Tuppence (The Tipton Hollow 3)

Tuppence glanced at him and felt miserable when she saw that the softness had left his eyes and Isaac now looked upset. “You are everything I am not. I couldn’t possibly hope to be considered an equal mate; someone worthy of being your wife.”

“Why not?” Isaac pressed again.

“Well, well, you have your reputation to think of,” Tuppence edged. “Mine is now ruined.”

“But you haven’t been tried for any crime yet,” Isaac replied.

Tuppence turned even more solemn. “Not yet,” she whispered.

“You think that you will?”

“I think that the lazy detectives at Great Tipton think I am the killer,” Tuppence confirmed.

“I have stood up for you,” Isaac mused. “I don’t think you are the killer.?

??

“And I am very grateful to you for that,” Tuppence replied.

“But you still don’t consider yourself worthy of a permanent place in my house,” Isaac began.

Tuppence lifted her brows at him. “As a servant maybe,” she breathed.

“No, most definitely not as a servant.” Isaac ran a weary hand down his face and willed himself to think of something more neutral to discuss with her but then his thoughts turned back to the reason why she was in the house. “Tell me, what do you remember about your last conversation with Angus Richmond? Did he say anything to you about his estate, or mention why he wanted your farm?”

“No,” Tuppence replied. “I didn’t think to ask why he wanted my farm. I wasn’t really all that interested. I just wanted to get rid of him so I could get my chores finished. What I can remember is that he had a coachman with him.”

“Did you see what the coachman looked like?”

“No. He was wearing a cloak, a large hat, and a muffler. It was cold, so I didn’t think anything about it. He didn’t speak, or leave the carriage, so I ignored him. I would have ignored Richmond too if he had permitted it, but he pestered me, and threatened me before he left.”

“And there is nothing else.”

“Well, I did get that feeling that something was not right on the farm once Richmond had left, but I couldn’t see anything odd. Everything appeared normal, on the surface at least,” Tuppence replied.

“When Richmond left, did you see him return to town?”

“Well, no. It was dark. I didn’t really care where he went just so long as he left the farm. His carriage did turn down the driveway.”

“But you didn’t stop to listen to the retreating noise of the wheels rumbling down the driveway.” It seemed like an odd question, but it was important.

“No because I wanted to finish my chores.”

“So, you cannot be sure if his carriage stopped half-way down the driveway then.”

Tuppence froze. “No.” Before she could ask him what he was getting at, Isaac started to talk again.

“And it was once he had gone that you realised that someone was on the farm because they started harassing you.”

“Y-yes.”

“Might it have been Richmond?” Isaac wasn’t sure if he wanted her to agree that it might have been or not. “Or his coachman.”

“The coachman?” Tuppence felt sick. “I don’t know. I am not sure. I don’t think it was Richmond. He is – was – rather tall and burly. The person who chased after me was smaller, slimmer, I am sure of it.”

“But you didn’t see him properly in the darkness to know for sure.” It wasn’t really a question. Tuppence had already told him that all she had seen were shifting shadows and movement within the darkness.

“No, not really. I just don’t think it was Richmond,” Tuppence replied.