The viscount stepped forward at this juncture and added his voice, “I must say, sir, that I find your behavior in my home most objectionable. You saunter in here with scarcely a by-your-leave, and think to accost a guest in my house? Depend upon it; you are out there, sir!”
Squire Speenham turned to the viscount. “I do beg your pardon, but this matter requires some immediate attention.”
“Not in my house, it does not.”
The squire turned to his nephew and said grimly, “Edward, I have always thought you and your sister’s manners sorely lacking. Your scruples, I imagine are inadequate to the task of your title and great estate. This is what comes of your lax behavior over the years.”
“Get out!” the viscount demanded at once. “Out…now! I shall not have my dear, very dear friends insulted in my presence and in my home. You, as their uncle should be their protector…and instead, I find you are their worst enemy, pointing out your notions of what are their faults, instead of holding up their many honorable characteristics. Your suspicions are beneath the position you hold as their uncle. And besides all that, what possible motive could Ned have for killing poor Celia?”
“I am afraid you don’t understand the seriousness of the situation. As it happens, Agatha Brinley found a page that was obviously torn from Celia’s diary. It was in the paper bin and clearly states that Edward of Sherborne is the father of her unborn child!” the squire snapped.
“Impossible!” Ned retorted his face flushed. “We never did more than kiss…”
“And is it all not too convenient?” Mandy stuck in. “A torn page? Who would have torn it and left it to be found? Where is the entire diary? Do you mean to insinuate that Ned tore it out of the diary, killed her, and then left it for someone to find? Well that is absurd beyond thought. If he was the killer, why would he leave such a thing behind?”
The squire frowned over this but his son almost squealed with glee, “Celia points a finger at Ned from the…”
Mandy pointed her finger at Alfred’s nose, “Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it!”
Skippy stepped forward and touched Mandy’s shoulder, “Calm yourself, for you are quite right. This so called torn page from a diary does not make sense.”
Ned’s face was white and Mandy bit her lip as she looked at him. He was in trouble. This was surely going to be very ugly.
“How can she have written such a thing?” Ned murmured and then looked at the squire, “Kindly allow me to see this page.”
“In good time, in good time. Now without further delay, you had better come with us.”
“Oh no, my man. Ned goes nowhere with you until I have seen this piece of work,” Skippy said grimly. His usual even temper had been severely ruffled and he looked ready for a fight.
The paunchy squire pulled out a wrinkled sheet from his coat pocket and slapped it into the viscount’s waiting hand but grumbled, “There. Though what right…”
“May I remind you once again, that you are in my home,” returned the viscount with a show of disdain. He cast his eyes over the page, flanked with Ned on one side of him and Mandy on the other. When he raised his eyes back to the squire it was with hard look, “My dear sir, the poor girl writes that she intends to marry Edward and make him the father of her unborn child. She does not say that he is the father.”
“Oh come now,” blustered Squire Bevis. “‘Tis there to be read. She has named him as father.”
“No, sir, her exact words are, ‘and as I have no choice, I shall tell Edward he is the father of my child and he will do the honorable thing and marry me.’ Such words are a far cry from saying he is in actuality the father. Apparently, the lady was unable to make the real father commit and schemed to trick young Edward into marriage.”
“Yes, but I told you, I never more than kissed her…” Ned said puzzled. “She would know that…would not be able to tell me I was the father…so what was the game?”
“Apparently, when she wrote that, she meant for you to do more than kiss her. Perhaps that is why she wanted to meet you early…to seduce you, allow one of the others, to find you in a compromising position,” stuck in the viscount thoughtfully. “Indeed, she did not expect Alfred. She expected the squire and that leaves me to ask…” He turned to Alfred, “You must have met her before you came to the house…”
“No, I decided to visit with Mandy first,” Alfred answered blandly.
“But your father’s note requested him to meet with her at seven,” the viscount returned.
Alfred shrugged, “I went up to the house early…and I didn’t care about being a bit late for a meeting with Celia.”
The Viscount and Mandy exchanged glances and Mandy said, “Something here is off and I mean to get to the bottom of it. Alfred, I don’t believe you. I think you met with Celia first, before you came up to the house.”
“Preposterous,” Alfred snorted.
“What a black scandal,” the squire said. “Simply has never happened in our family before.”
Ignoring her uncle, Mandy said, “No, what is preposterous you boor, is that you would rather think Ned a libertine and a murderer than think a woman in trouble was looking for an answer with a fraudulent claim,” Mandy turned on him like a tigress and had the satisfaction of seeing him take a step away from her.
“Nevertheless, Edward must come and see what Connors has to say to all of this,” the squire said on an unrelenting note.
“You had better go speak with Magistrate Connors then Ned. I will see Mandy home and never fear, we will get out of this absurd tangle,” Skippy offered.