Tuppence (The Tipton Hollow 3)

“No. If anything, Angus probably worried her just to try to force her to leave the farm. He was someone who disapproved of women being independent. It annoyed him that she was living there alone and called it a ‘damned disgrace’ that she was having to farm a place like that all by herself. He said that she should be married with children.”

“But he wasn’t prepared to pay her the full price for the farm.”

“Oh, I think he would have done had she agreed to sell it. You see, Angus liked to barter, but always did the right thing in the end.” Mrs Richmond’s voice wavered, and she sniffed into her sodden handkerchief.

With the papers now clutched in his hand, Mark took his leave of her and followed Isaac out of the house. Both men stood on the doorstep and listened to the heavy bolt

s being slammed closed on the door behind them. Even outside, they could hear the heavy way their echo clattered around the house in an almost haunting wail of desperation. It was enough to make both men shiver and hurry toward the carriage.

“It doesn’t sound like it was Richmond who was scaring Tuppence.”

“No, because it is Glover. It has to be,” Mark growled.

“We have to find out where they are staying,” Isaac muttered.

“Great Tipton is a big town. We have to speak to someone in the village,” Mark replied grimly. His immediate thoughts turned to Harriet, but after what had happened earlier there was no chance in Hell that he was going to find her again, especially with Isaac beside him. He would have to seek her out later and clear the air when they were alone. If he didn’t find the time to, Mark knew that he faced spending yet another night at his desk in the Police Station.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Once aboard Mark’s carriage, Isaac pulled out his fob watch and peered down at the intricately carved hands.

“Do you have a meeting to get to?” Mark asked when he heard Isaac’s sigh.

“I am just wondering how Tuppence is,” Isaac replied without thinking.

It was shocking that even though he was annoyed with Mark, he had no qualms about taking the man into his confidence still. He should be as angry with his friend as Mark’s wife was, but Isaac also knew that Mark was suffering too and that he had a job to do despite everyone’s fury. It was an impossible situation for him, and one that Isaac didn’t envy him for. “I miss her when we are not together.”

“It’s love,” Mark lifted his brows when he heard Isaac’s groan. “You don’t think so?”

“Oh, I know so, but Tuppence doesn’t think we are compatible. I am the Lord of the manor apparently, and she is an impoverished farmer.”

“It doesn’t matter if you love each other. The only problem I can see that lies between you two is that one of you is going to have to give up your lifestyle, and you know what I mean by that. You cannot turn your back on your estate, its workers, or your family. Their good opinion of Tuppence matters because she will be the Lady of the manor if she is your wife. To some of your staff, Tuppence may always be an impoverished farmer. From Tuppence’s side of things, being a permanent fixture in your house is a huge change in lifestyle for her. She will be thrown into a luxurious lifestyle where everything is done for her, and her only requirement will be to look gorgeous and contemplate what menus to have cook prepare each week.”

“It’s a hard life, isn’t it?” Isaac grinned.

“It’s a different life for someone like Tuppence. She is used to dragging heavy bales of hay around,” Mark warned.

Isaac’s brief attempt at humour faded swiftly. “And then there is Gertrude.”

“She doesn’t think Tuppence belongs in the house.”

“Oh, she accepts why Tuppence has to be under our roof for now, mostly because she knows that Sir Reginald and I are working to make sure that Tuppence is proven innocent.”

“We are not going to get around that, are we?” Mark snorted ruefully.

“Some of Gertrude’s friends have already closed their doors to her.”

“That is because you have a killer under your roof,” Mark replied. “They will resume their friendship with you once Tuppence has been exonerated.”

Isaac sighed. “I was hoping that Tuppence would be under my roof for a few weeks, and we could get to know each other slowly.”

“Because of what has happened, the locals’ attention has been drawn to Hilltop Farm. Tuppence won’t be safe returning to the farm for a while yet. You have time to court her. The trial of the real killer is going to have to take place, and the gossips allowed to move on before she can venture back up there. I am not even sure if she can live there again because of the locals. It is a condemned house really. It needs someone new, a proper tenant farmer, to run it, one who can give the entire place a clean sweep, a fresh look, that will allow people to truly forget what happened there. If Tuppence goes back, people may never be able to forget.”

“I don’t want her to leave Tipton Hollow.”

“She may have to if we can’t find this killer,” Mark warned.

Isaac studied the moss-covered stone marker the end of the driveway to Glover’s old farm as they passed it. It seemed as if it was a marker for the start of the truth being discovered. He knew that what they found at the farm was likely to prove the Glover’s innocence or guilt. Isaac was impatient to reach the cluster of buildings at the end of the driveway just so he knew the truth.