Murder Most Austen (23 page)

At this, Ian shifted awkwardly in his seat and focused on tracing the embossed crest on his beer stein with his forefinger. “Well, it’s funny you should say that,” he began, “but Valerie actually was able to arrange something with the organizers—”

Gail cut him off. Leaning forward with an abruptness usually associated with a prodding from a hot poker, she said in the steely I-am-displeased voice employed by all mothers, “Are you kidding me? You are going to actually charge people money to hear that paper? Money that will no doubt end up lining Alex’s silk pockets? What on earth are you thinking?”

Ian’s face flushed and his shoulders hunched up toward his ears, and I had a sudden image of him as a little boy, squirming in embarrassment after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Ian opened his mouth to defend himself, but it was Valerie, who had finally arrived, who responded in a cool voice, “Gail, don’t be silly. The proceeds from the event will be split between us and Alex. Trust me, I wouldn’t have bothered to set it up if it was only going to benefit Alex.”

Ian said nothing and instead watched his mother, trying to gauge her reaction to this news. Gail rhythmically tapped her middle finger on the table in a manner both contemplative and irritated. Valerie watched her, unconcerned. “How much are you charging?” Gail finally asked.

“Twenty pounds,” Valerie answered.

“Twenty pounds!” Gail replied, shocked. “But that’s absurd! No one in their right mind is going to shell out that kind of money to hear Jane Austen’s life reduced to smutty innuendo.”

Valerie produced a catlike smile. “They already have fifty people signed up.” She practically purred with satisfaction.

“They do?” replied Gail. “But how? Alex only gave the go-ahead on the paper not thirty minutes ago.”

Valerie’s self-satisfied smile only increased. I half expected her to start grooming herself with the back of her hand. “I spoke with the organizers earlier today and told them I was pretty sure that I could convince Alex to present the paper as planned. They realized, as did I, that there might be increased interest in the paper now. Of course, I have also arranged to have copies of the latest issue of
Austen Forever
on sale in the back.”

Ian stared at Valerie. From the way his lips pressed together and the muscles along his jawline bunched, I suspected that he found her casual avarice as reprehensible as I did. But then again, what did I know? After all, he’d married her. Maybe he had a thing for cold-blooded, grasping women. Maybe she made him feel alive, much in the same way that a corpse did for regular folks.

Gail’s reaction to Valerie was easier to read. She disliked the idea of promoting Richard’s paper, even if indirectly. However, she was not so disinterested that she was going to walk away from a chance to make some money. “I see,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “Well, I will leave that to you, then. I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to attend the presentation.”

Valerie gave a curt nod. “I agree. Ian and I will be happy to man the table, as it were. Won’t we, Ian?” She looked to Ian for confirmation and then seemed to notice Izzy’s and Cora’s presence. I wondered if Valerie had some kind of undiagnosed affliction that affected her vision. She certainly seemed to notice things and people only when they were shoved right in front of her face.

Her mouth twisted in displeasure. “Cora, Izzy,” Valerie said. “What a surprise. I certainly didn’t expect to see you here. But then, now that I stop to think about it, I don’t know why I would be surprised. You two seem to always be here. I wonder why that is?”

Cora flushed at Valerie’s words, but Izzy did not. Instead, she regarded Valerie with an expression of such lofty condescension that even Lady Catherine would have been impressed.

“My mother and I joined our friends for a drink,” Izzy said. “I really don’t understand what aspect of that is confusing for you, Valerie.”

Valerie pulled her thin shoulders back and regarded Izzy with an icy stare. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said in a glacial voice to match the stare. “Perhaps I thought that a woman with any breeding might realize that, given the rather damning circumstances surrounding my father-in-law’s death, it might be prudent for you and your mother to remain at your own hotel.”

A coy smile spread over Izzy’s face. “Perhaps you haven’t had the advantage of moving in society enough,” she said, her tone faintly sympathetic. “There are many very accomplished young ladies among
our
acquaintance who would see no problem with an innocent woman visiting a friend at her hotel.”

Valerie’s eyes narrowed to angry slits, and her skin turned a mottled red. “You know what you are, Izzy Beadle? You’re nothing but a man-crazy b—”

Ian jumped out of his chair just in time to stop Valerie from completing her thought, which was a wise move. In a fight between Valerie and Izzy, my money would be on Izzy. As Ian hustled Valerie out of the bar, Gail turned to Izzy. “You have an extraordinary ability to discompose my daughter-in-law, Miss Beadle,” she said.

Without missing a beat, Izzy shot back, “And she has an extraordinary ability to piss me off, ma’am, for which I find it hard to forgive.”

Gail’s expression did not change, but I could have sworn that I saw the faintest sparkle of laughter in her eyes.

“Gail, I’m sorry,” sputtered Cora, shooting Izzy a quelling look. “Izzy didn’t mean to be rude. She’s just trying to defend me.”

Gail only nodded, then rose from her chair. “Her loyalty does her credit,” she said. “Well, ladies, it’s been a long day. I’m going to head up to my room. I’m sure I will see you all again later.” With a polite nod, she turned and left the bar.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Cora rounded on Izzy. “What is your problem? Why do you feel compelled to attack Valerie at every turn?”

Izzy glared at Cora. “Are you kidding me? I was defending you! She practically accused you of murder, and here you are defending her!”

“I am not defending her,” Cora said. “But please don’t use her suspicions about me as an excuse for your nastiness to her. You have never liked her and have never bothered to disguise that fact. Richard’s murder and the police’s suspicion about me have nothing to do with that animosity.” Izzy opened her mouth to defend herself, but Cora cut her off. “Gail is my friend. And as such, I will not let you bad-mouth her daughter-in-law in public or in private.”

Izzy’s mouth twisted into an angry pucker. Folding her arms across her chest, she exhaled a heavy, dramatic sigh and muttered, “Yes, we wouldn’t want to upset Valerie, now would we?”

Cora glared at her. “No, as a matter of fact, we wouldn’t.”

“Why?” demanded Izzy. “Would you please tell me why in the name of God you feel it necessary to try and placate a woman as worthless as Valerie Baines?”

Cora held her ground for all of three seconds before her shoulders collapsed. With a heavy sigh, she said, “Because she knows about the money.”

CHAPTER 21

Everything is to be got with money.

—MANSFIELD PARK

“M
ONEY? WHAT MONEY?”
demanded Izzy.

Cora stared at the floor, unable to meet Izzy’s gaze. “The money from the Jane Austen Society. I was in charge of it. I don’t know what happened to it exactly, but about three thousand dollars of it went missing.”

Izzy stared at her mother, dumbfounded. “Are you telling me that you embezzled money from the society?”

“Of course I didn’t embezzle it!” Cora shot back indignantly. “I just don’t know—precisely—what happened to it.”

“Wait. You just lost three thousand dollars? How did that happen?” Izzy asked. “Dear God, I know you can be absentminded at times, but how does a person lose three thousand dollars?” Aunt Winnie and I were curious to hear her answer as well.

Cora sighed. “I don’t know how it happened. For last year’s festival, Gail asked me to participate in a giveaway. All Jane Austen members were eligible to participate, even if they weren’t able to attend the festival. They bought an advance ticket and then were entered into a drawing for various prizes. The proceeds went to both the magazine and the societies that participated. Somehow, though, a large portion of my money went missing.”

Izzy leaned forward. “What do you mean, it went missing? How?”

Cora looked up, her expression both embarrassed and baffled. “That’s just it. I don’t understand how it went missing. I had the check with all the tickets and papers and then … it was gone.”

“So someone stole it, then?” asked Aunt Winnie.

Cora shook her head. “No. I delivered all the paperwork myself. Valerie called me soon after to ask where the check was. That’s when I realized that I must have lost it. I felt terrible and, of course, offered to replace the money. Valerie was understandably upset, but she was fair about it. Of course, I didn’t have three thousand dollars that I could just hand over, so I paid back what I could. For the remaining balance, Valerie deducted it from the money I got for my monthly articles to
Forever Austen.
As a favor to me, Valerie said that she wouldn’t mention it to Gail.”

Izzy leaned back in her chair and regarded Cora with a look of utter astonishment. “So you’re telling me that you’ve been writing articles for
Forever Austen
—for free—for this past year, and have been kowtowing to Valerie as well, because you lost the check?”

Cora nodded. “I know you don’t like Valerie, but really, she could have made it very difficult for me. I might have lost my position in the Jane Austen Society.”

“Tell me, Cora,” asked Aunt Winnie, “did anyone ever cash the check?”

Cora lifted her hands in a helpless gesture. “I don’t know. Probably. It was a cashier’s check.”

No one spoke. I glanced at Aunt Winnie. She gave a minuscule shake of her head. Izzy let out a heavy sigh. Cora resumed her study of the carpet. “You all must think me an idiot,” she said after a moment.

“Oh, I think you’re an idiot, all right,” replied Izzy, getting to her feet, “but not for the reasons you think. I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts that Valerie took that check herself and convinced you that you’d lost it. You really are Uncle Billy, and she’s Mr. Potter! I can’t believe you allowed yourself to be conned like this!”

Cora gaped at Izzy in astonishment. “Izzy! You can’t be serious! Why on earth would Valerie steal that check? It doesn’t make any sense!”

Izzy shut her eyes in frustration. “Of course it does, Mama. This is Valerie we’re talking about. She’s a money-grubbing bottom-feeder with the morals of one of Wickham’s baser cousins. She played you, clear and simple. Dear God, I thought I hated her before—but now I really want to strangle her!”

“Izzy!” cried Cora, getting to her feet as well. “I’ll not have you speak that way—”

“I think she might have a point, Cora,” interrupted Aunt Winnie. “I hate to say it, but the story does sound like a con of sorts.”

Cora turned to Aunt Winnie, her face now displaying fresh embarrassment. “You really think she lied to me about the check? But why?”

“Who knows?” said Aunt Winnie. “But the whole thing sounds a bit suspicious, especially the part about her not telling Gail. Do you really believe that Gail would have tried to discredit you to the society? Does that sound like her? I thought you two were friends.”

Cora stared at Aunt Winnie in silence for several seconds. “Oh, I’ve been quite the old fool, haven’t I?” she said. Tears welled up in her eyes. “At least Harold wasn’t here to see this. He used to get so mad at me at times. ‘How can you be so naïve?’ he’d yell. Well, he’d certainly have reason to yell this time.”

Izzy moved to Cora and pulled her into her arms. Holding her now weeping mother close, she murmured, “Now, Mama. Don’t be silly. Daddy loved you, in spite of your naïveté. Actually, I think that might be part of your charm. It’s Valerie who should feel ashamed, not you. Oh, I’m going to have quite a little chat with her. I think I’m rather going to enjoy it, actually.”

Cora’s eyes grew wide, and she pulled back from Valerie. “Oh, please don’t say anything, Izzy. Don’t! Promise me you won’t say anything!”

Izzy stared uncomprehendingly at Cora. “But why not? She scammed you! You can’t let this go—you aren’t actually thinking about letting this go, are you?”

Cora violently shook her head, her expression suddenly fearful. “But I can’t prove anything. It would be her word against mine.” Her voice rose in consternation. “What if Gail believes Valerie? Do you realize how horrible I would look?”

Izzy sighed. “Settle down, Mama. Settle down,” she said soothingly. “We’ll figure it out. Later. For now, why don’t we go back to our hotel? I think you need to go to bed.”

Cora nodded in agreement before bowing her head. “I’m sorry, Izzy. I should have told you before.”

A fond expression replaced Izzy’s exasperated one as she stared at the top of Cora’s lowered head. “It’s all right, Mama,” she said, softly. “It’s not your fault. We’ll set it right.”

Taking Cora’s arm, Izzy steered her toward the exit. “Elizabeth, Winnie,” she said, “we’re going to head back to our hotel now. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Good night, Izzy. Good night, Cora,” I said.

“We’ll talk to you in the morning,” added Aunt Winnie.

With a backward glance, Izzy rolled her eyes expressively in my direction, and left.

CHAPTER 22

Money can only give happiness where there is nothing else to give it.

—SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

I
TURNED TO AUNT WINNIE.
“Do you believe that? Do you really think that Valerie stole the money and then tried to blame Cora? Why would she do that?”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” said Aunt Winnie. “I mean, it’s obvious that Valerie likes money, but would she really steal it?” She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. I did the same.

“Well, I don’t see what can be done about that now,” I said. “I mean, Cora is right. There is no proof, and Valerie could just pretend that she was trying to help Cora pay back the debt in the least painful way.”

“Yes. The least painful way, which, oddly enough, still netted Valerie a few thousand dollars and a free monthly column for the magazine,” Aunt Winnie pointed out.