Page 129 of Murder in Highbury

“Transporting my brother-in-law to the gaol,” he replied, his voice suddenly bitter. “And may he rot there for a good long time.”

“He will do more than that if found guilty of your wife’s murder. You may be sure of it.”

“He is guilty, sir. You may be sure ofthat, too.”

Emma thought back to the strange argument between the men after the funeral. “Mr. Elton, Constable Sharpe gave us to understand that there may have been a financial dispute between Mrs. Elton and her brother-in-law. Was that indeed the case?”

“I’m afraid so. Horace was heavily invested in a new bank in Bristol, but unfortunately, the bank failed a few months ago. As a result, he lost a great deal of his fortune.”

“And that also affected Maple Grove?” she asked.

“From what I’ve been able to glean from my wife’s letters, Maple Grove was heavily mortgaged, which was a matter of great concern to Horace.”

“Ah, the letters,” said George. “Can you tell us about them?”

The vicar looked perplexed. “It was my understanding that Dr. Hughes was going to show them to you.”

“He has not yet had an opportunity to do so,” George dryly replied. “I would therefore be grateful if you could briefly apprise me of their contents.”

“Of course. However, you must understand that I discovered the letters only last night. I had not yet had the fortitude to go through Augusta’s personal correspondence. But after yesterday’s events, I felt I had no choice.”

“To what events are you referring?” Emma asked.

Mr. Elton was silent for a few moments, as if collecting his thoughts. “When Horace arrived in the early afternoon, he was in a mood and was very short with me. Naturally, I did my best to ignore such unfortunate behavior, although I was certainly embarrassed by his rudeness toward you, Mr. Knightley. I took him to task after you left, but he was unrepentant.”

George put up a commiserating hand. “Give it no thought, sir. What happened next?”

“He demanded that I turn over the entire contents of Augusta’s jewelry box to him. At that point, I was obliged to take a stand.”

“All of Mrs. Elton’s jewelry?” Emma asked, surprised. “Surely he had no right to demand that of you.”

“Particularly in the absence of a will,” added George. “Did Mr. Suckling say why he wanted all the jewels?”

“He claimed that Augusta would wish her sister to have them. I said I would be happy to select a few special pieces for dear Selina, but Horace was adamant that he must have all the jewels.” He tugged at the scarf around his neck, as if it had grown too tight. “He said I was not to be trusted after the theft of the necklace.”

Emma couldn’t help but gasp with outrage. “What nerve, considering that he is apparently the thief.”

“He no doubt wished to sell the jewels to help pay off his debts,” George said.

“I believe that is true,” said the vicar. “Horace is clearly in desperate need of funds.”

The door opened, and the other footman brought in the tea tray, pausing their discussion. Emma was thankful that Mrs. Wright had taken the hint and made herself scarce.

After serving the tea, she took up where they’d left off. “What happened when you refused to turn over the jewels?”

Mr. Eton’s expression grew ever more grim. “Horace became very angry with me. I’m afraid harsh words were exchanged. I am not proud of that, nor of the fact that the servants undoubtedly heard us raise our voices.”

“Come, Mr. Elton,” she gently chided. “You can certainly be forgiven for that, since the provocation was so great.”

When he smiled at her again, she rather wished he’d stop doing so. With his bruised and swollen face, it looked excessively painful and made her wince every time.

“Thank you, dear lady,” he replied.

George glanced at Emma, his expression enigmatic, before redirecting his attention to the vicar.

“Mr. Elton, I assume you discovered Mrs. Elton’s letters after the argument with your brother-in-law?”

“Correct. It was quite late by that point, but I was too disturbed to sleep. I must also admit that certain remarks Horace made—both last night and in previous conversations—had aroused my concern. As difficult as it was, I felt it time to look through my wife’s correspondence. I hoped to find some answers there regarding Horace’s disturbing behavior.”