Page 43 of A Whisper in the Shadows (Raven & Wren #4)

Tilda lifted her shoulder. “I think there must be. Nigel has vowed to discover the depth of Mr. Eaton’s cheating. He’ll also ensure that Mrs. Cardy receives the money her husband paid into the Society.”

Mrs. Burley put her hand to her chest. “Bless him. I’m so pleased to hear this. It’s a relief to know Mrs. Cardy will be taken care of. I do wonder about the future of the Amicable Society.”

“My husband and I are quite dedicated to it already,” Tilda said softly. “In fact, Mr. Nevill and Mr. Furnier have offered Albert the position of their third administrator, at least temporarily. That was the other exciting thing that happened. We hope they will want him to stay on permanently.”

“Really?” Mrs. Burley’s eyes flashed with surprise.

“That is a shocking development, considering how new you are to the society. I wonder why they didn’t ask Mr. Draper, since he’s been involved since the beginning.

Perhaps he wasn’t interested. And he is somewhat soft-spoken. He may not have been the right choice.”

“It seems many people are upset about what Mr. Eaton was doing,” Tilda said. “I’ve heard rumors that some have asked to leave the society and have their fees refunded.”

Mrs. Burley nodded. “I’ve heard that too, but I think it’s mostly bluster. Still, Nevill and Furnier should not underestimate people’s outrage.” Her eyes narrowed briefly. “I share their anger. I don’t think anybody in the society is sad that Mr. Eaton met his maker.”

“You think he deserved to die?” Tilda asked.

“I think what he did was despicable, and I would not fault someone for being angry enough to kill him. He hurt people’s livelihoods and their children.

Poor Mrs. Cardy has five of them, and one is now sick.

The money her husband paid into the society could be used for the child’s care. It’s terrible.”

Tilda glanced out the front window toward Mr. Phelps’s house. She thought of Hadrian’s visions, of seeing the administrators meeting there.

“You say you saw Mr. Nevill calling at Mr. Phelps’s house often,” Tilda said. “Did you ever see Mr. Furnier or Dr. Giles there?”

“Sometimes, but not nearly as much as Mr. Nevill. That’s because he and Mr. Phelps are—rather, were —friends. I don’t think the same could be said for Mr. Furnier and Mr. Phelps.”

“What about Dr. Giles?”

“I can’t say I’ve noticed that he’s particularly friendly with any of them.

But then he’s very smitten with his betrothed.

” Mrs. Burley smiled. “It’s always heartwarming to see people in love.

I am not above trying to assist with matchmaking,” she added in a low tone, followed by a chuckle.

“I did that for all four of my sons. I’m surprised your brother is not yet wed. Or is he widowed?”

“He’s unmarried,” Tilda replied, thinking it was time to make her exit.

Mrs. Burley’s eyes lit with excitement. “I was hoping you would say that. I’d love to introduce him to my niece. She’s very pretty and will be an excellent helpmate. Perhaps you and Mr. Beck—and Mr. Harwood, of course—could come for dinner next week?”

Tilda felt an odd prick of irritation at the notion of Mrs. Burley trying to match Hadrian with her niece.

And it wasn’t due to Mrs. Burley being a busybody.

Tilda found she just didn’t care to think of Hadrian marrying.

It would impact their partnership, she reasoned.

Whilst that was true, she couldn’t help acknowledging she was being rather selfish.

If Hadrian wished to wed, she would have no say in the matter.

Furthermore, he would marry. He was an earl. It was required.

“I’ll speak with them about it,” Tilda said noncommittally. “I should be going.”

Mrs. Burley stood. “Perhaps next time you can stay longer. I’ve enjoyed sharing gossip.” She smiled broadly as she showed Tilda to the door.

Tilda bade Mrs. Burley farewell and hurried along Second Postern toward London Wall. Hadrian and Maxwell were waiting just around the corner.

“How did it go?” Maxwell asked eagerly.

“Very well. I’ll tell you about it on the way to the Lion’s Heart.

” They walked east along London Wall, with Tilda between the two men.

“It seems we were right about Mrs. Walters’s dishonesty.

Mrs. Burley reported that she saw her with Phelps at a pub on Sunday.

They seemed close—intimate, I mean—with their heads bent together. ”

“How can you be sure it was Mrs. Walters?” Hadrian asked.

“I can’t, of course, but Mrs. Burley’s description of the woman matched that of Mrs. Walters. Mrs. Burley asked if she could be the same woman I saw Inspector Chisholm escorting away last night, and I said it could. Now Mrs. Burley may call at the police station to see if she can help.”

Hadrian chuckled. “She is very much a busybody, isn’t she?”

“Quite,” Tilda said. “She mentioned seeing the woman at the pub with Phelps because we were speaking about his potential liaison with Mrs. Atkins. Mrs. Burley indicated that he may not have been as committed to their association as Mrs. Atkins was.”

“That is interesting,” Maxwell said. “Could jealousy have been a motive for Mrs. Atkins to kill him?”

“Jealousy or a need to keep Phelps’s attention completely on her,” Tilda replied. “I don’t think Mrs. Atkins likes to share.” She glanced at Hadrian, whose expression flickered with distaste.

“Mrs. Burley and I also spoke about Eaton’s fraud, and whilst she is very upset, I’m not convinced she would have committed murder.

She was thrilled to learn that my brother would be working as the new canvasser and will ensure that the people who were swindled would be reimbursed.

” Tilda wondered what would happen if their investigations concluded before Hadrian could meet that objective. They hadn’t discussed that.

“That all sounds most helpful,” Maxwell said.

“I haven’t told you the most interesting thing I learned.” Tilda waggled her brows. “Mrs. Burley saw Phelps leave his house late Saturday.”

“The night that Eaton was killed,” Hadrian said.

Tilda nodded. “Phelps returned to the house with Nevill after midnight. Mrs. Burley did not see them leave, but she noted that the regular night soil man was not on the route that night. She observed his cart parked in front of Phelps’s house, then two men pushed the cart toward London Wall without stopping at anyone else’s yards.

She knew it wasn’t the regular night soil man—a man called Oldham who lives in Evans Court—because it’s usually him and his son.

However, these were two grown men in cloaks, which she also found strange, because they seemed overdressed for such strenuous work. ”

“You think they were Phelps and Nevill?” Hadrian asked. His eyes glowed with excitement and his tone was slightly elevated.

Tilda had the sense this information was of particular interest to him.

Did it have anything to do with what he’d seen whilst shaking hands at the inquest?

Tilda could hardly wait to find out. “Since the cart was parked in front of Phelps’s house, it makes sense.

And I can’t dismiss the idea that a night soil cart is a perfect vehicle in which to transport a dead body to the Thames. ”

They all stopped on the pavement. Maxwell pivoted toward Tilda. “You think they killed Eaton together?”

“We must consider the possibility,” Hadrian replied, though Maxwell had asked Tilda.

Hadrian definitely knew something that supported Phelps and Nevill working together. Tilda wished she could think of a way to be alone with him to hear what he knew!

“Except we don’t know that Eaton was at Phelps’s house that night,” Maxwell pointed out.

“That’s true,” Tilda said, glancing at Hadrian, whose jaw had tightened. He gave Tilda an almost imperceptible nod, and she knew in that moment that Eaton had been there. Hadrian had seen it.

Tilda’s pulse picked up speed. “Mrs. Burley didn’t report seeing Eaton going to Phelps’s house that night, but she could have missed him, since she doesn’t spy at every moment.” She met Hadrian’s gaze and silently communicated that she understood.

Maxwell’s brow furrowed. “We should speak with the night soil man.”

“I agree,” Tilda said. “However, we need to meet Clement at the Lion’s Heart now. I suggest we call on the night soil man tomorrow morning.”

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to join you as I promised the mercantile house one last day of work.” Maxwell exhaled. “I’ll be anxious to hear what you learn. Well done tonight, Miss Wren. You’re an excellent investigator.”

“Thank you,” Tilda replied, and they started walking again.

“I’d also like to pay a visit to the police station in the morning.

Mrs. Burley is busy tomorrow, so she won’t be going.

I want to tell Inspector Chisholm what we’ve learned.

I’m hoping he’ll allow me to interview Mrs. Walters regarding the new information I obtained from Mrs. Burley, that Mrs. Walters did, in fact, lie to us about when she arrived in London. ”

“He won’t like you treading on his investigation,” Maxwell warned. “Just be sure to have a reason to speak to Mrs. Walters that pertains to the fraud we’re investigating.”

“Certainly,” Tilda said. “I’m anxious to speak with her about the friendly societies her husband started. My hope is that we will be able to persuade her to finally provide all the information she’s withholding.”

“I’ll be sorry to miss it,” Maxwell said with a soft grunt.

“One last thing.” Tilda looked at Hadrian. “Mrs. Burley has in mind to match you with her niece and has invited us all to dinner next week.”

Hadrian’s nostrils flared as he regarded her. “How did you respond?”