The Sign of Death (Victorian Book Club Mystery 2)

“Listen to this.” William turned to her and glanced back at the newspaper. “An unidentified man’s body was found floating in the River Avon early yesterday morning. Attempts are being made to identify the man so his family may be notified.”

Amy shuddered. “That’s terrible. I wonder who the poor unfortunate man is.”

The last few members began to filter in, and William closed his newspaper and tucked it into his satchel. Amy closed her book and gave her attention to Mr. Colbert.

“It is time to begin our meeting.” Mr. Colbert stood at the front of the room. He smiled at the members; then his eyes shifted to the doorway, and he frowned. Amy turned, and an unfamiliar man stood there, looking around the room.

“May I help you, sir?” Mr. Colbert asked.

“I’m looking for a Lord Wethington.”

William stood and waved the man over. The man held out a folded paper to William. “This is for you, my lord.”

William thanked him and returned to his seat.

“What is that?” Amy pointed at the paper.

He shrugged and opened it, his eyes scanning the missive. After a few moments, he inhaled deeply and looked over at her, his face pale. “The police have identified the man found floating in the river.”

“And they notified you?”

“Yes. He is Mr. James Harding. My man of business.”

“How terrible!”

William flicked the paper with his finger. “And strange, too, since we had a meeting set up for Saturday last that he canceled since he claimed he wasn’t feeli

ng well.”

“Claimed? Did you not believe him?”

“I’m not sure. I had reason to believe recently that there was something very odd going on with my finances.” He tucked the note into his pocket. “They want me to come to the morgue and confirm their findings.”

Before Amy could comment on that statement, Eloise Spencer came racing through the door, waving her arm. “I’m here!”

Amy rolled her eyes at William. Mr. Davidson glowered at the young woman.

Davidson had been a member of the club since it was formed a few years before. He was not one of William’s favorite people, as the man’s regard for women was not at all what William thought acceptable. At one meeting when they were discussing A Study in Scarlet, he’d suggested that the idea of working with a woman was ludicrous because the only thing women were good for was wiping children’s noses and gossiping.

After all the women in the room reacted with shock and sputtering protests, William had taken him to task and was later applauded for his efforts by Amy, a staunch women’s rights advocate.

“Must you always rush into the room as if your heels were on fire?” Davidson grumbled.

“How do you know they are not?” Eloise said smugly, as she took the chair on the other side of Amy.

Much to William’s delight, Davidson looked at Eloise’s feet, bringing a few titters from the group.

Mr. Colbert cleared this throat. “Before we begin our discussion this evening, I would like to introduce to the group two new members, Miss Gertrude O’Neill and her lovely sister, Miss Penelope O’Neill.”

The two ladies tittered and giggled as they were greeted with warm welcomes. William still could not understand their desire to join the club. Although he thought most women were too delicate in nature to enjoy murders, Amy had certainly disabused him of the idea that all of them were when she revealed herself to him as a murder mystery author.

Mr. Colbert picked up a copy of The Sign of the Four. “I shall begin our discussion by throwing out a question. Do any of you think Mr. Doyle is making a mistake by showing Sherlock Holmes’s bad habit of injecting himself with cocaine as he does in the very beginning of The Sign of the Four?”

Miss Penelope was the first to raise her hand. “I don’t believe so. It merely showed him as a human being, with faults. After all, Mr. Holmes is oftentimes portrayed as imperfect.”

“I disagree,” Miss Sterling said. “I like my heroes to be perfect. That is why I read fiction.”

A discussion on the perfection of heroes ensued.