Page 18 of Linenfold (The Alice Chronicles #4)

I n those few minutes of absence, the searchers are back, gathering in the kitchen, the disappearance of His Lordship being heartily discussed as Alice returns.

From an audience of two when she left, there are now getting on for a dozen.

Joe has propped himself against the kitchen table, one leg swinging.

Grace has come along from the dairy and stands just inside the door, Allan next to her.

Betsy sits next to Rose, arm round her shoulder in motherly fashion.

Angus has come in from the woodshed, followed by Lord Hardcastle’s men grumbling at the lack of breakfast before they were sent a-searching. Silence falls as Alice stands waiting.

‘You need to know,’ she says, ‘you four in particular,’ looking at Lord Hardcastle’s people, ‘that His Lordship has been found dead.’ Confirmatory murmurs greet this statement, peppered with wisdom after the fact.

‘I knew it all along.’ ‘I could have told you.’ Alice raises her voice above the muttering.

‘To His Lordship’s men I say you should remain around the house and outbuildings until such time as you receive directions from the coroner or the investigating justice.

You are free to use the menservants’ loft or the dining parlour where you took your meals yesterday.

High Stoke’s people,’ she says turning to the rest, ‘should go back to your normal daily work, but Allan, I should like you to join Ned at the drying bushes and no one is to approach or touch His Lordship until the coroner gives leave. None of you should leave the demesne without telling me. And now, I have need of Angus and Joe, please. The rest of you may go unless you have questions?’

‘How did he die?’ This from the coachman Jackson.

‘That is for the coroner and his jury to determine,’ she tells him. ‘I cannot know what his pronouncement will be.’

‘My Aunt Larkin knew a man who was killed with a stake through his heart!’ says Larkin inconsequentially. Jackson digs his elbow in Larkin’s ribs. ‘Caul yer mouth, boy.’

‘How His Lordship died,’ Alice says, ‘is not for us to speculate. It appears to be by violence. That is all I can tell you for now.’ Already there is gossip and supposition , she thinks.

As they disperse in muttering groups of two and three, she calls Maureen over.

‘Do you please warm a beaker of small ale and take it to Master Cranley in Sam’s chamber.

This has been a severe shock to him and he is an elderly gentleman. ’

‘I’m the cook!’

‘Today, Maureen, we may all be other than what we thought when we awoke. Master Cranley will be comforted and reassured by the vision of a respectable woman of the household.’

‘Mollie can take it.’

‘Please do as I ask, Maureen.’ Maureen sighs and shuffles off to the barrel in the still room.

Alice turns to Joe talking quietly with Betsy.

‘Joe, do you saddle up and ride to Master Egerton. I hope he will be back at Freemans. Tell him I would prefer him as justice in this matter. It would be best if he can attend urgently. If not, Justice Townsend will have to be alerted. Off now, and ride as fast as you can.’

As Joe swings away with a will, she remembers the two Huguenot women. Perhaps diffidence has stopped them emerging on hearing such a bustle of people. Alice knocks at their door at the end of the dairy passage. ‘Honorine? Louise?’

It is Honorine who removes the bar, opens the door, asking if their protector has been found.

Alice is quickly within and closes the door behind her.

‘I have sad news for you,’ she says in her careful French, and tells them that Lord Hardcastle has been found dead, probably murdered.

Honorine’s whispered ‘ Oh, non! Non! ’ declares her unwilling belief.

As if seeking comfort, Honorine turns to her sister on the other side of the room.

‘ Louise? ’ But Louise is a broken reed.

She has already buried her head in her apron, bursting into sobs and rocking herself to and fro.

And Honorine, with an apologetic look at Alice, flies to her sister’s side and runs an arm round her shoulders, murmuring words of solace.

There is little else to be said, and when Louise’s storm of sobs subsides Alice explains the arrangements she has made, how English justice requires officialdom to take over, how there will be men who may wish to question them.

‘ Mais nous sommes étrangères, ’ Honorine says, her eyes pleading. Yes, they are foreigners, it is an appeal for protection. Anyone from outside is necessarily suspect, simply for being other .

Alice tries to explain. ‘I am sending for a justice who lives nearby. He will listen to you and will judge what you say fairly. He is now the best protector you have. God send he is at home and can be here quickly.’ She avoids mention of the coroner. She cannot give a like assurance about him.

Alice returns to Angus waiting in the kitchen and spends several minutes explaining the way to the coroner’s house.

Angus does not ride and will take much longer to walk to the coroner than Joe to ride to the justice.

As long as Jack Egerton arrives before Sir Malcolm, she reckons, there is a good chance he will be appointed investigating justice.

Jack has helped her before. He is that rarity in these repressive times when people take refuge in popular prejudice rather than seek, far less state, the truth.

Jack is a man with an open mind. Angus has never ventured beyond the High Stoke demesne and has no curiosity about what lies beyond, except for the road into town where all the menservants and tenants go for liquid refreshment, and some for other entertainment as well.

By the time he leaves, Maureen is back from her mission to the secretary. ‘Was he in his wits, Maureen?’

‘If that’s what you call it,’ the cook replies. ‘Turned his back when I went in and wouldn’t answer, so I put it down on the night table. Master Sewell was in there and he was courteous and thanked me. Very warmly. But the other just said, “Now leave.”’

‘I’m afraid he’s been the same with me, Maureen. But I think he’s glad to have been fed and housed. Mollie, Rose,’ she calls, ‘I’m going upstairs but don’t go far, I’ll be back down in a moment.’

As she reaches the top of the stairs Philip emerges from the main chamber, his uncle’s linenfold box under his arm.

‘I’ve told them the bare bones,’ she says, low-voiced so that the secretary will not hear. ‘That he was found dead, apparently by violence. I haven’t said anything of how he died and they’re making up their own wild stories.’

‘I understand. I’ll say nothing to Cranley for now. Is the coroner coming?’

‘I’ve sent for him but it will be an hour or more at least.’

She has spoken with the two maidservants, understands how Rose made the bargain, leaving Mollie innocent of intrigue. Now Rose remains with her in the little Accounts room where they can be private. ‘Well, Rose, tell me why you went upstairs?’

‘I didn’t mean anything by it, mistress.’ Rose pleads. ‘I didn’t have anything particular to do except get breakfast things ready. I meant no wrong!’

‘How can that be, when you knew it was against my strict direction?’

‘I just wanted to help Mollie, she always has so much to do with Maureen forever shouting at her to get this, get that—’

‘Don’t lay this on Maureen, Rose. You chose to go upstairs. Why?’

Rose screws her apron between her hands.

‘I hardly get to see the gentlemen. I haven’t been allowed upstairs, I wasn’t allowed to serve their meal.

I wasn’t even allowed to take candles to them in the winter parlour.

I just wanted to be helpful. All that finery, such a sight!

I only wanted to see them sometimes, not just when they walked through the kitchen and back, I mean. ’

‘And one of them in particular?’

Rose bridles. ‘I’ve never seen a gentleman like Master Sewell, not close as it were.

His clothes! They are so beautiful! And all I’ve been allowed to do is clean his boots.

Oh, I don’t mind doing that. I was glad to.

And I just wanted to take them up to him and he would wake up and say thank you.

To me. To my face. So that I could say it was my pleasure and he knew who had cleaned them! ’

‘Oh, Rose.’

‘I only wanted to have just a moment’s speech with him.’

To a susceptible girl, being noticed by one of Philip’s stamp could so easily turn her head. That was what Alice had thought in keeping her away from their guests. But perhaps that had not been so wise after all. ‘So you took Master Sewell’s boots upstairs. What then?’

‘I took His Lordship’s and the secretary’s as well. And kindling to light the fires. I went into His Lordship’s first—’

‘Not Master Sewell’s?’

‘Oh no. I was saving him up for last, so that he might have been waked by me sweeping hearths and opening doors and I could say Good morning, sir .’

‘Very well. You went into the main chamber, then what?’

‘It was still quite dark, but I could see there was nobody in the bed, the sheet had been pushed back. I thought His Lordship had risen early or something, but his clothes were still there on the coffer. Then I thought he might have walked in his sleep. Or perhaps he was under the sway of witchcraft – you know the vicar is always warning us about witchcraft – and you wouldn’t want that going on in the house. So I came down to tell you.’

‘All right, Rose. First of all, please understand there is no witchcraft.’ No matter how often narrow-minded Vicar Fitzsimmons harangues us about it. ‘Lord Hardcastle has been killed. This is murder we are speaking of, not magic. Someone here has killed a man. We do not know who did it.’

‘It would never be Phili—Master Sewell!’

‘We cannot know even that, Rose.’

‘But he has such a … such a courteous way.’