A Study in Murder (Victorian Book Club Mystery 1)

Marsh grinned at William. “Are you a member of this sewing circle, too?”

William drew himself up. “Detective, there should be no reason for me to remind you that a woman lies dead upstairs, and with all respect, the situation should be treated with a bit more dignity.”

Amazingly enough, Marsh had the decency to look abashed and immediately cleared his throat.

“Is this the very same Miss Hemphill who had an understanding with Mr. St. Vincent before you stole him away?”

Amy flinched. “I did not steal him away. As I told you before, I had no idea she thought she had an understanding with Mr. St. Vincent.”

Carson grunted. “What was the purpose of your visit today?”

“We were merely making a social call. I had heard recently that Miss Hemphill was not feeling well. We wished to check on her.”

Marsh wrote furiously. He and Carson asked a few more questions back and forth, the normal ones of who had admitted them to the house, how they had determined she was dead, and so forth. Eventually, they snapped their notebooks closed. “That is all. You may leave.”

Amy wasn’t about to leave without some information. “Did you determine the cause of death?” She wondered if they had noticed the pennyroyal.

“That will be determined by an autopsy. The coroner will retrieve the body sometime today.”

Mrs. Hubbard entered the room at that point. “Are you finished, Detectives? I need to get Miss Hemphill out of the house so I can have my maid clean the room and put a new tenant in there.”

“You’re the landlady?” Carson asked.

“Yes. Mrs. Hubbard.”

“I have a few questions for you, too.” Marsh opened his notebook again. “How long has the deceased lived here?”

“About two weeks.”

Amy perked up at that answer. If Miss Hemphill had been living in such squalor for only about two weeks, there was a good chance she had been thrown from her family home quite recently.

“Did she have many visitors?”

“I don’t allow men to visit, and any ladies who call must be received in the drawing room, here.” Mrs. Hubbard tapped her lips with her index finger. “I don’t recall anyone visiting Miss Hemphill.” She gestured with her chin toward Amy and William. “Except for these two.”

“Did she get a lot of mail?”

Mrs. Hubbard shook her head. “None that I’m aware of.”

After a few more questions, the detectives stood. “Mrs. Hubbard, the coroner will be here today to remove the body. Please be available for more questions as the investigation into Miss Hemphill’s death continues.”

For the first time the landlady showed a reaction. “Do you believe she was murdered?” She immediately looked in William and Amy’s direction.

The detectives headed to the door. “We won’t know that until the autopsy.”

Once they were outside, the detectives turned to Amy. “No leaving Bath, my lady.” Carson cast his attention at William. “You either, my lord.”

“Wait just a minute,” William blustered. “I occasionally conduct business in London.”

“Fine. No leaving Bath without first notifying us.” With that they entered a carriage and slammed the door shut.

Amy took in a deep breath as the detectives’ carriage rolled away. “We have to get a copy of the autopsy report. I still think Miss Hemphill had something to do with Mr. St. Vincent’s death.”

She was quite tired when they arrived at her house. “Would you care for a brandy before you set off for home?” Amy asked as they climbed the stairs.

“I don’t mind if I do. That sounds like just the thing after discovering another dead body.”

Aunt Margaret walked in the door right after them. She followed them to the drawing room, removing her gloves. “May I join you? I could use a sherry.”