“The man was in his cups.” Beaumont took a hefty swallow of his brandy and lowered the glass. “He lost his balance. That is the end of the matter. A great tragedy, but certainly not a case of murder.”

It was a pity that Beaumont had recovered from his earlier confusion and had acquired allies in the shape of his butler and the local doctor, Tobias thought. The situation was back under control so far as his lordship was concerned and he had reasserted his authority.

One could hardly blame him for not wanting to acknowledge the scandalous possibility of murder. That sort of gossip could hang around for a very long time.

“Sir,” Tobias said evenly, “allow me to tell you that in my professional opinion there are a number of questions relating to this affair that should be answered. With your permission, I would like to continue my inquiries into the matter.”

“That is quite impossible, March.” Beaumont slapped his palms flat on the desk and surged to his feet. This has gone far enough.

“There has already been entirely too much disruption in the household. Lady Beaumont is extremely overset.”

Lavinia tapped one toe on the carpet. Tobias could see the fulminating expression in her eyes. He tried to signal her but she ignored his silent warning.

“Lady Beaumont’s concerns are quite understandable, sir,” she said briskly, “but as we have just explained, we may well be dealing with a matter of murder. Surely, under the circumstances, a few discreet questions are warranted. They will pose no great inconvenience to your guests.”

“For the last time, I have determined that this is not a matter of murder.” Beaumont bristled. “And I will be the judge of what constitutes an inconvenience to my guests, madam.”

“Sir, I really must insist that you allow us to investigate,” Lavinia said. “I assure you that we have had experience in this sort of thing and.”

Beaumont reacted very much as Tobias had anticipated. His lordship exploded.

“You insist?” Beaumont’s round face turned an unsightly shade of purple. You insist, Mrs. Lake? Who do you think you are, madam?”

Tobias exhaled deeply and prepared himself for the inevitable.

And she had the nerve to accuse him of not being sufficiently diplomatic with clients, he thought.

“It is not your place to insist upon anything in this household,”

Beaumont roared. “Not to put too fine a point on it, madam, but neither you nor Mr. March would even be here tonight were it not for the fact that I was induced to repay an old favor to Lord Vale.”

“I quite understand, sir,” Lavinia said hastily. “Indeed, it was very kind of you to extend the invitation to your house party. I can assure you that Mr. March and I have enjoyed ourselves immensely.

“Everything has been most elegant. Admittedly, my bed chamber is rather small and inadequately furnished, but I suspect that was merely an oversight.”

“What’s this?” Beaumont’s eyes bulged. “Now you wish to complain of the size of your bed chamber?”

“Do not concern yourself, sir. I am certain that it was not your fault that I was removed from a perfectly satisfactory bed chamber on the second floor and sent upstairs to a room that is considerablyless desirable.” She waved that aside. “It will do for the short time we are here. Now, then, regarding our theories about events tonight”

Beaumont gripped the edge of his desk with both pudgy hands and leaned forward in the manner of a bull preparing to charge. “It occurs to me, madam, that as you and March appear to be obsessed with your bizarre theories of foul play, you will doubtless be unable to enjoy the remainder of your stay here.”

“It is kind of you to concern yourself with our pleasure, sir, but there is no need. We shall manage nicely, I’m sure.”

“I don’t see how that will be possible,” Beaumont growled. “Both of you no doubt wish to return to London as soon as possible.”

“No, really”

“Drum will send a maid and a footman to each of your bed chambers first thing in the morning to assist you in your packing. Your carriage will be waiting for you at nine. On second thought, let’s make that eight-thirty. It is a long trip back to Town. I’m sure you’ll want to set out early.”

Lavinia stared at him for a few seconds, mute with shock. And then outrage leaped in her eyes. Her lips parted.

“Excellent suggestion, sir,” Tobias said before Lavinia could speak.

He crossed to her side, clamped a hand around her arm, and drew her toward the door. “Come, Mrs. Lake. We had best go upstairs and see to our travel preparations.”

For a few seconds he thought that she would not follow his lead.

He tightened his fingers around her arm in silent warning.

“Yes, of course.” She gave Beaumont a steely smile. “Good night, sir. I do hope that there are no more accidents among your guests after we take our leave. Heavens, only consider the possible effects of another such incident. Why, you and your lady might find that your house parties were not quite so fashionable in the future if it got around that guests are inclined to suffer unexplained accidents while attending your affairs.”

Tobias winced, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

Beaumont’s whiskers twitched in fury. “How dare you, madam? If you are implying for one moment that I am deliberately attempting to conceal an act of murder”

“That is certainly open to question, is it not?” Lavinia shot back much too smoothly.

“Enough,” Tobias said in her ear. He looked at Beaumont. You must make allowances for her, sir. I fear Fullerton’s death has shattered her nerves. You are quite right. It is best that I take her home to London as soon as possible. Never fear, we will be on our way first thing in the morning.”

Beaumont was somewhat mollified. “Mrs. Lake is obviously quite overwrought. I’m sure she will feel much more herself when she is back in her own home.”

Tobias sensed Lavinia preparing a scathing response to that observation. Fortunately, he had got her as far as the door. He managed to haul her through it and out into the corridor before she could add any more fuel to the flames.

He could feel her vibrating with outrage on his arm. The air around her almost sizzled.

“Correct me if I am mistaken,” she said, but I believe that Beaumont just tossed us out of the castle.”

“Your observation concurs with my own. So much for our jolly little outing in the country. Perhaps you and I were not made for such fashionable entertainments, madam.”

Seven

They started up the main staircase in silence.

“I suppose you feel that it is my fault that we have been asked to leave,” Lavinia said on the first landing.

“Yes, but you need not concern yourself overmuch with the matter.

“As it happens, I had already concluded that it would be best to return to London.”

She glanced at him, astonished. “But what of our investigation here at the scene of the crime?”

“I believe we have already learned as much as we can here. The killer has completed his work. I doubt he will hang around for long.

“I would not be surprised if he has already left the neighborhood.”

“Mmm. I take your point. He planned for Fullerton’s death to take place here because he knew that you would be in the immediate vicinity, did he not? He wanted to make certain that you were aware of his handiwork.”

“I suspect that is the case,” Tobias said.

They emerged on Lavinia’s floor and found a small gathering in the narrow hall. Two women of indeterminate years, garbed in chintz wrappers and voluminous nightcaps, stood talking animatedly to a man who appeared to be in his early twenties. It was obvious that Fullerton’s death was the topic of conversation.

“Some of my neighbors on this floor,” Lavinia explained in low tones as they walked toward the group. “Lady Oakes’s hairdresser, Mr. Pierce, and two ladies who are here as companions to two of Beaumont’s guests.”

All three heads turned toward Lavinia and Tobias. Avid curiosity glittered in each pair of eyes, but there was something particularly penetrating about the gazes of the two women, Tobias noticed. They


=

were staring at him with an oddly riveted, albeit slightly dazed expression.

Even if he had not been warned by Lavinia, he would have had no difficulty determining the role of these two, he thought. Both possessed the resigned, self-effacing, slightly faded quality one associated with impoverished ladies who have been obliged to undertake careers as professional companions.

Tobias suspected that the women had gone to bed early this evening. Their posts had likely excluded them from the evening’s festivities. Companions generally found themselves in the same peculiar, uncomfortable, in-between world as governesses. They were not servants, but neither were they the social equals of those they served. The combination of gentle breeding and poverty had doomed them to a profession in which they were expected to keep silent and remain discreetly in the background.

It occurred to him that this late-night gossip about violent death was probably the most exciting thing that had happened to this pair in some time.

He had met only two companions in his entire life who did not fit the usual mold of the species, he reflected: Lavinia and her niece, Emeline. They had not remained in the profession for long, and with good reason. Neither of them possessed a temperament that was suited to such a career.

“Mrs. Lake!” the hairdresser exclaimed. “We were just speaking of you. We feared that perhaps you had been overcome by the ghastly sight down below in the garden. Are you all right? Do you need a vinaigrette?”