Page 24 of A Lady’s Guide to Murder
CHAPTER 23
Perceval in the Park
Henrietta wished Perceval were alone, not accompanied by Jane Babcock. Nor was busy Hyde Park ideal for a confrontation. Stepping onto the path some twenty paces behind her husband’s cousin, she reminded herself, ‘Needs must when the devil drives.’
‘Indeed,’ Theo agreed quietly at her side.
‘Keep trailing them,’ she told him. ‘Meanwhile, I shall cross the lawn and attempt to draw them off the path near the Ring, so we can speak to them away from prying eyes and ears.’
The Ring, a racetrack surrounded by a dense band of elms, lay a short distance from the main public road. Henrietta hitched her skirts to arrive ahead of Perceval and Jane. At the northern edge, the trees grew the thickest. There she waited. When Perceval neared, trailed by Theo, she let out a sharp scream and collapsed to the ground, clutching her ankle.
Perceval and Jane turned towards her cry, but so did several other people, including Theo, who sprinted towards her, concern etched on his face. Perceval and Jane proceeded on their way.
Henrietta called loudly to Theo. ‘Sir, ’tis my ankle I injured, but I fear I may lose my baby as well. Please fetch a lady to assist me.’
Realisation dawned on Theo’s face. He pulled his hat brim low, shading his features, and called towards Jane Babcock, hiding all trace of his faint Cockney accent. ‘Madam, this lady requires the assistance of another lady. May I presume to trouble you for a moment of your time?’
Jane didn’t hesitate to step forward, despite discontented rumbles from Perceval. ‘Nonsense, Perceval,’ she said over her shoulder. ‘One should never turn one’s back on someone in need.’
Guilt twisted Henrietta’s gut, but the deception was for Edmund’s sake. She had to discover the real killer and catching Perceval unawares was her best chance to assess his guilt or innocence.
She let Jane assist her up, still pretending to have a sore ankle until Perceval approached. Then she whispered a quick apology in Jane’s ear, grabbed both of her wrists and pulled them behind her back, and stepped deep into the cover of the elm trees.
Perceval’s eyes widened in genuine terror. He leapt to the rescue, but Theo intercepted him and mimicked Henrietta’s stance. Perceval barely thrashed as Theo restrained him, but he did sputter with anger. ‘What is the meaning of this? If you seek to rob us, this is stupidly done, in sight of many bystanders. Unhand us at once or we shall call for help, and the two of you will rot in Newgate.’
Jane remained calm, peering keenly at Theo. ‘You’re that journalist. Theodore Hawke.’
Perceval twisted to view his captor. ‘And so he is, my love! Hawke, you blasted fool, I sent you to find my cousin’s widow. What do you mean by—’ He jerked his head towards Henrietta and squinted at her veiled face before turning as red as a pickled beet. ‘You witch . So you cast your lusty lures and caught Hawke, did you?’
Theo’s jaw clenched. ‘That’s enough, Percy. I won’t hear you talk to her that way, any more than you’d let me disparage Miss Babcock.’
‘Ah, so it is like that,’ Perceval said spitefully. ‘I thought you didn’t stoop to that level, Hawke. I thought you were vehemently opposed to the idea.’
Henrietta’s stomach churned. ‘The idea of what?’
‘Nothing but Percy’s foul suggestion that I purposely seduce you in order to expose you as an “adulterous thief”, as he said. You know I would never have done such a thing.’
‘I do indeed,’ she replied, acquitting Theo, but growing furious at her husband’s cousin. ‘Perceval, you are a vicious snake.’
‘Whore.’ Perceval spat the insult back and Henrietta thought Theo would explode in anger. He must’ve increased his grip because Perceval began to squirm.
‘Percy, this is your last warning.’ Theo’s voice was as tight as a bowstring. ‘Do not insult Her Grace’s honour.’
‘Taking on the airs of a gentleman now, are you, Hawke?’ Perceval said, his voice a fraction of an octave higher as he wriggled. ‘Speaking of honour? Do you intend to challenge me?’
‘Perceval.’ Jane’s tone was reprimanding. ‘That’s exactly the sort of attitude I’ve told you to curtail. Mr Hawke is correct to defend the duchess’s honour, just as any man is correct to defend the honour of any woman.’
‘But do you see her stomach, Jane?’ Perceval simmered with anger. ‘She has something stuffed up her petticoats, pretending she’s with child. It is just as I said. She will find a foundling and steal my inheritance.’
‘Is that so, ma’am?’ Jane asked. Though she was a slip of a thing and only nineteen years of age, her gaze didn’t waver.
Admirable.
Henrietta gentled her voice. ‘The succession of the dukedom is very much on my mind, but my first concern is to discover who murdered my husband, so no innocent dies for the crime. Perceval is the most likely suspect.’
Perceval scoffed. ‘ You are the likeliest suspect, if it wasn’t the maid. You were alone with him at the time of his death.’
‘I worked that out long ago – you framed me as the murderess by using a poison that doesn’t act instantly. It’s a perfect crime, Perceval – if you get away with it, both Edmund and I will be dead, with no impediment to your becoming duke and with no expensive widow to support. But I shall ensure you don’t elude justice.’
‘Pretty theory, but a figment of your imagination that certainly won’t hold up against the evidence of your guilt.’
‘But I had no motive, Perceval. Think on that. Why would I have killed him? Even if I were that depraved, why do it without having first secured my fortune through the birth of a male heir?’
‘Perhaps you are in love with one of the men you cavort with,’ Perceval replied.
‘With what men do I cavort?’ she asked, exasperated. ‘Name a single lover ever linked to me, other than Marlow, thanks to Mr Hawke misinterpreting an interaction.’
Perceval sneered. ‘There’s only one way to interpret Marlow ploughing you up a garden wall.’
‘Oh?’ she said. ‘Just as there is only one way to interpret your placing diamonds around Désirée du Pont’s neck while engaged to Jane?’ Perceval narrowed his eyes, but Jane registered no surprise or concern. Clearly, Perceval had spoken to her about the matter. ‘Of course there are always multiple sides to a story. Mr Hawke, tell Perceval whether you misinterpreted my interaction with Marlow.’
Theo cleared his throat. ‘Her Grace is innocent of adultery. She was always faithful to her husband in mind, body and spirit.’
‘Ha!’ Perceval laughed. ‘She’s convinced you , but you’ve fallen for her wiles. She could feed you any story and you’d believe it.’
‘No,’ Theo said. ‘I speak the truth.’
‘Ah, she provided proof, then, did she? No doubt you checked if she’s intact—’
Theo snarled as he tightened his grip on Perceval, who wriggled again like the worm he was.
‘Please soften your hold, Mr Hawke,’ Jane said, and Theo did so immediately. Perceval fell limp and panting against his body. ‘This is descending into unpleasant squabbling when we ought to have a rational conversation.’ Jane’s words held a note of finality; she would make an effective duchess. ‘I believe you had no motive to kill your husband, Your Grace. But Perceval also had no motive.’
‘Is not his inheritance of a title, influence and wealth motive enough?’ Henrietta asked.
‘Motive enough to abandon all human decency and kill my own cousin?’ Perceval sputtered. ‘People don’t kill for titles, Henrietta. Not in modern times at least. Besides, why would I risk everything now , when I had just been fortunate enough to win the heart and hand of the most wonderful lady in the world? Why now , when I was about to stand for Parliament in the upcoming Wendington by-election? Where I was nearly certain to win, with both Edmund and the bishop’s backing?’
Henrietta frowned. ‘The borough where Bishop Babcock resides?’
‘Yes, the MP died. And lest you think me responsible for that death as well, I’ll have you know he was four-and-ninety years of age and suffered from a lung infection. He died in bed surrounded by his family.’
Henrietta glanced at Jane. ‘Is this true, about the by-election?’
‘The solemn truth,’ she said. ‘When Perceval, the duke and my father presented me with this idea in early March, I felt I could finally accept Perceval as a husband. Although I already loved him dearly despite his faults, I couldn’t marry a man without purpose. When he first proposed, at Christmas, I insisted he change his lifestyle if he hoped to win my hand. To my great surprise, he began at once and has never wavered.’
Henrietta decided to tell what she knew. It was worth having to buy Miss du Pont a new necklace to save Jane from an unhappy marriage. ‘He wavered when he visited his mistress in January.’
‘Strictly speaking, yes,’ Jane said calmly. ‘But he confessed all to me at once, and, while you may think me na?ve, I am inclined to believe him the victim in that case. Miss du Pont and her manservant bound him to a chair.’
Henrietta raised her eyebrows. ‘I think you very na?ve if Perceval told you so and you believed him.’
‘He also showed me the rope burns,’ Jane said firmly. ‘And his story was collaborated by Miss du Pont herself, who is not a kind woman. After Perceval gave her the necklace, which I watched from afar, I caught up with her near the gate. She admitted she forced the … interaction and acted as if she had every right to treat a man however she wished.’
‘Men haven’t been kind to her,’ Henrietta said. ‘You and I cannot judge a life so different from our own, I think.’
‘No matter what one has suffered, it is not right to inflict suffering on others in retribution,’ Jane said sensibly, and Henrietta felt that truth as well. ‘Furthermore, by Miss du Pont’s own admission, Perceval was always fair to her. She was simply angry about the dissolution of the arrangement and wanted revenge. Were the tables turned and a man had treated a woman as she treated Perceval on that occasion, you would be appalled. You’d blame the man, not the woman. Why not afford Perceval the same consideration?’
With a heavy sigh, Henrietta admitted she might have been mistaken. A weight descended on her shoulders. When there were always multiple sides to a story, how was she ever to determine what happened to Edmund?
Jane’s expression softened. ‘Truly, Your Grace, Perceval is striving to be a better man.’
‘Yet he physically attacked me,’ Henrietta said. ‘After the will reading. Did you know?’
Jane’s questioning gaze turned to Perceval.
Perceval pursed his lips. ‘Only to prevent her leaving. Your parents and I agreed it was best if she stay with them, since we all knew her to be lying about being with child.’
‘I never said I was with child,’ Henrietta said. ‘I simply didn’t say I wasn’t .’
Jane looked upon her fiancé severely. ‘Perceval, you owe Her Grace an apology.’
Perceval started to whine. ‘I never hurt her. She fought back and I was the one who ended injured.’
‘Perceval!’ the small lady admonished, and that was the final word.
Perceval looked sheepish. ‘Forgive me, Henrietta, for the way I treated you in the weeks after Edmund’s death.’
‘I don’t,’ Henrietta replied. ‘Not yet, anyway. And I have many questions still, for much about your story doesn’t make sense. Why give Miss du Pont the diamond necklace to silence her blackmail if Jane already knew about the … encounter you had in January?’
‘Because Désirée threatened to go to the gossip gleaners, just as I was preparing for the by-election. I couldn’t have that in the papers or I’d risk losing. In a district that loves Bishop Babcock, voters wouldn’t have taken kindly to my slighting his daughter.’
Henrietta considered. ‘When did Edmund learn of the necklace?’
‘The evening before he died, when we dined at Severn House. Earlier that day, Désirée had viciously informed me that she’d fed Hawke our meeting location to ensure he observed the interaction. Désirée was intent on destroying my happiness with Jane – and I feared she might succeed, for the parliamentary seat was vital to demonstrate my commitment to self-improvement.’ He glanced at Theo. ‘Losing that seat due to Hawke’s exposé would not only jeopardise my political aspiration but also risk losing Jane. I wanted to disclose the situation to Edmund before it became public.’
‘Or you wanted to kill Edmund, because Jane would surely marry a duke.’ Henrietta was still reluctant to believe his tales. ‘Explain this: if you had that discussion the night before Edmund’s death, why did you wish to speak to him so urgently after the article’s publication?’
‘Because Désirée still wasn’t satisfied, even after my public humiliation. She is intent upon either destroying me or extracting all she can for her financial gain. That day, I received a new threat from her and I went immediately to Edmund for advice, for I didn’t know how to weather the storm without aid.’
Jane was nodding. ‘Miss du Pont is not a kind woman,’ she said again.
Henrietta recalled something Edmund had said, just before his death: ‘It remains to be seen if Perceval’s newfound maturity can weather this storm.’ He’d cautioned Henrietta against optimism.
‘What did Edmund reply that afternoon in the library?’ she asked, hoping Perceval’s answer might go some way towards proving or disproving the veracity of his story.
‘That I should seize the opportunity to prove my newfound maturity, to Jane and all. That I should shoulder duty and not balk at challenges, but rise above them.’
Yes, that sounded exactly like something Edmund would say.
Perceval pouted a little. ‘I could tell he doubted my ability to succeed …’
That matched what Edmund had told her, Henrietta realised.
‘But I was determined,’ Perceval continued. ‘Immediately after the interaction in the library, I went to Jane and her father. We spoke for hours, and at last I realised honesty was my best path forward. We were drafting an address I meant to publish prior to the election, in which I laid bare the facts of my association with Désirée, when my manservant arrived with word of Edmund’s death.’
‘My father and I witnessed his shock, Your Grace,’ Jane added. ‘I have no doubt he felt true grief.’
‘Of course I did.’ Tears pooled in Perceval’s eyes. ‘You may not believe this, Henrietta, but as a fatherless boy I looked up to Edmund. The occasions he made time for me became my happiest childhood memories …’
‘Yet you blackmailed him, once you learnt of a certain matter?’ Henrietta snapped.
Perceval flinched, but he held her gaze. ‘I made many poor choices in my youth. As the only child of a bereaved mother, I was frequently overindulged. I fell to bad influences at Eton and maintained those acquaintances into adulthood. Some might say Edmund, as the head of the family, should have taken a hand in my upbringing. But I blame no one but myself; recognising this has been crucial to my self-improvement. The only proof I can offer of my underlying good intentions is that even before meeting Jane, I cut all ties with the Scourers.’
Henrietta met Theo’s eyes. She read a quiet acceptance in the slight raise of his shoulder and the tilt of one brow. ‘Why then were you so cruel to me after Edmund’s death?’
‘It always struck me as mighty hypocritical of my cousin to lecture me on duty and responsibility, when he married you only to cheat me.’ Perceval scowled. ‘Neither of you were friends to me, Henrietta.’
Henrietta’s head began to throb. The relationship between the cousins had always been complex and bad behaviour had occurred on both sides. Did this make Perceval a murderer, though? It was beginning to seem unlikely, especially given Jane’s steadfast, practical support.
But one thing still didn’t make sense. ‘Perceval, Edmund had cut off your allowance. How did you get the money for the necklace?’
‘I bought the necklace,’ Jane said. ‘No doubt Rundell and Bridge’s has an account of the sale, should you not believe me.’
‘I have proof of everything I’ve told you, Henrietta,’ Perceval added. ‘Letters from Edmund regarding the election. Bishop Babcock has some as well. You know Edmund’s hand, his voice. You’ll know them to be genuine at once.’
Henrietta rubbed her temples. If only Edmund had been more upfront about his life and dealings, solving this mystery mightn’t be so challenging.
As if his thoughts aligned, Theo asked, ‘Would not your husband have spoken to you about this, Your Grace?’
‘No,’ Henrietta said. ‘Edmund disliked my talking about politics.’ Or Perceval. Or James, or estates, or many other things. Edmund had spoken to her of horses and sailing, of dinner menus and social duties. Of men she might consider taking as lovers on his gentle but endless quest for an heir. But never of important matters.
She loosened her hold on Jane’s wrists. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said softly. ‘I hope I didn’t hurt you?’
‘Not at all.’ Jane rubbed her wrists as she observed Henrietta closely. ‘I rather hope we haven’t hurt you , ma’am. I know you loved the duke.’
‘Thank you.’ Henrietta blinked back tears. She was impossibly emotional lately. Yes, there was a great deal of strain in her life, but she prided herself on her self-control. Lest she succumb to sobbing now, she turned to Perceval with another question. ‘Why then did Edmund change his will the night before he died?’
Perceval shook his head. ‘How should I know? I had hoped Edmund trusted me. It was a bitter blow to receive that final confirmation that he had no faith in me at all.’
‘I have a theory on that matter,’ Theo said. ‘Could the rewriting of the will relate to His Grace’s encounter with Mr Beaucastle the day before his death?’
Henrietta reflected. Yes, Edmund had intended to will Grenham to James. She’d known that – that’s why she’d been so surprised when it had been willed to her. What if Edmund’s personal fortune had also been willed elsewhere? Perhaps Edmund had always intended a widowed Henrietta to live on her dower’s share of the dukedom’s income. Perhaps his favouring of her in the will rewriting was bitterness towards James ?
‘But why then make such a fuss over my having a year to deliver a child?’
‘Recall what Mr Beaucastle said on that matter as well,’ Theo said.
Henrietta thought back. Edmund had told James that the end of their love affair had made him view his marriage differently. That she was loyal to a fault – and that fault, of course, was her refusal to take a lover to give him an heir – and he needed to act. So, as best she could conclude, Edmund truly had intended to conceive his own son by her. The kiss the night before his death had been a first tentative step in that direction, as she suspected when she’d spoken with James.
She mused aloud. ‘I suppose he specified a year because he was an eleven-month baby himself. Given the rumours about me, he wrote his will to ensure that if he got me with child and died while I was pregnant, there would be no speculation regarding the parentage of our baby. After all, he hadn’t expected to die the next day.’
The thought of what she had lost – a family with Edmund – was enough to break her heart all over again. She closed her eyes until the stinging prickle of tears passed and she’d regained control over her emotions. ‘He intended to father a son on me.’
Jane encased her in delicate arms. ‘You lost that too, when he died. Your grief is great and there is little I can do to ease it. But know that I am your friend, and you are in my prayers daily.’
Henrietta returned the embrace. Jane was wise beyond her years. No wonder Edmund had admired her. Henrietta herself had not been so sensible at the age of nineteen. She’d been lovelorn and headstrong, determined to have Edmund or nothing, unwilling to relinquish an impossible dream.
‘I shall help him, ma’am,’ Jane was whispering in her ear. ‘I shall help him make good use of his seat in the Upper House. We shall continue to strive for the reforms to which your husband dedicated his life. Under my tutelage, Perceval will learn. Just now, we were talking over this excellent treatise.’ She released the embrace, reached into her reticule and withdrew a copy of the same treatise Henrietta had been reading the afternoon Edmund had died – the one she now realised was written by Theo. ‘It advises the revision of voting restrictions, to allow everyone the right to vote, as well as the—’
‘The revision of property rights, so married women can own their property in their own right.’ Henrietta finished for her. ‘It’s a very good treatise and as I personally know the author, I can attest to his excellent political thinking.’
She smiled at Theo, who recoiled in surprise before rather sheepishly grinning in return.
Jane observed, once again not missing a thing. ‘Ah, you wrote this, Mr Hawke? I commend you – I have followed your anonymous treatises for some time. I can always tell your writing—’
‘By his rational approach to seeking truth?’ Henrietta said.
Jane smiled, showing a dimple in her left cheek. ‘Yes, and by the way he uses his very understanding of opposing arguments to support his thesis.’
Theo muttered a rather embarrassed thanks and released Perceval.
Perceval rolled his shoulders. ‘Henrietta, if it is any comfort, I expressed to the magistrate on the day of Edmund’s death my sincere doubts that you killed him. Although I admit the evidence is condemning, I shall support you, should this come to trial. I was the one who suggested they bring in your maid; in my mind, she is the most likely culprit as she poured the wine.’
‘Edmund poured the wine,’ Henrietta replied. ‘And I do wish you had left Libby out of this – she couldn’t say boo to a goose. No, if it wasn’t you, me, or James Beaucastle, it was Marlow, by simple process of elimination. I merely need proof.’
‘Perhaps that’s best left to the authorities?’ Perceval said.
‘No,’ she replied, smoothing her skirts over the swell of her pretend pregnancy. ‘The people will demand that someone hang for Edmund’s murder and it would be much easier to hang a maid or a duchess over a viscount, who would be tried by his peers and no doubt found innocent. A nobleman hasn’t hanged in this country for sixty years.’
‘You are a noblewoman. You could expect the same,’ Jane said.
‘I can’t. Too much evidence stands against me and public opinion has long questioned my faithfulness. The prosecution could easily resurrect old rumours. Moreover, I won’t be tried by a jury of noblemen, as I am not a peer in my own right. And I must protect Libby. It is essential I uncover irrefutable proof of Marlow’s guilt. Something his peers cannot deny without incensing the populace, which they cannot afford to do.’
Jane extended her hand to Henrietta. ‘Then I wish you the best of luck, Your Grace.’
Henrietta pulled her into an embrace instead. ‘Oh, I do like you,’ she whispered into Jane’s ear. ‘I am happy for you to take my place. You will be the duchess I wanted to be, and may God bless your work.’
She released her and found that Jane’s eyes swam with tears. ‘That means the world, coming from Your Grace.’
Henrietta smiled, feeling like a duchess herself for the first time in days. ‘I must be Henrietta to you from now on.’ She turned to Perceval, lifting her chin and speaking with the authority ingrained since childhood. Even as a fugitive fighting for her life, she could still be a great lady. ‘Perceval, I am not with child,’ she said. There was a brief twinge of grief, for she was relinquishing the dream of a family with or for Edmund, but it soon passed. The same reason that had prevented her from fulfilling that request while Edmund had lived still stood – deceit went against her nature. ‘I will inform Mr Quigley that you are the undisputed Duke of Severn as soon as I have cleared my name.’
Jane kissed her hand. ‘That is very good of you.’
‘No, it is the right thing to do.’ Henrietta released a deep breath. ‘Of course, if I am hanged, then you will achieve the same.’
Perceval shook his head. ‘We shall do everything in our power to ensure you aren’t hanged.’
She appreciated the support but doubted his ability to help. ‘For now, just conceal both my presence in London and my association with Mr Hawke.’
Perceval reached into his pocket. ‘D’ye need money?’
Henrietta did, but hesitated to ask and in the interim, Theo answered. ‘I have money, Your Grace.’
Perceval’s eyes lit at Theo’s use of the honorific.
‘Remember, Perceval,’ Henrietta said firmly, ‘what “Your Grace” signifies. Not wealth or power, but favour granted by the Crown, which rules by divine right. A favour that comes with solemn responsibility and duty to this country, its king, and its people. As Duke of Severn, duty must always, always come before your own needs and wishes. Never forget that or you forget yourself before God.’
Jane clasped a hand to her heart. ‘I couldn’t have said it better.’
Perceval and his fiancée were on their way soon after, walking arm in arm through Hyde Park, and Henrietta leant against an elm tree for support. Emotions washed over her – fear and exhaustion, grief and yet tenuous hope.
Theo laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘That was well done, but I imagine it wasn’t easy. Need a drink?’
‘Only an embrace,’ she said, turning into his arms. She rested her head against his broad shoulder. ‘ This is nice.’
‘It is.’ He rubbed his palm over her tight back, easing her tension. ‘What’s our next step?’
‘There’s only one suspect left, so we have our killer, don’t we?’ she asked glumly. ‘I suppose Marlow wasn’t as pleased as Edmund thought about their meeting that afternoon.’
‘To Marlow House, then?’
‘To Marlow House.’
Joining hands, they walked from the park.