“Are you unwell, my lady?”
She shifted and righted herself. “No. I am quite well, thank you. I am just concerned that all this nastiness would wear you down. But I know you are a very strong woman.” She patted her hand again just as Mr. Colbert called the meeting to order.
Eloise and Amy took seats on the sofa as everyone settled in. Eloise leaned toward her as she adjusted her skirts. “Maybe there won’t be any more questions.”
“I’m not so sure. With all the looks being cast in my direction, I’m afraid I will be the center of attention.” She sighed. “Why did he have to get murdered in my house?”
“Yes,” Eloise said, “Most inconvenient.” She paused, then leaned in farther. “Have you considered yet why he called on you?”
“I have no idea. I made my position clear when I broke the engagement. I also wonder if his reason for being there had anything to do with his death.”
“And,” Eloise whispered, “how did he come to be murdered in your garden? Was he followed to your house?” Amy shrugged. So many questions with so few answers were giving her a fine headache. Best to suffer through the meeting and speak with William to see if he had any new ideas when it was over.
The group quieted and looked at Mr. Colbert, the group leader, with expectation. William raised his hand. “May I speak, Mr. Colbert?”
“Of course, Lord Wethington.”
William stood and turned to address the group. “As lovers of mystery novels, we are more interested than most in the unexpected death of one of our townsmen. Like the rest of you, I am also aware that one of our members—Lady Amy—had a previous connection to Mr. St. Vincent.”
He glanced at her and took a deep breath. “Since I was at her home to deliver a book she had asked to borrow when Mr. St. Vincent’s body was discovered, and during the subsequent interviews by the police, I can say with confidence that the detectives assigned to the matter are doing everything they can to uncover the person who perpetrated this despicable crime. I believe I speak for Lady Amy when I ask all of you to put aside this matter and go on with our book discussion as usual.”
“Bravo, Lord Wethington,” Eloise mumbled.
Amy’s eyes filled with tears at William’s graciousness. She scanned the somewhat disgruntled faces of a few members who had undoubtedly planned to question her once the meeting ended. When William sat, she mouthed, “Thank you.”
He gave her a slight wink.
The meeting went forward as usual after William’s speech. Truth be known, her mind wasn’t truly focused on the discussion of A Study in Scarlet, which continued from the prior meeting. The book club’s usual method was to discuss a book until everyone was satisfied that their opinion had been heard. Then they picked a new book to read and discuss. Some books took two or more weeks; some discussions were wrapped up in one meeting.
She was anxious for the meeting to end so she could tell William what she’d learned about Miss Hemphill that afternoon. She’d added her to her list of suspects, along with Mr. Albright. If William had gathered information while visiting his clubs, they might even have someone else to consider.
* *
*
“Lady Amy, a word, please?” William walked up behind her as Mrs. Miles tried her best to drag out information about Amy’s broken engagement. For goodness’ sake, the woman was quite persistent. Her son, Mr. Richard Miles, looked, if anything, bored.
Amy turned. “Yes, Lord Wethington?” Thank goodness he had interrupted. She was afraid she would have said something disagreeable to Mrs. Miles if her interrogation had gone on any longer.
“There is a matter of importance I must discuss with you.”’
“Oh, of course, my lord.” She turned to Mrs. Miles with what she hoped was a regretful expression. “I am so sorry to cut our visit short, Mrs. Miles, but I look forward to seeing you next week.”
“Oh, my dear. Perhaps we can take tea sometime soon.” The woman was like a rabid dog with a meaty bone in its jaws.
“Mother, it appears Lady Amy does not wish to continue this discussion. I believe you have asked just about any question possible about her engagement, the unengagement, the book she borrowed from his lordship, Mr. St. Vincent’s visit, the police interview, and how she is holding up. I also do not believe her ladyship would be interested in visiting for tea to continue the discussion.” Mr. Miles looked fondly at his mother, but his tone was one of annoyance.
“Do you think so, Richard?”
“I do.” He took her by the arm and nodded to Amy and William. “Good evening.” He moved his mother toward the door, and suddenly Mrs. Miles turned into a bumbling old woman who depended on her son for guidance. The quick change in her demeanor was startling. Amy had never paid much attention to the relationship between mother and son and had assumed Mr. Miles attended the meetings only to escort his mother. He rarely offered opinions during the discussions, and Amy had heard him mention to another member one time that he seldom read the books being discussed.
She shrugged and turned to William. “It would probably be a good idea for us to meet somewhere tomorrow. I find, after the deluge of questions and innuendos I dealt with tonight, I look forward to a warm cup of tea, a hot bath, and my bed.” That seemed to be her list of desires quite a bit these days.
He cleared his throat. “I agree. I shall escort you to your carriage and we can discuss a time.”
They bade farewell to those who had remained behind to enjoy the late supper she and William would normally have attended as well. Eloise had left as soon as the meeting ended, offering her apologies for abandoning Amy. The poor girl did look unwell and feared she had caught a chill.
Rain had begun to fall while they were inside, and the dampness had her shivering. Hopefully, she wouldn’t catch a chill herself. She needed to be healthy to solve the murder.