Page 31 of In Want of a Suspect

“How fascinating,” Lizzie exclaimed. “Is he acquainted with the Mullins brothers?”

“I cannot say who my fiancé is and isn’t acquainted with,” Josette said. “Perhaps you ought to ask him.”

“We shall,” Lizzie promised.

“And what does this have to do with my cousin?” Leticiaasked. Unlike Josette, she was poised, but Darcy found her curiously hard to read. “Please, you’ve asked so many questions and I believe that our hospitality warrants at least an answer on this matter.”

Leticia Cavendish was no fool, clearly. And she was protective of Josette.

“My apologies, Miss Cavendish,” he said. “But it was the Mullins Brothers storehouse that burned. Simon Mullins did not survive the fire.”

Josette gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. “How awful.”

“Jack Mullins has hired Lizzie to find the person responsible for setting the fire,” he added.

“The person responsible? It was not an accident?” Leticia asked.

“Mr. Mullins doesn’t believe so,” Lizzie responded. “He claims that a woman—a lady—was present in the storehouse that afternoon. She was trespassing and she was the one who started the fire. I’ve asked around, and the only name of any lady seen in the vicinity was yours, Miss Beaufort.”

Darcy held in a sigh. He hadn’t wanted Josette to learn of this quite so bluntly, but Lizzie did have a talent for cutting to the chase.

“What is the meaning of this, Darcy?” Josette demanded. “Have you come here to arrest me?”

He raised his hands in an attempt to reassure her. “I don’thave the power to arrest anyone. And we have told no one that your name has been connected to the case.”

“I am not connected! How dare you—” Josette got to her feet, and Darcy scrambled to stand after her. She was likely moments from summoning Dupont to throw them out.

“Wait, Miss Beaufort!” Lizzie interrupted. “Please don’t be angry at Darcy—if anything, you must redirect your anger to me. We are doing our due diligence, but any impertinent questions are my fault alone. Mr. Darcy did not even want to bother you. He insisted you are above reproach.”

Josette stilled, considering Lizzie and her words.

“I would like nothing more than to clear your name from this whole mess,” Darcy agreed. He paused a moment, then took a gamble by adding, “This case has whiffs of Francophobia that I find most distasteful.”

This finally seemed to convince Josette. She sat once again, and Darcy followed suit. Leticia fiddled with the necklace she wore, the only sign that Darcy could see that she appeared anxious. “Can you tell us who, exactly, connected my cousin to your case?” she asked.

“We were questioning bystanders,” Lizzie said carefully. “And I happened to speak with a group of Frenchwomen. I asked them if they knew of a lady who might have been seen in the vicinity, and they named you, Miss Beaufort.”

“A group of Frenchwomen,” Josette repeated. “The refugee women?”

“You know of them?” Darcy asked.

“Yes, of course—I am the organizer of the Ladies’ Helping Hands Relief Society. Our mission is to aid refugees displaced by war.”

“I see,” Darcy said. “And how many members do you have?”

“Well... two. We used to have three. My grandmother.” Josette looked sideling at her cousin. “As you can imagine, helping French émigrés acclimate to their new home is not a popular charitable endeavor among society ladies.”

“Indeed,” Darcy said, for he did not need an imagination to picture it. “But you have not visited them in the vicinity of the storehouse?”

“Heavens, no! We meet them in a parish hall, nowhere near the docks!”

“Well, that explains it,” Lizzie said pleasantly. “My French is rather mediocre, I’m afraid. When I attempted to communicate with them, I must have misspoken and they likely misunderstood my question.”

Josette’s furrowed expression slowly relaxed. “Oh.”

“What a coincidence, though,” Lizzie added brightly.

Beside Josette, Leticia was still. Too still, Darcy thought, for someone being questioned regarding their possible connection to a crime. Josette’s fear was understandable—even if she and her cousin had nothing to do with the case, the merest whisper of rumor that she was connected could have serious consequences for her socially. But Leticia gave very few clues to her true feelings.