‘She seems very improbable – which is probably enough to tell us that she did it,’ I added with a grin.
We spent the rest of the ride speculating on who, exactly, was the least probable person, which was not much help, because I was losing confidence in all of our suspects.
* * *
After luncheon, with Luc refusing to inspect another leaking downpipe or slipped tile that day, we were about to settle down for a council of war when one of the footmen came in. ‘There are visitors, my lord. Lady Radcliffe asked me to request your presence.’
We locked up the study and trooped off to the drawing room to find it positively crammed with Prescotts. It was easier to see who was not there, I thought, as I made the rounds, smiling and shaking hands. No ailing Doctor Prescott, or Lord Tillingham as I ought to remember to call him, and none of the more remote relatives who had been at the funeral gathering, but otherwise we seemed to be entertaining a full set of both the younger brothers’ families.
‘Has Rowena gone to her aunt’s h
ouse?’ I asked Adrien under cover of everyone getting seated.
‘She and Lady McNeil are staying with us,’ he said, not troubling to hide his grin of triumph. ‘But they are resting after their journey and she thought I ought to come.’ He cast a wary eye at his relatives and lowered his voice even further. ‘Things are rather tense at the Hall. Mama thought it would be a good idea if some of us went out, so she suggested we should call and thank Lady Radcliffe for her support. And, as is always the way, nobody wanted to stay behind and that made it worse, so eventually everyone piled into the carriages and now poor Lady Radcliffe has all of us to deal with.’
‘Let’s go and sit in the window seat. It will make more room,’ I suggested brightly, loud enough to be overheard, and steered him away to the far end of the room. ‘What’s up?’ I asked quietly as soon as we were seated at a safe distance.
‘Papa made critical remarks to Cousin Jerald. Jerald defended himself, rather forcefully, Uncle Horace waded in and managed to upset both of them. Then Aunt Prunella leapt to the defence of her youngest lamb and it all got rather unpleasant with more home truths being hurled around than could be laughed away.’ He grimaced. ‘It was made worse in a way, because it was all in the hushed tones suitable for a house of mourning, of course.’
‘What was your father lecturing Jerald about?’ I asked. ‘His gambling?’
‘I don’t think it is much of a problem, actually. No, this was about general lack of application and sense of duty, as far as I can gather. A few months ago Papa had given him an introduction to a friend who runs a flourishing bank in York and it looked as though Jerald was going to secure a very promising position there. Then he appeared to lose interest, said he didn’t want to move to Yorkshire and… I don’t know, I can’t define it. He seemed to become careless and frivolous all of a sudden.
‘When he first turned down the offer there was the devil of a row about it. I thought it had all calmed down, but being in the same house seems to have reminded Papa about it all over again. Jerald can hardly bring himself to speak civilly to Papa and, at the same time, seems to be snidely amused, as though he knew a secret about him.’
‘And your Uncle Horace takes his son’s side?’
‘Yes. He accuses Papa of acting as though he’s already the Viscount – and you may imagine how that goes down, with Uncle Frederick still alive and under the same roof!’
‘Yes, hardly tactful, squabbling over the title with the new incumbent hanging on by a thread,’ I said. ‘Why had your father gone to so much trouble for his youngest nephew?’
‘Jerald is his godson.’
‘Ah. Ingratitude to his godfather as well as general thanklessness. I can see how that would annoy your father.’
‘Yes, I suspect that is what is at the heart of his displeasure. It isn’t Jerald’s way of life – Papa never kicked up over my brothers sowing their wild oats – and, frankly, I was surprised to find Jerald so in need of funds because of betting that he had to ask Cousin Henry for money. So far as I was aware he was staying within his means.’
Adrien glanced across to where the rest of the group were discussing the problems Lady Radcliffe faced in bringing Rook’s Acre into a fit condition to rent out. He lowered his voice still further. ‘I did wonder whether Jerald was unhappy about something and that was at the root of it, but I am probably reading too much into youthful rebellion. Frankly, Papa lecturing on one’s future career can be enough to drive a man to drink, as I discovered myself.’
I recalled Adrien confiding that his father had wanted him to enter the church and had been horrified at his political ambitions, so I could see why he had sympathy with his cousin.
‘Remind me again who everyone is,’ I asked him. ‘You all look too much alike for me to be certain.’
‘They are sitting in families, which helps,’ Adrien said. ‘Mama is sitting next to Papa, of course. Then that’s Marcus, my eldest brother, with Clarissa.’
‘I had a few words with her at the funeral,’ I said, eying my potential Lady Macbeth.
‘She can be rather… demanding,’ Adrien said, with a grin. ‘Then Charles with Anne – she’s expecting a happy event.’
Imminently, I thought, looking at the elegantly-draped bump with some apprehension. I’d thought heavily pregnant ladies were supposed to stay at home in this time, which, although deplorable, of course, was more soothing for those of us who’d experienced the police training on assisting at a childbirth and had absolutely no desire to put it into practice.
‘I noticed.’
Adrien snorted. ‘And finally, of my family, there is Bertram, who is trying very hard not to look bored.’
I eyed the handsome youth who had a raffish air that probably made him fatally attractive to young ladies – or so he hoped.
‘He is the wild one in our family – cards and low dives, mainly – which is another reason why Uncle Horace doesn’t take kindly to lectures directed to his own offspring.’ Adrien nodded towards the other grouping of sofas. ‘There’s Uncle Horace and Aunt Prunella, then my cousins arrayed in order of seniority.’