Page 50 of Murder at Donwell Abbey

The curate began to fidget with his collar. “I must admit I observed that Mr. Cox was a trifle disguised that night. Still, I’m not sure what you expect of me.”

Emma speared him with her gaze. “It’s my understanding that Mrs. Cox was desirous that you speak to William about his behavior.” She held up a hand to forestall his objection. “And in case you’re wondering, it’s common knowledge that Mrs. Cox is distressed about her son. Mrs. Cole, for one, communicated that to me along with her own concerns for the young man’s behavior.”

“And Mrs. Cox told me herself that she wanted you to speak to William,” Miss Bates added. “So it’s not exactly a secret.”

“Neither is William’s behavior,” Emma dryly added.

Miss Bates shook her head. “Poor Mrs. Cox. One wishes to help as best one can, of course.”

Emma flashed her an approving smile. “Exactly, ma’am. Stronger measures can certainly be taken, if necessary. But we were hoping that you, Mr. Barlowe, would be able to talk some sense into William.”

Now the curate was looking positively alarmed. “I … I …”

“Of course, if you’re not comfortable discussing it with us,” Emma smoothly interjected, “I can bring the matter to my husband’s attention. While he’s very busy as you might imagine, we cannot allow William to go about making a pest of himself to Highbury’s young ladies, can we?”

Mr. Barlowe withered under the combined assault. “Very well. Mrs. Cox did speak to me about William the day after your party. I confess I’ve not yet had the chance to speak to the young man. But I assure you that I’ll be doing so very soon.” He frowned. “It’s odd, though. Mrs. Cox didn’t express any concerns about her son’s behavior toward young ladies. Rather, she felt he’d fallen into rough company, which was having a deleterious effect on his temperament.”

Emma shook her head. “Rough company in Highbury? That doesn’t make much sense.”

“From what Mrs. Cox told me, William’s new companions were not from Highbury. She mentioned Leatherhead.”

Leatherhead!Where Prudence was from.

Miss Bates frowned. “Isn’t that where—”

“Thank you, Mr. Barlowe,” Emma said, cutting her off. “You’ve been very helpful.”

If her as-yet-unsubstantiated theory about Prudence and William were to begin circulating around Highbury,George would have her head. And her husband was the person with whom she truly needed to share this development. It certainly pointed to a possible connection between Prudence and William.

She rose. “We know you’re busy, sir, so now we’ll thank you for the excellent tea and be on our way.”

Mr. Barlowe stood. “You’re welcome.”

“Dear sir,” said Miss Bates, “I hope you’ll be able to talk some sense into William.”

“I’ll try my best, ma’am.”

Miss Bates pointed a finger at him. “You must be very firm. My father always said it was a fool’s errand to beat around the bush with naughty young men. You must point out the error of his ways in no uncertain terms.”

Mr. Barlowe looked unenthused at the prospect. William—a boisterous young man—would probably laugh in his face.

“As I said, I shall do my best,” he gloomily replied.

He showed them to the door with a certain amount of haste, practically slamming it shut behind them.

“I don’t think Mr. Barlowe appreciated our visit,” Emma dryly commented.

Miss Bates grimaced. “He seemed so very nervous. Perhaps Mr. Perry can prescribe him some calming powders.”

“He’s certainly an odd little man.”

In fact, everything about their visit had been odd, including Mr. Barlowe’s reaction to their questions about William. Even the quality of his tea was odd for a curate.

Still, their visit had yielded a very interesting clue, and Emma fully intended to pursue it.

CHAPTER11

Emma firmly shut the drawing room door behind her. Donwell had many beauties and many benefits, but cold stone hallways in the winter were not among them.