MURDER AT THE CAR RACES

A 1920S HISTORICAL COZY MYSTERY

AN EVIE PARKER MYSTERY

BOOK TWENTY-FOUR

SONIA PARIN

Murder at the Car Races Copyright © 2025 Sonia Parin

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Evie, the Countess of Woodridge, now married to Tom Winchester.

Tom Winchester - awarded a Knighthood for his services to charity. He prefers not to use the title.

Henrietta the Dowager Countess of Woodridge - she prefers to call Evie by her full name - Evangeline.

Sara the Dowager Countess of Woodridge

Toodles - Evie’s grandmother. She’s in no hurry to return to New York or her cottage in Newport.

The Winchester brothers: Nathaniel, Eugene, Theodore, Clarence, Brazen, and Wilbur

CHAPTER 1

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry - Robert Burns

The Ostrich Inn

“What do you mean? Explain yourself,” Brazen Winchester demanded.

Wilbur snorted and drawled, “I’m not going to insult you.”

“What?” Brazen scoffed.

Stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankles, Wilbur shrugged. “If I have to explain myself, then I would be insulting your intelligence. Dear brother, I trust you to work it all out.”

Brazen scowled. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

Theodore Winchester laughed. “I don’t know why, but Wilbur is saying you’re intelligent and don’t need to have everything explained to you.”

Clarence Winchester piped in, “Brazen doesn’t want to think because it makes his brain hurt.”

“Says you, who’s always the last to get a joke,” Brazen accused.

Clarence Winchester rolled his eyes. “Only because I tune out and only ever catch the tail end of a joke, but I’m smart enough to add two and two together and eventually get it.”

Brazen snorted. “Well, you look and sound like a dimwit, always laughing two minutes after everyone else has fallen silent.”

As Evie’s gaze bounced between one Winchester and the other, her eyes crinkled with amusement. The six Winchester brothers were in their twenties, dressed in the height of male fashion, always looking their best, turning heads, and always, with the exception of Nathaniel, managing to act like children.

Tom reached inside his coat pocket and produced a small notebook. Uncapping his fountain pen, he made a note.

Evie leaned in, but couldn’t decipher his scrawl. “What are you writing?”

The edge of Tom’s lip kicked up. “I’m taking note of the name of the pub and the location, and adding it to the list of places we can never visit again because we’ll be barred.”

“What? Why?”

Tom gestured to his cousins. “Mark my word, this conversation is not going to end well. Nathaniel will do his utmost to keep his younger brothers under control, but, I know my cousins well enough to read the signs. Any minute now, they’ll be rolling up their sleeves and raising their fists.” Tom glanced over at the bar. “I should warn the barman to remove those glasses from the counter. Things are bound to get rough.”

Evie nudged him with her elbow. “You’re just trying to distract me.” In fact, Tom had made it his mission to keep her busy and away from entertaining any thoughts of the near miss they’d had in town.

The scrapes on her knees had healed, leaving no physical trace of their close encounter with a wayward motor car.

Evie swallowed.

They had both come close to being seriously injured, if not fatally so. They simply couldn’t escape the fact. But that was precisely what they were doing.

As expected, Tom did not respond. Instead, he looked down at his notebook and scrawled another note, saying, “I regret buying them those new suits as rewards for their efforts during our last investigation. Granted, they earned them.”

Evie knew it was foolish to ignore the incident. If they continued to avoid giving the matter any serious thought, it would get buried. But for how long? She knew it was all bound to come back to haunt them when they least expected it.

The culprits had been jailed and, while the investigation had taken longer than expected, the results had been astonishing, with an elaborate forgery ring uncovered, as well as a killer identified.

For several days after the police had taken the suspect into custody, Evie had wanted to discuss the killer’s motive, but every single time she’d tried to introduce the subject, Tom had found a reason to change the direction of their conversation. In one instance, he had simply stood up and walked away murmuring something about engine oil. His uncharacteristic behavior had baffled Evie. Without any clear explanation, Evie had employed her reasoning skills.

Any mention of the case reminded Tom of how close he’d come to losing her.

Evie had then decided Tom was either churning everything in his mind and trying to come to terms with it all, or he was studying the situation and working out a way to prevent it from ever happening again.

She’d told herself it couldn’t be denial because that suggested a lack of emotional maturity and she knew Tom could never be accused of that.

In any case, Tom hadn’t been alone in refusing to discuss the near miss.

Sara had withdrawn from the discussion by taking up embroidery for two full days, only abandoning her project after numerous mishaps with the needles. In her mind, that had been enough time to bury the subject.

Toodles had been pragmatic, saying there was danger when crossing the street or making one’s way down to breakfast. The remark had been slipped in during one of her rare pauses from her new obsession with painting.

To everyone’s surprise, Henrietta had also fully embraced the newfound artistic endeavor, in a short time becoming quite proficient in what she called a naive style of painting. In her opinion, that made her a bohemian and a daring one at that. Instead of hiding what some people might deem to be unworthy of notice or serious consideration, Henrietta took every opportunity to flaunt her artistic pursuit.

Henrietta, the Dowager Countess of Woodridge, had become the talk of the town, drawing attention to herself wherever she went.

Out of the three, she had provided the most unexpected response, saying that if one played with fire, one should expect to get burned.

Evie had found Millicent’s response to the incident the most puzzling. Instead of providing a full emotional outburst and expressing her outrage that such a mishap could happen, Millicent had refrained from commenting. Thinking Millicent had been in shock, Evie had waited several days to hear one of Millicent’s anecdotes. She had no doubt her lady’s maid and private secretary had one but, after tending to her wounds, Millicent had excused herself and, for the duration of their stay in town, had managed to keep her opinions to herself.

Seeking a distraction from her thoughts, Evie looked out the window. Studying the motor cars lined up outside, she tried to remember what Tom had just said. Something about suits?

Nudging Tom, Evie said, “You never told me what happened when you took your cousins for a fitting.”

Without looking up from his notebook, Tom murmured, “What happened? They were all fitted out with new suits they don’t deserve.”

“Yes, but after that…” Evie prompted.

“From memory, we returned to Woodridge House for luncheon.”

“And just before that?”

Tom closed his notebook and fiddled with his fountain pen. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“You all arrived in new motor cars. Four new motor cars, to be precise. Something must have happened between the time you went to the tailor for a fitting and returned to Woodridge House.”

“Oh, that…” Tom looked out the window and smiled at his new roadster. “You must admit, it looks sleek and it’s a smooth drive.”

“I wouldn’t know. You haven’t let me drive it. You said you would. In fact, your exact words were…”

Tom interjected, “Countess, would you like to drive the rest of the way?”

Evie grinned. “Thank you, but I’m too preoccupied at the moment. Perhaps once we get closer to Halton House. Yes, when we reach the gates, I’d like to drive it in. It’ll be like a triumphant return home.” Evie thought she heard Tom murmur something about doing all the heavy lifting while she took all the glory.

“How long are you prepared to wait?” Tom asked.

Evie looked at his watch. They’d been at the pub for nearly an hour and were waiting for the owner to return from running an errand.

“Mr. Stevenson should be back soon. Isn’t that what the barman said?”

Tom nodded. “Half an hour ago. I don’t know how much longer I can keep my tribe tethered. You know they don’t cope well with being stationary for too long.”

“We’ve already invested half an hour to waiting. Another half hour won’t make a difference,” Evie reasoned.

When had her plans gone awry?

A couple of days before, Evie had decided it was time to return to Halton House. Tom could not have been more relieved to escape the pandemonium of town life and return to the tranquility of country living. From the moment the decision had been made, everything should have worked according to plan. Indeed, nothing about it had been complicated or out of the ordinary.

Evie ran through the events again, just to make sure she hadn’t made any mistakes along the way.

They had remained in town long enough to learn the outcome of the last case they’d been involved in. Then Evie had given everyone advance notice, saying they would be leaving in two days, long enough to organize the packing and last minute activities in town, and now…

Here they were, minus the dowagers and Toodles because they had raced off ahead of everyone else.

Evie looked down at her hands and frowned.

“You have a ridge,” Tom said.

“A what?”

“A deep ridge between your eyebrows. Stop worrying. We’ll find them. Remember, our motor cars are faster.”

“You’re so confident of catching up to them, you agreed to this lengthy rest.” Never mind that he was now eager to get moving again. Evie knew she shouldn’t blame Tom. It wasn’t his fault that the only person who could tell them if the dowagers and Toodles had stopped at the pub happened to be the owner of the bar who’d stepped out to run an errand. “By my calculations, they have at least a two hour head start. Do you still think we can catch up?”

“Countess, think about it.”

Evie smiled. “Yes, of course. It doesn’t really matter because, if we don’t catch up to them, it just means they will arrive two hours ahead of us.”

Tom smiled back. “But it still doesn’t make sense because they were supposed to meet us here.”

Tom didn’t need to state the obvious. Yes, they could continue on their way to Halton House and perhaps even catch up to the dowagers and Toodles somewhere along the way, but first they needed to make sure they had driven this way. For all they knew, they hadn’t even made it this far.

The front door opened and a broad shouldered man with an unshaven face walked in and headed straight for the bar. Removing his cap, he grabbed an apron and was fixing it into place when the barman approached him and had a murmured conversation with him.

The man nodded and approached their table. Greeting them, he introduced himself, “Kenneth Stevenson. How can I help?”

Tom explained, “We were supposed to meet some people here. Three ladies traveling with a chauffeur. Your barman said you might have seen them.”

Kenneth Stevenson crossed his arms and looked up in thought. After a moment, he said, “We had three ladies in here earlier today. I’d only just opened and they came in for some tea, coffee, and a tipple.”

“A tipple?” Evie asked.

Kenneth Stevenson nodded. “One of them wanted coffee and a brandy to steady her nerves.”

Surprised, Evie asked, “Which one?”

Kenneth Stevenson looked up at the ceiling and rocked back on the heels of his feet. “Let me think. There was an elderly lady with a walking cane. She looked quite flamboyant.” He signaled to his head. “She wore an elaborate head scarf with tassels. Like a turban but not a turban. She seemed to be having trouble with it because the other one, a younger one, fussed with it.”

Evie thought that might have been Sara helping Henrietta. She couldn’t quite picture her granny helping her with her elaborate artistic headscarf, something Henrietta had been wearing since she’d taken up painting.

Kenneth Stevenson continued, “Then there was the lady with the beret. She’s the one who needed the brandy. When she asked for it, she glowered at the one with the headscarf.”

Heavens! Had there been an argument along the way? Yes, of course. How else would they entertain themselves during a long drive?

“Did they stay long?”

Kenneth Stevenson gave the question some thought. “I heard the younger one mention having a long wait and they should just make themselves comfortable.”

That sounded like Sara. Out of the three, she was always keen to follow instructions. In fact, Evie imagined Sara had complained about changing the schedule, starting with leaving ahead of everyone else. Perhaps that’s what they’d argued about.

“So how long did they stay?”

“They had their drinks and, soon after that, they left.” He looked at his watch. “That was over an hour ago.”

How odd. They’d obviously stopped at the pub because that had been the agreed meeting place. Despite thinking they would all leave Woodridge House at the same time, Evie had known they could become separated at any point during the journey. Hence the suggestion to stop for a break at a designated point.

“Did they say anything or leave a message?”

Kenneth Stevenson shook his head. “No.”

Evie hid her frustration by looking down at her hands. Earlier that day, Henrietta, Sara, and Toodles had left Woodridge House well before the appointed time without mentioning it to anyone. That in itself had been odd.

Millicent had been dashing in and out, making last minute preparations for their journey back to Halton House and also checking on the luggage. When Evie had asked her to deliver a message to Henrietta, Millicent, sounding surprised, had told her everyone had already left and she only knew about it because she’d seen them hurrying out of the house.

None of it made any sense to Evie. Not then and certainly not now. They’d always made journeys together, traveling as an entourage, mostly as a safety measure because one never knew what could happen out on the road.

They’d at least adhered to part of the plan by coming here. However, one moment, they’d been prepared to sit right here and wait and then they’d rushed off. What had changed? Evie knew Henrietta jumped to action when she felt she had a mission. Had something happened to prompt them to leave? “Did you notice anything about them while they were having their drinks?”

Kenneth Stevenson stared at Evie before saying, “Nothing unusual. Although, the only people who sit and read the newspaper are the ones who come in alone.”

What did that mean? “Are you saying they read the newspaper?”

“Yes, the lady with the turban.” He nodded. “The newspaper had been sitting on the next table. She leaned over and noticed something. That’s when she picked up the newspaper and sat down to read it. I turned away then so I don’t know anything else.”

“And how long after that did they leave?”

“Soon after. In fact, one of them complained she hadn’t finished her drink.”

Nathaniel Winchester must have overhead Kenneth Stevenson because he leaned over and picked up a newspaper, which he then handed over to Tom.

Tom had a look through it and then handed it to Evie, saying, “Nothing caught my attention. See if you notice something.”

Taking the newspaper from Tom, Evie skimmed over the front page and asked, “Is this a local newspaper?”

“Yes, people have lost interest in what goes on elsewhere. Although, you’ll find some mention of it hidden in the back pages. The editor does a brief summary and most people read it because they think it’s a fictionalized account of what goes on in the rest of the world.”

As Evie scanned the pages, she heard the Winchester brothers murmuring among themselves, their whispers sounding quite demanding. Evie turned back to the first page and saw the article that might have caught Nathaniel’s attention. “Mr. Stevenson, do you know Mr. Arthur Pennington?”

“Everyone knows him by now.”

Evie noticed Mr. Stevenson had an odd way of expressing himself. While he answered a question, his response suggested there might be more to the story but it could only be ascertained by further prodding.

“Is Mr. Arthur Pennington new to the district?”

“Relatively so. Yes, some would say he’s new.”

Meaning what? That no matter how long he lived in the area, he would always be thought of as a newcomer? Evie asked what she thought would be a more direct question, one which required only a yes or no response, “Has he lived here long?

Mr. Stevenson took his time answering, “A while.”

“More than a year?”

“Yes, that sounds about right.”

Looking at the newspaper, Evie read the article heading but didn’t decipher any underlying meaning. “And how has he made himself known?”

Mr. Stevenson chortled. “With a loud roar.”

Evie looked up. “Does the roaring have something to do with motor car engines?”

Mr. Stevenson gave a pensive nod. “He does like his motor cars. It seems he has a new one every other week.”

While the response pricked the Winchester brothers’ interest, Evie didn’t think Henrietta and the others would have found that article at all intriguing.

“If you want to know more about him, you could ask Jerome Daniels.”

“Jerome Daniels?” Evie scanned the article but didn’t see any mention of the name. Bracing herself, she asked, “Who is Jerome Daniels?”

“He’s a fine fellow. Been living here since the day he was born.”

“And how is he related to Arthur Pennington?”

Mr. Stevenson shook his head. “He’s not.”

“But he knows something about Arthur Pennington?”

“He must do. Yes, I assume he does.”

Calling for patience, Evie asked, “And why do you think he does?”

“Because he works at Cloister Park.”

Evie wanted to feel they were getting somewhere, but she remained in the dark.

“And does Arthur Pennington also work at Cloister Park?”

“Oh, no. No, no he doesn’t.”

So what was the connection? “How is Arthur Pennington connected to Cloister Park?”

“He lives there.”

“And Jerome Daniels works there.”

Kenneth Stevenson nodded. “He was here earlier. You could have talked to him then.”

Evie blinked. “Earlier?”

“Yes, before now. Earlier, when the three ladies came in.”

If they’d been here earlier when Jerome Daniels had been here, they would not have needed to speak with him because they would have met with the dowagers and Toodles and none of this conversation would have taken place.

Stifling her annoyance, Evie’s attention shifted to the next article about Eleanor Holstein, who was referred to as a recluse. The name didn’t sound at all familiar and Evie didn’t understand why the woman was considered a recluse when she’d been spotted out and about on her daily walks in the local village.

“What about Eleanor Holstein? What can you tell me about her?”

“Not much. She’s relatively new to the district.”

“Does that mean she’s only recently arrived?” Evie asked.

“Yes, fairly recently.”

Seeking further clarification, Evie asked, “How long ago?”

“About a month or so. Yes, thereabouts. I only know that because she moved into a house that had been sitting vacant for years and I heard people mention it.”

“Why do you think she’s referred to as a recluse?”

Mr. Stevenson shrugged. “I couldn’t really say.”

“Has she ever been to the pub?”

“If she has, she didn’t make herself known to me.”

Evie tried to decipher his response. “So if she walked in right now, you wouldn’t be able to point to her and identify her as Eleanor Holstein?”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Does the house she moved into have a name?”

“Grove Manor. It’s not the grandest house, but it’s quite distinctive.”

Although tempted to ask what made the house stand out, Evie thought she’d have better luck asking, “Is it far from here?”

Mr. Stevenson looked out the window. “About ten minutes.”

“Which way?”

He turned and pointed away from the main road. “You can see the house from the road. It’s on a hill. But you’ll have to be on the lookout for it because you could easily miss it. The hill becomes obscured by trees and the road dips and curves away.”

Evie hoped Tom had understood the vague directions. Out of the two articles on the front page, the one about Eleanor Holstein seemed to be the one Henrietta would be most drawn to.

Had Henrietta recognized the name Eleanor Holstein?

Evie searched her mind again and again the name did not ring a bell. Without a description, she had no way of knowing if the woman was young or old. If she had to guess, she’d say Eleanor Holstein was older than a young person.

Evie’s smile prompted Tom to ask, “What?”

“I just entertained a silly turn of phrase.” Pointing at the article, she mused, “Something here caught Henrietta’s attention.”

“Do you think she knows Eleanor Holstein?” Tom asked.

Evie laughed. “I think it would be amusing to assume she knows Eleanor Holstein and then discover that Henrietta actually recognized Arthur Pennington’s name.”

CHAPTER 2

“Before you assume, try asking.” - Anonymous

The Ostrich Inn

“Do we dare? Is that what you’re asking me, Countess?”

Evie relinquished the newspaper to the Winchester brothers who immediately huddled to read the front page article about Arthur Pennington’s collection of motor cars.

Giving Tom a worried look, Evie asked, “Is that how you interpret my raised eyebrow?”

Tom grinned. “Yes, because the alternative is to assume you were questioning something about me, or disapproving of something I’d said or hadn’t said.”

“I was actually wondering what you make of all this.” Had the dowagers and Toodles set off on an adventure? And had it begun in town, at Woodridge House, or had they been inspired by something else they encountered along the way or right here in the pub?

Evie turned to Mr. Stevenson and asked, “When they left, did you happen to notice if they took the main road or if they turned away from it?”

“I’m afraid not. Two customers came in just as I was clearing the table and we moved to the bar to have a chat.” He shook his head. “No, I couldn’t really say I noticed.”

Thanking him, Evie waited for Mr. Stevenson to be out of hearing. Looking at Tom, Evie raised her eyebrow again. “Despite coming to the place we had agreed to meet, they left in a hurry.” She signaled to the newspaper.

Tom nodded. “You think Henrietta noticed something in the newspaper.”

“Mr. Stevenson said Henrietta saw the newspaper that had been sitting on the next table. Have you ever known Henrietta to take an interest in newspapers?” Evie answered her own question. “No, never. So something must have caught her eye. There are only two articles with bold headlines. One is about Arthur Pennington and his motor cars and the other one is about Eleanor Holstein.”

Tom looked at his cousins. “I didn’t read that one and I doubt they’ll give up the newspaper now. What did it say?”

“Nothing much. Eleanor Holstein is a recluse and she’s been spotted regularly in the village.” Evie leaned in and murmured, “I didn’t see much point to the article. It just reports on the regular sightings. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar report in the next issue or previous issues.”

“She must have made a name for herself,” Tom suggested.

“Yes, that might be the case but Mr. Stevenson hadn’t heard anything about her. You’d think if there was something extraordinary about her, the news would reach the owner of the local pub. Anyhow, I’ve never heard Henrietta mention her. That’s rather unusual because she’s always mentioning one person or another. Although, to be fair to Henrietta, she only talks about people within the context of the conversation.”

“Countess, we should prepare ourselves for a few changes. Old age doesn’t affect only one person. It also affects everyone in their immediate orbit.” Tom grinned. “That’ll be us.”

Evie laughed. “It would be funny if, after a lifetime of discretion, Henrietta begins yammering indiscriminately about this person and that person. I actually look forward to Henrietta developing an eccentric character.”

It was Tom’s turn to laugh. “At this point, I think Henrietta is merely fine tuning her eccentricity, and she’s now accessorizing it with her new interest in painting.”

“At least we know the dowagers and Toodles made it this far.” Evie hadn’t mentioned it, but she had entertained the possibility that something had happened to the dowagers and Toodles along the way. “Thank goodness. By the sounds of it, they’re hale and hearty.”

Tom nodded. “Either they headed back to Halton House or they veered off toward some unknown destination. There’s no point in trying to guess, Countess. We’ll have to consider the alternative and go after them.”

The Winchester brothers straightened and, scrapping back their chairs, they all shot to their feet.

Collecting her handbag, Evie stood up. “We’ll have to remember to send word to Halton House. Millicent and Edgar will be arriving soon, if they haven’t already, and they’ll wonder where we got to. That is, assuming they got on the train and headed straight back to Halton House.”

Tom laughed. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“In case you missed it, Tom, the day began with the unexpected early departure of the dowagers and Toodles. I should have known something else would go wrong and now I’m not prepared to stake anything on Millicent and Edgar sticking to their schedule, and… oh, goodness, I hope they remembered to take Doyle with them.” If he’d been left behind, her little French pug would never forgive her.

As they emerged from the pub, Evie glanced over her shoulder. There were a couple of people sitting at a table by the window, both fully engaged in a conversation. Neither one had bothered to look out the window. How unusual, Evie thought. Either they were too deep in their conversation to have noticed them leave, or they were not curious about a group of people passing through.

Before everyone climbed into their motor cars, Tom organized his cousins and gave them strict instructions to follow at a safe distance.

They set off in an orderly fashion and, turning off the main road, they drove by several cottages and then through a wooded area with the road then cutting across open fields.

Evie remembered Mr. Stevenson saying the manor house was located about ten minutes away. Smiling to herself, she wondered if that was ten minutes of leisure driving or ten minutes of driving like a maniac as Tom was doing along a quiet stretch of road.

He must have seen something up ahead because he slowed down and pointed. Leaning in, he made himself heard over the roar of the engine, “The hill’s coming up.”

Evie motioned with her hand to remind him about the bend Mr. Stevenson had mentioned. Nodding, Tom gave the road his full attention.

The road inclined and, as they reached the top, the road curved. In that instant, Tom called out, “Hold on.”

Evie braced herself just as Tom swung the motor car off the road and into a narrow lane obscured by trees.

“Nearly missed it,” he said, his tone cheerful.

Evie had no idea how he’d known to turn into the lane. She hadn’t seen anything to indicate the lane led to the house. “You seem to know where you’re going.”

“Mr. Stevenson said the house could be seen from the rise in the road and then disappeared. It won’t hurt to drive up. If the dowagers and Toodles are there, we’ll find out soon enough. Embrace the spirit of adventure, Countess.” Slowing down, he leaned in and asked, “Would you like to drive the rest of the way?”

“I’d rather enjoy the pretty countryside, thank you.”

They continued along the narrow lane and, as they hadn’t seen a proper entrance to the estate, Evie assumed this was an alternative route.

That turned out to be the case when the house came into view.

Tom smiled. “I believe we just came along the service entrance or some sort of back entrance to the estate.”

Evie pointed ahead. “And we found them.”

The lane widened and led straight to the house and the courtyard. Just beyond that, they saw the Duesenberg, but no sign of Edmonds who was probably enjoying a cup of tea in the kitchen. Slowing down, Tom drove up and parked the roadster next to it.

They both expressed their relief with a long breath and a chuckle.

“Our gamble paid off,” Evie said.

“Now what?” Tom asked. “I feel like a parent chasing after mischievous children.”

Shaking her head, Evie agreed. “I’m afraid that’s precisely what we’ve become. I suppose we should make sure all is well with them. And, of course, I’m curious to find out why they veered away from the agreed plan.” Starting with the early departure, Evie thought.

“How did Mr. Stevenson describe the house?” Tom asked.

“Not the grandest house, but it’s quite distinctive,” Evie offered and studied the manor house. The stone building was surrounded by a pretty park and wilderness, and had a mishmash collection of windows, from small to large, rectangular, square, and round. The house aspired to emulate the grand Elizabethan architecture but on a small scale and yet the turrets at one end made Evie think of castles. She wouldn’t be surprised if the other side of the building looked entirely different.

“There must be an interesting story to it all.” Tom climbed out and held his hand out for Evie. “Speaking of stories. How are we going to explain our presence here?”

“Tom, we shouldn’t be embarrassed by our concern. It’s only natural.”

Smiling, he said, “We’re concerned? I suppose that means we’re well past being annoyed and cross with them.”

They both took a step toward the entrance, and stopped. Without saying a word, and almost as if by mutual agreement, they frowned, turned back, and walked to the clearing.

“We found the dowagers and Toodles but we now seem to be missing six Winchesters,” Evie whispered. “They should have been right behind us. Tom?”

Tom grumbled. “We can’t be in two places at the same time. Let’s tackle this problem first.”

Evie gripped his hand. That was enough to get a response from Tom.

Pushing out a hard breath, Tom said, “Yes, I promise I won’t throttle them.”

They turned back toward the entrance and were just about to reach it when they heard the crunch of footsteps coming from the end of the house.

A young woman was walking toward them. She’d obviously seen them because she was smiling.

As she drew closer, she waved. “Hello. You must be Lady Woodridge and Sir Thomas Winchester.”

Tom pressed his lips together, prompting Evie to give his hand another squeeze as a warning to avoid any show of objection over the use of the title he always did his best to ignore.

Tom grumbled under his breath. “Yes, I promise I’ll be polite.”

The young woman came up to them and introduced herself. “I’m Gillian Lawson, Eleanor Holstein’s secretary. Welcome to Grove Manor.”

Gillian Lawson’s large almond shaped eyes twinkled with delight. She had a straight patrician nose, short brown hair framing a narrow face with chiseled cheekbones and a smile that spoke of amusement. She wore a short jade green kimono jacket and a long black skirt that just teased her ankles and actually turned out to be a pair of wide-legged trousers.

Evie thanked her and, smiling, said, “We misplaced some relatives and, by the sounds of it, you know something about it.”

“Oh, yes. We are in possession of two Lady Woodbridges and Toodles.”

“Wonderful. I hope they haven’t been any trouble.”

“Not at all. In fact, their arrival was quite timely. Eleanor needed cheering up.” Gesturing toward the front door, she invited them inside.

They walked in just as a man in tails crossed the small hall.

“Hancock, this is Lady Woodridge and Sir Thomas Winchester. Is Miss Holstein still in the drawing room?”

The butler nodded and took their coats.

The wood-paneled hall had a few pieces of furniture, just enough to make the place look lived in, but not enough to suggest someone had lived in the house for any length of time.

“It’s through here.” Gillian Lawson pointed to a set of double doors. “I should warn you, Eleanor enjoys establishing a swift rapport. She doesn’t stand on ceremony, so you might want to approach her the way you would an old friend.”

Evie was filled with curiosity over the woman Henrietta had presumably recognized from a newspaper article. She wanted to ask Gillian Lawson if she knew how Henrietta happened to know Eleanor Holstein, but Gillian Lawson was already walking in ahead of them.

The drawing room was the complete opposite to the sparse hall they’d just walked through. Evie was instantly overwhelmed by a vast collection of knick-knacks, mostly photographs but also decorative bits and pieces, as well as flowers in blue and white vases.

“Here is Evangeline and Tom,” Henrietta exclaimed.

Before Evie could respond, Henrietta rushed to say, “What took you so long?” She laughed and added, “I told you they would find us in no time, but I was beginning to wonder if you would both get here any time soon.” Henrietta proceeded to make the introductions. “And this is my very old friend, Eleanor Holstein. I’ve known her since she was a child.”

Evie hadn’t known what to expect. She hadn’t made any assumptions about Eleanor Holstein’s age. Just as well she hadn’t because if she had expected to find an elderly lady, she would have been mistaken.

Eleanor Holstein stood in front of the fireplace, her hand resting on the mantlepiece. Tall and elegantly slim, she couldn’t be much older than forty or thereabouts. She wore loose fitting clothes with bold colors and geometric shapes. Her auburn locks cascaded around her shoulders in a way Evie hadn’t seen since her youth. She had a wide mouth with plump lips, a pert nose, expressive eyebrows and thick eyelashes that highlighted her smoky gray eyes.

Eleanor Holstein welcomed them by saying, “Henrietta has been telling me all about your fascinating activities as private investigators. It all sounds wonderfully intriguing and exhilarating.”

“Evangeline, your arrival could not have been better timed,” Henrietta hurried to say, her voice a mixture of excitement and concern. “It’s serendipity, my dear. Some might even say we were all fated to come here. To think, I almost caved in to Sara’s demands to continue on our way to Halton House, but I told her I would never forgive myself if I didn’t stop to say hello to Eleanor.”

That didn’t explain how Henrietta knew her or why she’d felt the need to hurry here now instead of waiting for them at the pub. Evie knew she would eventually get the full story. Indeed, Henrietta’s excitement did not diminish so Evie expected to hear all about it now. She waited a moment for Henrietta to continue, as she was bound to do, but she didn’t.

Sara and Toodles were both seated together, both looking relaxed and oddly amused. Without looking at him, Evie knew Tom was taking in the scene and, like her, puzzling over it.

Catching a movement out of the corner of her eye, Evie turned and saw Eleanor Holstein adjusting a cigarette to an elegant long handled holder. Lighting it, she blew a puff of smoke and smiled. “I haven’t seen Henri in years and suddenly, there she was, at the doorstep.”

Henri?

Evie had never heard anyone call Henrietta by that moniker, not even Toodles, who always enjoyed giving people nicknames.

“And just in time, I might add,” Eleanor Holstein continued. “Gillian had dashed away somewhere, no doubt to hide from my horrid mood and Hancock had gone up to investigate a noise I keep hearing up in the attic.”

Henrietta turned concerned eyes toward Eleanor. “My dear, I never express regrets, however, I do feel a sense of guilt for having stayed away so long from Halton House.” Henrietta swung toward Evie. “Eleanor wrote to me there. You see, she’d heard about your talents and thought you might help.”

The butler came in and set a tray down on the table.

“You’ll stay for dinner,” Eleanor said. “Yes, you must. You simply must. I haven’t seen Henri in ages and we have a lot of catching up to do. Hancock, I’m putting myself at your mercy. There’ll be two more for dinner. And, if it’s not too much trouble, make some rooms available. They’ll want to change.” Eleanor moved to the table to pour herself a cup of tea. “Oh, dear. Of course, we won’t want to rush dinner and you shouldn’t drive late at night. You must stay the night. Yes. You’ll stay the night.” Satisfied with her decision, she said, “Henri mentioned some others. What was it you called them, Henri? The Misfits?”

“In an endearing way, of course,” Henrietta clarified.

“We’ve misplaced them,” Evie admitted. “They’re bound to turn up sooner or later. They always do.”

Eleanor looked at Tom. “And they are related to you.”

Tom poured a cup of tea for himself and one for Evie. “You can choose your friends, but not your family.”

Using her walking cane to steady herself, Henrietta stood up, but as she did, she bent her head and her turban slipped off. “Oh, dear. Sara, please help me.”

Sara rushed to assist her, saying, “Henrietta, don’t you think it’s time you abandoned the accessory?”

Toodles snorted. “I think the turban is trying to abandon Henrietta.” Walking up to the table, Toodles helped herself to some fruit cake and tea. “Birdie, how did you find us?”

“I followed a hunch, Grans. Despite leaving town early, I was sure you would all wait for us at the pub. When you weren’t there, I suspected something had diverted you.”

With her turban back in place, Henrietta approached the table and spoke with urgency, “Evangeline, Eleanor is in trouble. She won’t admit it, so it is up to me to plead her case. She needs you.” Henrietta looked at Tom. “Both of you.”

Evie looked at Eleanor Holstein and was surprised to see her looking amused. “Henrietta, what sort of trouble?”

Henrietta lowered her voice to a whisper, “She’s being threatened.” Turning, she urged, “Eleanor, show Evangeline the note you received.” Nodding, she looked at Evie, “There’s a note. That’s solid proof.”

“I’m not sure what I did with it, Henri.”

Eleanor Holstein’s blithe remark prompted Henrietta to pin her down with an admonishing stare, which, to Evie’s surprise, worked a treat.

Setting her cup down, Eleanor Holstein gave the mantlepiece a cursory glance. “No, not there. Gillian, my dear, do you know what I did with that wretched note?”

“You scrunched it up and threw it in the fire,” Gillian Lawson chirped. Digging inside her pocket, she produced a piece of paper. “But I rescued it.” Handing it to Evie, she shrugged. “It’s singed at the edges, but it doesn’t matter because, as you can see, the note is quite to the point.”

“Leave?” Evie turned the page over but it was blank. “How was it delivered?”

“Slipped under the front door. I found it when I came down to breakfast.”

“Did it come in an envelope?” Evie asked. When Gillian shook her head, Evie added, “I assume neither of you recognize the handwriting.”

“No, we don’t.”

Evie held the note up to the light. “Whoever wrote it has a heavy hand.” Or, she thought, they were emotionally committed to the message and had exerted the demand by pressing the word on the page.

“It’s very odd,” Henrietta said. “Don’t you agree?”

Evie acknowledged Henrietta’s concern with a nod. “When was it delivered?”

Gillian Lawson looked at Eleanor. “Was it a week ago? Early in the week. Yes, I remember you wanted to discuss the week’s schedule.”

“May I ask how long you’ve been living in this house?” Evie asked.

Eleanor Holstein looked at Gillian Lawson. “How long would you say we’ve been here?”

“Thirty-three days. Today is the thirty fourth day,” Gillian offered.

“My secretary is a stickler for precision. We’ve been here for about a month.”

“And, if you don’t mind me asking, where were you before?”

Eleanor Holstein gestured with her hand, in the process dispersing a ribbon of smoke. “We travel a great deal.” Again, she looked at Gillian Lawson.

“We came from Budapest where we lived for about six months. Before that, we were in Stockholm, again for six months.”

“Six months is just about all I need in a city before I decide it’s time to move on and find something different to look at.” Discarding her cigarette, Eleanor Holstein studied a row of photographs lined up on the mantlepiece. “All these are from our time in Budapest.”

Evie assumed she had been born here. “And what brought you back to England?”

“It was a random decision. I usually write the names of a few places and toss them into a hat and draw one piece of paper out. This time, it happened to be England.”

“And why this area in particular?” Tom asked.

Eleanor looked at her secretary.

Nodding, Gillian said, “I saw an advertisement for this house.”

Eleanor Holstein shrugged. “Yes, I remember mentioning to Gillian something about wanting to travel this way. You see, I was born near here and was struck by a sense of nostalgia.”

Henrietta looked puzzled. “I thought you’d been born in Oxford.”

Eleanor laughed. “Isn’t Oxford near here?”

“Not by a long shot,” Henrietta murmured.

Eleanor Holstein made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Maybe I’ve always wanted to spend some time in this area. Who knows. When you travel around as much as I do, everything seems to mesh together. It’s possible someone mentioned the place to me or I met someone from around here.”

Henrietta seemed to forget why she’d stood up. Looking around, she appeared to consider stepping back and sitting down, but then she looked at the tea service. That’s when she seemed to remember why she’d stood up.

As Henrietta helped herself to a cup of tea, she said, “Evangeline, it’s obvious someone is not happy about Eleanor being here and they want her to leave. They have made their intentions clear and will act on it. Mark my word, they will do something to make sure Eleanor leaves.” Henrietta’s eyes brightened. “Eleanor, those noises you said you’ve been hearing coming from the attic might have something to do with that. They are trying to scare you away.”

Eleanor laughed. “Scare me away with strange noises?”

Alarmed, Henrietta said, “You never mentioned anything about them being strange.”

Hancock walked in and set a fresh pot of tea on the table. As he turned to leave, Eleanor asked if he’d found the source of the noise in the attic.

“Most likely rodents, Miss Holstein. I’ve taken steps to address the matter.”

“Should I expect to hear rodents in the grip of a morbid death?” Eleanor shook her head. “Please try to entice them into becoming field mice.”

“I shall do my very best, Miss Holstein.” Inclining his head, Hancock picked up the empty teapot and left the drawing room.

Henrietta gave Evie an imploring look before sidling up to her and saying, “Evangeline, you will have to coax the information out of Eleanor. I’m afraid she’s as flighty as ever and likely to change the subject and forget all about the threat she received.”

“Henrietta, it’s hardly a threat.”

“I beg to differ.”

Evie looked at the note. Other than the observations she had just made, she couldn’t think of anything else to ask.

She was about to draw Tom aside to ask if he had any questions when Hancock returned.

Standing at the door, he said, “A note has just been delivered.”

Henrietta tapped her walking cane on the floor and declared, “They mean business.”

Hancock stepped forward. “It’s addressed to Lady Woodridge. A village lad asked if you were here and when I confirmed it, he handed me the note.”

Evie took the envelope and removed a single sheet of paper. Reading it, she smiled, “It’s from Nathaniel. He says they missed the turn and ended up at the village and have settled at a pub called The Geese and Arrow.”

“Marvelous,” Eleanor said. “You should all spend the night here. Hancock, please make the rooms ready. You’re staying for dinner and, as I said, you shouldn’t be out and about late at night. Yes, you will stay.”

Evie felt compelled to say, “We couldn’t impose.”

“Nonsense. I must insist.”

Henrietta nodded. “And Evangeline and Tom will have this matter sorted out in no time.”

Evie looked at the note Eleanor had received. She’d been living here for about a month for no particular reason. Yet someone had taken it upon themselves to issue a warning. More like a threat, Evie thought. Or even an ultimatum.

Smiling, Evie said, “I hope you’re prepared to answer some questions. Tom and I are bound to have some.”

Tom nodded. “Starting with why a newspaper article refers to you as a recluse when you seem to make a habit of visiting the local village.”

“A recluse?” Eleanor laughed and turned to Gillian. “Did you hear that?”

Smiling, Gillian said, “Eleanor is anything but a recluse. It’s the villagers who don’t want anything to do with her and wish she’d stay away.”

“Really? And why is that?” Evie asked.

“Because they’re afraid they’ll end up in her next book.”

Eleanor Holstein was an author?

Interpreting Evie’s look of surprise, Henrietta nodded, “Didn’t I mention it?”

CHAPTER 3

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."

Meanwhile…

The Geese and Arrow

“We are only putting off the inevitable,” Nathaniel warned. “When Tom catches up with us, we will have to brace ourselves to face the consequences of our actions.”

Clarence pointed at Brazen, “You took the wrong turn and led us astray. That’s what comes of letting you lead.”

Before Brazen could defend himself, Theodore snorted and said, “Brazen knew where he was going.”

Leaning forward, Brazen glared at everyone, “Before you all agree with Theodore, you all knew we were coming here.”

Everyone turned to Wilbur but he shrugged, “Don’t anyone point the finger at me. I told Brazen to follow Tom and swerve right, but he pretended not to hear. Let this be a lesson to us all. As the eldest, Nathaniel should always take the lead.”

Nathaniel shook his head. “There’s a reason why I always take the rear. It’s the only way I can keep an eye on everyone. If I take the lead, I’d be constantly looking over my shoulder, and you’d all end up following me into a ditch.”

The barman wiped the counter and tapped his finger on the newspaper in front of Nathaniel. “You asked me to let you know when Arthur Pennington came in. Here he is.”

One by one, the Winchester brothers turned toward the entrance to the pub, their eyes bright with the same curiosity that had been sparked when they’d first seen the newspaper article at the other pub.

Arthur Pennington walked in and stopped to remove his leather aviator cap and driving dust coat.

Wilbur nudged Brazen. “A bit over the top.”

Craning his neck, Brazen looked out the window. “He’s allowed to be pretentious. Look. It’s the Duesenberg Model J, the fastest at 119 mph, powered by a large 8.0 liter straight eight engine. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

Arthur Pennington approached the bar and handed the barman a rolled up poster. “Hot off the press.”

The barman unrolled the poster and studied it. “This is going to make a lot of people mad.”

“Nonsense. It will put the village on the map.”

The barman shook his head and laughed, “That’s what I mean. It’s bad enough you built that racing track so close to the village and on land people were hoping to build houses on. Now you’re going to ruin their peace and quiet.”

“It’s called progress, my dear chap. Progress.” Turning to the Winchester brothers, Arthur Pennington smiled. “What about you lads? Are you interested in motor car racing?”

“That depends,” Wilbur drawled.

At the same time, Nathaniel stepped forward, saying, “We prefer to be spectators.”

Arthur Pennington looked from one to the other. “Come along and take a look at my racing track. You might change your minds.”

Grove Manor

“Did you get through to Halton House?” Evie asked.

Tom nodded. “A parlor maid took the call.”

“How odd. Where was Edgar?”

“It was a bad connection so I didn’t ask. I just stayed on the line long enough to make sure the parlor maid got the message. I made her repeat it to make sure they didn’t send out a search party for us.”

“And did you get through to Nathaniel at the pub? Were they all still there in one piece?”

Tom’s jaw muscles clenched. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, “They weren’t there.”

“We’ve lost them again? Good heavens.”

Tom gave an impatient shake of his head. “The barman said they went off with a fellow.”

“Who?”

“Arthur Pennington. He owns a racetrack.”

“How odd. I didn’t know people owned racetracks. Oh, wait. Is this the Arthur Pennington from the newspaper article?”

“Yes. Anyhow, then I went down to the kitchen to see how Edmonds was faring. He’d just finished his meal. I asked him to drive into the village. Although, I told him I was sending him on a fool’s errand, but he seemed happy to do something other than sit around.”

“Is that what he said or is that your opinion?” Evie asked.

“I quoted his words.” Wincing, Tom complained, “Eleanor Holstein said dinner would be informal, so why am I changing into tails?”

Evie smiled, “Hold still or you’ll end up with a crooked tie.”

“I’m surprised Henrietta hasn’t burst in to demand to know what you’re going to do about the threat against her friend.”

Evie finished adjusting the tie into place and stepped back. “Me? What about you? What are you going to do?”

Tom grinned. “Shadow you, of course. I suppose Henrietta hasn’t come in because she knows you’ll give her a piece of your mind.”

Evie lifted an eyebrow. “She could at least have left a message at the pub. You’re right, she will get an earful and, in case I forget to scold her, do please remind me.” Shrugging, Evie added, “I suppose I shouldn’t be too harsh. After all, she trusted us to find her.”

Tom snorted. “At the expense of losing the Misfits.”

Laughing, Evie said, “It does suit them.”

Tom agreed. “I’m happy to add to it and call them the Maladjusted Misfits.”

Evie turned to the mirror and tried to fix her hair. “What do you make of Eleanor Holstein being an author?”

Twirling his cufflinks, Tom shrugged. “It makes sense. When we arrived, I didn’t have any ideas formed about her. She looks artistic, if there is such a type. Well, I suppose there is. We’ve met Caro’s mother-in-law. She has a flamboyant dress style and her manner and character matches it. Eleanor looks flamboyant so I can only assume her writing is equally confident and lively.”

“I’ve never heard of her.” Evie frowned. “How odd. The villagers seem to know all about her. Certainly enough to be wary of her intentions.”

Tom shook his head. “I still don’t understand why she’s referred to as a recluse.”

“It’s the villagers’ way of sending her a message. Stay at home, and away from us,” Evie suggested. “Isn’t that what Gillian indicated?”

“Yes, you’re right, and Gillian made it sound as if the entire population of the village knows about the author and her books.” Tom frowned. “You’ve never heard of her, and neither have I. We haven’t read her books and we haven’t come across articles about her or heard anyone talk about her. How do the villagers know about her?”

They looked at each other for a moment.

“Tom? Are you saying we are out of touch?”

“You sound worried.”

“That’s because I should be. This is as bad as not keeping up with the news. We might need to start taking more interest. Otherwise, we’ll be left behind.”

They spent a solid ten minutes discussing the situation and considering all possibilities. In the end, Evie suggested, “It would only take one person.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

“Eleanor Holstein arrived here and took up residence in this house. Word spread. As Millicent would say, did you hear about the woman who’s staying at Grove Manor? No, what about her? Well, I hear she’s an author.”

“And how would they hear about it?” Tom asked.

“As I said, It would only require a single person in the village. Perhaps the agent who organized the lease. He might have recognized her or it might have come up in conversation. The agent might have asked or maybe he caught a snippet of a conversation between Gillian and Eleanor.” Evie imagined them inspecting the house and either Gillian or Eleanor walking into a room and saying how it would suit as a writing space. “We’ll have to ask Eleanor Holstein. Anyhow, one person spreads the news and, suddenly, Eleanor Holstein becomes the talk of the village. Now they all know what type of books she writes and they’re concerned about their privacy.”

Tom nodded. “And one of the villagers decides to put a stop to it all by sending her a note saying that she should leave.” Looking up in thought, he added, “The police would never take that note seriously because there was no direct threat.”

“Such as? Leave now or you’ll be sorry?”

This time, Tom looked up at the ceiling with purpose.

“What? Did you hear something?” Evie looked up and fell silent.

Tom shook his head. “I’m just wondering if the person who sent the note wanted to scare her into packing up and leaving. Let’s go down and drill Eleanor Holstein for information.”

As Tom drew the door open, they heard a startled shriek.

“Henrietta! Were you eavesdropping?” Evie demanded.

Henrietta straightened and scowled. “Most certainly not.”

Evie looked at Sara and Toodles who both stood behind Henrietta. “And what about you? What were you doing?”

“Henrietta wanted me to keep guard,” Sara admitted. “But I refused.”

“That goes for me too. However, we didn’t want to abandon her so we just waited to see what would happen.”

Sara nodded. “And this is the moment when we both say we told you so, Henrietta.”

Henrietta expressed her objection by tapping her walking cane on the floor. “I must insist on my innocence. We merely wanted to have a word with you both before we went down. What might have looked like me eavesdropping was actually nothing but an innocent misunderstanding. I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be interrupting something. If you hadn’t opened the door when you did, I would have knocked.”

“What did you want to talk to us about?” Evie asked.

Henrietta looked up and down the hallway. “Perhaps we should do this in private.”

Tom held the door open and gestured them in.

They all piled back inside the bedroom. Evie looked from one to the other. “Very well, we’re listening.”

“Give me a moment, I’m floundering. It’s not everyday I’m falsely accused of such a grievous crime.”

For the sake of expediency, Evie decided to take the road of least resistance. “I’m sorry, Henrietta. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Yes, well… I suppose anyone could make the mistake.”

“Wonderful. Now that’s all sorted out, would you mind telling us what you know about Eleanor.”

“Her mother is a close friend and we correspond regularly. Clementine married well. When her husband died, she had no shortage of admirers. Not one to live alone, she married Baron Oscar Holstein,” Henrietta lowered her voice to a whisper, “A German baron. I didn’t want to pry, but I’m sure he must have relinquished the title, as so many did during the conflict.”

Evie nodded and tried to get Henrietta back on track. “So she married again and then Eleanor came along?”

“Yes. That’s the way it usually happens.”

“Tell us about her books.”

“Books?” Henrietta glanced away.

“Yes, Gillian said she’s an author and you seemed to know all about it.”

“Oh, that… Well, I might have exaggerated.”

“Exaggerated? What do you mean? Why would you do that?”

Henrietta dismissed Evie’s question with a wave of her hand. “It was a spur of the moment reaction.”

“Henrietta. Did you know she’s an author or not?”

Henrietta hesitated and then finally admitted, “Not exactly.”

Toodles laughed. “Henrietta is trying to save face.”

Henrietta harrumphed. “It seemed like something I should know.”

“But you don’t?” Evie didn’t understand Henrietta’s reasoning, but she suspected it had something to do with being left out and falling behind on the news. This was her friend’s daughter, someone she’d known for years and yet she hadn’t known about her career as an author.

“Never mind all that.” Again, Henrietta lowered her voice to a whisper. “What sort of books do you think she writes?”

Toodles snorted. “This all started with Birdie asking you that very question.”

Henrietta growled at Toodles. “You’re not helping.”

“We should all just go down now and find out.” Evie spread her hands out and herded everyone out of the bedroom.

As they made their way along the hallway, Evie said, “Eleanor’s secretary told us she doesn’t stand on ceremony. Has she always been like that?”

“Yes. She takes after her mother. You should just approach her the way you would an old friend,” Henrietta confirmed.

“How very odd,” Evie mused. “Those were Gillian’s exact words.”

Toodles rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t mean Henrietta has developed mind reading skills. When we arrived, Gillian Lawson met us in the drive. She’d just stepped out to go for a walk. Anyhow, she said those same words and then directed us to the house.”

“She only told us because she didn’t know I was already familiar with Eleanor,” Henrietta added.

“Grans, how did Gillian Lawson look to you?” Evie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“How did she behave? Unexpected visitors arrived and yet she didn’t show you in. Instead, she continued on with her plans to go for a walk.” Evie remembered Eleanor had said something about Gillian wanting to get away. “Did she seem upset or desperate to leave the house?”

Toodles thought about it. “She seemed happy. In fact, in the short time we’ve been here, I’ve only seen her in a perfectly happy and content state. If that’s a mask, it’s a very good one.”

Sara agreed. “She has lovely sparkly eyes. I found her very welcoming.”

They were about to go down the stairs when Eleanor emerged from a room at the end of the hallway, on the opposite side of the staircase. Everyone slowed down and looked her way. Evie imagined they were all thinking they should wait for their hostess to catch up to them.

Sara confirmed this by asking, “Should we go down or wait for her?”

Eleanor took a couple of steps and stopped to glance back. As she did, Evie saw her lips moving so she assumed she was talking to herself. However, she then saw Gillian come out of the room, her smile in place.

Eleanor and Gillian had a brief exchange, Gillian beamed a bright smile and went back inside the room, while Eleanor continued along the hallway, her attention fixed on straightening her necklace.

Tom didn’t seem interested in waiting. “Shall we go down?”

“Yes, yes, we should.” Henrietta pointed with her walking cane. “Downwards and onwards.”

Gesturing with his hand, Tom said, “Ladies first.”

“Oh, my dear Tom, could you please go down first,” Henrietta urged. “If one of us should have the misfortune of missing a step and tripping, you can break our fall. I’m afraid I’m feeling a little out of balance today. For some reason, I keep leaning forward. Maybe it’s all the thoughts I have spinning around my head.”

Toodles chortled. “Henrietta, I think it’s your turban. It’s making you top heavy. That’s why you’re leaning forward.”

“Trust you to point that out,” Henrietta retorted.

Evie cupped Henrietta’s elbow. “Just take one step at a time, Henrietta. There’s no hurry.”

“I never said there was. But there’s always the possibility of one of us missing a step. Let’s all focus. And that includes you, Toodles. As usual, you are far too preoccupied with me.”

As they proceeded down the stairs, Evie looked up and saw Eleanor walking along the gallery and still fiddling with her necklace. She gave no indication of having noticed them, so Evie turned her attention back to Henrietta.

Tom reached the bottom and, looking up at them, stretched his arms out and teased, “Don’t worry, ladies, I’ve got you. Come along, Henrietta. Only one more step.”

Shaking her head, Evie noticed Tom was momentarily distracted by the butler who happened to be walking across the small hall and heading toward the drawing room.

If Hancock saw anything unusual in Tom’s behavior he did not betray his opinions.

However, as he continued on his way, Hancock stopped and looked up again. Almost as an afterthought or, almost as if he’d caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. As he focused, he frowned and the tray he carried rattled.

At the same time, Evie heard a rush of footsteps and a yelp. Tightening her hold on Henrietta’s arm, Evie turned and saw Eleanor standing at the top of the staircase. At that precise moment, she appeared to titter on the edge of the top step and…

Evie gasped. Everything happened so quickly.

She saw a blur of a shape. Blinking hard, she focused and saw Gillian Lawson standing right behind Eleanor who was still yelping and…

Falling.

“Oh, my goodness.” Evie pulled Henrietta against her and hurried down the remaining step while at the same time she called out, “Grans, Sara… Watch out.”

Tom shouted at the same time, “Hold on to something.”

Eleanor crashed against Toodles and Sara, who both struggled to remain upright. Despite their effort to hold on, they both ended up losing their footing.

While they both managed to grab hold of the banister, the same couldn’t be said for Eleanor, who continued falling, her body rolling and thumping against the steps.

Tom’s reflexes kicked in. He reached forward, wrapped his arm around Henrietta and grabbed hold of Evie, pulling them both out of the way, all while growling at the tumbling figure.

Evie did what she could to steady both herself and Henrietta, freeing Tom to rush to Eleanor’s aid.

Time hadn’t slowed down, however her brain processed the information almost as if it had.

Eleanor had fallen at an angle but, thankfully, Tom got to her before she could either hit her head against the wall or crash all the way down.

“Evangeline, my dear, I’m quite steady on my feet now. You can let go of my arm.”

Tom glanced up and offered a swift assurance, “She’s breathing.”

Pushing out a sigh of relief, Evie lowered her shoulders. Nodding, she looked up and tried to make sense of the last few moments. It had happened so quickly and only a few seconds had elapsed.

She was about to attempt to piece it all together when the butler moved past them and rushed up the stairs, his steps urgent and deliberate.

Evie’s eyes widened.

He held a revolver.

Toodles and Sara both gasped. Neither one moved, only following the butler’s hurried progress up the stairs with their eyes. When he reached the top of the stairs, he disappeared along the hallway.

“I don’t wish to impose, but I fear I must. Would someone please explain what just happened?”

As Henrietta had spoken in a soft murmur, Evie feared the task fell on her to provide a response. What could she say? The sequence of events felt like the scenery as seen from the passenger seat of a speeding motor car, rushing by in a blur.

Gillian Lawson.

Where was she?

A moment before, she’d stood at the top of the stairs, just behind Eleanor Holstein…

And why did the butler have a revolver handy?

“Oh, my goodness.” Evie stepped back saying, “The telephone.” Eleanor Holstein was breathing but she might have suffered a serious injury undetected by the naked eye. She needed to be looked over by a doctor. “Where is the telephone.” Evie’s voice hitched. “Is there a telephone?”

Tom pointed to the end of the hall. “There’s a library opposite the drawing room.”

Evie rushed off. She found the library and the telephone and, with her heart thumping hard against her chest, she rummaged through several drawers looking for a notebook or something that might contain contact numbers. Giving up, she tried the local exchange and was put through to the local doctor.

When she returned, she found Tom hadn’t moved from the stairs. As he held Eleanor’s head, he spoke to her in a calm tone, offering assurances.

Growing up, Evie had seen plenty of falls and she’d always known never to move the injured person. In any case, the shock of a fall always stun people into remaining still.

“Has she said anything?” Evie asked.

Tom shook his head. “She opened her eyes but only briefly. Her breathing is steady. Her pulse was erratic but it’s settling down now.”

“I managed to reach the local doctor. He’ll be here soon.”

Eleanor moaned.

Leaning in, Henrietta whispered, “Was that a good sign or a bad one?”

Toodles and Sara tore their attention away from the top of the stairs and made their descent, taking care to avoid getting in the way.

When they reached the bottom, Toodles said, “The butler had a revolver.”

“Yes, I noticed.” Evie assumed he had taken the precaution as a response to the note Eleanor had received as well as the noises Eleanor had heard coming from the attic.

Shaking her head, Toodles said, “I’ve been trying to piece together the last few minutes but I can’t quite get my head around it all.”

“No, nor can I.” Sara shuddered. “And I’m sure it’s only been seconds. Now Gillian Lawson has disappeared. Do you think…? No, surely not.”

“Sara, I’m not a mind reader. Do please finish the sentence,” Toodles chastised.

Sara looked up and stared at the top of the stairs. “Despite being focused on the stairs and the fuss Henrietta was making, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Eleanor at the top of the stairs. She was just about to take the first step and, as I looked away, I’m sure I saw a blur. I think… but it couldn’t possibly be.”

“Sara, you’re doing it again. Do please finish the sentence,” Toodles urged.

Shuddering, Sara said, “Oh, dear. I just don’t want to be the one to say it.”

“Gillian,” Toodles suggested. “You saw Gillian Lawson and you think she pushed Eleanor Holstein down the stairs.”

The words hung in the air like dust motes.

Henrietta broke the silence by saying, “I hope someone noticed I didn’t respond to Sara claiming I’d been making a fuss.” Henrietta drew in a deep breath. “My apologies, I needed to get that off my chest. Anyhow, I acknowledge that it’s very poor timing on my part because I should really be reacting to Sara accusing Gillian Lawson of pushing Eleanor down the stairs. How preposterous. Why would she wait to do it with so many witnesses about?”

Eleanor moaned again and managed to open her eyes a fraction.

Toodles narrowed her eyes and leaned in. “I think Eleanor is glaring at you, Henrietta.”

“What utter nonsense. Why would Eleanor do that?”

A knock at the door prompted Evie to say, “That must be Dr. Hardy. I’ll let him in.”

Eleanor’s eyes opened wide and she produced a garbled protest.

CHAPTER 4

A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

Grove Manor

Dr. Hardy, a short man in his late seventies, if not older, walked in and stopped. Pushing back his spectacles, he took in the scene. “Who’s the patient?”

Henrietta straightened. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s Eleanor Holstein. She’s the only one sprawled on the stairs.”

The doctor narrowed his gaze. “I meant to ask where the patient was.”

Henrietta clearly struggled with her need to express her opinion of the doctor’s eyesight. Her eyes widened, her lips parted, she gave an exasperated shake of her head, and then pressed her lips together. Making a sweeping gesture with her hand, she pointed to Eleanor.

The doctor approached Eleanor, set his medical bag down and leaned over her. “Has she regained consciousness?”

Tom nodded. “A couple of times. I didn’t dare move her.”

“Very well. Step aside.”

Tom stepped back and joined Evie.

“Surprised to see me, my dear? I suppose you didn’t expect to fall and nearly break your neck. No, I don’t suppose so. Tell me if it hurts.”

Tom looked up the stairs and whispered, “The butler hasn’t returned.”

“No, and we can’t go up the stairs until the doctor decides it’s safe to move Eleanor. There must be another set of stairs somewhere.” Evie signaled to the end of the hall. “Do you want to try to find our way to the kitchen? I’m sure there’s someone down there. After all, we were all about to have dinner.”

“You think Gillian and the butler went out that way.”

“Yes, where else would they have disappeared to?”

They walked to the end of the hall and Tom eased one door open. “A small drawing room.” He signaled to another door. “This is it.”

Evie was about to ask how he knew when she followed him through the door and saw the stark contrast. The stairs were narrow and the walls were painted a dull beige.

“If the stairs lead down to the kitchen, I can’t see how Gillian and Hancock would have come down.”

Gillian, Hancock, and the blur Evie had seen?

Tom signaled down to a landing. “There’s another door.” When they reached the landing, he eased the door open. “A hallway with more stairs. I’m guessing this goes to the other side of the house. Shall we investigate?”

Evie nodded. “Let’s be quick about it.”

A short walk along the hallway and up the stairs brought them up to the next floor and the guest bedrooms.

“I guess this answers one question. Let’s go find the kitchen and try to get some answers.”

As Tom led the way down, Evie noticed his steps were cautious.

What did he expect to encounter?

Trouble?

When they reached the kitchen they found a cook and a couple of kitchen hands hard at work. It took a full minute for the cook to look up. Her cheeks reddened and she rounded the table. Wiping her hands, she smiled. “Can I help?”

Evie returned her smile. “We hope so. Did the butler come this way?”

“Heavens. Yes. And he was waving his revolver. It made the girls shriek. They thought he’d lost his marbles.”

“Was there anyone else?”

“Yes, just before him, Miss Lawson bolted down the stairs. We all heard it and walked out to the hall. She nearly ran us over but stopped long enough to ask… Oh, my dear heavens… Like you, she wanted to know if someone else had come down.”

“And?” Evie prompted.

“Alice here thought she heard the back door slam shut but Patty was singing one of her tunes at the top of her lungs, so it’s hard to say what she heard.”

“I did so hear the door slam, Mrs. Finch. You know I have very fine hearing. You always say I can hear a church mouse scurrying about in the vicarage down the lane.”

Mrs. Finch nodded. “Well, if Alice says she heard the door slam then she heard the door slam. The girl does have very fine hearing.”

“And did any of them come this way again?” Tom asked.

“No, and that’s all I know because I’ve been busy preparing tonight’s dinner, which is about to burn. You’ll have to excuse me.” Mrs. Finch swung away and hurried to check the oven.

Thanking her, Evie and Tom emerged from the kitchen and stood looking at the back door.

“We’ve come this far,” Tom said.

Nodding, Evie followed him out.

The yard faced the rear of the house. Opposite, there was a building that looked like a small worker’s cottage and the stables next to it.

Loose gravel crunched under their feet as they walked the short distance that took them to the edge of the house where they could see the entrance and the drive.

“That must be the doctor’s motor car.” A man stood leaning against it, his attention fixed on a newspaper and interrupted only when he looked at his watch.

Evie and Tom approached him, the sound of their footsteps on the loose gravel enough to alert the man of their presence.

Tom greeted him and introduced them. “Are you with the doctor?”

The man nodded. “I”m… I’m Nicholas Hale.”

“Did you happen to see anyone going inside the house?” Tom asked.

Nicholas Hale nodded. “A man and a woman.”

They thanked him and made their way inside with Tom saying, “I assume he saw the butler and Gillian Lawson going inside the house.”

When Evie didn’t respond, Tom looked at her. “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Well… When Nicholas Hale answered you, he didn’t stutter, but when he introduced himself he hesitated. I thought he might have been afflicted with a stutter. Clearly not. It’s almost as if he had to think what name he would give.” Evie waved her hand. “Never mind. Maybe he was lost in thought.”

Inside, they found the hall empty but they could hear voices coming from the drawing room. Heading there, they reached the door just as Hancock, the butler, rushed out.

“My apologies.” He hurried off and headed down to the kitchen.

“I suppose there’s plenty of time to talk to him,” Tom said and took a step toward the drawing room.

“Tom.” Evie stopped him. She hadn’t had a moment to think and make sense of what she’d seen happen. “Did you see Gillian Lawson at the top of the stairs?”

He nodded.

Lowering her voice, she asked, “Do you think she pushed Eleanor?”

Tom looked over his shoulder at the stairs. “Something prompted me to look up. I must have glanced up for only a fraction of a second. It all happened so quickly.”

“In other words, you can’t be sure of what you saw.” Evie looked up at the stairs. “I thought I saw something… A blur. Like someone moving quickly just as I looked up. If I’d been looking up, I might have seen a clearer image but my gaze had been bouncing around. We were going down the stairs and Henrietta was complaining and you were joking…” Evie closed her eyes for a moment and then added, “A picture is beginning to take shape in my mind. I think there might have been another person, and I think Gillian rushed after them and then the butler followed. But that could just be me trying to put all the pieces together and make sense of it all by filling in the gaps with something that makes more sense.”

Tom agreed. “They went in pursuit of someone. Then, they both returned because they weren’t able to catch up to the person. That makes sense.”

Evie wondered if she’d just seeded the idea in Tom’s mind. “Has that been your impression all along or did it just occur to you?”

“I’ve been tossing fragments around my mind. The more I think about it, the clearer the picture gets. At first, it was all incremental. One piece and then another and another.”

Sounding uncertain, Evie asked, “I’m questioning what I saw. How reliable can it all be?”

Tom held her gaze for a moment. “We can both agree that the butler wielded a revolver and rushed up the stairs.”

In other words, Evie thought, they needed to begin with facts they could verify. “And we both saw Gillian at the top of the stairs.”

They both turned to look at the stairs as if to anchor themselves to the key moment when Eleanor had been pushed. Had they missed something? They must have because they were both confused and uncertain.

After a moment, Tom murmured, “We were both dealing with getting Henrietta down the stairs in one piece. Then I was distracted. I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked away and then I looked up, but I can’t say exactly what I saw.”

Evie smiled with relief. “I thought I’d imagined it. Did you notice the butler crossing the hall? Is that what distracted you?”

Tom pushed out a breath. “I did and that only adds to the confusion. As I said, my attention was on you and Henrietta, as well as on Toodles and Sara, and everything else around me. It’s difficult to explain, but I think it has something to do with my cousins and always trying to be aware of where each one is at any given moment.” Tom gestured to the drawing room. “Let’s hope Gillian Lawson can throw some light on the matter.”

“Do you think all this might be connected to the noises Eleanor has been hearing coming from the attic? What if someone has been hiding there? They might have been trying to make their escape and chose the wrong moment to come out of hiding.”

“Or they might have been waiting for the opportunity to do what they did,” Tom suggested. “But they didn’t count on Gillian coming along or us being in the house.”

Lowering her voice, her tone filled with disbelief as she said, “There was a third person.”

“That makes sense. Gillian and Hancock went after them, but they failed to catch up with the perpetrator, so they returned to the house.” Nodding, Tom eased the door open and they peered inside. “Come along. We’ll get more answers from Gillian and the butler.”

Eleanor sat by the fireplace and Gillian stood beside her, while the doctor took Eleanor’s pulse.

Evie tried to shake off the image of Gillian standing at the top of the stairs. It took some effort, but she managed to at least shift her out of the way and replaced her with a blur.

The doctor cleared his throat, “As I said, you might have suffered a concussion but you say your head doesn’t hurt. You should play it safe and remain indoors for a couple of days. Nod if you understand.” The doctor leaned in and stared at Eleanor who stared right back at him, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Was that a yes or a no?”

“I’m afraid Eleanor is not a good patient,” Gillian said. “I’ll make sure she takes everything nice and easy.”

The doctor straightened. “Very well. Now, would someone mind telling me what happened?”

“There was a letter,” Henrietta said.

At the same time, Gillian said, “We’re not exactly sure.”

“A letter?” The doctor looked at Henrietta.

Eleanor spoke up. “It’s all nonsense.”

“Aha! You’ve regained your power of speech. That’s a very good sign,” the doctor beamed. “What did the letter say?”

Eleanor ignored the direct question. Henrietta looked at her as if she didn’t recognize her. “Tell him or I will.”

“You seem determined,” the doctor smiled at Henrietta. “Enlighten me.”

“It was a threat and the person obviously acted on it. They came here with the express purpose of doing away with Eleanor,” Henrietta declared.

“A threat. I see… And who is this person?”

“We don’t know.” Henrietta looked at Gillian. “You went after them. Was it a man or a woman?”

“It was a man but he wore a floppy hat and large overcoat. I didn’t even see the color of his hair,” Gillian admitted.

“But you ran after him and you were joined by Hancock. How did the man get away?”

“He practically flew down the stairs.” Gillian gestured with her hands. “The way his coat flapped around him turned him into a blur. Hancock was several steps behind me. By the time we reached the kitchen, the man had fled out the back door and disappeared into the woods.”

The doctor removed his spectacles and used his tie to wipe them. “Are you saying a man came into the house and pushed Eleanor Holstein down the stairs?”

Henrietta gave a firm nod. “That is precisely what happened.”

The doctor looked at Eleanor, his expression filled with concern. “My dear. This is a serious matter. Have you reported the crime to the police?”

Gillian hurried to say, “It all happened so quickly. We haven’t had the time to react. Our main concern was for Eleanor.”

The doctor patted Eleanor’s hand and stood up. “We should take care of it right now.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll telephone them straightaway.”

“No need. I’ll let my nephew know. He’ll know how to deal with the matter. No need to worry yourself.” He turned and saw Evie and Tom. Squinting, he didn’t seem to recognize them. “And who might you be?”

Tom introduced them.

“Are you visiting? I don’t believe I’ve seen you around the village.”

“It’s a long story,” Tom said.

Henrietta stepped forward. “They came looking for us.”

“Where you lost?” the doctor asked.

Henrietta’s frown appeared to question the doctor’s mental sharpness. She confirmed this by saying, “That has nothing to do with any of this. What if the man tries again?”

“My nephew will make sure he doesn’t.” Collecting his medical bag, he excused himself and headed for the door saying, “You have your instructions, Miss Holstein. Make sure to follow them. I’ll return tomorrow.”

As the doctor made his exit, Tom and Evie moved to the window.

“His nephew is a policeman. Do you think that’s him out there? What was his name?” Evie asked.

“Hale. Nicholas Hale.” Just then, the doctor came into view and spoke with the man who’d been waiting for him. “Whatever the doctor is saying, he doesn’t seem to be doing a convincing job of it. Nicholas Hale looks confused.”

“Heavens, you’re right. Look, he’s urging the doctor to get in the motor car.” Evie waited to see what happened next and was surprised when they drove away. “Well, so much for Nicholas Hale being a policeman and looking into the matter.”

The butler returned and approached Eleanor Holstein. “I’ve drawn a hot bath for you, Miss Holstein. Miss Lawson and I will help you up the stairs.”

“No need, Hancock. I can manage. I’m not an invalid. At least, not yet.”

“Miss Holstein, I must insist.”

“Very well, but let’s be quick about it. I don’t want you fussing.” Eleanor turned to the others. “You’ll have to excuse me, but please proceed with the dinner. Knowing Mrs. Finch, she will have slaved over the stove all day. I’ll come down as soon as I can, even if only to join you all for dessert. Finch makes a very fine pudding. I wouldn’t want to miss it.”

They watched Gillian Lawson and Hancock fussing over Eleanor, getting her to her feet and then helping her out of the drawing room. Curious, everyone edged toward the door to see them making their way up the stairs. Gillian walked beside Eleanor while the butler brought up the rear, acting as a buffer in case Eleanor stumbled.

“I’m surprised they didn’t carry her up,” Toodles mused. “Well, what shall we do now?”

“Enjoy our dinner, of course,” Henrietta declared. “What else is there to do?”

Sara peered out. “I suppose we should wait for the butler to return and show us through to the dining room.”

“Meanwhile, we could help ourselves to a drink,” Toodles suggested and pointed to a cabinet. “Tom, would you be a dear…”

“Actually, this is the perfect opportunity for us to exchange opinions.” Henrietta nodded and headed for a chair. “Who wants to go first?”

“What are we discussing?” Sara asked.

Henrietta’s eyebrows curved up. “Isn’t it obvious? Someone tried to kill Eleanor.”

Settling down next to her, Sara said, “No, it’s not obvious. Some people might actually wish to talk about something else as a distraction from this dreadful business. By all means, you go first. As usual, you seem quite eager to enlighten us.”

Looking determined, Henrietta said, “Whatever happens, we cannot leave until this is all sorted out. If we leave it up to Eleanor, she’ll dismiss the incident and pretend all is well, when it’s quite obvious that it’s not. I propose staying on for the duration. Tomorrow, she will insist on carrying on as usual and that means she’ll want to go into the village. In fact, she’ll make a point of showing up there and flaunting herself, even if it means putting herself in harm’s way.” Turning to Sara, Henrietta asked, “What did you see?”

Accepting a drink from Tom, Sara took a sip. “We were making our way down the stairs and I was aware of Eleanor Holstein. Actually, I was debating whether or not to stop and acknowledge her. Even now, I feel we should have waited for her to join us. Perhaps if we had… Well, none of this would have happened.”

“So you were riddled with guilt,” Henrietta suggested.

“Henrietta, you know as well as I do that manners and the way we are perceived matter a great deal.”

“Back to my question. What did you see?”

“A blur. I must have glanced over my shoulder thinking I could at least make eye contact and acknowledge Eleanor, and that’s when I saw a blur.”

Toodles nodded. “That goes for me too. I saw the butler appear and then I glanced at Tom who was poking fun at us and then I must have reacted to the way his attention shifted and that’s when I followed his gaze and looked up. Let me think… I also noticed the butler looking away and then back, almost as if he’d seen something and reacted to it in slow motion.”

“And that’s when you looked up?” Henrietta asked.

“What does it matter, Henrietta? I’m sure there was a sequence of events but the result is the same. I looked up and saw a blur and Gillian standing at the top of the stairs, and Eleanor falling.” Toodles tilted her head. “I think her arms flapped about. Yes, they did. It’s how I imagine one would try to regain one’s balance. Although, I can’t know for sure because I have never fallen.”

“Saying that is asking for trouble,” Henrietta warned. “Never say never… Anyhow, it seems we all saw a blur.”

“Did you?” Sara asked. “I thought you were busy trying to keep yourself upright.”

“How very odd. Now that I think about it, I didn’t see a blur. By the time I turned and looked up, I only saw Gillian.” Henrietta looked up at Tom. “Ah, my drink. Thank you.” Taking a sip, she said, “At this point, we’ll have to rely on Evangeline and Tom to provide a clear account of what happened.”

“I’m afraid I can’t add to what’s already been said,” Evie admitted. “We’ll have to work with what we have. It’s clear to us now that there was a blur and it’s not to be mistaken with Gillian.”

Sara shuddered. “I must admit, I could almost believe Gillian Lawson was responsible.”

“Do tell.” Gillian’s distinct tone had everyone turning to the door. The young woman walked in and headed straight for the cabinet to help herself to a drink.

“How is Eleanor feeling?” Henrietta asked.

“Taking everything in her stride and thinking how she can use the experience for her next story.” Gillian turned and cast her gaze around the room. “I feel I interrupted something.”

“We were just about to discuss the possibility of you being responsible for pushing Eleanor,” Toodles said, her expression quite serious. “How long have you known her?”

Gillian tipped her head back and laughed. “Eleanor will have a chuckle when I tell her.”

“That doesn’t answer Toodles’ question,” Henrietta pointed out. “Are you buying yourself time to provide a tight alibi?”

Gillian’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Hancock and I have been with Eleanor for years.”

Henrietta snorted. “My dear, you’re not old enough to make such a claim.”

Looking around the room, Gillian asked if anyone needed anything else and then settled down on a chair by the fireplace.

Evie noted how Gillian took her time in addressing Henrietta again. She also noticed Gillian had chosen to sit instead of stand by the fireplace. She wasn’t trying to replace Eleanor by stepping into her shoes.

“How is Eleanor really feeling?” Evie asked and saw Henrietta’s pointed look of disapproval, most likely caused by Evie interrupting the flow of her interrogation.

Gillian laughed. “Eleanor has never been sick a day in her life, so she’s not a good patient and abhors the idea of being an invalid.” Taking a sip of her drink, she set the glass down and stood up. “I should go up and see how she’s faring. Eleanor shooed me away and I obliged, but that’s not to say I’ll stay away all evening.”

Henrietta watched with disbelief as Gillian made her exit. Scrambling to her feet, Henrietta walked to the door. A moment later, she turned back to the others. “I’m suspicious of her.”

“Did you wait for Gillian to reach the top of the stairs to say that, Henrietta?” Sara asked.

“Of course. I wouldn’t want her to think I’m rude.”

As the dowagers squabbled, Tom guided Evie to the window. “What do you think? Are you suspicious of Gillian?”

Evie hadn’t made up her mind. There simply weren’t enough facts. “She has a unique character. Eleanor employs her but she must be more than a secretary. I suppose if you’re going to travel around with someone, you’re going to try to establish an easy rapport.”

“Like the one you have with Millicent?”

Evie tried to read Tom’s expression but his face didn’t betray his feelings or intentions. “Yes, more or less. A lady’s maid or a private secretary are always going to privy to certain information and be familiar with the person employing them. You have to be able to trust them.”

Had Gillian given them any reason to be suspicious? “I’d like to know more about her. Although, I’m not sure she is willing to reveal much about herself.” Evie turned to look at the door. “And I’d like to have a word with the butler.”

Ten minutes later, Hancock appeared and showed them through to the dining room. “Miss Holstein and Miss Lawson will be with you shortly. You are encouraged to begin without them.”

“Did you hear that, Sara? We have permission to begin without them, so please don’t feel awkward or worry about what they might think. All this waiting has given me an appetite.”

“Henrietta, I have a good mind to start talking about your fussing. Do please stop commenting on my character traits.”

Tom and Evie did their best to herd them into the dining room before anyone could think of igniting a heated debate about character traits.

As they sat down, Evie’s thoughts turned to her first impressions of Eleanor Holstein. However, before she could fully engage her thoughts, she remembered Henrietta saying Eleanor had sent a letter to Halton House asking for help. “She knew about our interest in detective work.”

“What was that?” Tom asked.

“Eleanor wrote to Henrietta and sent the letter to Halton House. She knew about our sleuthing activities. And yet she’s been ever so reluctant to answer questions and take the threat she received seriously.”

“I see. Yes, of course. That doesn’t make sense. Maybe she changed her mind. Unlike Henrietta, Eleanor Holstein doesn’t like people making a fuss.”

The butler and a footman began serving the first course, with Hancock answering questions as he went. When he reached Tom and Evie, Henrietta called out from across the table, “And how long have you been with Eleanor Holstein?”

“Over thirty years, my lady. I’d been employed as a first footman by her aunt.”

“And Eleanor lured you away with a promotion?” Henrietta asked.

“Yes, I suppose you could say that. However, her aunt was keen to have someone she could trust looking after Miss Holstein.”

Before Henrietta could press on with her questions, Evie asked, “Do you always carry a revolver?”

“Only to fire warning shots, my lady. We move around a great deal and have encountered a few unsavory people along the way.”

Evie didn’t find that at all suspicious. However, Henrietta’s eyebrows had curved up, suggesting a different opinion. “Miss Lawson couldn’t describe the intruder. Did you happen to see anything that might help identify him?”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t even make out the color of his hair. He moved too quickly and wore a large hat. I can’t imagine where he hid or how long he’d been in the house.”

Evie remembered Gillian had provided a similar impression. “Miss Holstein said you’d inspected the attic because she’d been hearing noises. Are there many hiding places there?”

“Yes, far too many. It’s a warren filled with old furniture and trunks and the light is not very good. I’m afraid I did not do a very good job of searching.”

“And did the noises come from anywhere else in the house?”

“I haven’t heard anything. In fact, Miss Holstein is the only one who heard the noises and she insisted they were all coming from the attic.”

If someone had been hiding there, why had they chosen that precise moment to reveal themselves? Had they been trying to escape? And why hide there in the first place?

As the butler and footman left to organize the next course, Evie shared her thoughts with Tom.

“He might have been waiting for an opportune moment to wander around the house,” Tom suggested. “But that raises another question. Why would he want to do that?”

Evie could only think of one reason. “He might be looking for something.”

CHAPTER 5

“Auto racing began five minutes after the second car was built.” — Henry Ford.

Cloister Park racetrack

“As you can see, it’s a formidable track. Not for the fainthearted. Care to give it a try?” Arthur Pennington asked.

“Perhaps some other time. It’s enough that you took us around. Besides, we’re running out of daylight.” Nathaniel shot his brothers a warning glare. “We should get going now.”

“At this hour? The sun’s already setting. Where will you go?”

“Back to the Geese and Arrow. We should try to get rooms there for the night.”

“Nonsense. They don’t have enough rooms there.”

“Then we’ll try the Ostrich Inn.”

Arthur Pennington shook his head. “Same story. Not enough rooms to cater for you. You should stay here and keep me company. Cloister Park has plenty of rooms. My uncle is away and I’ve been rattling around the place by myself for a week now. It’s driving me batty. You’ll be doing me a favor.”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the sound of a motor car approaching. Identifying the Duesenberg and Edmonds behind the wheel, Nathaniel responded with a groan, which was echoed by his brothers.

Brazen snorted. “Tom sent Edmonds out to find us. You know what that means?” He looked at Nathaniel. “You’re in charge because you’re the only one with common sense.”

“Now I’m charge?”

Nathaniel’s five brothers nodded.

Sighing, Nathaniel stepped forward. “I guess I need to get Edmonds on side.”

Grove Manor

A footman had just cleared the entree dishes and everyone was discussing the intruder when the butler appeared at the dining room door and hesitated.

Smiling, Tom leaned in and whispered, “Hancock is filled with apprehension. He knows we’ll bombard him with more questions.”

“I’m sure he’s just trying to think if he’s forgotten something,” Evie suggested. “Unlike Gillian and Eleanor, he’s been quite forthcoming and answering all our questions.”

Hancock waited for the footman to bring in the accompanying dishes and then they both made their way around the table to serve the main course of beef and side dishes.

As Evie helped herself to some beef, Hancock said, “Miss Holstein should be down momentarily, but she said not to wait for her.”

Evie looked up at him just in time to see him flinch. Had that been a reaction to what he’d just said or was she reading too much into it? Some people were not comfortable making up excuses for others. Then again, Hancock’s position in Eleanor’s household required him to act as a buffer and employ the utmost discretion.

As a butler, he might be called on to relay messages that might not always be the exact truth. Would Eleanor join them or would she eventually ask Hancock to offer her apologies?

“Hancock, I assume you take every precaution to secure the house at night,” Tom said.

“Yes, sir, I take care of it personally.”

“How do you think the intruder entered the house?” Tom asked.

“I’ve been asking myself the same question and I can only assume he came in the same way he went out, through the back door. It’s rarely locked during the day as people are constantly coming and going. In any case, that’s my guess. Of course, there might be another way I don’t know about.”

Evie wondered if someone other than the current tenant had a key to the house.

Eleanor had leased the house and she traveled around with her secretary, Gillian Lawson, as well as her butler, Hancock. With no obvious permanent residence, Evie imagined she wouldn’t wish to be burdened with an extensive entourage so that limited the people in Eleanor’s immediate circle.

“Hancock.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Are you and Gillian Lawson Miss Holstein’s only traveling companions?”

“We are, my lady.”

“So she doesn’t employ anyone else on a permanent basis?”

“That’s correct, my lady.”

“And the cook?”

“Mrs. Finch has been in charge of the kitchen for a number of years. Whoever leases the house is encouraged to engage her services. Miss Holstein was only too happy to have the decision made for her.”

“Mrs. Finch has two young girls helping her,” Evie said.

“That’s correct. Mrs. Finch hires her own kitchen helpers. Alice and Patty are her latest recruits. From what I understand, they will either remain with her or use the experienced gained here to seek greener pastures.”

“And who cleans the house?” Evie asked.

“We have a couple of women who come in from the village every day. They’re both hardworking and efficient. One does the cleaning at the vicarage and the other cleans the school house and one private house.”

“And, of course, you trust them implicitly,” Henrietta said.

“They do come highly recommended. And, as I said, they come in during the day. I let them in and organize the work for them. The agent who organized the lease for the house recommended them saying they take care of the house for guests as well as while it sits vacant. I couldn’t find fault with that.”

And what did they see and hear? Evie wondered. Did they keep the villagers informed of all the goings on at the house? Had they spread the rumors about Eleanor’s writing?

“What about the owner? Does he live nearby?” Tom asked.

“No. From what we understand, he lives in town.”

Evie assumed the owner of the property engaged an agent to deal with tenants so there was no reason for him to become involved or make himself known. However, he would definitely have a key to the house. But what reason would he have for breaking into his own property?

The butler made his way to the sideboard and set the beef tray down. He was about to reach for the wine when Evie noticed him looking toward the door.

At first, Evie assumed his attention had been drawn to someone approaching and about to enter the dining room, perhaps Eleanor or Gillian. However, no one entered the room or appeared at the door. When he didn’t immediately look away, Evie wondered if something else had caught his attention. Almost a minute elapsed before he finally picked up the decanter and made his way back to the table.

What had held his attention for so long?

Had someone been standing on the other side of the door, making sure to remain out of sight while communicating something to him?

“Hancock, how does Miss Holstein make her way into the village?” Evie asked. “We understand she visits often.”

“That’s correct. Most days, Miss Holstein and Miss Lawson walk there. It’s not very far and it depends on the weather. Other times, I drive them there. Miss Lawson can drive but Miss Holstein prefers to be driven because she sometimes likes to dictate.”

Evie wanted to know why Eleanor went into the village so often. Was it a part of her regular routine to live somewhere and always make her presence known?

“Is that her usual habit?” she asked.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean, my lady.”

“From what I understand, Miss Holstein has moved around quite a bit. Does she enjoy becoming acquainted with new areas or does she make a habit of always trekking out to meet the locals?”

“Oh, yes. Yes, she does. Both, my lady. She is always on the lookout for inspiration.”

“Inspiration for her books?”

He was about to lean in and pour some wine into her glass when he stopped to consider his answer. “Perhaps. I’m not sure. I only say that because I’ve often heard Miss Holstein describe her outings as searching for inspiration. I do know she enjoys using snippets of her experiences by weaving them into conversations.”

Sara nodded and looked at Henrietta. “That sounds very familiar.”

“My dear, what are you implying?” Henrietta asked.

“Implying? No, I’m stating a fact. It’s what you do, Henrietta. Every time you go into the village, you return with tales of your adventures and do a splendid job of mimicking people.”

Henrietta gasped. “I most certainly do not.”

“Yes, you do. In fact, the first time you mimicked the grocer’s wife you had us all in stitches.”

“And who’s to say that was my intention? It’s not my fault if you chose to respond to my tale by laughing.”

Distracted by Henrietta and Sara, Evie belatedly noticed the butler had moved away and edged toward the door. He stood there for a moment and then walked out.

Was there someone standing on the other side?

Gillian?

Eleanor?

Were they hovering nearby, eager to hear their conversation?

The only way to know for sure would be to stand up and go out to see for herself. But how would she explain herself?

“What is it?” Tom asked.

Evie dismissed her suspicions but Tom pressed her, so she told him.

“Henrietta would only need to lean back to see,” Tom mused. “She’s the only one sitting near the door.”

Yes, but she was sitting at the other end of the table. How would they pass on the message without alerting the butler and how would Henrietta react?

Henrietta was anything but discreet.

Tom drummed a finger on the table, his eyebrows drawn down as he appeared to be seeking a solution.

Leaning toward Toodles, Tom murmured something in her ear. Evie assumed he was passing on a message. Anticipating a moment of confusion, she waited to see how Toodles would respond.

Nodding, Toodles leaned toward Sara and murmured in her ear.

Sara stared at Tom and Evie and then looked at Henrietta. Rolling her eyes heavenward, Sara then leaned toward Henrietta, who was right at that moment doing precisely what she’d claimed she didn’t do; her impersonation of the grocer’s wife. Tapping her hand, Sara drew Henrietta’s attention and passed on the message.

Henrietta stilled and surprised everyone by simply nodding and continuing with her impersonation. When she hit a high note, she flung her arm back and a napkin flew out of her hand.

“Oh, my goodness. How clumsy of me.”

Before the footman could react, she swung around on her chair and leaned down to pick up the napkin, in the process stretching out to look toward the door, revealing to everyone an agility reserved only for emergencies.

Struggling to straighten herself, Henrietta said, “Sara, do please help me. I’m about to topple over.”

Toodles surged to her feet and helped Sara, both managing to haul Henrietta back onto her chair.

Setting her napkin down, Henrietta looked up at Tom and Evie and nodded. “Yes. Now… where was I?”

Yes?

There was someone standing outside the door listening to them?

Henrietta leaned in and whispered something to Sara. After a moment, Sara reached for her glass, took a sip and, as she set her glass down, she leaned in and passed on a message to Toodles.

Sighing, Toodles patted Tom’s hand and spoke, giving each word a strange emphasis, “Goodness, I leaned in and… never mind.”

Henrietta’s effort to confirm what she’d seen appeared to have failed.

“Apologies, Countess. I tried.”

“You did your best, Tom. Although…” Evie looked at Toodles. When she winked, Evie realized there might be more to what she’d said. “Goodness.”

“What?” Tom asked.

“What did Toodles say?”

“Goodness.” Tom nodded. “She said something about leaning in and forgetting. No, not forgetting. Her exact words were Goodness, I leaned in and… never mind. Yes, that’s what she said.” After a moment, Tom looked at Evie. “I think… Did she? No, surely not.”

“Tom, I’m not a mind reader.”

“I think she might have tried to spell a name. Gillian. Gillian with one l.”

“You’re right. Why would she stand outside the dining room? Do you think she’s been eavesdropping on our conversation?”

“I was actually entertaining a different question. Why didn’t Toodles lean in and simply whisper the name?”

“Because that would be too easy,” Evie said.

Tom pushed out a breath filled with exasperation. “Anyhow, I’m not sure why you’re surprised. You were suspicious and thought someone might be out there and that’s why you prompted me to pass on a message to Henrietta.”

“Yes, and Henrietta did a splendid job. Remind me to congratulate her.”

“So what’s your verdict?” Tom asked.

“My guess?” Evie whispered, “Eleanor sent Gillian down to find out what we were discussing, either because she doesn’t wish to miss out or because she wants to know how we feel about everything that’s happened.” Evie looked up and saw the butler had returned to the dining room, perhaps even in time to overhear them. “Hancock, please let the cook know we’ve enjoyed our meals.”

The butler inclined his head. “She’ll be delighted to hear that, my lady.”

Evie wished he would step out of the room again, but Hancock remained standing by, leaving them with no option but to entertain themselves with small talk.

“We should drive into the village tomorrow. I should like to see the local attractions,” Henrietta said, her eyes dancing around the table and then darting to the butler.

“Yes, we should all make an excursion of it,” Sara agreed. “I’m sure Tom is eager to catch up with his cousins and give them a piece of his mind. I wouldn’t want to miss that.”

Toodles lifted the glass of wine to her lips and stopped. “Should we be concerned about the police not calling on Eleanor to investigate the incident?”

“Heavens, I’d forgotten about that.” Evie looked at Tom. “We saw the doctor step out of the house and assumed he told Nicholas Hale about the incident. The scene looked odd. Almost as if Nicholas Hale didn’t take the doctor seriously. Then again, I’m jumping to conclusions and assuming the doctor stood there telling him about the attempt on Eleanor’s life. For all we know, he was complaining about us.”

“In Eleanor’s place, I would have demanded a second opinion,” Henrietta declared. “I was not at all impressed by that doctor.” She looked at Hancock and smiled. “I wouldn’t mind getting an update on Eleanor. The doctor mentioned something about a concussion and those can be tricky.”

Nodding, the butler made his way out of the dining room, almost too quickly, as if he’d been eager to find an excuse to leave. Luckily for them, the footman also left.

Henrietta leaned in and whispered, “I saw Gillian Lawson hovering just outside the door. She’d been eavesdropping on our conversation, I’m sure of it. I told Sara but I’m not sure she heard me correctly. She passed on a message to Toodles but she seemed to fumble.”

“Henrietta, you did well and, yes, we got the message.” Evie smiled at Toodles. “You did well too, Grans.” She picked up her glass of wine and noticed Sara. “And you too, Sara. We all work well together.”

Toodles snorted. “I’m not sure what we just achieved. I certainly don’t feel enlightened.”

Shaking her head, Henrietta said, “I doubt I’ll get a wink of sleep tonight. We don’t know how the intruder gained access to the house. What if he returns in the middle of the night to finish the job?”

Evie was impressed by Henrietta’s remark. They hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss the situation. Henrietta’s remark made it clear to everyone that, whatever nonsense she spouted during the course of a conversation, she still had the ability to be mindful of everything happening around her.

“Just think,” Henrietta continued, “if the intruder had been hiding in the attic and producing the noises Eleanor said she heard, he might have been trying to make his escape, choosing a most inopportune moment when we were all heading down. A second sooner and he might have mistaken me for Eleanor. Yes, indeed. A second before Eleanor was pushed, I’d been standing at the top of the stairs.”

Sara gave her a look of disbelief. “Are you trying to make yourself out to be a victim?”

“Good heavens, Sara. How did you reach that conclusion? I am merely discussing circumstances and being realistic as opposed to you, who’s always content with living in a fool’s paradise. How you can deny the existence of potential trouble is beyond me.”

“Very well, you’re right.” Sara took a drink of her wine. “We are all at risk here. Tom, I trust you will keep us all safe.”

“I’ll do my best. Although, he’d be a fool to try again.”

“It’s good of you to assure us all.” Looking at Henrietta, Sara smiled. “Is something wrong? You look perplexed.”

“I’m trying to collect my thoughts. I’m sure I’d been about to make a point.” Henrietta looked at Toodles. “No, you were not part of my point.” She then looked at Tom and Evie. “My apologies. I thought looking at you would trigger my memory. Oh… Yes, I remember now. We must insist Eleanor contact the police first thing tomorrow. That fool of a doctor has probably forgotten. Of course, by tomorrow, it might be too late. Never leave for tomorrow what you can do today, even if you haven’t scheduled it. I don’t care for my plans being thwarted. It takes so much effort to plan one’s day and make allowances for the unexpected.” Henrietta turned to the door. “How long does it take to check on someone?”

Sara tipped her head back and laughed. “Good heavens. Can anyone make sense of what she just said?”

Toodles finished her meal and took a sip of wine. “Henrietta is right in being concerned. We know Eleanor Holstein has received a threat and we know someone broke into the house and then made an attempt on her life, either on purpose or by accident. At this point, we should be suspicious of everyone living in the house and the village.” Toodles looked down at her empty plate. “Including the cook. I don’t care how trustworthy she might be, for all we know, she is part of a scheme to scare Eleanor into leaving.”

The remark prompted everyone to look down at their plates.

Sara was the first to react by saying, “Good heavens. That might be the reason why Gillian and Eleanor have stayed away.”

Henrietta agreed. “And promised to join us in time for dessert or, rather, in time to see if the poison has worked.”

Toodles laughed. “My intention was not to inspire all that nonsense. However, thank you for the entertainment. Why on earth would Eleanor Holstein wish to have us poisoned?”

“I never said that but I suppose that’s what I implied.” Henrietta smiled. “I wouldn’t go so far as to accuse her. Although, since you brought it up, she might have used us to test the food. She might be concerned about more attempts being made on her life. Which brings me back to my initial concern. I will not sleep a wink tonight because I fear there will be another attempt.”

Sara lifted her glass and smiled. “At the very least, we’ve proven we are quite capable of barging into someone’s home unannounced and entertaining ourselves with amusing dinner table conversation.”

“Sara, there is nothing amusing about feeling threatened by a villain and, we did not barge in. You seem to forget the letter Eleanor said she sent me. The one I didn’t receive because we’ve been staying in town. She meant for us to come here.”

Toodles gave Sara a pointed look. “Are we still amusing ourselves or are we revisiting the idea of becoming victims?”

Sara looked at Henrietta and then back at Toodles. “I honestly can’t recall who made the suggestion. However, someone thought we might be in danger of being poisoned. I think it might have been you, Toodles. How is everyone feeling?”

“I’m feeling well enough and now quite eager for pudding,” Henrietta declared.

“And suddenly, Henrietta decides to make light of the matter.” Sara shook her head. “A moment ago, you were expressing your concerns about your safety.”

“My dear, Sara. I’m sure I meant to include you and your welfare. After all, if something happened to you, I would lose my sounding board. Who would put everything I said under a microscope and question it all?”

Sara looked at Toodles. Before she could speak, Henrietta added, “Toodles, I care very much what happens to you too. Losing you would leave us without an arbiter.”

“An arbiter and voice of reason and common sense,” Toodles added.

“Yes, of course.” Lowering her voice, Henrietta added, “If you say so.”

“How old do you think the doctor is?” Sara asked.

“Ah, a timely change of subject. Yes, I should like to know.” Henrietta nodded. “Close to retirement age, that would be my guess. Actually, I am sure he is well past retirement. Is there a shortage of doctors? I’ll never understand why some people hold onto their positions beyond the point of no return.”

“Point of no return?” Sara asked.

“Yes.”

“Could you define that? Do you mean, beyond the time when he can actually do a job well?”

“No, my dear. There is only one point of no return. Some people continue on until they draw their last breath. Personally, I’ve always made a point of relying on much younger members of the medical profession. I prefer to play it safe.”

The footman entered carrying a serving platter and was followed by Hancock, who announced, “Miss Holstein wishes to convey her apologies. She will not be joining you tonight. The bath went a long way toward…” the butler lost his train of thought. With the obviously rehearsed lines forgotten, he abandoned the task and turned to serving the dessert.

“At least we have pudding,” Henrietta said. “Hancock, have you tasted tonight’s dessert?”

“I have indeed, my lady. It is scrumptious.”

“And how are you feeling?” Henrietta asked.

The butler gave a smile of contentment. “Very well, my lady.”

“I suppose we’ll have to take your word for it.”

As the butler set a plate in front of Henrietta, she smiled and looked at Sara. “I fully sympathize with you, my dear. I cannot recall who brought up the subject of poisoning.”

Hancock nearly dropped the plate. Looking around the table, he said, “As inappropriate as it might be for me to say so, I trust you have all enjoyed your meals.”

Tom patted his stomach. “We have indeed. Our compliments to the cook, and the wine has been superb.”

Evie took the opportunity to deliver a warning stare to Henrietta, who, disregarding her, asked, “Is Miss Lawson going to join us?”

“I’m afraid not, my lady. She is determined to keep Miss Holstein company.”

“And how is Edmonds faring?”

The butler smiled. “He is being well taken care of.”

With the desserts served, Hancock sent a skating glance around the table to ensure everything was to his satisfaction and, to everyone’s relief, he and the footman stepped out of the room.

At the first opportunity, Henrietta said, “Proof of life. Yes, we should demand proof of life.”

CHAPTER 6

"Sleep, those little slices of death; how I loathe them." - Edgar Allan Poe 

Midnight, Grove Manor

Evie looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Surprised to see me, my dear?”

“What was that?” Tom asked as he battled to remove his cufflinks.

Evie turned and stared into space.

Looking worried, Tom said, “I’m tempted to snap my fingers to see if you’re responsive. Are you even breathing?”

“What? Oh… I was lost in thought.”

“The thought you’re going to share with me?”

“Yes, of course.” Evie turned back and finished tidying her hair. “When the doctor arrived and approached Eleanor, he asked her if she was surprised to see him. Actually, he used a term of endearment. Surprised to see me, my dear?”

“And you find that strange?”

“Only because the remark stood out and I’m reading into it. Or, rather, I’m puzzling over it.” Evie gave it some more thought and nodded. “Yes, I found it odd. It’s the sort of greeting you give someone you know. Are we supposed to assume Eleanor knows him? How? Has she been ill? Regardless, it still sounds odd.”

“This entire evening has been odd.” Giving up on the cufflinks, Tom stretched his arm out. “Help me with these, please, before I take the scissors and snip off the sleeves.”

Evie turned and twisted the cufflinks and removed them. “Let’s play a hypothetical scenario. I say I’ll never again help you with your cufflinks. Then, the next day, you stand there struggling with your cufflinks. No matter what you do, you cannot put them on. Just as you’re about to throw them out the window, I walk in, take pity on you, and fix them in place for you. As I do that, I ask if you’re surprised to see me.”

“Yes, I see your point. It was strange.”

Satisfied, Evie smiled. “Now we need to put it into context. There might have been an encounter between the doctor and Eleanor, followed by an argument or some sort of disagreement.”

Tom nodded. “And Eleanor said she would not call the doctor if she was gasping her last breath.”

“Yes, and there he was and there she was, relying on him to save her. Or, it might have been the other way around. The doctor might have declared that he would never attend to her. And, suddenly, there he was, taking pity on her.” Evie looked down at her hands. “Here’s another thought. They might have met a long time ago.”

“I like that.” Nodding, Tom added, “Now we must find out how they met and what happened during their last encounter. Perhaps the answer will come to you in the middle of the night. I suggest writing it down.”

“Meaning? Don’t you want me to nudge you awake so I can share my insightful idea?”

Tom grinned. “No, I need my beauty sleep tonight.”

Moments later, as they were about to climb into bed, they both stilled.

“All is well. All is quiet,” Tom whispered. “We personally saw to it by walking the dowagers and Toodles to their respective rooms.”

Evie nodded. “Henrietta said she was going to set a trap for anyone who thought they could break into her room. I was about to ask what she had in mind, but then I was distracted. Now I’m worried.” Evie scooped in a deep breath. “And that’s a sure way to toss and turn all night.”

Tom gave a decisive nod. “All is well. There’s been one incident. In my mind, that makes us immune. In any case, whoever it was would be mad to try again.”

“Agreed.”

Cloister Park

“Did you hear that?” Wilbur asked.

Brazen grumbled, “The sound of your snoring? Yes.”

“A thump. I definitely heard a hard thump. It sounded like a hard lump hitting the floor.”

Brazen pummeled his pillow into a desired shape. “Clarence and Theodore are next door. Maybe Clarence thumped Theodore because he woke him up in the middle of the night saying he’d heard something.”

A gust of wind whistled against the window.

Brazen grumbled and spoke in a mocking tone, “Brazen and I will take the turret room. It’ll be fun. I’ve never stayed in a turret. Fool.”

“How was I to know the turret room used to be the nursery and I’d be stuck with you and a collection of toys.” Wilbur stilled. “There it is again. A thump. Now I’m thinking it sounds like someone dragging a body down the stairs and letting the head hit the steps. Thump. Thump. Thump.”

The thumping was followed by a decisive bang that was followed by Clarence telling Theodore to quit complaining and go to sleep.

“It was the shutter, you fool,” Brazen snapped. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Clarence gave Theodore a smack on the head, which is precisely what you’ll get if you don’t quit complaining about strange noises in the night.”

Grove Manor

Evie and Tom slept right through the sound of a creaking floorboard, but a few minutes later they were both startled awake by the distinct sound of something crashing to the floor, followed by a shriek and a hard thump.

Before Evie could speak, Tom swung his feet onto the floor and rushed out of the room.

Evie snatched a robe, scrambled into it, and hurried out of the room in time to hear a confusion of growls, grunts and thumps.

Her eyes adjusted to the dark and, her steps turned tentative. She didn’t want to interfere by becoming an obstacle. Proceeding with caution, her progress along the hallway was slow, her focus on the shapes in front of her. Then she made out a familiar shape. Tom. Evie stilled. The two figures began moving toward her, their movements erratic and abrupt.

The light from three rooms spilled out onto the hallway and suddenly Evie could make out the shape of two men with terrifying clarity. They were locked in a struggle; one to free himself and the other to hold on.

Tom!

Evie opened her mouth but no words came out. She clutched the robe to her throat and searched around her for a weapon. Something. Anything to use.

Tom managed to grab hold of the man with enough force to swing him against the wall but the other man pushed him back. Finding his balance, Tom landed a hard punch on the man’s cheek. With a loud roar, the man head butted Tom, grabbed him and they both swung away in a macabre dance driven by brute force. In the process, they lost their footing and, before Evie could call out a warning, they both stumbled down the stairs.

Evie rushed forward and saw them thumping down the steps, both struggling against the force of their fall.

Grabbing hold of the railing, Evie hurried down after them but came to a sudden stop halfway down the stairs when she heard the sharp report of a gunshot.

As she swung around to look up, she made out the shape of Hancock who came to an abrupt stop at the top of the stairs. Pressing against the balustrade, Evie swung back just as Tom and the other man hit the landing. Tom emitted a wild roar while the other man broke free, scrambled to his feet, stumbled, found his balance, and dashed away.

Hancock rushed past Evie and reached Tom first.

He bent down over Tom who again roared like a wild beast and growled through gritted teeth, “Go after him.”

Flying down the stairs, Evie crouched down. “Tom! You’re hurt.”

“Shoulder,” he gritted out. “Dislocated.”

Evie stilled. She remembered when her cousin, Linus, has fallen off a tree, in the process dislocating his shoulder. Everyone had thought he’d been fooling around so they’d all stood by watching him for a full minute before a grown up had rushed to the scene and told everyone to stay put and watch closely because they were about to learn a lesson in life. Evie had never forgotten her cousin’s howl of agony when their uncle had warned he was about to experience severe pain, so raw that he would never forget it. Before Linus could protest, he proceeded to guide the arm bone back into the shoulder socket.

It had sounded painful, the ear piercing cry draining Linus to the point that he’d fallen unconscious for a full hour. He’d had to walk around with his arm in a sling for over two weeks but that hadn’t stopped him from swinging off a tree with his one good arm.

“I’ll telephone the doctor.” Evie straightened and swung toward the end of the hallway only to collide with Hancock, who said, “He got away.”

It took Evie a moment to realize Hancock was referring to the intruder. Dismissing it as irrelevant to the moment, she said, “His shoulder is dislocated.”

Hancock didn’t bat an eyelid. “I’ll have to reset it. Can you hold him down?”

Taking a deep swallow, Evie called for calm. “I assume you know what you’re doing.”

The butler spoke in a calm tone. “Most certainly, my lady. The alternative is to wait for the doctor to come and I’m not sure he’s up to the task.”

“Just do it,” Tom growled.

Evie’s breath trembled past her lips. “Very well. Do what you must.” Evie crouched down and looked at Tom. “Focus on me, Tom.” As a veteran of the Great War, she knew Tom had faced worse situations. “It’ll be over before you know it…”

An hour later…

“Thank you for helping, Edmonds. I’m glad you appeared when you did.”

“If there’s nothing else, my lady, I’d like to take a look around.”

“I wish you wouldn’t, Edmonds. There’s no point.”

“Begging your pardon, my lady. I beg to differ. It might be a good idea to let the intruder know we are taking precautions.”

“Very well, but take Hancock with you. He’s armed.”

“I will be too, my lady.”

Evie set a chair down next to the chaise lounge in the drawing room and sat down. For the sake of expediency and practicality, Evie had guided Hancock and Edmonds to carry Tom to the drawing room.

Tom winced and murmured, “I’m fine.”

Relieved, Evie looked up and saw the dowagers and Toodles standing at the door.

“He’s fine.”

Henrietta took a tentative step inside, her hand clutched against her chest. “He’s far from fine, my dear. Look at his face! It’s all twisted in agony. Some brandy might help him.”

Toodles walked past Henrietta, saying, “It’ll definitely help me.”

“Me too,” Sara piped in. “Henrietta is bound to deliver more perfectly honest opinions and I’ll need something to prop me up to endure it.”

“I only speak the truth, Sara. If Tom is strong enough to endure it, you should be too.”

Finding some glasses, Toodles selected a bottle, poured the drinks, and handed them around.

Tom peeled an eye open and, after a moment, groaned.

“I think he’s trying to tell us something,” Sara suggested. Looking at Evie, she said, “Did you see what happened?”

Evie pressed the glass against her chin. “We heard a noise and Tom rushed out to see what it was.”

Henrietta tipped the glass back and drank the entire contents before saying, “There’s a saying about rushing in. I just can’t think what it is right now.”

“You all appeared at your doors. What alerted you? What did you hear?” Evie asked.

Sara nudged Henrietta. “Go on. Take the podium. Tell Evie what you did.”

Evie held out her glass and Toodles hurried to fill it. Taking a sip of brandy, Evie nodded.

Henrietta shrugged. “Well, I did what any person in their right mind would do. I set my suitcase against the door.”

“And?” Sara prompted. “What else did you do? Go on. Tell her.”

“And, feeling that wouldn’t be enough to alert me to an intruder’s presence, I set a vase on top of the suitcase.”

It took a moment for an image to take shape in Evie’s mind.

Sounding affronted, Henrietta said, “The scoundrel tried to enter my room.”

“Did you see his face?” Evie asked.

“No, it was pitch dark.”

“Did he say anything? Did you hear his voice?”

“He grunted or growled. I’m not sure which. Then he fled.”

Wading through her muddled thoughts, Evie tried to think how else someone might be identified. “What about smell? Did you smell anything unusual?”

“I’m afraid not. I’d clutched a handkerchief against my mouth. Don’t ask me why. In any case, I could only smell the scent in my handkerchief.”

Evie knew she and Tom had reacted to the sound of something crashing to the floor. At the time, it had just been a noise that had woken them up.

Tom had been quick, dashing out of the room in time to intercept the intruder.

They’d fought in the dark, at least, at first. Evie remembered seeing the dowagers and Toodles poking their heads out of their rooms. Yes, light had spilled out, but Tom and his adversary had stumbled their way along the hallway and away from the light.

Closing her eyes, Evie delved in her mind. Could she put together an image of the man? Surely she must have seen enough of his face to piece it all together.

Evie tensed.

It could have been worse. It could have ended with a fatality.

They’d only recently experienced a close call, and now they’d had another close call.

Shaking her head, she turned to look at Henrietta.

Why would someone try to enter Henrietta’s room?

Had he been looking for something? Was he not familiar with the layout of the house? Had he mistaken the room? Had he meant to go inside Eleanor’s room?

“Evangeline. You’re in shock.” Henrietta stepped forward and placed her hand on Evie’s hand. “Everything will be fine.”

Nodding, Evie downed the rest of her drink and was about to get another one when she fixed her thoughts on the moment. “Oh… oh, dear heavens.” Evie looked at the dowagers and Toodles. “Has anyone seen Eleanor or Gillian?”

The dowagers exchanged worried looks and Toodles set her bottle and glass down. “I take it you’ll be going up to investigate. I’ll come with you.” She turned to Henrietta. “May I borrow your walking cane?”

Henrietta did not hesitate. “It’s very good for jabbing. I recommend a swift thrust. And, before I forget, let me remind you of something I said earlier. I will not sleep a wink tonight because I fear there will be another attempt. And, as we have just witnessed, my premonition has come to pass. I do believe I was right in being concerned. If any of you laughed, now is the time to apologize. I’ll accept a blanket apology.”

Groaning, Tom tried to sit up. “Wait up. I’m coming with you.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Evie snapped.

Sara chortled. “I believe Tom is trying to get away from Henrietta’s honesty.”

Evie swung toward the door, saying, “Henrietta, if he tries to get up, please sit on him.”

Evie led the way up the stairs. Hancock had switched on some lights so they had no trouble navigating their way up. When they reached the landing, Evie became concerned about what they might find. The noise from the vase Henrietta had place over the suitcase breaking should have been enough to alert Eleanor and Gillian of trouble. At the very least, Gillian should have come out to see what the commotion was about.

“They might be cowering,” Toodles said.

“Let’s hope that’s the case.” This had been the second attempt by the intruder. They would definitely need to contact the authorities and, this time, Evie wouldn’t wait for Eleanor to decide. She would take matters into her own hands.

They made their way along the hallway, their gazes focused on Eleanor’s room.

The door remained closed but Evie could see a sliver of light through the keyhole. “Eleanor,” she called out as she gave the door a light tap.

Evie had to knock again before the door was eased open a fraction. “Gillian. How is Eleanor?”

“Frightened. We heard the commotion.” Gillian opened the door wider. “I’d just settled in for the night on the chaise lounge, thinking I’d stay here until Eleanor fell asleep, when we heard a crash. I didn’t dare go out there.”

Evie could see Eleanor sitting up in bed, the covers held up to her chin. Earlier on, she’d been dismissive of the whole situation. Perhaps some good had come of this second attempt.

“The intruder returned,” Evie explained. “At least, I think it was the same person. Tom tackled him and dislocated his shoulder in the process.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. My goodness. How is he now?”

“Fine. Hancock sorted him out.”

Gillian frowned. It seemed to take her a moment to decipher what Evie had said. “Yes, he’s very handy. I suppose he’s the one who fired the warning shot.”

“Yes, Tom and the intruder had tumbled down the stairs. The shot managed to scare him away. I’m afraid he got away again. We’ll have to contact the authorities.”

Gillian nodded. “First thing. I promise.”

Toodles gave Evie a discreet nudge. Evie assumed her granny was urging her to do or say something, but she couldn’t think what that might be. Although, she suspected it might have something to do with confronting Gillian because she’d eavesdropped on their dinner conversation, but this was hardly the right moment.

Gillian glanced over her shoulder and then back at Evie. “If you see Hancock, could you send him up, please? I think Eleanor could do with a soothing cup of tea.”

As Evie and Toodles made their way down again, Toodles grumbled, “She knows something.”

“Perhaps you should have poked her with the walking cane and compelled her to tell us,” Evie suggested.

“Now you suggest it?”

“Grans, it’s late and we all need to get some rest before morning. There are going to be a lot of questions and, this time, Eleanor will have to answer them.”

“You think she knows something.”

Evie thought Eleanor Holstein must have some idea. “Someone has broken in twice. That tells me they are determined.”

“Perhaps there is treasure in the house,” Toodles suggested and then added, “That’s the sort of remark Henrietta would make.”

“So I should ignore it?” Evie asked.

“Oh, no. I’m speaking in her stead. I should hate for one of her remarks to go unsaid.”

Evie managed to smile. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

“Honey, don’t tell her. It’ll only go to her head.” Lowering her voice, she added, “You heard her say it. She warned us. Let that be a lesson to us.”

They entered the drawing room and found Henrietta and Sara helping themselves to another glass of brandy.

Looking and sounding worried, Toodles said, “I doubt I’ll manage to carry both of you up the stairs. We’ll have to wait for Edmonds to assist with the enormous task.”

Henrietta hiccuped. “How is Eleanor? Is she still alive?”

“Henrietta! Did you think she wouldn’t be?” Evie hid her own concerns well. While she hadn’t voiced her thoughts, she had wondered why Gillian and Eleanor had remained in the room. Their behavior seemed unusual.

“They were cowering in the room,” Toodles said.

“You don’t say. My goodness. Do you think they were staying out of the way because they knew something would happen? I mean…” Henrietta held her empty glass out and Sara filled it for her. “Why would the intruder come into my room?”

Evie held up a finger. “That is the one question I have entertained. Everything else is muddled in my mind, but I trust it will all surface soon enough. I suspect someone is looking for something.”

Henrietta blinked. “That sounds very vague.”

“I’m sorry, that’s the best I can do.” Evie walked over to Tom. “How are you feeling?”

“Don’t worry about Tom. We’ve been plying him with brandy,” Sara assured her. “He should be bright as day in the morning.”

“He’ll also be a dead weight. How are we going to get him upstairs?” Evie didn’t dare abandon him in the drawing room. What if the intruder returned?

With some effort, Edmonds and the butler managed to get Tom into bed and settled in for what remained of the night. At first, Evie thought she would fall asleep from sheer exhaustion but her mind had other ideas.

The intruder had been desperate enough to make another attempt.

Desperate and confident.

“What does he want?” Evie stared into the darkness and fished around for ideas that would make sense. If they assumed the man was responsible for sending the threatening letter, then they had to assume Eleanor Holstein’s presence posed a threat and someone stood to gain by her absence.

Gillian believed the villagers were afraid of ending up in one of Eleanor’s books. Why were they afraid? Did they have something to hide? Did Eleanor actually know something about them? Or about an individual?

Until now, Eleanor had refused to be intimidated. Evie wouldn’t be surprised if she changed her mind and announced her departure in the morning.

Closing her eyes, she counted to ten but sleep refused to come.

Why had he made a second attempt so soon after the first failed effort?

Was he that desperate to achieve his goal?

Evie resumed her counting but counting sheep had never worked for Evie, so she focused on running through the day’s events from the beginning. As her mind filled with images, she focused on capturing Eleanor’s expressions. Had there been something hiding in plain sight? Had her reactions given something away?

Elanor’s behavior had struck her as odd.

First, Eleanor had written to Henrietta to ask for help. Then, when help had arrived, Eleanor had dismissed Henrietta’s concerns. Evie had already taken note of the observation but she thought it was worth reminding herself about it.

What would make Eleanor change her mind about needing help?

A new development?

Several hours later, when she woke up, Evie realized she’d fallen asleep right on the cusp of understanding Eleanor’s motives. Peeling an eye open, she tried to grab hold of the thought, but in the blink of an eye it all disappeared…

“You’re awake,” Tom said.

“I am. Is it a good morning?”

Tom rubbed his shoulder. “It’s not so bad. Although, my head feels somewhat fuzzy. I can remember landing at the foot of the stairs but everything after that is vague.”

“Let’s leave it at that.”

“I’d just like to know why my head feels as if it’s swimming in a sea of brandy.”

Evie flung the covers off and smiled. “Let’s get ready to tackle the day. The authorities need to be notified and I don’t trust Gillian to do it.”

CHAPTER 7

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream" - Edgar Allan Poe

Cloister Park

“All I’m saying is…” Wilbur stopped and scratched his chin. “Wait… it’ll come to me.”

Clarence snorted. “Brazen must have knocked him out cold last night. Don’t bother denying it. We heard the argument.”

Brazen shrugged. “That’s odd. I’m sure Wilbur and I heard you giving Theodore a good walloping.”

Theodore glared at Clarence. “I knew it! You said I’d imagined it.”

The butler set a platter down in the middle of the table. As he stepped away, all six Winchester brothers dove in and snatched what they could, filling their plates with bacon and eggs.

“Is there more coffee, Smith?” Brazen asked.

The butler stared at the empty platter and nodded. “A fresh pot, sir.”

“And is Mr. Pennington joining us this morning?” Nathaniel asked.

“Mr. Pennington has already had his breakfast and is currently enjoying his morning constitutional.”

“He walks?” Wilbur asked.

“He tinkers with his motor car, making sure everything is in order before he takes it out during the day, sir,” the butler explained.

As the butler poured the coffee, they all heard the roar of an engine, followed by the rush of a motor car speeding by.

“And sometimes, he takes his motor car for a turn around the district,” the butler added.

Wilbur laughed. “I think he forgot about us.”

When he finished his meal, Nathaniel pushed his chair back, saying, “We have other problems to deal with. Tom knows where we are. We should head out to…” He dug inside his pocket and retrieved the piece of paper Edmonds had given him with the location. “Grove Manor and do some…” Nathaniel paused. Nodding, he finished, “Groveling.”

The butler was quick to ask if they would return, adding, “Mr. Pennington has been thrilled to have fellow motor car enthusiasts to keep him company and the first trial race is this afternoon. The participants should be arriving soon.”

Nathaniel avoided looking at his brothers. It was enough to sense their eagerness. “I can’t promise anything.”

A few minutes later, they were all on the road and in search of Grove Manor. Nathaniel stuck to his guns and insisted Brazen and Wilbur take the lead again, without making the same mistake again.

“You heard Nathaniel,” Wilbur warned. “Focus. And, this time, don’t just drive by the turn off. Make the turn and remember to slow down first.”

“And what are you going to do?” Brazen asked.

“Keep an eye on you, so you don’t make the same mistake again, which you are bound to do because you never listen.”

Ten minutes later, they were outside Kenneth Stevensons’ pub, the Ostrich Inn.

“You missed the turn,” Wilbur said.

Brazen checked the rear mirror and watched his brothers bring their cars to a stop. “I was distracted by your bickering. But what’s their excuse? Why did they follow us?”

As they all climbed out of their motor cars, Nathaniel’s expression dark with rage, the pub door was flung open and a man cannoned out, stumbled and fell on his face.

Kenneth Stevenson, the owner of the pub, appeared at the door and crossed his arms. “Jerome Daniels, do everyone a favor, go home and don’t come back until you rein in that temper of yours.”

The man stood up, wiped his bloodied nose, dusted himself off, and stormed off.

“I wonder what that was about,” Wilbur said.

Glancing over his shoulder, Brazen saw the storm cloud approaching. He kicked Wilbur, “Here comes Nathaniel. You know he’ll go easy on you.”

“You want me to take the blame for missing the turn? Nathaniel is not going to take pity on me. He’ll skin me alive.”

Brazen grinned. “No, he won’t. He doesn’t pick on those less fortunate and he happens to think you’re feeble-minded.”

Nathaniel walked up to Brazen and Wilbur. Growling, he said, “As long as we’re here we might as well sit down and have a coffee. I need one before I yell at you.”

Wilbur stepped forward and asked the barman, “Who was that?”

“Jerome Daniels.”

“Did he run into some trouble?” Wilbur asked.

Kenneth Stevenson nodded. “It’s his special talent.”

“What does he do?”

“He works at Cloister Park.”

“We were just there.” Wilbur turned to Brazen. “Did we see him there?”

Brazen shook his head. “Not that I recall.”

Wilbur turned back to the barman. “How does he run into trouble?”

“He likes to be right and won’t leave well enough alone,” Kenneth Stevenson answered.

“That was a nasty bruise on his face,” Wilbur said.

“The other fellow fared even worse.” Shaking his head, Kenneth Stevenson went back inside.

Nathaniel gave Brazen a nudge. “You’re coming close to getting a bruise on your face too. Get inside, sit down, and pay attention to what I’m going to say.”

Brazen’s grumble was interrupted by Wilbur’s elbow digging into his rib.

“Look who the other fellow is.”

“Who?”

“It’s our host. Arthur Pennington. He must have had his nose broken. Look at all that blood on his shirt.”

Grove Manor

“You refused to have breakfast in bed and, here I am, cutting your bacon because you can’t manage it and you’re grumbling because you think I’m treating you like a child.”

Hancock walked in carrying a fresh pot of coffee. “Edmonds wishes to know if you have any instructions for him this morning, sir.”

Thanking the butler for the message, Tom was about to excuse himself to go down and have a chat with Edmonds when Henrietta breezed into the dining room, saying, “I must say, I’m so happy to see you all made it to the morning. I spent the night thinking third time might well be the charm.”

She was followed by Toodles. “How is the invalid this morning? Are you hungover?”

Frowning, Tom asked, “Why would I be hungover?”

Toodles laughed. “He doesn’t remember.”

Sara entered and greeted Evie and Tom.

“Good morning? Is that all you have to offer?” Henrietta asked.

“Would you prefer I made a dramatic entrance and point out the absence of Eleanor and Gillian?”

Henrietta looked around the dining room. “That was my next line. Where are they?”

“Hancock has offered assurances,” Evie said. “They are both fine and will be down momentarily.”

“And how long ago was that?” Henrietta asked. “Are we about to begin the day with another mishap?”

“You should try to avoid making those types of observations,” Sara suggested. “I’m sure they bring nothing but bad luck.”

“This morning promises to be different. I have already telephoned the authorities and informed them of the two incidents that took place here last night.” Evie had hesitated but, in the end, she hadn’t been willing to trust Gillian to make the telephone call.

“And?” Henrietta prompted.

“And we should receive a visit from the police soon.” Evie had asked for a more precise time, but the call had been disconnected leaving her to think the matter would either be handled with expediency or completely ignored.

Henrietta helped herself to some eggs and sat down. “In that case, we should fortify ourselves.” She took a sip of tea and added, “I suggest we all stay here. There is safety in numbers. I still fear there might be a third attempt.”

Tom pushed back his chair. “I should go have a chat with Edmonds.”

“That’s a very good idea, Tom. Make sure he’s armed with a weapon and ready and willing to use it. I have my walking cane but my reflexes are not as reliable as they used to be.”

Adjusting his arm sling, Tom smiled. “I’m sure the intruder will think twice before tackling you again, Henrietta. We’ll have to rely on you to keep us safe because Edmonds has some important business to take care of.”

As Tom made his way out, Henrietta complained, “What could possibly be more important than making sure we are not attacked again?”

“Edmonds needs to find Tom’s cousins and make sure they don’t get into any sort of trouble. Mostly, he wants to make sure they don’t make their way here. We have enough to contend with as it is. In any case, the police will arrive soon. That should be enough to make you feel safe, Henrietta.”

Two hours later, they were still waiting for the police to arrive. Meanwhile, Eleanor and Gillian had joined them and they had all settled in the drawing room to wait.

“At this rate, we’ll be sitting down to luncheon,” Henrietta complained.

“More tea?” Gillian offered as she poured a cup for Eleanor.

Evie had been waiting for this opportunity to question Gillian, but she would have preferred to speak with her in private.

“Are you at all surprised by the second attempt?” Evie asked.

It took a moment for Gillian to respond. When she did, she looked surprised. “Are you asking me?”

“Yes.”

Gillian set the teapot down and picked up her cup. “Who knows what’s going through his mind. We don’t even know if it was the same person.”

“Since we don’t know the answer to that, we should feel free to assume,” Henrietta suggested.

“But that could lead us anywhere,” Gillian said. “Isn’t the whole purpose of delving into this about getting to the truth and stopping these mad attacks and threats?”

“In an ideal world, we would ask questions and get straight answers,” Henrietta offered.

Appearing to understand Henrietta’s meaning, Gillian said, “My apologies. We had a restless night. I almost rolled off the chaise lounge, but I didn’t dare leave Eleanor alone. I spent most of the night waiting for dawn to come.”

Evie set her cup down. “We’re puzzled.”

Henrietta nodded. “And confused.”

Evie continued, “We’ve been thinking the intruder was caught by surprise the first time. We just happened to make our way down when he was trying to sneak out of the house. This second attempt suggests he is desperate. Can you think of anything he might want? Something hidden in this house? Or something belonging to either you or Eleanor? Remember, the intruder tried to enter Henrietta’s room. Why would he do that? Did he think that was your room?”

Gillian lowered her gaze and fixed it on her cup. Evie wondered if she might be pretending to think about it. After only a few seconds, she looked up and met Eleanor’s gaze.

Sighing, Eleanor said, “Maybe this really is about the book.”

“Which one?” Evie asked.

“The one I’m writing at the moment.”

“And how would the intruder know about it?”

Eleanor shrugged. “It’s common knowledge. At least, I think it is. I always write a book set in whatever place I happen to be living in.” She looked at Gillian. “One of us might have mentioned it.”

“Could you be more specific? Where do you think you mentioned it and can you remember who might have heard you?” Evie asked.

“We’ve stopped for luncheon at the tearoom in the village several times. And we always walk and talk. Maybe someone overheard our conversation.”

“In what context would you have mentioned writing a book?” Evie was curious about this because she knew the subject of investigations didn’t come up in her everyday conversations. Yet everyone seemed to know she and Tom dabbled in criminal investigations.

“In any manner of context. Let’s see. Gillian might have complained of cramps in her hand because I force her to take so much dictation and I might have defended myself by saying I needed to finish writing the book before we left. That’s certainly enough for anyone to assume we were writing a book set in the village.”

“Tell me about your books. What are they about?” Evie had been curious since first learning about Eleanor’s writing, but she hadn’t had the opportunity to ask for details.

Gillian chortled. “Have you honestly never read Eleanor’s books?”

“I rarely indulge in fictionalized accounts. When I do, it’s usually a detective mystery.”

“Eleanor’s books are very dramatic and have romantic elements.”

Evie looked at Eleanor who appeared to be lost in thought. “Where do you get your inspiration from?”

Taking her time to respond, Eleanor finally made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “From all around me. I enjoy weaving tales of deception and treachery.”

“Where does the romance come in?”

“From life, of course. And where there is romance there is bound to be treachery and deception.”

“Do you have copies of your books?” Henrietta asked. “I’m intrigued.”

“I’m sure there are copies around somewhere. We usually store our belongings and carry only essentials with us. Gillian will have a hunt around for you.”

Even if someone had overheard Eleanor and Gillian, would it have been enough to form a full picture? Just because someone is an author doesn’t mean they’re going to take their inspiration from their surroundings.

“Can you think of any other reason why someone would try to harm you?” Evie asked.

Eleanor stilled and stared into space.

“Eleanor, I can’t help thinking this is personal.” Evie shrugged. “Have you said anything specific about any of the locals?”

Eleanor’s response was swift and decisive. “No. I have no reason to. I don’t really know any of them.” She shifted to the edge of her chair. “The more I think about it, the more I believe the first incident was nothing but an accident. I don’t believe he meant to push me down the stairs. But I do believe he was hiding in the attic. Perhaps we’re dealing with a disturbed person. Maybe he has a connection to the house and resents me for living here.”

To Evie, that sounded like a fictional tale. However, Eleanor was right. People could be strange and have odd reactions to the simplest things. “A moment ago, you said you didn’t know anyone. How do you get inspiration from the people around you if you don’t know them?”

Gillian distracted Evie by smiling. “Eleanor only needs to glance at someone to then invent a whole life story about them.”

“Just by looking at them?” Evie asked.

“Yes, it’s her particular talent. Sometimes, the way a person looks away is enough for her to weave a tale of deceit, secrets, and lies. It’s really quite fascinating. I often wonder if what she perceives is enough to draw out the essence from the person or if she makes the characters up in her mind.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” Evie admitted.

“As I said, she’ll glance at someone, they do something… a small hand gesture or twitch. It’s enough for her to start making up the story. But what if the story she makes up is real and it was all seeded by something only she can identify in a person. I’ll give you an example. We could be walking along the main street in the village and someone walks by. He makes eye contact with Eleanor and suddenly looks away. So Eleanor will begin her tale, which goes something like this: It’s her. I never thought I’d see her again. Did she recognize me? It’s been so long and I’ve changed so much. Has she told anyone what I did? Is she here to confront me about it? What if I go home and soon after I arrive there’s a knock at the door and it’s… it’s him. And he’s come to seek his revenge.”

They all turned to look at Eleanor who sat staring into her tea cup, almost as if in a trance.

“Eleanor?” Henrietta prompted.

“What?”

“Did you hear Gillian’s explanation?”

Eleanor laughed. “Gillian won’t admit it, but she has a fertile imagination. Although, some of what she said is true. A person’s twitch might be enough for me to decide to create a character with a nervous disposition. Then I’ll wonder what might have happened in their lives to cause that twitch. It’s all like setting off on a meandering walk without having a destination. It’s a sort of discovery exercise.” Eleanor smiled at Gillian. “Do you remember that woman I saw hurrying her step?”

Gillian nodded and laughed. “Eleanor grabbed hold of my wrist and dragged me to the tearoom because she had to start dictating a story about a woman who’d been poisoning her husband for months, making him ill little by little, and had suddenly run out of poison, so she had to rush out to get some more and, along the way, she heard about someone seeing her husband’s brother driving into the village. So she hurries home to hide the evidence, only it was too late because her husband had realized what she’d been doing all along. They fight and, in the struggle, the woman hits her head and dies. The husband, weakened by his condition, has a heart attack and dies. And that’s when his brother appears and is found by the police who arrest him and charge him with the murder of his sister-in-law and sentence him to the gallows.”

“How bizarre and yet intriguing,” Sara mused. “I suppose it’s similar to the paintings Henrietta is doing. She’ll look at me and then paint something entirely different.”

Henrietta lifted her chin. “I’m capturing my impressions, my dear and improving what I see.”

Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with interest. “You paint?”

“Yes, Toodles recently inspired me to pick up a brush and express myself. It’s quite liberating.”

Tom spoke for the first time, asking, “Eleanor, is it possible someone followed you here? Have you had trouble in the place where you lived in before?”

“No, impossible. Who would want to harm me? What a silly notion.”

Not unless they were offended by her books, Evie thought.

“You sound very sure of yourself,” Tom said.

“Eleanor won’t say it, but there’s something that might explain her certainty.” Gillian looked at Eleanor for a moment. Shrugging, she continued, “Eleanor doesn’t mingle with local society. She prefers to observe from a distance. People are strange. For all we know, that’s the reason why someone has sent a threatening note. Maybe everyone’s been talking about Eleanor ignoring them and not taking an interest and this one person decided to take matters into their own hands.”

In Evie’s mind, Gillian had just provided a different explanation for the threatening letter. The first explanation had relied on the villagers actually knowing about Eleanor’s books and resenting her for using them as characters in her story. Now she was suggesting Eleanor’s apparent indifference and lack of interest in the local villagers had become a point of contention.

“Do you think you’ll be able to hunt down a copy of one of Eleanor’s books?” Evie asked.

“I’m sure we have one around somewhere. I’ll take a look around. I know there’s a trunk we haven’t opened yet because it’s full of winter clothes and other bits and pieces we might or might not need.”

Evie studied Eleanor and reached an inevitable conclusion. Since Eleanor remained either reluctant to provide answers or oblivious of any wrongdoing on her part, they would have to find answers elsewhere. Evie glanced at Tom and wondered how he felt about going to the village to snoop around.

Hancock entered and announced, “Dr. Hardy is here to see you, Miss Holstein.”

“There’s no need for that,” Eleanor said as the doctor walked in. “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“You’re not perfectly fine until I say you are,” the doctor declared. Setting his medical bag down, he took her pulse. “I see.”

“See what?” Eleanor snapped.

“Your heart is beating quite rapidly. Are you excited about something?”

“My heart thumped when Hancock announced your presence. I’d forgotten about you and wish you’d done the same. Yet here you are, reminding me of something I wish to forget. You doctors are always intent on making people sick so you can earn your fee.”

The doctor hummed. “Now your heart is beating even faster. Do you often lose your temper?”

Eleanor growled. “Never.”

“Did you get a good night’s rest?” the doctor asked.

When Eleanor remained silent, the doctor looked around the room and only then acknowledged their presence. His greeting elicited a nod from everyone. The doctor swept his gaze around the room again and settled his attention on Henrietta. “Would you say Eleanor Holstein had a good night’s rest?”

Henrietta tapped her finger on her walking cane. “We all had an eventful night. I rather doubt Eleanor slept a wink.”

“I see. And do the rest of you agree with that observation?”

One by one, they all nodded.

The doctor turned back to Eleanor. “Well, my dear. It seems you did not have a good night’s sleep as prescribed by me. May I ask what happened to make the night eventful?”

Eleanor crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

“Perhaps one of your guests would like to tell me.” The doctor smiled at Henrietta. “You appear to be quite amenable to revealing secrets.”

Frowning, Henrietta said, “I had been prepared to answer your question until you phrased it as you did. I do not reveal secrets because that would suggest I am willing to breach confidences and that is not something anyone would ever accuse me of doing.”

The doctor shifted his attention to Toodles. Studying her for a moment, he shook his head. “No, I don’t believe you would tell me. You look too strong-willed.” He then looked at Sara.

Before he could ask his question, Sara shifted in her seat and stood up. “I just remembered there’s something I need to do. Excuse me.”

The doctor turned to Evie and Tom. “Would either of you like to tell me about the eventful night?”

“The intruder returned,” Evie said.

“Really? Did he say what he wanted?”

“He came by stealth.”

“How very odd. And what happened then?”

“Tom intercepted him.”

The doctor looked at Tom and frowned. “Did your interception result in an injury?”

Tom grunted a response and Evie explained, “He suffered a dislocated shoulder, something that might have been prevented if the police had been notified.”

“The police? My nephew is outside. You should report the incident.”

Henrietta’s eyes widened. She looked ready to berate the doctor for failing to perform the task when Evie intervened. “That’s a very good idea. We should do that right now.” Standing up, she hurried to escape the absurdity of the moment.

Tom followed her out, saying, “Remind me to thank Hancock for fixing my shoulder. I should hate to think what would have happened to me if the good doctor had been called.” Tom groaned. “Too late. I’ve just imagined the worst case scenario where he amputated my arm.”

“I’m sure it would not have come to that, Tom. I would not have allowed it.”

They stepped out of the house and found the same man they’d encountered the previous day. Just as on the previous day, he stood leaning against the motor car reading the newspaper.

Tom greeted him. “Are you the doctor’s nephew?”

Nicholas Hale nodded.

“And are you with the police?”

Nicholas Hale gave a cautious nod. “Are you in need of the police?”

“We are,” Tom said.

“I’m Detective Inspector Hale.”

Evie remembered the hesitation she’d noticed the previous day. Had he been reluctant to reveal his occupation?

“A detective? Why didn’t you mention it yesterday?” Evie asked.

The detective folded his newspaper and dropped it inside the motor car. “I happen to be on vacation.”

Tom spoke, his words sounding gruff, “Lady Woodridge contacted the authorities this morning and we’re still waiting to hear back from them.”

“You reported a crime?” Nicholas Hale asked.

“Two crimes,” Tom said.

“You contacted them this morning?”

“Early this morning,” Tom said.

The detective drew in a deep breath. “My apologies. From what I understand, the local constabulary is currently undermanned.”

“You’re not a local?” Evie asked.

He shook his head. “I’m with the Reading Burough Police station.”

“Are you new there?” Evie asked.

“Relatively new, yes.”

That meant they were likely to cross paths…

“What seems to be the problem?”

When Tom finished telling him about the two incidents, Evie asked, “Your uncle didn’t mention it yesterday?”

He hadn’t.

“Are you sure?” Evie pressed. “He left the house saying he would inform his nephew.”

The detective dug inside his coat and retrieved a small notebook, saying, “Old habits.” When he noticed Evie looking at him as if still expecting a response, he said, “My uncle has a great many things floating around his mind. He’s quite sharp but he has the habit of tackling too many things at once.” He turned to Tom. “Would you mind starting from the beginning.”

When Tom finished telling him everything they knew, the detective nodded. “You just repeated everything you said the first time.”

“Were you testing me?” Tom demanded.

“Just getting the facts, Mr. Winchester.” He tapped his pen against the notebook. “How do you happen to know the owner of the house?”

“She’s the tenant and we met her by accident,” Evie explained.

“What sort of accident?”

“Our traveling companions drove on ahead and were diverted to this house. We followed them here.”

“And that’s when you first heard about… What was it again? A threat?”

“Yes, a note was delivered. Also, Miss Holstein had been hearing noises coming from the attic. We believe the intruder had been hiding there.”

“Why would he do that?”

“We’ve been asking ourselves the same question. We think he is searching for something.” Evie explained about Eleanor being an author. “Those are the only facts we know.”

“You stated facts and suppositions.”

“It makes sense for someone to break into a house with a specific purpose in mind. Although, Eleanor Holstein suggested the person might be disturbed.” Evie tilted her head in thought. At the time, it had sounded like a wayward thought, but now that she thought about it, it made sense. There might be a disturbed individual who decided to take matters into his own hands.

The detective gestured to the house. “I suppose I should go in and talk with Miss Holstein.” He took a step and stopped. Turning, he frowned.

“What is it?” Evie asked.

“I just remembered where I know you from.” The detective looked through the notes he’d taken. “The two incidents took place after you arrived.” He looked up. “Is that correct?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Tom said.

Nodding, Evie said, “We arrived just in time to avert a calamity.”

CHAPTER 8

"Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see" - Edgar Allan Poe

Grove Manor

Standing outside Grove Manor, Evie kicked the gravel and complained, “Unbelievable.”

“Countess, this is not the first time we’ve been warned to keep out of police business.”

“All I can say is good luck trying to get information out of Eleanor Holstein.” Evie held out her hand. “You can’t drive with one hand. Hand over the key.”

Tom looked away. After a moment, he sighed and dropped the car key in the palm of Evie’s hand.

Settling in the driver’s seat, Evie adjusted her gloves and inserted the key.

“Do you remember the sequence?” Tom asked.

Evie grinned. “Let me think. There’s something or other about turning the key and cranking and pushing down on the clutch. That’s the left pedal… I think? Yes, it’s the left pedal. I’m sure you’d tell me if it wasn’t.”

Tom got in beside her but didn’t say anything.

“My darling, don’t look so grim.” Without any fanfare, Evie got them moving, heading out the way they had come in, along the back lane.

After warning them not to meddle, the detective had sat down with Eleanor and Gillian to get their version of events.

The detective hadn’t asked them to leave, but she and Tom had taken the opportunity to step out and set off to find the Winchester brothers to make sure they were not causing any trouble. Sara, Henrietta, and Toodles had remained behind and Evie silently prayed they would interject at every opportunity. It would serve the detective right.

Evie gripped the steering wheel and growled, “How dare he? I have a good mind to lodge a complaint against him.”

“Countess, the lane is quite narrow up ahead. You might want to slow down.”

Evie’s finger twitched. Growling, she pulled on the accelerator lever and felt the vehicle leap forward.

Tom leaned in, but instead of issuing another warning, he seemed to change his mind and settled back.

Reaching the end of the lane, Evie checked for traffic and made the turn into the road that would lead them straight to the pub.

According to Edmonds, the Winchester brothers had met Arthur Pennington. The motor car enthusiast had invited them to view his racetrack located on the edge of Cloister Park, his uncle’s house where he currently resided.

While they could have driven straight there, they’d already decided it would be worth having another chat with the owner of the pub, Kenneth Stevenson.

Tom leaned in and hollered, “The right pedal is the break. Just in case you forgot.”

Evie had no idea what he was complaining about. The speed remained steady. She was keeping the vehicle on her side of the road.

Evie shot him a quick look and saw him gripping the edge of the seat. That’s when she realized this was the first time he’d sat as a passenger.

Tom roared, “Eyes on the road. Eyes on the road!”

Tipping her head back, she laughed. As she relaxed, a barrage of unanswered questions flooded her mind. Ignoring them, she focused on an annoying fact.

Gillian had made no effort to hunt down a copy of Eleanor’s book.

“Oh!”

“What?”

“One of Eleanor’s books or the book she’s currently writing,” Evie hollered over the noise of the engine.

“What about it?”

Evie decided to wait until they’d arrived at the pub. If Gillian couldn’t find one of the books written by Eleanor, they might agree to let them look at her current story.

Evie turned her focus back to the road only to realize her mind had provided a possible clue for the intruder.

He could be looking for the book Eleanor was working on.

Tom pointed ahead and she nodded. The intersection was coming up, so she slowed down. When she brought the motor car to a stop outside The Ostrich Inn pub, she glanced at Tom and saw him staring ahead, his eyes not blinking.

“What’s wrong?”

It took a moment for him to respond. “You’ve been taking lessons.”

Evie grinned.

“Behind my back?”

Shrugging, she said, “I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?”

“Please tell me you didn’t get one of the Winchesters to teach you.”

“Heavens, no. I did consider it. In fact, I asked but I made the mistake of asking when they were all together and that triggered an argument because they all offered to teach me. Then, there was a compromise and they decided to take turns, but that ignited another argument because they couldn’t decide who would go first. I decided to leave them to it and walked away.”

“Edmonds,” Tom growled. “You got Edmonds to give you lessons.”

“Yes. He’s a chauffeur, so he knows all about driving.” Taking her time to remove her gloves, she smiled. “You’re a good driver, Tom, but you’re a tedious instructor.”

“What?”

Evie lifted an eyebrow. “I gave you a fair chance. Do you remember our first lesson?”

“I do and I hope you do too.”

Evie laughed. “You spent an entire hour giving me a lesson on engines. When you finished telling me how they run, you followed up by telling me the history of motor vehicles. I didn’t even get to start the engine. For our second lesson, you made me sit at the driver’s seat for a full hour. Again, without the engine running. For our third lesson, which we never got around to doing, you planned on showing me how to change a tire.”

“So you went behind my back and got Edmonds to teach you.”

“I asked Edmonds to supervise. I already knew everything there was to know about driving.” Smiling, she said, “Edmonds thinks I’m a natural.”

Tom slid out of the motor car and went around to the driver’s side. Opening the door for Evie, he held his hand out to her.

“What? Don’t you have something else to say?” Evie asked.

Tom swallowed. “I’m not going to lie. I’m hurt.”

Evie pouted. “Oh, dear. But you laid the ground work. Without your thorough instructions, I doubt I would have had the confidence to get the vehicle moving.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Do you feel better?” Evie asked.

“I’ll let you know.”

They walked in and found a couple of people having lunch. The owner, Kenneth Stevenson stood behind the bar working on a ledger.

Evie and Tom walked up to the bar and waited for him to look up. When he did, he surprised them by asking, “Did you find the three ladies you were looking for?”

“We did. Now we’re looking for the young men who were with us,” Tom said.

Kenneth Stevenson nodded. “They were here a short while ago and then they left.”

Evie knew that could mean half an hour, six hours, and anything in between.

Kenneth Stevenson tapped his pencil on the counter. “They arrived just after Arthur Pennington and Jerome Daniels got into their fight.”

Tom and Evie stared at the barman.

Snapping out of his stupor, Tom said, “Fight?”

“Yes. Fight.”

“Could you be more specific?” Evie asked.

“There was a fight. Words were exchanged. Hands were fisted, and punches thrown. There was also some blood. Actually, there was quite a lot.” He looked over the counter. “It’s been mopped up now.”

“Blood?” Tom asked.

“Yes, blood. It came from a bloodied nose.”

“Whose?” Evie asked.

“Arthur Pennington’s nose. It’s quite sensitive. Not the first time I’ve seen it happen.”

“You mentioned Jerome Daniels.”

“Yes. He threw the hardest punch, but that’s nothing new.”

“You might have mentioned this before, but how does he know Arthur Pennington?”

“Jerome Daniels works at Cloister Park.”

Nodding, Evie remembered the barman also saying he’d been born here. “And Arthur Pennington also lives there?”

“That’s right. On and off. Mostly on. His uncle owns the house but, these days, he prefers to spend his time at his club in town.”

“Is the fight likely to end up with Jerome Daniels’ termination?” Evie asked.

The barman brushed his hand across his chin. “No, it never has in the past.”

“So they argue often?”

“Like I said, it’s not the first time and it will definitely not be the last.”

“Do you know why they argued?” Tom asked.

“No, no one ever knows. No one ever asks.”

“Why not?” Evie asked.

“Because we don’t meddle in other people’s business,” Kenneth Stevenson explained. “Even when they choose to tell us about their arguments, we let them talk but we most definitely don’t take sides. More often than not, they keep it all between them.”

Entertaining a stray thought, Evie wished Detective Inspector Nicholas Hales would have reason to come here and interview Kenneth Stevenson. She would pay to see that.

Drawing in a deep breath, she realized she still felt incensed by the detective’s request that they stay away from police business.

Then she remembered Henrietta, Sara, and Toodles had stayed behind. With any luck, they were doing a thorough job of interrupting and confusing the detective.

“Those young men who arrived just after the fight,” Tom said.

Kenneth Stevenson looked up. “The ones who came in with you yesterday.”

“Yes, the very ones. Did they ask you about the argument?”

“No, they asked me about the fight. They wanted to know who threw the fist punch. I assume it was Jerome Daniels because he has a foul temper.”

“Did they sit down for a drink or a meal?” Tom asked.

“Both.”

Smiling, Evie knew Tom had asked in an effort to get around Kenneth Stevenson’s lack of details. If they’d had a meal, then they must have stayed longer than a few minutes.

“Do you know if they talked with Jerome Daniels or Arthur Pennington?” Tom asked.

“Jerome had already left. In fact, he left just as the young men arrived.”

“And Arthur Pennington remained here?”

“Yes, he usually likes to put some distance between them to avoid a bigger fight.”

“So did they talk with Arthur Pennington?” Tom asked.

“Yes, he sat down with them and then they all left together.”

Evie’s eyebrows curved up, not in response to the news that the Winchester brothers had all left with Arthur Pennington, but rather because Kenneth Stevenson had provided information without being prodded.

“If you had to guess, would you say they had business to take care of?” Evie asked.

Kenneth Stevenson pointed to the poster behind him. “I’d guess they were headed to Cloister Park for that.”

“That?”

“The motor car race. They’re holding the trials this afternoon.”

With their curiosity satisfied and seeing no need to hurry, Tom and Evie sat down for a meal.

“We know where to find them,” Tom reasoned.

“There’s no need to explain, Tom. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to just sit down and either discuss everything that’s happened or say nothing at all.”

Tom smiled. “I wonder how long that would last.”

“Saying nothing at all?”

Nodding, Tom laughed. “Clearly not long.”

Evie drew out her leather-bound notebook and fountain pen. Testing the ink, she looked at Tom. “Book. We must read one of Eleanor’s books. Gillian said she would find a copy but I didn’t see her make any effort to rush into it.”

“What does that tell us?” Tom asked.

“That there might be something in Eleanor’s stories. I’m willing to bet there is definitely something in her latest story. Something the locals don’t want her to write. Or maybe someone is curious to see what she’s writing about them and that’s why they broke into the house.”

Tom nodded. “Because they’re concerned she might divulge something they would prefer to keep a secret?”

“Yes.”

Tom grinned. “But, as the detective pointed out, that’s all supposition.”

“We have nothing else, Tom. And, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, it usually works for us. We seem to have the uncanny ability to read between the lines. Besides, we already have proof of a crime. I’d hate to admit it but, at first, I thought Eleanor had made up a story about receiving threats. Now we know it’s real. I hope the detective takes it seriously.”

Tom checked his watch. “We have to catch up to my tribe.”

Evie nodded. “Then we’ll return to Grove Manor and pressure Eleanor and Gillian to supply us with a copy of her book. Now I’m eager to read what she’s writing at the moment.” She looked out the window and tried to catch a stray thought she’d entertained earlier. “Gillian has changed her tune several times. I think I’ve already mentioned it, at least twice.” Evie frowned. Could Gillian and Eleanor be lying to them?

Tom waited for Evie to explain. When she didn’t, he sighed.

Smiling, Evie asked, “Puzzled?”

“Intrigued,” he said. “Do tell me the rest as I’m sure there’s bound to be more.”

“At first, Gillian said the threatening note was a reaction to the villagers being concerned about ending up in one of Eleanor’s books. Then, she said Eleanor ignored the villagers. I think she tried to suggest they felt slighted by her.” Evie shook her head. “I’m just trying to understand Eleanor and Gillian’s motives. Are they telling the truth or are they lying? While Gillian has tried to explain the process, I still struggle. How can Eleanor be inspired by the locals if she doesn’t interact with them? Does she draw inspiration just from looking around? You don’t have to answer that.”

“I wouldn’t know how to respond,” Tom admitted.

“I know Gillian explained the process, showing us how Eleanor can make up a story on the spot. As captivating as it sounded, it really didn’t make any sense. How would one of the villagers know Eleanor can take one look at them and then proceed to create an entire story line?”

“You’ve made a valid point. Maybe she has another reason for visiting the village and, for reasons known only to her, she wishes to keep it all a secret.”

“You think she has an agenda.”

Tom nodded. “Actually, I have no idea how a writer’s mind works. Maybe she needs to be around people but keeps them at a distance while she weaves her tales in her mind.”

“You think she uses them as props?” Evie asked.

Tom held his hand up, clasped his fingers together, and then parted them and clasped them together again. “She uses them much the same way you’d use a hand puppet.” He laughed. “I think I’m letting my imagination run away with me.” He adjusted his arm sling and looked at the menu board hanging behind the bar. “What would you like?”

“You can surprise me.”

Tom walked up to the counter and placed an order for their lunch. Returning, he appeared to be whistling a tune under his breath.

“You’ve forgotten to be cross with me.” Evie smiled. “You’re so forgiving.”

“Who says I forgot? Remind me to scowl at Edmonds.”

“No, Tom. Don’t do that. Edmonds puts up with a great deal. We need him to drive the dowagers and Toodles around. Just think what it’s like for him.”

“True. Fine. I’ll just fume in silence.”

Halfway through their meals, Evie looked up and smiled. “We should recommend the Ostrich Inn to Eleanor. I must say, I can’t remember ever coming across such a unique character.”

“Who?” Tom asked.

“Kenneth Stevenson with his odd way of expressing himself. The doctor is rather unique too. And I have no doubt the detective has his own unique way about him. She should be inspired by their characters.”

Tom laughed. “Really? I could have sworn you found the barman exasperating.”

“I did,” Evie admitted. “But only because we needed information from him. Remember, we were missing two dowagers and Toodles. Anything might have happened to them. Millicent will be sorry to have missed out on all this. She would have relished the opportunity to give Kenneth Stevenson a piece of her mind.”

When they finished their meal, they approached the bar for a close look at the poster.

“It doesn’t tell us where Cloister Park is.” Evie glanced at the barman. “How long do you think it’ll take for him to reveal the precise location?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Tom drew the barman’s attention, whispering, “Brace yourself, Countess.”

When Kenneth Stevenson approached them, he frowned and, to their surprise, he asked, “Did you have your arm in a sling yesterday?”

Twenty minutes later, they were on their way, with Evie saying, “I guess I was wrong about him. His vagueness led me to believe he didn’t care enough about anything to pay attention.”

Tom laughed. “He noticed my sling but he didn’t ask how it happened.” Pointing ahead, he said, “See those two motor cars?”

Evie nodded. “What about them?”

“They should stay in the distance. If they get closer, that means you’re driving too fast and have caught up to them.”

“Oh, I see.” Evie gave him a sweet smile. “And you want me to catch up to them?”

Tom frowned. “No.”

“Oh, you want me to keep my distance.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say so. You’re starting to sound like Kenneth Stevenson.” Evie shifted in her seat. “Actually, I shouldn’t let them out of my sight because they might be headed to Cloister Park.” Smiling, she said as she accelerated, “Yes, we should just follow them.”

They drove past a line of pretty cottages and then reached the open countryside. After a couple of minutes, they reached the incline and caught sight of Grove Manor.

Tom signaled to the left, reminding Evie to follow the motor cars in front.

This was the incline in the road where the Winchester brothers had forgotten to turn off, instead driving on. As the road curved away, they got a view of the valley ahead and a village.

Evie remembered the butler saying Eleanor and Gillian sometimes walked to the village from Grove Manor. She couldn’t picture them following the road, so she assumed there had to be a shortcut along neighboring properties. Perhaps even the same shortcut used by the intruder…

According to the instructions Kenneth Stevenson had given them, they were to drive toward the village and turn off just before they reached it and they wouldn’t be able to see the road because it was obscured by the woods. Once they turned into the road, they would see the woods on the right and an open field on the left and that was where they would find the racetrack.

Evie kept a steady speed and could still see the two motor cars ahead, presumably headed in the same direction. According to Kenneth Stevenson, none of the locals had expressed an interest in the racetrack, but it had attracted a great deal of attention from other driving enthusiasts who were driving down for the race.

Tom pointed ahead. “They’re turning.”

Nodding, Evie slowed down and could have sworn Tom breathed a sigh of relief.

She made sure to take the turn nice and slow so Tom wouldn’t bounce around and hurt his shoulder.

As soon as they turned into the road, they saw the racetrack with a covered area and several tents along one end, presumably for the guests attending.

Tom pointed to a pole with an orange flag. “That must be the entrance.”

Evie had lost sight of the other motor cars, but she could see other vehicles on the grounds as well as people walking around.

Turning into the entrance, she found a parking spot and eased into it. “I guess this is it.” Evie sniffed the air. “Yes, this is definitely the place. I expected to find a circuit track but it seems to wind around and disappear around that stand.

Tom nodded and pointed to the opposite side. “And then it comes around this side.”

Right on cue, a motor car appeared and sped along the track.

“They must have started the time trials.”

Evie climbed out and stretched to see over the motor cars lined up. “Do you see them?”

Tom climbed out and scanned the racetrack. “I think we’ll find them in the middle of the action. There.” He pointed to one end where people were milling about, looking at motor cars.

“Tom.”

He looked at Evie. “You used your sweet tone. Are you about to warn me?”

“Tom, your cousins expect you to blow your stack.”

He grinned. “They sure do and I’m looking forward to it.”

“Why not surprise them?”

“Countess, are you about to suggest I do the opposite of what they expect?”

“It’ll be a nice change. They came here with Arthur Pennington and they even spent the night at his house. They might know something. Maybe Arthur Pennington entertained them at dinner with tales about the writer who lives at Grove Manor and how she’s putting everyone on edge.”

“Fine, I’ll behave.”

As they drew closer to the large group of people inspecting the motor cars, an air of excitement buzzed around them. In the few minutes it took them to reach the hive of activity, the sun broke through the clouds several times, casting beams of light on the racetrack before disappearing behind a puffy cloud.

Hats were tipped back and eventually found their way to men’s hands and used to provide relief from the intermittent bursts of warmth.

A man in coveralls and goggles resting on his head made his way around a motor car, checking the tires and peering under the hood.

“I see two of them standing in the shade. Wilbur and Brazen. They’re watching the driver.”

Evie took comfort from Tom’s casual remark. If he was going to tell his cousins off, he would wait until they were away from public scrutiny.

“I’ve just spotted two others. Clarence and Theodore are having drinks in the pavilion. That leaves two more to find.”

They wove their way through the growing mass of people, mostly men, and walked up to Brazen and Wilbur.

Evie smiled and nudged Wilbur. “Hello.”

Wilbur smiled back and then saw Tom. That’s when he gave Brazen an elbow jab to grab his attention.

Brazen was quick to offer an explanation, “Edmonds told us you were busy at Grove Manor and that we should stay away and not cause any trouble. As you can see, we’ve been following your instructions to the letter.”

Ignoring him, Tom drew Evie’s attention to a man standing between two motor cars.

Evie’s eyes widened. “He has a black eye.”

Brazen chortled. “That’s Arthur Pennington and this is his racetrack. We stayed at his uncle’s house last night. That black eye you see is the result of a squabble.”

“Is that what he calls it?” Evie asked.

“He’s a good egg. Doesn’t complain, doesn’t fuss.”

A good egg with a black eye.

Evie met Tom’s gaze. Was he entertaining the same thought? The previous evening, Tom had landed a hard punch on the intruder’s face.

Brazen continued by saying, “Jerome Daniels, the other fellow, didn’t fare any better. There he is. He’s the fellow holding a spanner.”

Evie and Tom turned and looked for a man with a black eye.

“Good heavens.” He did have a black eye. Leaning in, she murmured, “For a moment there, I thought we’d found the intruder.”

“Yes,” Tom’s serious expression disappeared and he grinned. “Now we have two suspects, which is two more than we had a short while ago. It’s a pity they got their black eyes from a brawl.”

Smiling at Brazen, Evie asked, “Have you noticed anyone else sporting a black eye?”

Brazen tipped his hat back and sent his gaze skating over the sea of people. “No, just those two.” Brazen frowned. “Hey, what happened to your arm?”

“You only just noticed?” Tom grumbled.

“Sorry, I was trying to avoid looking at you in case you sent me one of your killer looks that promises retribution at a later date.”

“It’s good to know you’re able to interpret my looks.”

“You know I’ve always been a quick study. Anyway, what happened to you?”

Evie tugged Brazen’s sleeve. “Let’s move over there and have a chat. Wilbur, come along.”

They found a quiet spot and Evie proceeded to fill them in.

“You had all that excitement while I had to deal with Wilbur’s snoring and Theodore and Clarence quarreling?”

Wilbur snorted. “That’ll teach you. You should have taken the turn instead of leading us astray.”

“Wait a minute. You introduced an intruder to your fist. That must have left a good sized bruise.”

Evie nodded. “Precisely. We need to find someone with a bruise. You say Arthur Pennington and Jerome Daniels got theirs in a barroom brawl.”

Brazen nodded. “We arrived at the Ostrich Inn just as Jerome Daniels was ejected from the pub. He landed on his face. Then we went in and saw Arthur Pennington bleeding all over the place. He got a black eye and a bloodied nose.”

That didn’t help them.

“When did you clash with the intruder?” Wilbur asked.

“Middle of the night.” Tom looked at Evie. “I didn’t stop to look at the time. It was well past midnight.”

Wilbur and Brazen exchanged a look only they could understand.

Nodding, Brazen said, “We heard a commotion in the middle of the night, but it was a shutter that hadn’t been secured properly. As far as we know, Arthur Pennington retired for the night at the same time we did and he got his black eye at the bar.”

Evie’s imagination kicked in. “How do you know that’s when he got his black eye. Maybe he already had a black eye and got another one on top.”

“I suppose anything’s possible, but why would he break into a house in the middle of the night?” Brazen turned to look in the direction of Arthur Pennington. “Come along. I’ll introduce you.”

CHAPTER 9

“There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion” - from Ligeia, 1838

Cloister Park racetrack

“Pleased to meet you.” Arthur Pennington’s eyes twinkled with delight.

Tall with a narrow face and broad shoulders, his thin lips stretched into a wide, friendly smile.

“That must have hurt a great deal,” Evie said as she studied his bruise.

“What? This? Oh, I can’t even feel it. Does it look bad?” He laughed. “No, don’t tell me. I’ll have to remember to avoid looking into the mirror when I shave.” He laughed again. “Are you motor car enthusiasts?”

“Not really. We’re here by accident. We lost some people we were traveling with and found them at Grove Manor.” Evie studied his reaction.

“Oh, yes. I heard the place had been leased.”

“Have you met the tenant?” Evie asked.

“I can’t say that I have.” He looked up in thought. “There’s a woman staying there. She’s famous for something or other.” He shrugged. “I noticed her the other day. She drove to the village in a nice Bentley.”

Clearly more interested in the vehicle, Arthur Pennington went on to describe the motor car in great detail.

Jerome Daniels walked up and made himself busy looking over the motor cars.

He had a straight patrician nose, short brown hair framing a narrow face with chiseled cheekbones and a smile that spoke of amusement, obscured by his dark scowl.

Arthur Pennington noticed Tom and Evie looking at Jerome Daniels. “This is Jerome Daniels, he works at Cloister Park. We’re lucky to have him. Especially me. He’s handy with motor cars, so he’s been helping me keep them in top working order.”

Evie didn’t sense the slightest animosity, not from Arthur Pennington. Jerome Daniels, on the other hand, remained quiet and, Evie noticed, he gave Arthur Pennington a look that spoke volumes. Evie couldn’t be sure what it said, but she would bet Jerome Daniels’ opinion of Arthur Pennington was not at all kind.

She definitely sensed some animosity. What had caused it?

“Is this land part of your uncle’s estate?” Evie asked.

“Yes, it is. At least, until recently. I made a deal with him and acquired it. The locals are not exactly pleased to have this racetrack right on their doorsteps, but they lack vision. Soon enough, they’ll realize what a bonus this is.”

Evie thought she saw Jerome Daniel shake his head, suggesting he might be on the side of the local villagers.

Evie studied the bruise on the man’s cheek. It seemed to match Arthur Pennington’s bruise in shape and coloring, suggesting they’d both been acquired at about the same time.

“Well?” Arthur Pennington demanded.

Evie shifted her gaze in time to see the edge of Arthur Pennington’s lip tighten.

Shrugging, Jerome Daniels tapped his watch. “It’s time.”

Arthur Pennington looked at one motor car and then the other. It seemed he was making a choice between them.

He pointed to one and said, “I’ll take this one out.” Looking at Evie and Tom, he nodded. “It was lovely meeting you. Must press on now and see if I can get the best time.”

As Arthur Pennington rounded the vehicle, his steps moved with determination, and the sort of invisible force that had Jerome Daniels jumping back to move out of the way.

Evie and Tom stepped back and watched him get ready. The moment the engine roared to life, Arthur Pennington saluted, rolled the car onto the track and shot away.

“I should try that on the way back,” Evie said.

“Try what?” Tom asked.

“Starting the engine and shooting away without further preamble.”

“You will not.”

Evie laughed. Tom had gone to great lengths to instruct her on the proper order. Start the engine, let it warm up, put it into gear, let the car move a few inches, and then test the breaks. Always test the breaks.

As she watched the motor car disappear around a bend, Evie sent her gaze skating around and spotted Clarence and Theodore, both busy wolfing down large slices of pie.

“Clarence and Theodore are eating, but we’re still missing two,” Evie chirped.

Tom signaled to the edge of the racetrack where another driver was getting ready. “I found Nathaniel and Eugene. They’re boggling that Miller.”

“I take it a Miller is a motor car?”

Tom nodded.

Evie hummed.

“What?” Tom prompted.

“I’m just thinking about bruises. You landed a hard punch on the intruder so he is walking around with a bruise. What with everything that happened last night, it didn’t occur to us to look for someone with a bruise. Tom, we’re slipping. It should have been a priority.”

Tom nodded. “And it wasn’t. At least, not until we saw Arthur Pennington and Jerome Daniels. Do we know where they were last night?”

The roar of an engine had them both turning to see Jerome Daniels taking off. He was driving one of the other motor cars Arthur Pennington had been working on.

They both turned to Wilbur and Brazen.

“Are we in trouble?” Brazen asked.

“You said you all retired at the same time as Arthur Pennington.”

Brazen and Wilbur nodded.

“And you heard noises in the night.”

Again they nodded.

“It was the loose shutter,” Wilbur said. “Although, Brazen insists it was my snoring. I’ve never heard myself snore, so I can verify it.”

“When did you meet Jerome Daniels?” Tom asked.

“We saw him for the first time at the pub when he stumbled out. That was this morning.”

“But he works at Cloister Park and presumably lives there,” Evie said.

Wilbur shrugged. “He works there, yes. That’s what Kenneth Stevenson said. We don’t know if he actually lives there. Does it matter?”

Evie wished they could pinpoint everyone’s exact locations last night.

They now had two people with bruises whose whereabouts couldn’t be confirmed. If questioned, what would they say? Arthur Pennington might go into great detail about entertaining the Winchester brothers and then retiring at the same time. What about Jerome Daniels? Evie imagined him saying he’d finished his work, had sat down to his dinner, and then he’d turned in for an early night because he knew there would be a lot to do today.

Wilbur looked at Brazen and then said, “Arthur Pennington left while we were having breakfast at Cloister Park. A short while later, we drove out and ended up at the Ostrich Inn. That’s where we saw Jerome Daniels and then Arthur Pennington.”

Evie looked at Tom. “And they’d had an argument resulting in a fight.”

Had Arthur Pennington driven out to look for Jerome Daniels?

According to Kenneth Stevenson, the race trials were scheduled for that day. Maybe Jerome Daniels had been derelict in his duties and Arthur Pennington had been annoyed to find him at the pub instead of at Cloister Park getting ready for the day.

As the detective had pointed out, they only had conjecture to go on with.

“What now?” Evie asked. “Do we go to the village and keep looking for someone with a bruise?”

Tom looked over at Nathaniel and Eugene. Growling, he said, “Yes, we should keep moving. I’m not sure how much longer I can contain my temper.”

“Honestly, Tom. Just think how much work it’ll take to remind them why you’re cross with them. Let it go. You know they’ll squirm and stew in their juices. That will be enough punishment.”

“Very well. If you say so.” Tom looked up. “I’ll have to remember to keep scowling at them. That seems to work.”

They both looked toward the end of the circuit.

“Do we wait?” Evie asked.

“No, there’s no point. I’m keen to find someone else with a bruise.”

Giving Brazen and Wilbur instructions to stay at Cloister Park until they were sent for, Evie and Tom made their way to the nearby village.

Evie brought the motor car to a stop outside the Geese and Arrow. Peering through the window, they saw a few people in the small dining area and a couple standing by the bar.

“Shall we go in and have a proper look around?”

Agreeing, Tom followed Evie inside.

They ordered drinks and sat down at the window to keep an eye on anyone sporting a bruise on their face.

As they were taking their first sips of their tea, someone familiar walked in and cast his gaze around the bar.

“I’m tempted to duck and cover,” Evie whispered.

Detective Inspector Nicholas Hale turned and saw them. Evie held her breath and wished he would move on because she needed time to settle her thoughts and discuss how they would tackle the rest of their day, especially if they didn’t find the elusive intruder sporting a bruise.

Acknowledging them with a nod, the detective approached their table. “May I?”

Evie and Tom smiled.

The detective sat down and drew out his notebook but did not open it.

“Did you have any luck with Eleanor Holstein?” Evie asked.

“It took some time. Miss Holstein was distraught.”

“Really?” Eleanor had dismissed any notion of danger and she seemed to have recovered from the night’s intrusion. Why would she suddenly feel distraught?

“Did she say why she was upset?” Tom asked.

“No, she was too distraught to talk.”

Evie nodded. “Let me guess. Gillian spoke on her behalf.”

“Yes.”

“Did you find that at all suspicious?” Evie asked.

“I suppose you do.”

“Yes, I do.” Evie took a sip of her tea. “There is something they are not telling us. This has bothered us from the start because Eleanor Holstein had reached out for help and then, when help arrived, she dismissed it as unnecessary.”

“Well, she is now distraught. That tells me she is beginning to take matters seriously.” The detective opened his notebook. “According to Lady Woodridge…”

“Which one?” Tom asked.

“Lady Henrietta Woodridge. According to her, you landed a hard punch on the intruder’s face. Is that correct?”

“He did,” Evie hurried to say. “And we are now looking for someone with a bruise on their face.”

Tom nodded. “So far, we’ve found two men with bruises.”

The detective looked surprised. “Who?”

“They have alibis.” Tom went on to tell the detective about the brawl at the pub. “Of course, we didn’t witness it so it’s all second-hand information.”

“And where are they now?”

“They’re both at the racetrack. We were there a short while ago and they were both involved in the timed trials.”

The detective made a note of it.

Evie sipped her tea and gazed out the window. There were a few people out and about. She didn’t see anyone in a hurry to get anywhere. Setting her cup down, she mused, “The newspaper article we read described Eleanor Holstein as a recluse.”

The detective nodded. “I remember reading that.”

“You might want to talk to the editor. From what we understand, it is a local newspaper. It would be interesting to find out how he came to describe Eleanor Holstein as a recluse. We’ve been intrigued by it because we’ve since discovered she’s been visiting the village on a regular basis.”

Glancing out the window, Evie noticed a man stop another man. At first sight, it looked like a normal encounter, but then the man pointed and gave a vigorous nod. Then they both stood looking down the street.

When they continued to look, Evie said, “I think something’s happened.”

The detective half rose out of his chair and then sat down when a man walked past the window. Evie looked out in time to identify him as a constable. Moments later, the constable walked in, looked around and, seeing the detective, headed straight for their table and whispered a message in his ear.

The detective reacted by putting away his notebook and standing up.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Tom asked.

“There’s been an accident at the racetrack. I assume you will be headed back to Grove Manor.”

Evie and Tom nodded and watched the detective hurry out of the inn.

“What do we do?” Evie asked. “I don’t really want to be one of those people attracted to a tragedy and in desperate need of seeing it with my own eyes.”

“I feel the same. However...”

“Your cousins.”

Tom nodded.

They pushed back their chairs and headed back to the motor car.

There were groups of people milling about, all talking and looking down the street. Evie noticed a few men shaking their heads, one had his hands inside his pockets and was staring ahead, his thoughts appearing to be miles away until the person next to him nudged him.

Evie climbed in and went through the motions of checking everything before turning the ignition. “I don’t like the look of this.” A part of her wanted to hurry, reach the racetrack, and find out everything she could. Mostly she wanted to know if the Winchester brothers were fine. Another part wished to remain where they were and wait for news to reach them. “Nothing’s happened to your cousins. They were only bystanders, there to watch the trials. They weren’t participating.”

Scooping in a deep breath, she put the car into gear and got them moving. Before they reached the racetrack, they heard the sound of distant sirens.

Tom pointed ahead.

Evie narrowed her gaze and gasped when she saw a dark plume of smoke rising from behind a copse of trees.

She imagined one of the people participating in the timed trials had met with a serious accident.

Slowing down, she reached for Tom’s hand. “They’re fine.”

Placing her hand back on the steering wheel, she leaned forward and focused on getting them there as soon as possible.

Evie drove the short distance telling herself the Winchester brothers always eluded danger.

Instead of driving into the racetrack grounds, Evie pulled up along the side of the road, coming to a stop near the entrance. Evie then made sure to put the hand break on and then she and Tom climbed out of the vehicle, reached for each other’s hand and walked at a brisk pace.

Evie’s heart punched hard against her chest as she said, “I see Brazen and Wilbur.” Out of the six Winchester brothers, they were the ones most likely to get into trouble. If they were safe, the others were also safe.

Tom nearly choked as he said, “Eugene and Nathaniel. I see them.”

Reaching them, Tom barked, “Where’s Theodore and… and Clarence. I don’t see them.”

Nathaniel grabbed Tom’s good shoulder. “It’s fine. They rushed out to see what happened and we stayed behind thinking you’d have our heads on a platter if you came and didn’t find us. I guess I was right. I hobbled Brazen and Wilbur with a threat to expose all their past misdeeds if they took a single step away from here.”

Brazen gave Nathaniel a smack on the head. “Why did you have to go tell him? Now he’s going to be on my case about it all.”

“Any idea who it is?” Evie asked.

“We’ve been waiting for Theodore and Clarence to report back. It’s hard to tell by just looking around because there are too many people huddled near the turn.”

“What about Arthur Pennington? Have you seen him?” Evie thought he’d already finished his time trial but she imagined he’d be running around trying to keep everything under control.

“His tire blew so he had to be pushed back. He had to do the trial again but I saw him set off and then finish the second run.”

“Who helped him back?”

“Jerome Daniels. He was taking part in the trial too, but when he saw Arthur had stopped, he stopped to help.”

That surprised Evie. She’d sensed a great deal of hostility coming from Jerome Daniels, and Arthur Pennington had also displayed a hint of aggression.

“What about the police? Did you see them?” They’d raced ahead of them and should have arrived fairly quickly. Evie imagined they’d had no trouble getting through the crowd.

Brazen nodded. “It was like watching the sea parting for them. The constable blew his whistle and everyone jumped back. We heard the sirens but didn’t see a vehicle drive this way. I think they might have come in from somewhere on the other side of the estate.”

Wilbur craned his neck. “I see something happening. Everyone is leaning in.”

A vehicle appeared from around the bend driving at a slow pace. That did not bode well, Evie thought.

They all watched it cross over the racetrack and head for the exit. When the vehicle disappeared, everyone’s shoulders lowered.

“There’s Arthur Pennington.” Wilbur pointed toward the bend where the racetrack disappeared behind one of the tents.

Arthur Pennington wasn’t alone. Evie saw the detective and a constable walking alongside him.

Brazen shook his head. “He looks somber.”

Nathaniel pushed out a breath. “I see Clarence and Eugene. They’re coming from the same direction so they must know something.”

Brazen and Wilbur headed out to meet them. Relieved at the sight of them, Evie glanced around and located the detective and Arthur Pennington. They were headed away from the track and toward the exit.

“That makes sense,” Tom murmured, clearly taking in the same scene. “It’s his racetrack so I imagine the police will want to talk to him.”

“You think it was a fatal accident?” Evie asked even though she already knew the answer. The ambulance had not been in a hurry.

“No doubt about it.”

Disengaging her emotions, Evie tried to picture the events unfolding. The drivers had been tackling a timed trial to determine positions for the race. The driver with the best time would get pole position. Everyone would have been trying to get their best time and that meant they would take risks.

Had someone lost control of their vehicle?

Theodore and Clarence reached them and broke the news. “It’s Jerome Daniels. He crashed against a tree. The car went up in flames.”

Taking Evie’s hand, Tom said, “Let’s go back to the inn. I could do with a drink.”

Without being asked, the Winchester brothers followed them.

Driving the short distance at a sedate pace and in silence, Evie waited until they arrived at the inn and settled at a table to say, “It’s Arthur Pennington’s racetrack so it makes sense for the detective to want to speak with him.”

Tom nodded. “Unless he suspects foul play.”

“Oh, heavens.”

The Winchester brothers happened to walk in just as Evie pressed her hands to her cheeks.

Taking chairs from nearby tables, they huddled around the small table where Tom and Evie sat.

Brazen was quick to note, “You have a theory.”

“No. Not at all. However… Well, we don’t like to jump to conclusions, but it might be an accident or…”

“You suspect foul play?” Brazen asked. “Why would someone want to kill Jerome Daniels?”

Wilbur nudged him. “Or Arthur Pennington. Remember, he owns both motor cars. If someone wanted to snuff him out, they probably knew he had two motor cars. So he tinkered with one of them thinking if they didn’t get him with one, they could get him with the other one. Hang on, that doesn’t sound right.”

“No, it doesn’t, but we get your meaning.” Brazen looked at Tom and Evie. “Do you think it was foul play?”

“How should we know? The Countess was only tossing around an idea because she saw Arthur Pennington leaving with the detective.”

Brazen nodded. “We’re going back to Cloister Park. So that will give us the opportunity to get the inside scoop. If we find out anything important, one of us will drive out to Grove Manor.”

Evie studied Wilbur. Nudging Tom, she murmured, “Wilbur might have a point.”

“You were able to decipher what he said?”

Evie shrugged. “I’ve just decided to play around with the idea. What if someone wanted to get Arthur Pennington out of the way? He had two motor cars lined up for the time trial. Maybe they only had the opportunity to tamper with one of them. Only they didn’t know he would be driving one, and the other one would be driven by someone else.”

Tom sat back. After a moment, he nodded. “Yes, I see what you mean. He didn’t make the decision until the last moment.”

“That’s right. But why would someone want to kill him?” Shaking her head, she brushed her hand across her brow. “Maybe we just need to wait for more news. Facts. Yes, we’ll wait to hear the facts.”

CHAPTER 10

“Where there is romance there is bound to be treachery.” - Eleanor Holstein

Grove Manor

On the way back to Grove Manor, Evie asked, “Are we going to tell the others? It’s not as if any of them knew him. We know Eleanor hasn’t become familiar with anyone living around here. I’m sure the dowagers and Toodles would not have met him. I suppose we should mention it. Although, it strikes me as macabre. I mean, what does one say? Oh, by the way, one of the locals had a fatal accident on the racetrack.” Evie shook her head. “I can imagine Henrietta will be full of questions and I’ll end up saying something about us finding it curious that Jerome Daniels, the victim, had been sporting a severe bruise on his cheek. Then I’ll have to explain about us belatedly realizing we could identify the intruder because you’d hit him in the face.”

When Evie brought the motor car to a stop she slumped back and pushed out a quivering breath.

Tom patted her hand. “I don’t see the need to tell them.”

“Are you sure? It’s a small village and news is bound to travel. What if Hancock happens to walk in and say he’d just heard the news about the accident. They’ll think we withheld the information or were too blasé about it to mention it.”

“Fine. We’ll mention it.”

Shaking her head, Evie said, “Best not to. Remember the detective say Eleanor was distraught. We don’t want to add to her worries.”

“Very well, but I guarantee you will change your mind. If you do, you have my full support. Tell them, don’t tell them.”

“How is your shoulder? Is it giving you any trouble?” Evie asked.

Tom laughed. “Are you trying to distract yourself?”

“I’m expressing my concern, Tom.” After a moment, she added, “Fine, yes, you’re right. I’m distracting myself and, yes, I kept meaning to ask how you were feeling. I don’t want you to feel I’m neglecting you.”

Evie and Tom walked in shortly before the dressing gong rang. They were met at the door by Hancock and they were quick to ask about the detective.

“Were you present during the interview?” Evie asked.

The butler looked down and grinned. “As a matter of fact, yes, I was. It was one of those moments one tries one’s best to linger and hover without being noticed. If Miss Holstein hadn’t wanted me there, she would have asked me to leave. She didn’t.”

“Was the detective satisfied with Miss Holstein’s responses?”

“It’s difficult to say, my lady. The interview lasted nearly an hour. He asked about the incidents. Miss Holstein gave her version and then Miss Lawson was asked to give her version. When they finished, the detective asked a few questions which seemed to be aimed at testing everything they’d said.”

“And what about the dowagers and Toodles? Were they of any help?” Evie asked.

“Lady Henrietta tried to be but the detective was rather firm with her.”

“How so?”

“He made it clear that only he could ask questions.”

“And how did she take it?”

“Not very well.” Hancock smiled. “She harrumphed. In fact, she harrumphed a great deal. At one point, she surged to her feet and left the room.”

“And where are they now?”

“They are still in the drawing room. Miss Holstein has just gone up saying she needed to rest for a while before dinner.”

“Is she unwell?”

“No, she’s just fretting. It’s unusual for her to remain in the house all day and she’s still under doctor’s instructions to do so.”

Evie looked toward the stairs and thought she couldn’t wait to get out of her day clothes and close her eyes for a moment.

“Mr. Winchester and I will go up now.” As they moved toward the stairs, the butler cleared his throat. Evie turned and saw him looking up. “Is something the matter?”

“Not really, my lady. Except... Well, I have just heard some news about an accident. One of the kitchen girls returned from the village but she didn’t have any details. I wondered if you knew something about it.”

Evie nodded. She really needed to lie down and close her eyes for a moment. She hoped she could still make sense. “It happened at Cloister Park. One of the drivers participating in the time trials crashed his motor car and died.”

“Has the driver been identified?”

“Yes, Jerome Daniels. From what we understand, he worked at Cloister Park. Did you know him?”

“No, but Mrs. Finch might know him. I’ll be able to give her some details now. She was beside herself with worry because Alice had come back from the village with only half a story and Mrs. Finch found that unsettling.”

“I don’t blame her.” As she turned to go up the stairs, she noticed Hancock looking up. Evie imagined him wondering if he should inform Eleanor about the accident. The shake of his head seemed to confirm it.

“I guess you couldn’t bring yourself to face Henrietta and her barrage of questions,” Tom said.

“I’m just delaying the inevitable. I wouldn’t be surprised if she kept a lookout for us and now barges into our room.”

Tom laughed. “I’ll barricade it.”

An hour later, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the evening, Evie and Tom made their way down to dinner.

They met the dowagers and Toodles in the drawing room and were surprised to also find Gillian.

“Eleanor will be down shortly. She is eager to join you for dinner tonight. She’s been saying the last twenty-four hours derailed her life and she needed to get back to normal.”

Evie accepted a drink from Hancock. Taking a sip, she smiled at Gillian and was about to say something when a stray thought interrupted her.

“What is it?” Tom whispered.

Gillian had joined Henrietta and Toodles on a sofa. Drawing Tom away, Evie murmured, “Her eyes twinkled with delight.”

“Yes, she has smiling eyes.”

“Her nose.”

“What about it?”

“Earlier today, when we encountered Jerome Daniels, I remember thinking he had a patrician nose and chiseled cheekbones.” Evie looked down at her glass. “And a smile that spoke of amusement.”

“You obviously noticed a great deal.”

“Here’s what’s odd about it all. I captured the same impressions when we first met Gillian Lawson.”

“What are you saying?”

“I think I’m saying that Jerome Daniels bore a striking resemblance to Gillian. Did you happen to notice?”

Tom lifted the glass to his lips and looked over Evie’s shoulders, presumably at Gillian.

“Same hair coloring too. And, no, I didn’t notice. However, now that you mention it, you’re right.”

“Thank you, Hancock.”

Evie turned and saw Eleanor Holstein enter the drawing room, her arm on Hancock’s.

“I was determined to join you for dinner tonight. I’m so glad you’re all here. It might sound selfish, but I’m looking forward to the distraction.”

Evie studied Eleanor’s face and was relieved to see there were no traces of distress. Either Hancock hadn’t informed Eleanor or Eleanor had taken the news in her stride.

Hancock gave the signal and Eleanor announced, “Dinner is being served. Shall we?”

“We’ll play it by ear,” Evie whispered.

Nodding, Tom said, “I’ll take your lead.”

As they sat down, Henrietta said, “Eleanor, we must have a copy of your book. Don’t you dare put it off. Otherwise, I won’t sleep a wink.”

Eleanor’s face drained of color.

“I didn’t expect that,” Evie whispered. Glancing at Tom, she asked, “Did you notice?”

Tom nodded and whispered, “I think Eleanor was hoping we’d forgotten about her book.”

Hesitating, Eleanor asked, “Gillian? Have you had a chance to look for a copy?”

Gillian reached for her wine glass and took a quick sip. The gesture did not go unnoticed. For the first time since meeting her, Evie thought Gillian looked cornered.

“I’m sorry, Eleanor. I quite forgot about it all, what with the detective coming today and asking all those questions. Did you notice how he quizzed us?”

“He was definitely thorough. I’m surprised he’s related to the doctor.” Eleanor shuddered. “I hope I don’t come down with anything serious. I’d hate to have to rely on him to get me better.”

“Evangeline, you should have been here to witness the interview. That detective was the worst we’d ever seen. Toodles will agree with me.”

“Will I?” Toodles asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Sara then. Yes, Sara will agree,” Henrietta said.

Sara gave a dutiful nod. “Yes, he was dreadful.”

“For a moment there, I thought we might all be under suspicion. I thought I heard him murmur something about trouble following us around.” Henrietta gave an unladylike snort. “I have no idea what he meant by that.”

Evie smiled. “I’m afraid I do. When we were outside, he suddenly recognized us from a case we’d been involved in.”

Evie glanced at Eleanor and noticed her looking into her glass as if lost in thought. Evie had noticed her doing that before, but this time she looked concerned.

When she lowered her glass, her hand shook and she spilled some of the wine.

“Oh, dear. How clumsy of me.” Eleanor turned to Gillian. “I can’t do it. We should tell them.”

Tom and Evie straightened. The dowagers and Toodles were chatting, so they missed the remark.

Taking a quick sip of her wine, Eleanor said, “We were not going to mention it, but it might mean something.”

The dowagers and Toodles stopped talking and Henrietta said, “You have our full attention, my dear.”

“The intruder did take something,” Eleanor revealed. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

“What did he take?” Henrietta urged.

When Eleanor spoke, her voice shook, “The story I’m currently working on. He took it.”

“Who?” Henrietta asked.

This time, Eleanor’s voice hitched, “He, the intruder.”

“When did you discover this?” Henrietta asked.

Eleanor gave an exasperated shake of her head. “Does it matter?”

“Yes, I’m afraid it does. Did you find out before you spoke with the detective? If you did, then you withheld the information from him and that tell us you were afraid of the consequences or you were not aware of them.”

Staring at Henrietta, Eleanor frowned.

That prompted Toodles to laugh. “Henrietta, I think you’re frightening Eleanor.”

“Me? How?”

“By sounding terribly clever.”

Eleanor exchanged a look with Gillian.

“Eleanor!” Henrietta snapped. “You went to the trouble of asking for help. We’re here to help, so let us help you.”

Toodles laughed again. “Now Henrietta wants to lull her with redundancies.”

“This morning. I had made some changes to the story and Gillian keeps a copy, so she went to get it and that’s when she discovered it gone.”

“So you no longer have it?” Henrietta asked.

“The copy is missing. I have the original, which I keep in a folder tucked in my bedside drawer.”

“And where was the copy kept?” Henrietta asked.

“In one of the upstairs rooms. Gillian likes it because it gets a lot of sunshine. It’s where she keeps her typewriter. She leaves the carbon copy there.”

Henrietta blinked and asked, “What is a carbon copy?”

“A carbon copy paper is used to transfer words from one sheet of paper to the other,” Sara explained.

“How on earth do you happen to know that?” Henrietta demanded.

“I thought it was common knowledge.”

Satisfied, Henrietta smiled. “I see. I’m not usually familiar with common knowledge.”

Evie took the opportunity to ask, “Eleanor, do you still have the original?”

“Yes, of course.” Eleanor pressed her hand to her throat. “What if he returns for it? Despite everything we told you, there’s no possible way for anyone to know I am an author because the stories are published under a pen name.”

Evie frowned. She’d been right about Gillian misleading them. But why would she do that? Why even mention it in the first place?

“Eleanor, we’d like to read your story. It might contain a clue.”

Eleanor looked horrified. “A clue to what?”

“We won’t know until we read it.” Although, Evie didn’t have any doubt they would find a clue. There had to be one. Why else would someone go to so much trouble to take it?

Evie lowered her gaze. Eleanor had just said no one should have reason to know about her identity as an author because she published her books under a pen name. Yet, someone must have recognized her.

The detective’s remark about Eleanor being distraught made sense. She’d known the intruder had stolen her work and yet she hadn’t told the detective. Why had she withheld the information?

“I must insist, Eleanor.”

Later that evening…

Evie turned the page and gasped. Moments later, she turned to the next page.

Tom snapped his fingers. “Hand it over.”

Without taking her attention away from the page she was reading, she held out the page she’d just finished. “Oh, dear…”

“Don’t give it away.” Tom read as quickly as he could. When he reached the end of the page, he leaned in. “Well?”

“Just a moment. I’m reading this paragraph again.” She finished the page and handed it to Tom. “Good heavens,” she exclaimed as she read the first line of the next page.

Reaching the last page, Evie read the last paragraph and sat back. “This is not the whole book. We’ve just read a few chapters.”

“How much of it do you think is true?” Tom asked.

“It’s a work of fiction, Tom. Eleanor said so herself.”

“There must be some truth to all this, and now I have even more questions.” Evie stretched and yawned. “But it’s too late and I can’t think anymore tonight.”

Tom read the last page. “You’re right about there being more questions. Eleanor didn’t make all this up. How did she find out about it? The heir to a family fortune gets a young woman into trouble. This results in two babies. An adoption is arranged. The narrator of the story sounds like Eleanor. Free spirited and eccentric. She’s young and lives in a house with a butler. The village she describes in the story sounds like the local village.” Tom closed his eyes for a moment. Snapping them open, he said, “Eleanor told us she decided to come here by pulling the name of the place out of a hat.”

Evie shook her head. “No, she said she decided to come to England. Gillian is the one who found the house advertised somewhere or other.”

“Are we supposed to believe Eleanor came here, settled down in this house, and began writing this story and this is the reason why she received the threatening note and then had an intruder in the house? How did anyone know she would write this? And does it mean it’s not fiction?”

Evie plumped up her pillow and jumped into bed. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow. I can’t think any more. Turn off the light.” Plumping up the pillow again, Evie got comfortable. A moment later, she groaned. Sitting up, she asked, “Do you remember the doctor’s odd greeting?”

Tom nodded. “Surprised to see me, my dear?”

“This is not the first time Eleanor Holstein has been here. I can’t remember what we’d been talking about, oh, wait… yes, I remember you asked Eleanor why she came to this particular village and she said she’d been born near here and she’d been struck by a sense of nostalgia.”

“That’s right, and Henrietta said she’d been born in Oxford, which isn’t exactly near here. That’s when Gillian said she’d seen an advertisement for the house.”

Evie brightened. “Yes, and then Eleanor said she’d mentioned wanting to travel this way because she’d been born near here. It all sounds as if they made the entire conversation up on the spot. Almost as if they prompted each other. Then Eleanor gave one of her dismissive hand gestures and changed the subject.”

“So what are you saying?”

“She didn’t make up the story. It’s real.”

CHAPTER 11

"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." 

The next morning, Grove Manor

On the way down to breakfast, Evie asked, “How is your shoulder?”

“It’s fine, but I’m worried about the nicks on my chin.”

“What are you talking about? I gave you a perfect shave.”

“So why didn’t you let me look in the mirror?”

Evie smiled. “Because I need you to trust me. Anyhow, we were supposed to wake up with a better understanding of what we read last night. Do you have any marvelous insights?”

“I’m afraid not. I was counting on you stirring me awake in the middle of the night because that’s when you get your best ideas.”

“I’m sorry to have disappointed you. I was exhausted.”

Hancock stood at the bottom of the stairs. When Evie noticed him, she thought he might have been walking past, but he was in fact waiting for them.

“Good morning, Hancock. We obviously had no intruders during the night.”

“That’s correct, my lady. I made sure to barricade all the doors.” He looked toward the drawing room. “The detective is here and he’s asked to speak to you both.”

“Really? At this hour?” Evie remembered the Winchester brothers were supposed to give them an update about Arthur Pennington.

“Thank you, Hancock.” As Evie and Tom walked toward the drawing room, she stopped and asked, “Did you tell Miss Holstein about the death at the racetrack?”

“No, my lady. I didn’t wish to upset Miss Holstein.”

Nodding, Evie continued on, only to stop again. “Hancock.”

“Yes, my lady?”

“Is this the first time you’ve visited these parts?”

Hancock swallowed and nodded. “That’s right.”

And that, Evie thought, was not the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Hancock lowered his eyes. He appeared to come to a decision. When he spoke, he took another deep swallow. “Mrs. Finch tells me she happened to mention the death at the racetrack to Miss Holstein.”

“When did she tell her?”

“Yesterday. Before coming to the drawing room, Miss Holstein went down to the kitchen. Mrs. Finch made a passing remark about the incident.”

Did that explain Eleanor’s decision to tell them about the missing copy of the story?

Thanking him, Evie caught up with Tom and they both entered the drawing room.

The detective stood by the fireplace, a newspaper in hand. Seeing them, he set the newspaper down and greeted them.

“Detective. Do you have news?” And was he going to share it with them?

The detective hesitated. He looked down at the floor for a moment and then seemed to come to a decision. “It was not an accident.”

Evie sat down. “I was afraid of that.”

“The break had been tampered with.”

“I see.” Evie looked at Tom. They’d already discussed the possibility. However, even if there had been foul play, how could they know for sure who the intended victim was? “We saw you walking off with Arthur Pennington. Was he of any help?”

“Since the motor car belonged to him, he feels he had been the intended target. Getting Jerome Daniels to drive the car had been a last minute decision. Arthur Pennington had been eager to test both vehicles. His choice for the time trial was random. It didn’t matter which vehicle he drove.”

“If he feels he was the real target, did he give any reasons for it? Why would someone wish him harm?”

“He couldn’t answer that.”

Tom paced around the room. When he stopped, he said, “Lady Woodridge and I realized the intruder has a black eye. We were in the village for quite some time and didn’t see anyone with a black eye.”

“Except for Arthur Pennington and Jerome Daniels,” the detective said.

“That’s right. I wonder… Well, I wonder if it’s at all possible that one or the other already had a black eye before they got into a brawl. I suppose there’s really no way of finding out for sure.”

Evie looked at Tom and then at the detective. “There is something we should tell you, detective. Last night, Miss Holstein told us she had discovered something missing. It’s a story she’s been writing.”

“She writes?”

“Yes, she’s an author. Anyhow, we think the story might be based on fact. Also, we’ve just been told she knows about the death. I think this influenced her decision to tell us about the missing story.”

The detective looked confused.

Sighing, Evie said, “All along, we’ve been thinking the intruder was looking for something. It turns out that he was.”

“You think the intruder wanted to steal the story? Why?”

Evie shrugged. “We now know she publishes under a pen name. That means no one should be able to put two and two together. Yet someone has done precisely that.”

“You think someone has recognized her and knows she is a writer?”

“That’s right.”

Turning to the door, Tom said, “I should go get the story. I think the detective should read it.”

Evie stared blankly at the fire. Why would Eleanor come here now and write this particular story?

“Lady Woodridge? Is there something you wish to share?”

Evie couldn’t hide her surprise. As she looked up, she remembered the doctor.

Surprised to see me, my dear?

“You might want to ask your uncle if he knows Eleanor Holstein from long ago. It would help to confirm a suspicion.”

“What might that be?”

“I believe this is not the first time Miss Holstein has been to this part of the world and I think your uncle can confirm it. That’s not to say she’s guilty of anything.”

Evie heard Gillian ask, “Hancock, is there a newspaper this morning?” A moment later, Gillian appeared at the door.

“Oh, I beg your pardon.”

The detective picked up the newspaper, stepped forward and handed it to Gillian.

Taking it, Gillian thanked him and swung away.

The detective remained where he was, his attention fixed on Gillian. As he turned back, he was frowning.

Evie remembered thinking about her initial description of the young woman and then describing Jerome Daniels in almost the same way.

“Does she look familiar to you?” Evie asked.

The detective shrugged. “I must have seen her around the place.”

Tom returned. Stopping in the middle of the drawing room, he looked at Evie. “Should we ask for permission to share this with the detective? I feel we ought to.”

“I think we’re well past that.” Besides, Evie thought, Eleanor must have known her story would explain everything. They’d only just found out Eleanor had been told about the death at the racetrack. Has she made the connection?

Evie brushed her hands across her face.

Why had Eleanor come here and, most importantly, why had she written that particular story?

Instinct told her there had been a definite intention behind it all.

Tom handed the few chapters they’d been given to the detective.

“Is this going to explain everything?” the detective asked.

“You’ll have to use your imagination.”

Evie surged to her feet. “I’ll be back in a moment.” She hurried out of the room, went up the stairs and straight to Eleanor Holstein’s room. Knocking on the door, she called out her name and identified herself, “It’s Evie.”

The door eased open. Gillian stood on the other side, her face pale.

She knew.

Had the newspaper reported the incident?

Gesturing for Evie to come in, Gillian stepped back.

Eleanor Holstein was sitting at her dressing table, her head in her hands.

“Would you mind giving us a few moments?” Evie asked.

Eleanor sighed. “Gillian can stay.” Turning, she said, “You read the story and now you’ve figured it all out.”

Evie nodded. “Not quite everything.” Frowning, she realized she hadn’t figured everything out. Not really. Looking at Gillian, Evie gasped. “Oh. You were the target.”

“What?”

What was the point of killing one and leaving the other…

“The intruder meant to push you down the stairs. And when he came back the second time, he was looking for you, but he went into Henrietta’s room instead.”

Two babies born. The father had stood to inherit.

Evie shifted her gaze to Eleanor. “You were here, years ago. You and the butler.”

Eleanor nodded.

“How did you become involved?” Evie asked.

“Twin babies were born to a young unwed mother. Sybil. I took her in. She had nowhere to go. The father refused to help or even acknowledge her.”

Eleanor Holstein had been an heiress herself. Wealthy enough to indulge in the independence she craved. “That’s where you know the doctor from.”

Eleanor nodded. “I can’t believe he’s still alive and kicking.”

She hadn’t just given shelter to an unwed mother. “You took one of the babies.”

“I had no idea there were two. I assume the doctor decided I could take one but would balk at the idea of taking two. Now I’m thinking he must have placed the other baby with another family.”

Gillian looked down at the newspaper she held.

“I saw Jerome Daniels the first time we went to the village,” Eleanor continued. “Then I found out he worked at Cloister Park. That surprised me. What surprised me the most is that he is… was the spitting image of his father.”

“The owner of Cloister Park.”

Eleanor nodded again. “I saw him a few times when I was here all those years ago.” Eleanor turned to Gillian. “I’m sorry dear, I should have told you earlier. You might have had a chance to meet him.”

Gillian Lawson and Jerome Daniels had been the threat.

Jerome Daniels was dead, and Gillian had come close to losing her life.

If the owner of Cloister Park had recognized them as his legal heirs…

Evie looked out the window. Their existence jeopardized someone else’s inheritance.

Arthur Pennington.

CHAPTER 12

Homeward bound

The Ostrich Inn

“Secrets,” Evie murmured.

“Evangeline, you could at least have waited for me before handing all the evidence on a silver platter to that ungrateful detective. I want to know… I need to know how he reacted to the news.”

“Henrietta, it was all suppositions. He did the real work by chasing down Arthur Pennington, interrogating him, and getting him to confess to killing Jerome Daniels because he threatened to snatch his inheritance away. There’s a fine art to it all, requiring a great deal of patience and perseverance. If I had to interrogate someone, I’m afraid I would resort to physical violence.”

Toodles drew everyone’s attention by saying, “I’m impressed with the doctor. He kept the secret all those years, and, what’s more, he remembered Eleanor.”

“What I don’t understand is how Arthur Pennington made the connection. How did he know?” Sara asked. “He’s practically the same age as Gillian and Jerome.”

“Know what, Sara?” Henrietta asked.

“That his uncle was Jerome Daniels’ father.”

“They looked the same,” Evie explained. “Then he saw Gillian and he knew it wasn’t a coincidence. According to the detective, he also recognized Eleanor. She writes under a pen name but the books carry her photo. He knew she always set her stories in whatever part of the world she happened to be living in. When he made the connection between Gillian and Jerome, he suspected she might be there to reveal everything to the world.”

Brazen shook his head. “We’re running out of normal and it ain’t coming back.”

Wilbur glared at his brother. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Brazen shrugged. “The world is going to hell in a hand basket.”

Wilbur leaned forward and growled, “You don’t answer one cryptic remark with another.”

Brazen rolled his eyes. “During the gold rush, men were lowered by hand in baskets down mining shafts to set explosives which could have deadly consequences. Secrets have consequences.”

“So, now that Arthur Pennington is going to jail, does that mean Gillian is the new heiress?” Sara asked.

Evie nodded. “She wants nothing to do with it. She definitely wants nothing from a man who failed to acknowledge her mother.”

Looking down at her hands, Evie wondered if Jerome’s death could have been prevented.

“We are headed home. Perhaps we should tie all loose ends now. I should hate to arrive and have to deal with unfinished business.” Evie smiled at Tom. “Do you have anything to say?”

Tom glared at his cousins. “I have plenty to say but I know it will all fall on deaf ears. Or should that be defiant ears?”

One by one, they stood up.

As they headed for the door, Evie said, “Can you all please head straight to Halton House. Tom and I are bringing up the rear.”

Tom nodded. “Woe to anyone who veers off course because the Countess and I will not come to your rescue.”

Brazen grinned. “You say that now, but we all know you’d rush to help us.”

I hope you enjoyed Murder in the Making.

Next in the series Murder at the Castle

OTHER BOOKS BY SONIA PARIN

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Murder in the Cards

Murder at the Seaside Hotel

Murder in the Third Act

Murder and a Christmas Gift

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Murder on the Run

Murder at the Hunt Ball

Murder at the Hunting Lodge

Murder at the Garden Party

Murder in the Stars

Winter Mayhem

Murder in the News

Fishing for Murder

Debutante Murder Plot

Murder in the Fields

Murder in the Chapel

Murder by the Book

Murder by the Holly

Murder on Target

Murder in the Making

Murder at the Car Races

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Be Still My Heart

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The Last Stop

The Last Dance

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Lights Out

Deadly Competition

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All Tied Up

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The Power of Two and a Half (novella)

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A Mackenzie Coven Mystery short

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Good Witch Hunting (Novella)

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