“Lover then,” Mr. Fielding concluded. “Widowed Mrs. Hume had hidden depths.”
I could not picture the rather brittle Erica slipping off to meet a lover. Harriet, yes, and in fact I’d caught her with a man who might be such.
“One doesn’t ask another to look after a lover, though, does one?” I mused. “She’d bid me to tell him of her fate, or make certain he was well, but not look after him.”
“True,” Mr. Fielding said. “But she didn’t supply a surname, didn’t call him ‘Mr. Whomever.’ Perhaps she did keep a dog in secret, poor mutt.”
I and Cynthia would have to find out.
The lower railway station at the Crystal Palace was quiet, most of the guests already gone. I was happy to see Mr. Thanos, however, waiting for us.
His kind face fell as we told him of Erica’s death. “The poor woman.” Mr. Thanos shook his head, sadness in his dark eyes. “You must stop this person, Mrs. Holloway.”
“The police should,” Mr. Fielding said grimly. “Not that I have much use for the constabulary, but your pet inspector can unravel this case of poisoning now that it is obvious what happened.”
“Difficult to prove,” I told him, discouraged. “Unless the coroner finds it is definitely poison, and not simply bad food, they might rule it an accident. Many poisons mimic the symptoms of food gone off, and unless a coroner looks for a poison specifically, they won’t find it.”
Ever since poor Mr. Thanos had been laid low by a dose of poison, I’d read up on such things and how they were detected, in case the information would be useful in the future.
Mr. Fielding let out a harsh laugh. “Do remind me to avoid your cooking, Mrs. Holloway.”
“I would never spoil my own meals, Mr. Fielding,” I said, appalled.
He laughed again, but the sound was anything but mirthful.
We rode to London in silence, the four of us sharing a first-class compartment. Miss Townsend and Bobby had gone back before us, Mr. Thanos told us, and I found that I missed their company.
It was very late by the time we arrived at Victoria Station. Mr. Fielding and Mr. Thanos saw us home in a hired hackney, Mr. Thanos holding Cynthia’s hand a bit longer than necessary when he shook it to say good-bye.
Mr. Fielding’s roguish look returned as he waved Mr. Thanos back into the hackney, and I hoped he would not tease Mr. Thanos too much.
Cynthia entered the house through the front door one of the footmen held open for her, and I turned for the back stairs.
When I was halfway down, a voice whispered in the blackness, “Kat.”
He was there. I did not know how he’d come to be there or how he’d known I would need him, but I did not question.
As I halted on the steps, unable to move, Daniel came to me and enfolded me into his arms.
11
I hadn’t realized how much I’d longed for Daniel’s comfort until he stood against me in the darkness, his body a bulwark between me and the world.
He stroked my back, his breath warm on my cheek, and I clung to him while emotions chased one another in chaotic abandon.
“I’m so sorry, Kat.”
“It was not your fault.” My words were muffled by his shoulder. He smelled of warm wool, soap, and hint of the scent he’d worn earlier tonight.
“I mean for having to keep away from you. For behaving like a lout tonight and pretending you did not exist.”
“You were acting the part. I understand.” Daniel hadn’t released me, and I saw no reason to break his hold.
“This gentleman I’m pretending to be disgusts me. He’s a self-centered prig only interested in his own prestige. But it helps me get close to people.”
“Like the duke.”
I felt Daniel start. “How do you know who he is?”
“My dear Daniel, why do you ask these questions?”
His soft laughter vibrated beneath my ear. “I ought to know better. But please, keep this information to yourself.”
“Do you think I would not? But what am I to do?” I held him more tightly. “That poor young woman died, Daniel, and I could not stop it.”
“I know, love. But there was nothing you could have done.”
“No?” My head popped up. “I could have stayed at Lady Covington’s house and browbeaten the lot of them until I found out who was trying to poison her. Instead, fearing for my position if I stayed too long, I fled home and sent Lady Cynthia to worm her way into Lady Covington’s family’s confidence. Cynthia could have been the one to eat the poisoned food. Lady Covington might very soon be next—and what about any other unfortunate who eats or drinks something meant for her?”
Daniel clasped my hands between us. “Dearest Kat, what do you expect to do? You must earn your living, and Cynthia is no fool—she knows how to take care of herself.”
“Even so, I had no business sending her. I doubted myself as soon as I asked her, but there was no stopping her then.”
“Take heart, love. Now that this terrible thing has happened, the police will be involved. No coroner will let the sudden death of a healthy young woman go unquestioned. There will be an inquest. If it is ruled a deliberate poisoning, Scotland Yard may well be called in, and Inspector McGregor will be interested. You need not worry about this any longer—in fact, I wish you would leave it alone.” Daniel shuddered. “If someone came to me to tell me gently that you had been poisoned . . .” His grip tightened. “I’m not certain what I would do.”
I stilled, hearing the catch in his voice, feeling the answering squeeze in my heart.
“If the police become involved, they will simply blame the cook,” I said with conviction. “She prepared the hamper of comestibles the family ate on the train. I know that anyone in the house could have drizzled a substance onto the scones or the cake. But the police will say the cook did it accidentally, reaching for the wrong bottle. At best, she’ll lose her job, and at worst, they’ll arrest her.”
“I can have a word with McGregor. He’s not one to fix blame until he knows exactly what happened.”
“Only if Inspector McGregor is assigned the case. A cook adding the wrong ingredient to a dish won’t gain much priority at Scotland Yard, I’ll wager.”
“Possibly not, but my point is that you have no need to look into this further.” Daniel studied my face and heaved a resigned sigh. “Not that you will listen to me. This is dangerous.”
“Oh, is it? What about chumming up to a duke who might be funding assassins?” I whispered the last, and Daniel’s eyes widened.