‘The devil with sherry! Manners, I am trying to tell you that I seem to have developed… feelings for your intended and that I can only apologise and if you wish me to leave, I will of course do so, although under the circumstances – ’
‘Laura is not my intended. She is an old friend, one I care about deeply and if you break her heart, or cause her pain in any way, then I’ll remove your toenails by way of your nostrils, but otherwise, for what it’s worth, you have my blessing. If and when you do sort out exactly what you feel for her.’ He stood, decanter in hand and demanded, ‘Now, do you want a sherry or not?’
‘Yes.’ He sat down in an inelegant sprawl on the sofa. ‘Damn it, I don’t want to fall for a woman, any woman. I have just got myself betrothed.’
‘You’ve what? And you haven’t said anything? To whom?’
‘Lady Penelope Haddon, Prestwich’s eldest daughter.’
‘Good match. Well done.’
‘Is it? I’m just getting to terms with being a viscount and all that involves and I’ve not the slightest idea how to be a husband. With my history, I wouldn’t have blamed her father for turning me down, but he seemed pleased with the match.’
‘He would be,’ Perry said drily. ‘You’ve a title, money and have shown every sign of being a reformed character. And I heard something – she was involved with an artillery officer – or was it a naval lieutenant? – anyway, father put a stop to it on the grounds of no family and no money, so you’ll be a gift from the gods to a harassed parent. But you’ll know all about that, of course.’
‘No.’ Theo shook his head. ‘I didn’t trouble to look into her life much. Good family, healthy dowry, pleasant young woman.’ He grimaced. ‘I should have cared more, shouldn’t I?’
‘If you intend to spend the rest of your life with her, yes.’
‘There’s nothing I can do about it now. I’ve just got to stop thinking about Laura in that way.’ Like turning over the page in a book? Erasing a line of writing in black ink? So easy to say…
‘Are you in love with her?’ Perry dropped onto the other end of the sofa. ‘You positively growled at me back in the churchyard.’
‘I don’t know,’ Theo confessed. ‘I’ve never been in love, I daren’t think about it with Laura. I know I want to protect her. And kiss her… More than kiss her. I know I shouldn’t even notice another woman now I’m betrothed, but I want her. I like her, damn it.’
‘Has it occurred to you that you made a serious error in proposing to Lady Penelope?’
‘Of course it has. And there is nothing I can do about it except try my best to be a decent husband to her.’
‘How does Laura feel about you?’ Perry asked.
‘How would I know? I can hardly ask, can I? I’m not that much of a blackguard. But I know perfectly well that she could care passionately about me and it still shouldn’t make any difference.’
‘It shouldn’t, but I think it would. You don’t want me to ask her then?’ Perry ducked as Theo hurled a cushion at him.
‘This is not a laughing matter. Listen – they’re coming.’
The sound of Laura and Will bickering gently over who should be supporting who, was audible through the half-open door. Theo got to his feet and went to open it wider as the two came in.
Will had changed his clothes and was looking pale and anxious. Laura, in a simple sprigged cotton day dress, had some of her colour back, but her smile seemed forced to Theo. My guilty conscience, he told himself, trying not to look at the way her hair curled damply around her ears. He reached out a hand to touch it and then snatched it back.
Without asking, Perry gave them both sherry and they all sat down in a silence that Will finally broke.
‘We must inform Sir Walter that his uncle has been found so that a funeral can be held as soon as possible. The Rector must be decently buried.’
‘He’s been in the crypt for eighteen years,’ Theo objected. ‘On holy ground. I do not think we should tell anyone about this until we have some idea what happened.’
‘It was murder, surely?’ Laura said.
‘Not necessarily.’ Perry unfolded a handkerchief to reveal four short metal rods that he placed on the low table that stood between them. ‘He had these in his pocket. I tried them as we closed the tomb. It took two of us to open it when we first discovered how it worked. But with these he could have opened it by himself. They are not some makeshift, they seem to have been cut to length specifically for the purpose, so he must have entered the tomb knowing how it worked.’
‘And he must have been involved in its construction,’ Will said slowly. ‘When I saw the crypt from the inside it was evident there was no reason why it should have been blocked up and that could not have been done without the knowledge of the Rector.’
‘So he was a smuggling parson and made an elaborate store for the contraband. They are common enough from what one hears,’ Laura said. ‘The church has always been on the smugglers’ route inland. It still does not mean he died by accident.’
‘We examined the body. A bit.’ Perry took a reviving gulp of sherry, got up and brought the decanter over to top up all the glasses. ‘Too early for brandy I suppose.’ He sat down again, cleared his throat. ‘Anyway, the ladder that was pushed to the side next to the body had a break in one of the uprights and it looked natural. There was a large knot in the wood that must have weakened it. There was no sign that the ladder had been interfered with.’
‘But he was a tall man,’ Laura protested. ‘At least, he seemed to have been…’ Her voice trailed away and she gave a little shiver. ‘Surely he could have improvised something?’