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“ If Sally saw someone else poison Mr. Sinclair’s drink, why didn’t she say anything?”

“Maybe she was too frightened to come forward. Miss Osborn said that Sally’s personality changed after she left Woodcroft House.

That could be due to her failed romance.

But what if it wasn’t about a lost love at all?

What if the killer threatened her life if she spoke up?

That could explain why she was fixated on that particular proverb in the Bible, about keeping silent and holding one’s tongue . ”

Selena seemed to turn that over in her mind. “If all that is true, why did this ‘killer’ wait so long to do away with Sally? Why not kill her nine years ago?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing. I have a possible answer.”

“Which is?”

“Sally’s sister, Bridget, is ill. The apothecary told Miss Osborn that she needs to spend the winter at the seaside, but they don’t have the funds. What if Sally, desperate to help her sister, decided to raise the money the only way she knew how: by blackmailing the murderer of Harold Sinclair?”

Selena’s eyebrows shot up. “Athena. Are you sure you’re not getting carried away here?”

“It’s a theory worth considering.”

“Are you doing this because of what happened to Diana?”

The charge took Athena aback. “Diana?”

“Our sister nearly lost her life, in her determination to solve a mystery at Pendowar Hall. We both admire her for it, and all that she accomplished there. But this isn’t a competition, Athena. You don’t need to solve a mystery yourself to be Diana’s equal.”

“I’m not trying to be Diana’s equal.” The accusation, however, was unsettling.

Athena had, when they were children, felt less clever than their older sister, and she had tried over and over again to prove her own worth by working harder at things.

Surely, though, that wasn’t what was driving her now?

“But I do share Diana’s sense of curiosity and desire for justice,” she insisted. “I thought you did, too.”

“I do. When it’s warranted. I’m just not convinced it is, in this case.”

“Well, we’re about to have tea with Mrs. Hillman, who also, apparently, knew Miss Vernon very well. Let’s see what she has to say about the matter.”

*

The iron gates on the perimeter of the Darkmoor Park estate were open and welcoming.

Athena’s and Selena’s half-boots crunched along the gravel drive as they wended their way down an avenue of immense oaks, all showing off their early-autumn canopies of gold, orange, and red.

The manor house soon came into view. Although they had been here once before, the sight of the noble, old building filled Athena with a renewed sense of awe.

The elegant structure, built of grey stone, stood three stories high. A multitude of tall casement windows marched across the front of the house and its roofline was peppered with gables and an assortment of chimneys.

When the sisters reached the stone pathway that bisected the front lawn, a strange unease settled in Athena’s stomach.

The rows of windows high above seemed like pairs of dark eyes, taking measure of their approach, as if to decide whether or not they were worthy of entry.

An inexplicable shiver rippled down her spine.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.” Athena didn’t want to hear yet another reproach from her sister.

They mounted the front steps, which led to a roofed porch topped by a row of carved stone cherubs. Fluted stone columns supported the portico’s roof and flanked the ancient, wooden, double front doors, which were studded like something from a castle.

Selena pulled the bell cord, and they were soon admitted by a straight-backed, dark-haired butler in a black tailcoat.

The huge entrance hall featured an old-fashioned exhibition of weaponry—the traditional place to store weapons so that they would be ready to hand in times of trouble—a display that dwarfed the one in the entry hall at Thorndale Manor.

The butler led them through the wood-paneled great hall, which—with its high ceiling, immense marble fireplace, and mahogany sideboards covered with gold, silver, and pewter objects—seemed to have been created to showcase the house’s history and status.

Athena took it all in with wonder. Thorndale Manor’s front hall was plenty large and yet seemed a mere speck in comparison.

“None of the homes where I served as a governess were this magnificent,” murmured Selena.

“Neither were mine.”

They were brought to a drawing room at the back of the house, where they had met with their hostess on their previous visit. The chamber was as splendid as the great hall but in a completely different way.

An ornate, suspended, gilded bronze-and-crystal chandelier presided over the spacious room, whose sage-green walls were hung with ancestral portraits and landscapes in gilded frames.

Casement windows, the size of double doors, overlooked acres of verdant lawn, back gardens, and the distant moors.

Multi-colored Turkish carpets covered the polished, oak floor, and a variety of sofas and chairs upholstered in soft shades of blue, green, and gold faced each other and the carved marble fireplace.

Floral arrangements topped the mahogany end tables, imbuing the room with their fragrance.

It was, Athena thought, a space designed for elegance and comfort. She was impressed by the wealth and good taste of the owner, who called out to them from a silk damask chair.

“Miss Taylor, Miss Selena, I’m so glad you could come.” Mrs. Hillman used a gold-handled cane to rise to her feet. A diminutive woman whom Athena guessed to be in her early sixties, her friendly eyes, warm smile, and gently wrinkled face seemed to reflect both intelligence and kindness.

“It is so good of you to have us,” Athena replied as she and Selena dipped a curtsy.

Mrs. Hillman’s upswept, dark-brown hair was generously threaded with grey and made a fine accompaniment to her fashionable gown of shimmering, copper satin. “Please, have a seat.” She waved towards the sofa across from her, separated by a low table.

After they had all sat down, the older woman resumed with a self-effacing smile.

“I have been wanting to invite you ladies again for some time now, but I have been occupied with work on the estate, and my knees have been troubling me of late. Oh good, here is tea,” she added as the stern, grey-haired housekeeper and a pretty, young housemaid entered with the tea service.

Mrs. Hillman efficiently poured out tea into delicate bone china cups, while on the low table between them, the servants arranged a tasty-looking array that included finger sandwiches, scones, jam, cream, and two kinds of cake.

Selena grinned. “This looks amazing, thank you.”

The servants withdrew. As Athena and her sister helped themselves to the delicacies on offer, Selena remarked, “Darkmoor Park is such a beautiful house, Mrs. Hillman. I should love to know its history.”

“That is an interesting story.” Mrs. Hillman took a sip of tea.

“It began as a Cistercian abbey around 1170. In the late sixteenth century, it was acquired by the Third Earl of Slatesbury, who converted the monastic buildings into a smaller version of this house. Over the centuries, his descendants added new wings and outbuildings. The estate was not entailed, and in 1743, it was inherited by a daughter of the earl who married a commoner, George Hillman.”

Athena took a bite of lemon cake, savoring the tangy blend of sweet and sour. She could see where this tale was heading. “And George Hillman was…?”

“My husband’s grandfather,” Mrs. Hillman confirmed with a nod.

“The earldom eventually became extinct and in 1817, I met Roger Hillman at a ball while on holiday in Bath.” Mrs. Hillman’s eyes went misty, and her lips curved in a smile.

“I was just a clergyman’s daughter, teaching at a small girls’ school at the time. ”

“You taught school?” Selena sounded delighted.

“I did. It was a very traditional school that focused on needlework, etiquette, and deportment, with only the most rudimentary training in reading and writing. But as you both know, a young lady without means is obliged to earn a living, and I enjoyed the work. I was already on the shelf at age thirty when I met Roger, but he didn’t mind.

We fell in love and were married, and he brought me home to Darkmoor Park.

We wanted children desperately, but alas, that was not to be.

We were very happy together until my Roger died in a horseback riding accident. And so, the estate passed to me.”

Athena’s smile evaporated. “I am so sorry to hear about your husband.”

“What a tragedy, Mrs. Hillman.” Selena sounded stricken with empathy.

“It was. Roger loved Darkmoor Park. I have done my best to take care of the estate as I feel he might have done. It was quite a different house when I came here as a bride, dark and stuffy and hopelessly out of date. I have spent the past thirty-three years renovating one room at a time—all except the great hall, which he didn’t want to change.

This room was all my design, and it was a labor of love. ”

“You have done a remarkable job,” Athena said. “It is so stylish and refined.”

“Yet despite its grand size, it is also cozy,” Selena agreed.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Hillman picked up her fork and took a dainty bite of cake. “Now enough about the past. Tell me: how is Peter doing? Is he a good teacher?”

“Mr. Chapman is a marvel.” Athena smiled.

“We so appreciate you recommending him,” Selena said.

As they enjoyed the tea and treats on offer, Athena related what had occurred on Sunday when Mr. Chapman had arrived at the school. “The girls took to him like ducks to water. It is only because of him that we are both able to be here this afternoon.”

“He is holding a musical entertainment,” Selena explained with a grin.

“I am glad he is proving worthy. I have not spent as much time in that young man’s company as perhaps I should have.” Mrs. Hillman let out a sigh. “Did I tell you? Before Peter came to me, he was the ward of my sister, Daisy. She raised him as if he were her own son.”

“You did not mention that,” Athena replied.

“How I loved Daisy.” Mrs. Hillman paused as if lost in thought. “She was three years younger than me and committed the unpardonable sin of falling in love with a soldier stationed at a garrison in York.”

“How was that a sin?” Selena asked.

Athena was curious about that as well. “You said your father was a clergyman? Surely, it wouldn’t have been a great step down for his daughter to have married a soldier?”

Mrs. Hillman hesitated again. Her gaze sought her lap, and her cheeks grew rosy. “Perhaps he and my mother would have approved Daisy’s choice, had the man in question not already been married, with a newborn child.”

“Oh,” Selena blurted out.

“Yes, Daisy ran off with a married man. It was quite a scandal at the time. And then, both her soldier and his forsaken wife died of typhoid within days of each other. When Daisy learned that her lover’s son was now an impoverished orphan, it broke her heart.

Although as a single woman, she couldn’t formally adopt him, she passed herself off as a distant relative to get permission to take him and raise him herself. ”

Athena’s heart went out to all the participants in this tragedy—the couple who had risked everything for love, the poor wife and mother who had been abandoned by her husband, and the child, Peter Chapman, who had been the innocent victim of it all.

“It was kind of your sister to take the child in. I don’t imagine it was easy for her. ”

“It wasn’t. Especially since Daisy never married. But somehow, she raised that boy on her own until…” Mrs. Hillman paused to take a long breath. “When Peter was thirteen years old, my sister passed away.”

“I’m so sorry,” Selena remarked softly.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Hillman gave a sad shrug. “It was a long time ago, but I still miss her and think of her often. Anyway, I suddenly and unexpectedly found myself the boy’s guardian. I sent him to the best schools. I’m pleased to see that he has become an accomplished young man.”

“He is quite the musician,” Athena agreed. “And very charming.”

The sound of the doorbell pierced the air. Mrs. Hillman’s brow furrowed. “Who can that be? I’m not expecting anyone else today.”

The butler entered and spoke into Mrs. Hillman’s ear.

“But I thought he wasn’t due until tomorrow,” Mrs. Hillman replied. “I suppose I must have written the wrong date in my diary. Please, show him in.”

Moments later, the butler returned with the visitor.

Athena nearly dropped her teacup as Mr. Ian Vernon strode into the room.