Page 81 of Secrets at Sutherland Hall

I rolled my eyes. “Clearly she doesn’t know you at all.”

He sneered. “No, Darling. She doesn’t.”

“So you didn’t…?” Christopher began.

Crispin cut his eyes to him. “No, Kit. I did not.”

Christopher nodded.

Crispin looked from him to me and back, accusingly. “How do the two of you know about this, anyway? I thought my affairs were my own.”

“Your affairs are very much your own,” I said, and watched him sniff in annoyance.

“You know what I mean. How did you find out about it? Not even my mother knew, as should be very evident to you both. How didyouknow?”

“Grimsby knew,” I said, and had the pleasure of seeing St George speechless for once.

“And he told you? He toldyou? Why?”

“He didn’t. He had information about several of us.”

“Me,” Christopher said, “Pippa, Francis, Mother…”

I could see the gears inside Crispin’s head engage as he put things together. “Is that why he was killed? He was a blackmailer?”

He sounded shocked, like this was entirely new information. And, of course, if he had killed Grimsby and it was because Grimsby had seen him do away with his grandfather, then Crispin might not have known about the blackmail at all.

“We have no idea why he was killed,” I said, “although we assume so. Of course, there could be other reasons. But that seems like a good enough motive to go on with.”

He looked uneasy. “And is that what the police think, as well?”

“I assume so,” I said. “They haven’t exactly been forthcoming with me, as you can imagine.”

Crispin glanced at Christopher. “Have they been forthcoming with you?”

“No,” Christopher said. “Tom and I are friendly enough, but we’re not on those terms. I only went with them this afternoon to point out exactly where we were when the shooting happened, so they’d have an easier time finding the bullet. No other reason.”

Crispin nodded. Nobody else said anything. I waited for the silence to become oppressive, and then I cleared my throat. “How about we go upstairs, Christopher? You’re still in the suit you wore earlier. There’s rather a lot of dirt and grass stains on you. And some blood. Mine, I hope.”

“Oh.” He looked like this hadn’t even entered his mind. “Yes, of course, Pippa.”

He pulled my chair out and helped me up, hand under my (good) arm.

“Please excuse us,” I said formally. “We’ll see you all for dinner.”

Aunt Roz nodded. Aunt Charlotte ignored me. I waited for Crispin to make some kind of pointed remark about Christopher and me going off together to get Christopher out of his suit, but when he didn’t, I realized he probably hadn’t even noticed me speak.

“What was that all about?” Christopher asked as soon as we’d cleared the parlor door and were on our way towards the staircase.

“Your cousin, you mean?” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was around to hear. “He’s been a nuisance all afternoon. For a second or two earlier, I thought he was going to push me down the staircase.”

The same staircase we had just started up.

“He wouldn’t do that,” Christopher said. “Although for a second or two in there, I thought he was going to strangle you.”

That thought had crossed my mind, too. However— “Not in front of his mother. Or yours.”

“That was quite a big bombshell you threw at him. And at Aunt Charlotte.” He climbed for a second in silence. “Why did you do it?”