The Sign of Death (Victorian Book Club Mystery 2)

After leaving the house, he made his way to the public mews for his horse. Since he was alone on this trip, he hadn’t bothered with his carriage.

He purposely hadn’t told Amy about the visit, because she would have insisted on coming with him, and since he’d had no idea what he was walking into, he hadn’t wanted to worry about defending himself and her.

When he picked her up later for the Assembly, he would relate the details of his visit. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too mad at him, but even if she was angry, it had been worth it not to have to be anxious about her.

About an hour later, he walked into his house to find his mother pacing in the entryway. “There you are.” She hurried to him, threw her arms around him, and burst into tears.

“Mother, what’s wrong?”

She kept sobbing and clinging to him. He slowly walked her into the drawing room, where he placed her on a sofa and sat alongside her.

She looked up at him and waved a sodden handkerchief at him. “Those horrible police people were here again.”

Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. He wasn’t supposed to hear from them until he had a chance to go over the records his solicitor had requested from Harding’s files. “What did they want?”

She patted her eyes and took a deep breath. “They wanted to talk to you again.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I gave them quite a tongue-lashing—bothering an upstanding citizen of Bath and our wonderful country of England. I sent them on their way and told them to never show their faces here again.”

William didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—his mother had told police detectives who believed he was guilty of murder to never show their faces again. “Did they say anything about a warrant?”

“A what?”

“A warrant for my arrest?”

She sucked in a breath and glared at him. “Of course not. And they better not dare come here with something like that. I will get a gun and shoot them.”

“Mother!” Whatever was it with fine well-bred ladies wanting guns? “You will do no such thing. You have never handled a gun, and if you did, you would most likely shoot your foot off.”

She raised her chin. “I can learn.”

The devil take it. Didn’t he have enough on his hands without worrying about Amy and now his mother purchasing a gun and racing off to do damage to themselves?

“Mother, promise me you will not buy a gun.”

“I think it might make me feel secure.”

“No. It will not make you feel secure. You will end up shooting me or one of the staff who startle you. I have never felt the need to protect myself in my own home with a gun. Now promise.”

Images of his mother hanging out the window, waving a gun and taking shots at the police detectives, had his heartbeat picking up speed.

Mother wiped her nose. “I consulted with your dear father last night, and he knows you will overcome this foolishness, since it grows near the time you should be married and filling your nursery.”

William dropped his head in his hands. “Mother, we’ve been through this before. It is not possible to receive information and advice from dear Papa.”

“Nonsense. The link between the two of us does not end with death.”

A change of subject was in order. “You didn’t answer me. Please promise you will not buy a gun.” Just the thought of it made him shudder.

“Very well. But they better not come around here again. I will refuse to receive them.”

Well, that would certainly stop the detectives in their path.

“Why don’t you take a cooling bath and have dinner sent up to your room? Perhaps you might skip the Assembly tonight.”

“No. Not at all. I just love spending time with Lady Amy; she is such a pleasant young woman, and she seems quite fond of you.” That look was in her eyes again.