyone of the servant class. The
only reason she noticed you, Richard, was because I showed interest in you,”
Emma scoffed.

“I agree. We cannot consider him seriously.
That man spent the entire night chasing the two of you. He gave an accurate account
of your activities. I doubt he would have provided you both with an alibi if he
had committed the crime. He would have liked as many suspects as possible. He
could have sneaked off once you went to Emma’s room for the night, but he did
not know if you would leave your room again. Besides, I also observed Lady
Babbage’s indifference to those lower in status,” Lord Raikes said.

“I disagree,” Catherine said, turning to
address Lord Raikes, “I admit I never saw her treat the servants badly, though
she did ignore them. But how then do you account for the fact that she was
blackmailing Joe? He was the under-gardener, after all.”

They all fell silent at that.

The earl fervently hoped it was Pickering.
He wanted to believe it was him, yet something nagged him at the back of his
mind. He had overlooked a crucial fact. He pushed his antipathy towards the
butler aside and examined his thoughts impartially.

He spoke slowly, “Do you remember, Em, I
told you that Joe had recently lost his finances and that circumstances had
pushed him to become a gardener? I have dealt with him, though not at length,
since the duke employs forty under-gardeners. I noticed him when I realised the
man knew even less about gardening than I did. I felt sorry for the fellow and
helped him out a bit. I had, at the time, mentioned to you that I did not
believe he had always been a servant. What if Lady Babbage had been the reason
he had lost all his wealth? He could have travelled to the estate to beg her to
release him. She would have found his presence convenient for any of her
nefarious plans.”

“He sounds more and more like our man. He
had been reduced to wearing rags and struggling for his livelihood. He is the
strongest contender, along with Prudence. That also clears Pickering,” Lord Raikes
stated.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Emma, seeing the dour faces around her,
said, “Let us for a moment forget this awful discussion. It could have been
anyone. No one liked Lady Babbage, and everyone had a reason to harm her.
Instead, I want to ask my cousin if I should wish her happy. I see the two of
you are no longer arguing. On the contrary, I believe he has caught your hand
under the cushion. I saw you discreetly tugging away.”

Catherine blushed and nodded her head.

Emma leapt up and hugged her.

The next few moments were spent joyously,
the horror of the day pushed to the back of their minds but not forgotten.

***

The duke met them all after dinner in the
saloon.

“I have to answer a number of questions. I
do not yet know who committed the crime, though certain facts are being
investigated by Mr Nutters at this very moment. We will have a clearer picture
tomorrow. My sister’s body is being kept with the family doctor until the
funeral arrangements are made. I believe Emma is organising that with the help
of my daughter.”

“When can we go home?” Mrs Barker asked.

“You may leave only after the
investigations are completed. Now, I know some of you are wondering where your
belongings are, things which Lady Babbage borrowed.” He paused and then went
on, “They will be returned to their owners. I will need Catherine’s help to
identify all that did not belong to my sister. Then you can all take a look at
what is left and identify your property. Though, I doubt we will find much. If
that is the case, then I will compensate you for your losses.”

Mrs Barker looked visibly pleased at this
news. She would no longer demand to go home until her jewels were returned or
well compensated for.

The duke walked over to the fire place and warmed
his hands. With his back to the party, he said, “I am surprised at all of you.
None of you have dared to ask me if I killed my sister.”

A few gasps sounded around the room.

The earl and Emma exchanged guilty glances.

“It would be most convenient if I were the
murderer. I would be investigating it and why would I implicate myself? She was
blackmailing some of you, so it stands to reason that she might have been doing
the same to me. After all, she knew me far longer and was aware of all my
secrets.”

He turned to face his audience, “However, I
am not about to confess to any crime, since I did not kill her. As for her
blackmailing me, she never even tried. I was the only person in the world who
would provide for her. She could not bite the hand that fed her. She was a
manipulative woman, but clever nonetheless. I am the duke. If she did manage to
find a way to ruin me, then her own comforts would be snatched away, as well. I
was the reason that she had respect in society, access to many of her wealthy victims
and the power to intimidate.” He paused to let that sink in and then continued,
“I would now like to tell you about Lady Esther Babbage, if you would humour
me?”

Everyone nodded. A few sipped their wine
and sat back on their seats. Now that they knew it was just reminiscing, they
felt more relaxed. They had been expecting more questions and accusations. They
were willing to listen to anything other than that.

The duke took a seat as well and took a
healthy sip of whiskey before he continued, “My sister was a beautiful child.
She was frivolous and flighty. My father indulged her and spoiled her terribly.
The result was that she ran away with the vicar’s son. She was only eighteen.
My father was enraged and rightly so. The man had a bad reputation, and it was
clear he had married her for her dowry. My father then decided to provide
Esther with a sum far less than her dowry in the hope that she would leave her
husband.

David Babbage, her husband, was a shrewd
man. He knew if he kept her by his side, then one day my father would relent
and provide them with an adequate sum, rather than see his daughter suffer. He
slowly worked on her emotions, isolating her completely until she was dependent
on him. He could not afford to have her run back to her family. He slowly
poisoned her mind against everyone from her past. You must understand how young
and naive she was when she married him. It was only with time that she learnt
to be conniving and manipulative.

Soon he started drinking and gambling,
rapidly losing the paltry sum his wife had brought him. His true self emerged
with time, since no one can pretend for years on end. My father fell ill during
that time and was unaware of their deteriorating state. Out of pride, Esther
refused to go back and beg her family, the family that she believed had
forgotten her and had never bothered to inquire after her well-being. As the
years passed, David started becoming violent in his demands. He told her that
he had married her for her money, and it was about time she provided it. He
tried to force her to go to my father and plead her case. She could have left
him then, as she had grown to hate the man more than she hated her family. The
only reason she stayed on was because she had a son. She was not sure if a
child born of such a man would be accepted by us.