Page 107 of A Whisper and a Curse

“They are still investigating. They have not eliminated Mr. Mallory as a suspect.” Tilda smiled again. “I’m sure you want to help him. Now, when did you join the society and in what capacity?”

Hadrian never failed to be impressed by Tilda. She was certain Miss Dryden would want to protect her lover and used that to persuade her to speak. And it worked.

“I was hired as a housekeeper last September,” Miss Dryden said.

“And when did you become a medium?” Tilda asked.

“In January.” Miss Dryden crossed her arms over her chest.

“Pardon me for the personal inquiry, but when did you and Mr. Mallory become intimate?”

Miss Dryden’s cheeks flooded with color. “Is that really important to the investigation?”

“Every detail is, yes.” She lowered her voice to add, “I promise whatever you say to us will be kept in strictest confidence.”

Exhaling, Miss Dryden’s color faded a bit. She looked away before answering. “We grew closer in December.”

“Are you still together?” Tilda asked.

“Yes.” She blushed again. “Mostly.”

Tilda persisted. “What does that mean?”

Miss Dryden glanced toward Hadrian. “Must I say this in front of his lordship?”

“He will be as discreet as I will,” Tilda assured her. “Does Mr. Mallory have another lover?”

“I’m not sure.” Miss Dryden’s shoulders twitched, and she unfolded her arms.

“What does that mean?” Tilda prodded. “I’m sorry to keep pestering you, but this truly will help the investigation. I know you want to find the killer as much as we do.”

“Oh, yes. I truly do.” Miss Dryden took a deep breath. “Of late, he’s not as … attentive as he has been. I wondered if he’d taken up with Miss Smith. The poor soul.”

“I see,” Tilda murmured. “Is there anything else about your relationship with Mr. Mallory that would be helpful for us to know?”

After a moment’s consideration, Miss Dryden shook her head. Then she met Tilda’s gaze with a fiery stare. “Lysander is a good man. He cares about helping people with their grief. He would never hurt anyone.”

Tilda gave her a warm smile. “I understand. Thank you, Miss Dryden. You’ve been most helpful.”

“Lysander is truly coming back?”

“You should expect him anytime, I think.” Tilda looked to Hadrian, and he could see she was ready to leave. “Thank you, Miss Dryden.”

Hadrian moved to open the door for Tilda, and they took their leave.

“That was informative,” Hadrian said. “But does it help with finding the killer? I’m afraid I don’t see any connection.”

Tilda’s eyes gleamed with that special light that indicated her mind was hard at work piecing together clues and information. “Mallory has had affairs with both female mediums who are dead—Mrs. Frost and Miss Smith—as well as two more mediums who are still breathing.”

“Miss Dryden and Mrs. Griswold?”

“I think we can assume Mrs. Griswold was one of his paramours at some point, given the jealousy you felt when you saw her memory,” Tilda said. “And I think we must consider that she—or Miss Dryden—may have had a motive to kill Mrs. Frost and Miss Smith.”

“But what about Ward and Hawkins?” Hadrian asked.

“It may be that Hawkins discovered the identity of the murderer and was killed. However, that doesn’t explain Ward’s death, since he was murdered first.”

“What if Ward was an accident?” Hadrian mused. “Poison was the weapon, and I would think you could poison the wrong person by mistake.”