Page 56 of Murder at Donwell Abbey

Goodness, the man could be stubborn. Then again, it was an adjustment for all the servants to have a mistress in the house again. Emma would do her best to accommodate them, but it was also necessary that they understood who was now in charge of domestic matters.

“I will be perfectly fine, Mr. Larkins. You are welcome to inspect them with me. I should be happy for your input.”

He looked slightly obstreperous before nodding. “I’m at your disposal, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

Emma tapped her pencil on the list’s final item. This one was a bit trickier to deal with, given recent events.

“As we all know, we’re quite shorthanded in the house. With Mr. Knightley and me back in residence, along with my nephew, the lack of adequate staff is a burden on all of you. We must think about finding a new maid as soon as possible, even temporarily. Perhaps someone from the village might be willing to take on the work until we can find a permanent replacement for Prudence.”

Mrs. Hodges sighed. “I’ll ask around the village, ma’am. It won’t be easy to replace someone like Prudence on short notice, I’m afraid.”

Emma crinkled her nose in sympathy. “Mr. Knightley will soon be advertising for more staff, so just do your best in the meantime.”

Larkins had gone silent again, staring down at his lap. If his expression was any indication, he was struggling to contain his emotions. Emma was again surprised at his reaction to Prudence’s death. It spoke of more than just a general fondness— like something that cut deeply to the bone. She found it mystifying, given his temperament and the fact that he was so much older than Prudence had been.

“Mr. Larkins, I know all the staff are deeply troubled by what happened to Prudence,” she hesitantly said. “And I know there are questions regarding the manner of her death. Do you have any concerns you wish to share about what happened?”

When he jerked up his head, looking almost distraught, Emma’s breath caught in her throat.

“You can also bring any concerns directly to Mr. Knightley, of course,” she hastily added.

He seemed to struggle for a few moments before finding his voice. “It wasn’t right what happened to her. It makes no sense, either.”

Emma decided to follow her instincts. “Mr. Larkins, did you ever get a sense that Prudence was troubled by anything? Or anyone?”

He frowned. “I … I’m not sure what you mean, Mrs. Knightley.”

His reply left Emma at a loss.

Fortunately, Mrs. Hodges quickly responded. “I think Mrs. Knightley wants to know if you heard tell of anyone pestering Prudence. Even before that night, something seemed to be on the poor girl’s mind, something that mayhap troubled her.”

Larkins peered at her. “Who would bother that sweet lass?” Then understanding seemed to dawn, and a sudden fury ignited his gaze. “Do you mean a man was bothering her? You just tell me who it was, Mrs. Hodges, and I’ll take care of the bas—I’ll take care of him, I will.”

Emma almost gaped at him. The man had gone from perplexed to murderous from one breath to the next. If she even hinted about what they knew regarding William Cox, Larkins would probably storm into the village and throttle the man with his bare hands.

“It was a general question on my part,” Emma replied. “We’re simply trying to understand what happened.”

He shoved to his feet so forcefully that he almost knocked over his chair. “You’ll have to excuse me, Mrs. Knightley. I don’t know anything about what might have been bothering Prudence. If I had, I would have—”

He broke off, his hand curling into a fist. He made a visible effort to bring his emotions under control. “I beg your pardon, Mrs. Knightley. Is there anything else you’re needing from me at the moment?”

“No, I think we’re done for—”

“Then you’ll be excusing me. I have work to attend to.”

He turned on his heel and strode from the room. Emma and Mrs. Hodges exchanged an astonished glance.

“What just happened?” Emma asked.

“I’ve never seen the man so upset, excepting the night Prudence died. I’m sorry, Mrs. Knightley. Larkins is a good man, but he should know better than to snap at you like that.”

“There’s no need to apologize. And I’m going to assume that he doesn’t know about William Cox?”

“He doesn’t.” The housekeeper tapped the tabletop. “And I’d best tell that Harry to keep his mouth shut about it. If he were to blab it to Mr. Larkins, heaven only knows what would happen.”

“Mrs. Hodges, I know all the staff were fond of Prudence, but Mr. Larkins truly seems to be grief-stricken.”