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Athena had witnessed bullying in her years as a governess but had never seen anything this severe. “I’m so sorry. Did you tell your parents?”

“I did, but they either didn’t believe me or didn’t care. My mother worshipped the ground Harold walked on. He was her first born and could do no wrong. My father said I needed to ‘act like a man and fight back.’ Not an easy matter when your tormentor is older and so much stronger.”

“I’m sorry,” Athena said again.

“It’s ancient history now. My brother’s gone. And for the rest of us, life goes on.”

As Athena gathered her thoughts, a knock sounded at the open door. A diminutive, blonde woman attired in a violet, silk dress entered the study. Athena recognized her from sightings at church as Mr. Sinclair’s wife.

“Neville? Dearest, have you forgotten? Mr. Hastings will be here at any moment to go over the details for next week’s hunt. We have over thirty people attending and a great deal to discuss.”

“Thank you, Lily, for the reminder.” Mr. Sinclair’s features were still tense as he gestured from his wife to Athena. “Lily, this is Miss Taylor, the schoolmistress from Thorndale Manor. She had a few questions for me.”

Mrs. Sinclair gave Athena an unsmiling, dismissive nod. “How do you do, Miss Taylor? Miles will escort you out.”

It was Athena’s cue to leave. She rose and dipped a curtsy. “Thank you again for seeing me, sir. I bid you good day.”

The butler showed Athena to the door. As she crossed the estate’s vast grounds, Athena was steeped in frustration.

She had a great deal of new information about what had occurred at that garden party—albeit from Neville Sinclair’s point of view—but she hadn’t gotten a chance to share her theories about Sally Osborn.

Even if she had, however, the exercise would have probably been pointless.

Mr. Sinclair would no doubt think it ludicrous to connect his brother’s long-ago murder to Sally’s recent death, for one of two reasons: because he was absolutely convinced that Caroline Vernon had murdered his brother…

or, for a different reason entirely… a possibility that was setting off alarm bells in Athena’s head.

Neville Sinclair had despised his brother Harold, who had mercilessly tortured him since birth.

Was it possible that Neville Sinclair had murdered his brother in revenge?

*

Athena reached Thorndale Manor just as the sun sank beneath the horizon. She found Selena in the conservatory, where the last rays of the fading day illuminated the glassed-in chamber overlooking the back gardens.

“There you are!” Athena flung herself onto a wicker chair surrounded by potted plants and stretched out her weary legs.

Selena, seated in the chair opposite, looked up from a mathematics book. “How did it go?”

“The reading, or the consultation?”

“Both.”

“Mrs. Hillman loved the chapters I read. But she pronounced you to be the superior reader. No surprise there.”

Selena bit her lip. “Sorry.” With teasing eyes, she added, “I’ll try to be less entertaining next time.”

“Don’t! Give the woman her money’s worth. We’re lucky to have this extra work thrown our way. I offered to withdraw and let you take both weekly sessions, but she said she appreciated the variety.”

Selena grinned. “She is a kind soul. I have enjoyed every moment in her company. She reminds me of our godmother, Mrs. Phillips, may she rest in peace—and what our own mother might have been like, had she lived to such an age.”

“I find myself thinking of Mrs. Hillman like a dear, old aunt—even though we never had an aunt to speak of.”

They exchanged a smile as Selena closed the book in her lap. “Now tell me about your visit to Mr. Sinclair.”

“It proved both illuminating and frustrating.” Athena filled her sister in on everything that she and Mr. Sinclair had discussed.

When she’d finished, Selena sat up straighter in her chair. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I’ll bet I am.”

“Neville Sinclair was a second son, obliged to work as a barrister. With his brother out of the way, Neville became the owner of Woodcroft House, one of the most prestigious properties in the county.”

Athena nodded. “He’s an important citizen, the parish constable—and now the newly appointed magistrate at York. When he is not so occupied, he is a man of leisure who can hunt with hounds every day of the week if he chooses.”

“How much did he covet that estate, and the life the goes with it?”

“What might he have done to acquire it?”

“It would have been a simple matter for him to poison his brother’s drink.”

“And how clever to do it at a party, where plenty of others had that opportunity,” Athena pointed out excitedly. “He could have had a packet of arsenic in his pocket and just waited for the right moment.”

“But didn’t he say he walked away with Harold, to find the butler to summon the carriage?”

“Yes, but we only have his word for that. Even if it’s true, he could have poisoned the drink when he went back to fetch Miss Vernon.”

“And then—he could have deliberately framed her by paying off the maid, Ethel, to lie about the poison.”

“Yes!” Athena replied excitedly. “If Neville Sinclair were the killer, it would explain his determination to close the case quickly and not reexamine it now. And it would help explain why Mr. Vernon wasn’t able to find evidence pointing to any other suspects.

Who would suspect the parish constable of murder? ”

Selena bit her lip. “On the other hand… if he’s guilty, it would be unwise of him to admit to his hatred of his brother.”

“Good point.” Athena considered that. “Perhaps it was a deliberate act of misdirection? A clever tactic to throw me off the scent?”

“I suppose it could have been.” A thoughtful expression crossed Selena’s face. “Do you remember what Mama used to say about first instincts?”

“Yes. She said, ‘ Your first instinct is usually the right one .’” Athena hesitated. “Although my first instinct about Mr. Vernon doesn’t seem to have been correct.”

Selena’s forehead furrowed. “Oh?”

“When we first met, I thought him hateful. Now I’m not so sure. Mr. Vernon actually apologized and asked if we could be friends.”

“Did he? That day at tea, I thought he was nice.”

Athena felt her sister’s eyes on her, as if studying her. Unaccountably, Athena realized she was blushing. “Yes, well. Anyway. Back to Neville Sinclair. If he murdered his brother, it won’t be easy to prove. He is the magistrate now. We’d have to go above his head—but to whom?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now, all we have is a theory. We should ask someone who has lived in the neighborhood a long time and who knows Neville Sinclair really well to see if we’re on the right track.”

“I can’t ask Mr. Vernon. He made it clear that he doesn’t want me looking into this.”

“What about Mrs. Hillman?”

“Oh, I couldn’t. When the subject came up that day at tea, she became so upset.”

“That’s because she is incensed over what happened to Caroline Vernon. If Mrs. Hillman knew that we are trying to find justice for Miss Vernon, she might feel differently. I think she’d be glad.”

Athena considered that. “All right. I’ll talk to her.”

*

Athena was trying to find a free moment to run over to Darkmoor Park, when the following afternoon, the very woman she wanted to see made a surprise visit to the school.

“I was at the dressmaker’s,” Mrs. Hillman explained as she slowly entered the drawing room, leaning on her cane. “I have been curious to see Thorndale Manor again now that you’re running a school here and I thought as long as I was out, I might as well stop by and see what you do.”

“I’m so pleased you came, Mrs. Hillman,” Athena told her.

Their visitor sat in on the last three classes of the day, quietly watching the whole time from the back of the room and giving an occasional nod or smile of approval.

The girls seemed uncharacteristically shy in the presence of this stranger and were on their best behavior, giving their attention to the classwork, dutifully raising their hands before answering questions from their teachers and participating in their singing lessons with fewer giggles than usual.

“What a wonderful opportunity these girls are getting under your instruction,” Mrs. Hillman told Selena, Athena, and Mr. Chapman as the girls filed out of the music room, chattering amongst themselves. “I’m glad to see my money is being put to good use.”

“Thank you,” Athena said with a smile. “We’re so pleased that you were able to see it firsthand.”

“Mr. Chapman is supping with us this evening, and we’d be happy to have you join us, Mrs. Hillman,” Selena offered.

“Thank you,” that good lady replied. “But I gave my cook special orders for tonight’s meal, and I wouldn’t want her to have gone to all that work for nothing.”

As Mr. Chapman and Selena ushered the girls out to the rear courtyard for a break before dinner, Athena asked Mrs. Hillman if they might have a private word. The two women retired to the study, where Athena could be assured of privacy.

Once they were seated, Mrs. Hillman said, “You have such a serious expression on your face, Miss Taylor. What is it you wish to speak to me about?”

“It’s a delicate matter, my dear Mrs. Hillman. I hesitate to bring it up because the last time we spoke on the subject, you became upset.”

Mrs. Hillman took that in and nodded slowly. “I imagine you wish to talk about Caroline?”

“Yes. However, I don’t wish to cause you further pain. If you’d rather we end this discussion here and now, I will completely understand—you have only to say the word.”

“I am in a calm frame of mind today, my dear. Whatever you wish to say, I am happy to hear it.”

“All right.” Athena took a breath. “I’d like to share a theory that my sister and I have, about a person who may have been responsible for Harold Sinclair’s death.”

A look of keen interest took over Mrs. Hillman’s face. “Go on.”