I did hope that they would be able to find a way to enjoy each other’s company, however. Milo, though he would never admit such a thing, had no doubt felt the void of family connections in his life. It would do him good to have a brother.
“I heard there was some excitement at the festival,” Darien said as he took a seat.
I was a bit surprised he had brought it up. Then again, perhaps it was his roundabout way of inquiring after Marena.
“Yes, Bertie Phipps was murdered,” I said, watching his face. “The verdict was given at the inquest this morning.”
I looked at his nose and the corner of his mouth, noticing there was no permanent damage from his altercation with Bertie.
He must have noticed my searching gaze, for he smiled. “If he went around hitting people, I imagine he had plenty of enemies.”
“I spoke to Marena,” I said, ignoring his quip. “She’s very distressed about Bertie’s death and said she needs some time before she sees you again.”
He took the news as one might expect: with a show of amused indifference. “If that’s what she wants.”
I hadn’t meant to bring it up, but irritation was beginning to rise again, and suddenly I felt that the question couldn’t be avoided. “In the meantime, don’t you think you should speak to Imogen?”
“I suppose I should. The sooner that’s out of the way, the better.”
I tried to tamp down my anger. He was treating the young woman abominably, but I had the feeling that he would not respond well to being lectured. He seemed to enjoy saying and doing things for the shock they would cause, so the best course of action seemed to be to remain unfazed by his brazen behavior.
“You don’t mean to continue your relationship with her then?” I asked calmly.
Darien looked up. “I thought I had made that plain.”
“It wasn’t plain to her,” I said, just barely keeping from clenching my teeth in an attempt to refrain from telling him what I really thought of his behavior.
He shrugged. “It was all a lark. She knew it as well as I did.”
“She was very distraught when she came here.”
He seemed to sense that I was getting angry and apparently decided that he had had enough of goading me toward it. “I appreciate that you’re indignant on her behalf,” he said with apparent sincerity, “but you’ve been taken in by her. Imogen comes off as a sweet, innocent girl, but that’s not how she really is. If you’ll pardon my saying it, I certainly wasn’t the first young man she’s had a lark with.”
“That’s enough,” Milo said mildly.
Darien looked over at his brother. “Have I said something shocking? I would have thought any wife of yours would be accustomed to scandalous talk.”
There was the faintest flicker of irritation in Milo’s eyes for a brief instant, and then it was gone, replaced by that mask he so often used, the cool, expressionless one it was so difficult to see behind.
“There’s no need to discuss your escapades with my wife,” he said.
“You’ll recall that she brought it up,” Darien said lightly. “But as you wish, dear brother. I didn’t come here to offend. After all, we’re family.”
Though the words sounded pleasant, I knew that they had been designed to irritate Milo further. This time Milo showed not even a glimmer of annoyance. Darien would have to work a bit harder if he wanted to push Milo to some sort of outburst; Milo was too skilled at hiding his emotions to give his brother that particular satisfaction.
There was a sudden tap on the door. We all turned to see Grimes standing in the doorway.
“Excuse me, Mr. Ames, but Inspector Wilson has just arrived. He’s requested to see you at once. I told him you had company, but he says it’s most urgent.”
I suddenly had an uneasy feeling.
“Show him in,” Milo said.
Grimes left, and I looked at Darien. He had affected an almost bored expression, but I thought there was a certain tension in his shoulders as Grimes returned a moment later with the inspector in tow.
“Good afternoon, Inspector,” Milo said. “What can we do for you?”
The inspector looked more uneasy than any of us. Hat in hand, he glanced around the room, before his gaze came back to Milo. “Good afternoon, Mr. Ames. I’m afraid my errand isn’t a pleasant one.”
“Oh?”
He turned to look at me for a moment, as though he was expecting me to take my leave. I looked back at him, a genial expression on my face.
At last he seemed to realize that I wasn’t going to leave the men to their discussion, and he cleared his throat. “I’ve come to talk to you about the death of Bertie Phipps.”
Milo nodded. “I thought as much. Would you like to have a seat, Inspector?”
Inspector Wilson cast his eyes around at the expensively upholstered furniture and shook his head. “I’d just as soon stand, Mr. Ames. I won’t be staying long.”
“Very well.”
Inspector Wilson cleared his throat. “As you know, the verdict of the inquest was murder.”
Milo nodded.
“This afternoon, a witness came forward, someone who could place a suspect at the scene of the crime.”
Lady Alma must have decided to go to the police then. I hadn’t thought her evidence enough to make Mrs. Hodges a definite suspect, but perhaps Inspector Wilson felt differently.
A thought occurred to me. “But weren’t we all at the scene of the crime, so to speak?” I asked. “After all, it happened not very far from the festival.”
“That’s true, Mrs. Ames, but I’m speaking a bit more specifically than that.” He didn’t elaborate but instead turned back to Milo. “Rumor has it that you’ve got a brother who’s recently come to the village.”
“I have a half brother, yes,” Milo said. He admitted that much and nothing more, didn’t even bother to indicate Darien, who was watching the conversation with interest.
Inspector Wilson, however, had turned to look at Darien. It was clear enough who he must be; that resemblance was unmistakable. “This is the young man in question, I take it?”
Darien rose from his seat then, giving the inspector an overly polite bow of his dark head. “Darien Ames, at your service.”
“Mr. Ames, it’s come to my attention that you were quarreling with Mr. Phipps not long before he was killed. In fact, the altercation came to blows. Is that true?”
Darien passed a hand across his jaw. “It came to a blow. Just one. Bertie Phipps hit me, but I declined to return the favor.”
“But you threatened to kill him, didn’t you?”
There seemed to be a shift in the atmosphere, and I realized that something serious was happening here, something that had nothing to do with Mrs. Hodges. I glanced at Milo, but his gaze was resting on Darien, his expression intent.
Darien shrugged, still maintaining his air of confidence. “I might have said something to that effect. One often does in the heat of the moment. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Were you at the festival yesterday?” Inspector Wilson asked.
“No. Marena … Miss Hodges said it would be better if I didn’t come.”
“And yet you were seen crossing the field where Bertie Phipps’s body was found around the time when he must have been murdered.”