Page 73 of A Whisper at Midnight

“Yes,” Beryl whispered.

If Beryl had been poisoned, it would seem she was not then guilty of poisoning her husband. That wouldn’t make sense.

Tilda looked at the retainers. “Was anyone else ill?”

They shook their heads.

“Can we be sure Mrs. Chambers was poisoned?” Mrs. Dunning wrung her hands. “Why would that have stopped?”

“Perhaps it was an accident,” Hadrian suggested. “Is there any way arsenic could have found its way into something?”

“Absolutely not,” Mrs. Blank responded as Mrs. Dunning turned pale. “Mrs. Dunning would never make such a mistake. Nor would she purchase tainted flour.”

“Perhaps the food came from someplace else then,” Tilda said gently. “Is that possible, Mrs. Dunning?”

Mrs. Dunning seemed to think a moment. “When they had their dinner parties, Mr. Chambers often brought in a few items, usually an extravagant cake or tart from somewhere. But everyone would have been ill.” She frowned. “Though Mr. Chambers made sure only he was served any leftover cake or tart.”

Tilda doubted the dessert had been poisoned because the cook was right—everyone who’d eaten it would have been ill. Except they would only have felt poorly for a brief period. If Chambers was ingesting all that remained, it was possible that he would have been sick longer. Still, it didn’t support consistent illness, which seemed to have been the case.

Tilda continued her inquiry. “When was the last dinner party?”

“A fortnight before Mr. Chambers died,” Mrs. Blank replied.

“That was just a few days after Martha left,” Clara added. “I remember because it was the first time we had to prepare without her help.”

Tilda wanted to know if these party desserts could be the culprit. “And the party before that?”

“They occurred monthly,” Oswald said. “Though there were two in January. One on Epiphany and one a fortnight or so later.”

These parties would easily have put a strain on Chambers’ already faltering finances. Why would he continue to have them? Because he was completely reckless and apparently expected his older brother to bail him out.

Hadrian turned to her. “Is it possible the food from these parties contained arsenic?”

“It’s possible, but I would find it surprising.” Tilda looked to Mrs. Blank. “I would like you to write down the dates of the parties since Epiphany along with what items came from outside the house and from where. Please also indicate how much remained after the party and if you know how long it took Mr. Chambers to eat what was left.”

The housekeeper nodded. “I’ll do that straightaway.”

Beryl addressed Mrs. Dunning. “I think we all require tea. I’ll have mine in the parlor with his lordship and Miss Wren.” She turned and walked into the parlor, and the retainers dispersed.

Tilda and Hadrian followed Beryl into the parlor where Beryl had already taken a seat on the settee.

“Beryl, if you would pardon us for a short while, I’d like to search Louis’s bedchamber and study again.” Tilda summoned her brightest smile and hoped Beryl wouldn’t ask to join them. Having Hadrian try to see something with Beryl there could be troublesome.

“‘Us’?” Beryl asked with a frown. She looked to Hadrian. “You’re leaving me too?”

“Not for long,” he said soothingly. “You do want us to find the truth?”

“I do, but I’m confused. And worried. You heard what Oswald said. Someone in the household was poisoning Louis. I don’t think it was the cake from our parties. They come from a very nice and expensive bakery—Hosford’s on Piccadilly. Louis had an account there.” Beryl looked toward the doorway to the staircase hall through which everyone else had departed. “At this point, I suspect Clara,” she whispered.

“Has something happened to make you think that?” Tilda asked.

Beryl shrugged. “She seems the likeliest person because of what Louis did to her when she first started working here. I confess I am uncomfortable with her now that I know of her behavior with him.”

Tilda did not respond as she would have wished, which would be to tell Beryl that Clara’s behavior was not her fault. She’d been young and taken advantage of by her employer. If anything, Beryl ought to have despised her husband even more.

“We’ll be back soon,” Tilda said before leaving the parlor and going to the study. She heard Hadrian following her.

When they reached the study, she turned to face Hadrian. “I don’t anticipate finding anything since the constables have already searched and it was their second time doing so. Mostly, I just wanted you to touch things and see if you could determine where the poison came from.” She grimaced. “I realize this is nearly as difficult as trying to find Beryl’s missing jewelry.”