Page 75 of A Whisper at Midnight

Tilda felt sorry for the young woman. “Have you anywhere you can stay?”

“No.” She took a stuttering breath. “I will manage. I didn’t mean to bother you.” She began to turn.

“Is there anything you aren’t telling us, Clara?” Tilda asked.

“It’s just … Mrs. Chambers has been acting strangely. She hasn’t wanted me to help her very much since …” The maid’s voice trailed off.

“Since her husband died?” Hadrian supplied.

Clara nodded. “She may just be upset with me because of what happened … before.” She looked down at the floor.

“That could very well be,” Tilda said kindly. “Try not to worry overmuch. It’s a difficult time.”

“That’s what Mrs. Blank told me. She said I should feel fortunate to have a bit of a respite. It’s true that we’ve all been working harder since Martha left.” Clara brushed her hand over her nose and sniffed. “I’m sad about Martha too. Being here is difficult.”

Tilda put her hand on Clara’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Mrs. Blank is right. Take solace in this respite.”

“Thank you, Miss Wren. You’ve been so kind.” Clara smiled.

Removing her hand from Clara, Tilda asked, “Since you are here, can you tell me how long Mrs. Chambers has had the veil she wore today?”

“Mrs. Styles-Rowdon gave it to her when she brought the mourning clothes. She said she wore it after her husband died a few years ago.”

“Thank you,” Tilda said warmly.

Clara turned and went through the doorway to the servants’ staircase.

Tilda pivoted to face Hadrian. “Why do you suppose Beryl is giving Clara a ‘respite’?”

“It could be as Clara said. Or that Beryl is upset and needs time to herself.”

“Or it could be that she’s feeling guilty and doesn’t want to be around the maid.” Tilda frowned. “I don’t know.”

“Why did you ask about the veil?” Hadrian asked. “I confess seeing Beryl wear that earlier made me think of the woman who was seen visiting Martha.”

“Precisely,” Tilda said, glad that he’d also noticed that. “Clara says Mrs. Styles-Rowdon brought the veil on Friday. That was before the woman was seen with Martha later that night.”

“But wasn’t the veiled woman seen another time?” Hadrian asked.

Tilda frowned. “Still, it could have been Beryl. She may have already had a veil when Mrs. Styles-Rowdon offered hers and didn’t want to say so.”

Hadrian nodded vaguely. “Because she wouldn’t want anyone to know if she’d been wearing it in Spitalfields to see Martha.” He met Tilda’s gaze. “Why would Beryl call on Martha? And why would she have pushed her to her death? Perhaps she’d discovered Martha’s affair with her husband.”

Tilda didn’t think that was the reason. “Beryl would have been glad to have proof of her husband’s infidelity, as it would have helped her pursuit of a divorce. I would say it makes more sense that Beryl was worried that Martha was aware of her poisoning Louis, so she called on her to find out. However, if Beryl was also being poisoned, it’s unlikely she is the poisoner.” Tilda paused and thought a moment. “I suppose it’s possible that Beryl wasn’t poisoned with arsenic—we can’t know since her illness has resolved.”

Hadrian grimaced faintly. “I confess I have an easier time believing Beryl might poison Louis as opposed to stabbing him.”

“We should probably return to the parlor,” Tilda said.

Upon arriving at the parlor, they had to stop short upon seeing that Beryl was not alone. She sat on the settee very close to her brother-in-law, Oliver Chambers, their heads bent together.

Oliver looked up and saw Tilda and Hadrian. He gently elbowed Beryl who also moved her gaze to the doorway.

Beryl straightened, angling her body toward Tilda and Hadrian. In doing so, she moved away from Oliver. Still, Tilda noted their closeness. Perhaps it was just that Oliver was comforting his brother’s widow. Or there was a chance it was something else.

“Oliver came to see how I was faring after the inquest,” Beryl said.

Hadrian inclined his head toward Oliver. “That’s kind of you.”