Cinders and Ashes (Cavendish Mysteries 2)

“Or how they set Hawksworth up,” Amelia replied.

“What do you mean?” Sebastian stared at her.

“I mean, what happened to leave Hawksworth thinking he had murdered the woman at the beginning? Why had he been taken to gaol under the name of Jack Cunnington, if he knew he didn’t do it? He didn’t just turn up at the gaol and confess. How did he get to gaol under an assumed name?”

Sebastian frowned as he considered. Once again, her logic was faultless.

“One of them, or probably both of them, set him up and made it look so realistic that even Hawksworth thought he had done it. The shock of finding himself in a compromising position would explain why he allowed himself to be taken to gaol. The scandal would be enough to persuade him to accept an assumed name.”

“Only once he got to gaol, and sobered up, he realised he would be going to the condemned cell. The reality of his likely fate would become evident, even to him.”

Sebastian shuddered at the horror. “This evidence would be enough to take Ballantyne to the gallows.”

“Ballantyne must have learnt of the letter somehow. It proved the Ballantynes were culpable in the maid’s death. It would take one, if not both to the gallows. It’s enough to kill again for.” Amelia shuddered with revulsion at the sheer inhumanity of the Ballantynes.

“To gain access to Edenvale Manor would give Ballantyne time to search thoroughly for the letter, and anything else that could implicate him or his brother in the murder. When the possibility of obtaining the house was eradicated.....” Peter’s voice faded.

“They decided to kill Sebastian to get him out of the way. While the estate was changing hands again, they could access the property and search it, knowing nobody would be moving in for a while. There would be no staff to interrupt them.” Amelia shook her head in disgust and stared in horror at Sebastian.

“Unfortunately, it makes Ballantyne a very dangerous man,” Eastleigh added from his chair. He briefly wondered if he should suggest taking Amelia away from the threat of Ballantyne altogether, but knew that Sebastian was too protective to allow her to be removed without a fight.

“I thought the elder Ballantyne died in a carriage accident a few months back? Didn’t his wife die with him?” Edward frowned at Sebastian, who shook his head and wondered how he managed to miss all of the gossip so frequently.

Eastleigh nodded. “Yes, I can remember something about that. I think the younger brother took over the estates, and lost a lot of business because of his dubious connections and dissolute lifestyle.”

Mindful of Amelia’s presence, he chose his words carefully. “The reputation of the younger Ballantyne for regularly attending orgies and gambling dens was rife amongst the Ton. He was on the verge of being cast out by the family for his wastrel ways, when the older brother died suddenly on his way home from one of the said orgies.”

“So in order to prevent his ghosts from the past coming back to haunt him, Ballantyne needs to erase anything that could implicate him in the murder.” Amelia stared thoughtfully into the fire.

“I think we have a murderer who is more than happy to strike again to maintain his current lifestyle,” Sebastian added, wiping his hands wearily down his face.

They were interrupted by the arrival of a dishevelled Dominic and Isobel. At first they were almost unrecognisable, until Izzy took off her cap and shook her long hair free with a sigh of relief.

Dominic followed close behind her, looking somewhat frazzled and worse for wear.

“Are you alright?” Sebastian lurched to his feet with a frown, as he caught sight of his brother’s distressed state.

“Don’t ever ask us to do that again,” Dominic growled at Sebastian, with a fierce glare at his wife.

“Why? It was fun!” Izzy protested, pushing her husband’s arm happily before heading for the tea tray.

Dominic shook his head and rolled his eyes, pouring himself a liberal dose of brandy and downing it in one gulp.

“My wife should tread the boards,” he muttered, with a glare across the room at the woman in question, who promptly stuck out her tongue at him.

“You are just jealous because you can’t blend in like I do,” she mused, sipping her tea carelessly.

“Blend in! Damn it, woman, I should have put you on a leash.”

Sebastian winked at Amelia, who was looking at their outburst with a mixture of mirth and concern.

“Ha! You could try. You are just put out because I got more information out of the sister than you, and nobody looked at me twice. You,” she pointed across the room with an elegant, but dirty finger, “You stuck out like a sore thumb.”

Amelia fought the urge to smile as Dominic’s ears turned pink with temper. She shared a rare smile with Sebastian, who was listening with equal interest.

“I take it you learnt something worthwhile?” Sebastian asked his brother, who had begun to pace around the room like a caged tiger. “Besides the fact your wife can adopt a disguise better than you?” He grinned when Dominic growled at him.

“We learnt that my wife should not be allowed out in public without having an armed guard with her at all times. Damned near started a bar brawl we barely got out of alive! Then,” Dominic raised a shaking finger at Sebastian, who was looking at his sister-in-law with renewed admiration, “Then, having reduced the entire inn, including the stable lads outside by the way, to a cacophony of fist fighting and arguments, she calmly walks out, and everyone parts for her like the parting of the red sea! Waiting until she had left the room to start fighting again.” Dominic refilled his glass and downed the contents quickly. “Unfortunately, I was left on the other side of the room, and had to literally fight my way out of the bloody building to get to her.”