To Catch A Thief (Saved By Desire 2) (17 page)

“But you haven’t altered the date of your ball yet, have you?” Delilah challenged. “I suppose that is going ahead as planned?”

Her slight remonstration was met with a glare from the Squire, who didn’t deign to reply.

“I know Mrs Banks was a highly respected member of the group,” the hostess began.

The Squire coughed uncomfortably. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” he protested.

When people looked at him, he realised he needed to clarify his comment so he didn’t offend anyone. “Mrs Banks was nice, but could be quite cutting sometimes. While I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, it would be foolish to put the woman on a pedestal. She had her faults, as we all have.”

“Quite,” Mrs Arbuthnot replied. “Well, I thought a nice, discrete dinner might be in order. Not least because I thought people might welcome the distraction given the disturbing events that have occurred in the village just lately.”

She glanced around each guest in turn, silently seeking their approval for her decision.

“And, well, it really is my turn. What, with the Squire’s ball being soon I thought, what better time for it than today? There is nothing we can do to bring Morwenna back, after all. So, while everyone is here, I should like to raise a toast to our good friend Morwenna Banks, and of course, Tabitha. May the magistrate capture the man responsible soon so that we may all sleep peacefully in our beds at night.”

“Here, here,” the Squire declared and lifted his glass.

The silence thickened as each person took a sip out of their goblets.

“Shall we dine then?” Mrs Arbuthnot murmured.

She led the way into the dining room and rang a small bell to summon the first course. Thankfully, for the time being at least, normality resumed while everybody ate.

While it was a welcome relief, it was short-lived for Sophia when she realised what, or rather who, was to be discussed.

“Is Algernon not joining us tonight?” The vicar asked with a glance around the table.

With no Algernon, or Jeb, or Mrs Banks, the numbers at dinner were markedly reduced. Sophia had to wonder why Mrs Arbuthnot had decided to bother because the opinions of the people present tonight didn’t really matter given the enormity of the deaths. Nobody would have been offended if she decided not to take her turn to accommodate everybody, and in deference to the dearly departed, postponed it for another month or two.

“Oh, no, not tonight,” Mrs Arbuthnot replied. “He has something to do that he cannot get out of.”

“No son either?” The Squire snorted. “I said that fellow was a scoundrel, and I was right.”  

He nodded as he glared around the table officiously, silently seeking support for his crackpot theories.

“Why would you consider him a scoundrel? He is the Lord’s son,” Delilah replied crisply. Although she didn’t like the man Sophia was fond of, she wasn’t prepared to sit back and allow the Squire to condemn him so quickly. After all, next time it might be her he wanted to discuss.

“Well, I know I can speak in confidence with everybody around this table, but I have heard that the Lord’s wastrel son has high-tailed it off to London without a backward look. Just upped and disappeared without even leaving his father a note.”

Sophia exchanged a look with her aunt. Had he challenged Myers and fallen foul of the criminal? She quickly dropped her gaze to her plate but saw very little of the food on it.

Delilah glared at the Squire. “The last time someone in the village disappeared, Tabitha was found dead. Has someone checked to see where he has gone?”

“I asked Algernon, twice now, what had happened to his son and why he left so quickly. He just said he had decided to return to London, but nobody knows why. It is deuced odd, I don’t mind telling you. I mean, he arrives, and two bodies turn up, and then he leaves just as quickly. It is too convenient. You cannot say that Algernon doesn’t know where his son has gone because I just don’t believe it.”

“I hope you are not casting aspersions,” the vicar chided him with a scowl. “Oh, that reminds me. A box containing several items I suspect may be the items you all had stolen suddenly appeared in the church the other day.”

“Eh?” The Squire squinted at him as he absorbed that.

“It was the strangest thing. We always leave the church open as you know. Well, I was out visiting one of my parishioners the other day. When I got back I found the box sitting in the back room. Well, I was astounded when I lifted the lid and found the old snuff box my father gave me sitting inside. I realised then that the rest of the items in the box must be some of the stolen items you all lost. Rather than go around the village and ask people if they recognise anything, I brought it with me tonight.”

“Let me see,” the Squire demanded. He dabbed his lips with his napkin and stood while the vicar collected the box and placed it between them on the table.

One by one the items were removed, and recognised by their owners. The only markedly notable absence was the lack of stolen items belonging to Delilah. Sophia felt her stomach drop and sat perfectly still while people exclaimed over the return of their treasures for a moment. Thankfully, nobody as yet seemed to have noticed the issue. She exchanged a look with her aunt who suddenly began to look worried.

“I still think there is something odd about the disappearance of the Lord’s son. He was always skulking around the village, but nobody knows why he came here in the first place,” the Squire persisted.

“His father lives here. He has every right to visit his father if he wishes to,” Sophia scolded. She made no attempt to hide her frown, but it didn’t appear to have any impact on the pompous bore as he levelled a probing look on the vicar and ignored her.

“When did this box appear in the church?”

“A couple of days ago,” the vicar replied.

The Squire nodded. “Not long before the Lord’s son disappeared.”

“The same day.” The vicar coughed uncomfortably.

“Oh, but that is not to say that the Lord’s son, Jebediah, had anything to do with the deaths, surely to goodness? No, I simply don’t believe it.” Mabel Harvell glanced around the table worriedly.

“No, neither do I,” Sophia snapped. She threw a baleful glare at the Squire. “The Hutchinsons are the epitome of society. Why, their family dates back centuries. It would be a shame if people began to use the unfortunate events of the last couple of days to cast scurrilous gossip about innocent individuals who are not around to defend themselves. Why, I refuse to believe that either Jebediah or Algernon, had anything to do with the either the thefts or the murders. If Jeb did have something to do with the return of the stolen items that can only prove he didn’t have any part in the thefts himself, doesn’t it? I mean, it would be a ludicrous thief indeed if they returned the items they stole.”

“Here, here,” Philip Everson said suddenly. “I have worked for the Lord for several years now and cannot recommend the man highly enough for his kindly nature and absolute honesty. He has too much to lose to risk killing anyone and certainly doesn’t need to steal. Take it from me, both men are extremely well off and well connected. I would advise you to be cautious about attempting to cast aspersions.”

Sophia studied him for a moment. Mr Everson was usually the quietest member of the group. If fact, his impassioned defence of his employer was the longest she had ever heard him speak about anything. She mentally applauded him for his sudden outburst because his uncharacteristic behaviour had captured the attention of everyone around the table who next sat riveted to his every word.

“Still, it is a little coincidental don’t you think? Where has he gone and why?” Mrs Arbuthnot asked. She leaned across the table challengingly. “Especially so soon after the deaths.”

“He works for the War Office,” Sophia snapped. Although she knew she risked offending the hostess by her outburst, she absolutely refused to allow her to question his credibility. “He wouldn’t be employed by them if he was dishonest. Who is to say he hasn’t been called back to work? They are hardly likely to notify insignificant people like you or I, now are they?”

“I agree, Miss Carney.” The Reverend was put out at having the wealthiest member of the county gossiped about in such a scandalous manner. “I have never heard anything so preposterous. It is the most uncharitable foolishness I have ever encountered to think the Hutchinsons had anything to do with the thefts or deaths. It is quite wrong to cast them into doubt like that and I should ask for a change of subject. I am sure that everything will come about in its own good time. You’ll see. The thefts have stopped and, for the Lords good work in that regard we can only be truly grateful. Hopefully, whoever killed Mrs Banks and Tabitha will be captured soon too, so we can all put this unfortunate matter behind us. Now, let’s get on with this delicious meal, shall we? Then we can hope all of this ridiculous gossip will die down, and people will turn their attention to more benevolent matters.”

Duly chastised, everyone lapsed into affronted silence and turned their attention to the dinner.

Her annoyance at the conversation, however, remained with Sophia throughout the mercifully short evening. She took her leave of the hostess a different person to the one who arrived. Nobody had felt comfortable all night, or forgiven the hostess or the Squire for their gossip. Even the Harvells had picked up on the ill-feeling at the table because they had, uncharacteristically, remained somewhat subdued throughout.

Eventually, it became evident that it was best to call the evening to an early close.

Mr Everson took his leave quite abruptly, and was quickly followed by everyone else. The speed in which everyone left as soon as the requisite period of time had passed following the meal was an additional insult to the hostess, who looked somewhat put out at the guests’ apparent eagerness to leave.

As far as Sophia was concerned, though, she didn’t care how insulted the hostess was, her behaviour had only soured the evening further, and Mrs Arbuthnot should consider that before she rebuked anybody for not wanting to be there.

“Do you think anyone noticed we didn’t have any goods returned?” Delilah murmured as they made their way through the empty streets.

“It was noticeable to me, but I think everyone else were too relieved to have their goods back and didn’t really pay all that much attention. They were too busy casting aspersions on Algernon and Jeb,” Sophia sighed.

Delilah threw her a worried look. “I didn’t realise you were well enough acquainted with his father to be so informal with him.”

“Don’t even try to warn me away from Jeb again,” Sophia replied. “There is nothing more than friendship between us.”

Just saying the words hurt, not least because she wanted so much more with him. Although she didn’t say as much to her aunt, she could only surmise that his disappearance had something to do with the man Delilah had been arguing with, but was he alright?

Had he been hurt, or worse murdered like Tabitha and Mrs Banks, only nobody knew it just yet? Algernon had said he had gone back to London, so Jeb must have told his father where he was going. For some reason, he just hadn’t thought to tell her, and that hurt more than she thought it ever would.

“You would be a fool to trust a man like that. He is a Londoner.”

Sophia looked at her aunt. “What do you mean?”

“Well, look at his clothing. Those boots of his must be worth a small fortune. He has wealth and social status. Whoever he claims he works for, the bright lights of London would be a lure to someone like that. He doesn’t belong in the village; that much I do know. Why, look how he involved himself in the return of the hoard. He was bored, nothing more.”

“He was helping me with the difficult situation you put me into,” Sophia challenged.

“Yes, but he hightailed it off to London as soon as he had done so, didn’t he? Has he written a note to you? Did he even tell you he was going?” Delilah snorted when Sophia didn’t respond.

Sophia couldn’t argue because she had just thought the very same thing. Still, she refused to allow her aunt to cast aspersions on him either. Even though she hurt dreadfully, there was still something deep inside that refused to consider, even for a second, that Jeb had just abandoned her. Whatever had happened that had called him away, he would explain when he could she was sure of it.

She hoped so in any case because if he didn’t then she had made an utter fool of herself over a man, and there would be no help for the pain she would carry with her for a very long time to come.

“Wait,” Sophia murmured. She placed a hand on her aunt’s arm and slowed her pace. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Delilah whispered. Her eyes grew wide in the darkness.

They then both heard it; the soft tread of someone approaching from behind.

“Do you see anyone?” Delilah whispered, peering around them suspiciously. She stepped closer to her niece but Sophia doubted it was to protect her. She rather suspected that if anyone posed any threat, Delilah would be the one to hide behind her.

“No, but someone is following us,” Sophia replied cautiously.

“I don’t like this.”

In full agreement, they began to walk toward home, this time with more hurried strides. As they walked, their gazes flickered back and forth, searching every shadow. Once or twice they stopped to take a look behind, but neither saw anyone following.