The Unwanted Heiress (22 page)

“Yes, but I was
not in it at the time.”

“Indeed, Your Grace,” Clark replied evasively. “I
have taken a look at the vehicle in question.” His brown eyes stared flatly at Nathaniel. “Do you recognize this?” He held up an oddly-shaped knife with a nearly oval blade.

“Yes,
it is a hoof knife—for shaping horses’ hooves. Nearly everyone with a horse has one. What of it?”

“It was found on the floor of the carriage.
” The runner explained.

“
Well, it isn’t mine.”

“No, we’ve already ascertained that fact. It appears
to be from Lord Dacy’s stables,” Clark said.

“
I didn’t take it.”

“But you had the opportunity when you and your uncle mounted your horses for your little ride.”

“Anyone could have picked it up. That proves nothing,” Gaunt asserted.

The runner nodded and wrapped the knife carefully in a handkerchief before placing it in his pocket. “The lads in the stables claimed one of the grooms, a man called Smythe, had it last.”

“Did you speak to him?” Nathaniel asked.

“Of course. I know my duty, Your Grace. He claimed to have put it away with the other grooming devices this afternoon.”

“Again,” Gaunt said. “That proves nothing.”

“I understand the young victim’s family has been notified and will come to claim her remains?” Mr. Clark continued.

“I suppose—” Nathaniel eyed him coldly.

Dacy interrupted. “I left orders for word to be sent to her parents. We will provide a carriage to take her to their house after the coroner is done.
”

“
And you are?”

“Lord Dacy. This is my house.”

“So it is.” Clark turned back to Nathaniel. “Would you like to relate what happened?”

“I don’t know, damn it!” Nathaniel said with exasperation, running a hand through his hair. “My brother-in-law hosted a ball here this evening. I attended. Then, my uncle and I left, ah, for a breath of fresh air.”

The runner pulled his small notebook from his jacket pocket. “What time was this, Your Grace?”

“Two
AM.” Archer answered. “We took a brief ride before returning here.”

“What time did you return?”

“Shortly before four,” Nathaniel replied.

The officer nodded and wrote the time down. “And then what occurred?”

“I called for my coachman, Lansbury,” Nathaniel said. “He brought the coach around, and I climbed inside. That is when I found her.”

“Begging your pardon, Your Grace, but why did you
not simply return home on horseback since you were already riding?”

“Because my carriage was here.”

“So you had a carriage and a horse here?”

“Well, no. I came by carriage this evening. To attend the ball.”

“And you, Mr. Archer, how did you arrive?”

“By carriage, naturally, since I escorted my wife and ward, Miss Haywood.”

“And they took your carriage home, I presume?”

“Ah, no. Miss Haywood took the carriage earlier because she was feeling unwell.”

“Then, your wife is still here?”

“No,” Dacy interjected. “I sent Lady Victoria home in my carriage.”

“And that is when you, Mr. Archer, and Your Grace decided to take a ride? At night? In the middle of this ball?”

What a convoluted mess.

God knows he was squirming inside, but Nathaniel grimly kept his eyes steady on the runner’s lined face and smiled. “It was—”

“We had a small wager, if you must know,” Archer inserted smoothly. “And
I will thank you to keep it quiet. Lady Vee does not approve of my wagers.”

“
I see. And what was the wager?”

“That since I am smaller and lighter than His Grace, not to mention a much better rider, that I could beat him in a race from here to St. James park
and back.”

The runner sighed. “Why would you do this at two in the morning while you were both attending an event hosted by your brother-in-law?”

“Because we made the wager during the ball.” Archer said. “Naturally, it was imperative we come to a decision expeditiously. By riding at night, we could be assured of as little interference along our route as possible.”

Nathaniel stared in admiration at Archer. His tale sounded almost reasonable.

“So, since both of you men came in carriages, and made this, ahem, wager while you were attending this event, I must inquire as to whose horses you used?”

“Most likely mine,” Dacy said, his tone aggrieved.
“Tell me you did not lame my two best mounts—”

“Of course we didn’t!” Archer replied. “I would never lame a horse.”

A low chuckle escaped from the runner. He shook his head and wrote a few more notes in his book.

“So, Your Grace, upon your return, you called for your carriage?”

“Yes. Lansbury brought it around. When I climbed inside, I found the girl. We immediately sent for you.”

He studied Nathaniel. “By the way,” he asked casually. “Who won the wager?”

Archer shook his head. “I am afraid my nephew had the honor.”

After a moment of speechless shock at his uncle’s surprising decision to lose a wager they
had not even placed, Nathaniel grinned. At least he tried to grin. His face felt like rock.

Archer had stretched the truth, and if the runner found out, it would not help Nathaniel prove his innocence. Not at all.

“Just a few more questions, Your Grace. Did you wear the apparel you have on now to the ball?”

“
These? Good heavens, no.”

“Where are the clothes you wore?”

“Here, I….” Nathaniel picked up the portmanteau. “They are stained, I am afraid.”

“They would be, would
they not?” the runner replied softly. “May I look at them?”

Nathaniel
slowly pulled the bundle out. The garments were stiff with dried blood. The runner picked them up and examined them, his expression growing more grim.

“I sat in the coach before I realized she was there,”

Nathaniel hastened to explain. “I did not know. It was dark, and I had no way of knowing…. That is to say, the seat was soaked and I did not see it in the dark.”

“There
is blood on the cuffs,” the runner noted.

“Yes. When I saw there was someone in the carriage with me, I touched her shoulder. I thought she had fallen asleep waiting for me.”

“Waiting for you?” Clark’s gaze sharpened. “Then this was an assignation?”

“
No, not at all. I was not expecting her to be there. These females—they do that. They have been hiding in all sorts of places. I dare not enter a room without sending in a footman first to search the place.” The words spilled out. Nathaniel clamped his mouth shut, but the damage was already done. Everyone stared at him.

“I see. These females have been making a nuisance of themselves, have they? Like Lady Anne, perhaps?
” Clark asked.

“
No—yes—that is, they have been an utter plague if you want the truth. But I did not kill anyone. I touched her to awaken her, and she fell over onto the floor. I thought she might have fainted. When I checked, I realized she hd been murdered.”

“Mr. Clark,” Gaunt interrupted smoothly. He moved over to where the Bow Street runner was standing, holding up the discolored clothing. “If you will note, the largest stains are on the seat of the breeches. In addition, take a closer look at the cuffs. Fresh blood, as you must be aware, has a tendency to soak rapidly into material such as this linen shirt
and yet, instead of saturating the fabric, it is clotted and smeared.”

“But look here, Mr. Gaunt,
it is soaked through right enough on his right cuff. Which incidentally, would most likely be the hand he used to pull the hoof knife across her throat.” Mr. Clark shook his head. “Poor girl.”

“Yes, the fabric has absorbed a little, but even you can see it is dark and thick. It was already starting to coagulate when the linen came in contact with her blood.”

“The blood on his breeches has completely gone through,” the runner pointed out persistently.

“Yes. Because he sat on a cushion saturated with it.
He did not know what had happened. Only a fool or remarkably incompetent murderer would sit down in a pool of their victim’s blood, and then keep their clothes to exhibit to the investigators. His Grace is neither, I assure you.

“So, we must think more deeply on how this could have occurred. The female probably did secret herself in His Grace’s carriage, hoping to escape notice until it was too late. She obviously hoped he would then be forced to do the honorable thing and marry her.
However instead of His Grace, another person climbed into the carriage after her, before she could get seated.

“
This person was behind the girl and pulled her head back to slash her throat, spraying the seats with blood. Then this person pushed the dying girl into the corner, climbed out of the carriage, and closed the door, “ Gaunt continued. “This monster would most assuredly have blood on their cuffs, but the girl’s dress and body would have kept the main effusion of fluid from staining the killer’s clothing. So in fact, the person you seek may have a stained cuff, but the rest of his garments should be fairly clean.”

“And who do you suppose this person might be?
” Clark asked.

“
That is the mystery, I am afraid, and the one which needs resolution. I am convinced of the innocence of His Grace. I will admit that a long delay in finding the man responsible will most likely bring this affair to an unhappy conclusion. However it is the discovery of the truth which remains important to us all,” Gaunt said with masterful calm.

The runner nodded in agreement. “With two ladies dead and His Grace present at both affairs, it
will be difficult and ticklish. I understand he knew both ladies and may have shown some interest in them. Or impatience with their attentions, depending upon the person you interview. In fact, he was seen leaving the gardens in haste after the unhappy discovery of Lady Anne.”

“There were others in the gardens—I was
not the only one. In fact, Miss Haywood gave me a list of guests who were in the gardens,” Nathaniel said.

“That goes without saying, Your Grace. And
I would be very interested in your list,” Gaunt replied in his dry tone. “But, you were there, as well. Did anyone see you?”

“Miss Haywood. I was with Miss Haywood in the gardens—”

“The entire time?” Gaunt asked.

“No,” Nathaniel admitted unhappily. “Not all the time. But I was with her. She can attest to my innocence.” Except during the period when he had been running from
Lady Anne. The crucial time. Or tonight when he found Miss Mooreland in his carriage. “At least she can prove I had no blood on me after Lady Anne’s death.”

“And where is this young lady, Your Grace?” the runner asked.

“I—uh, I am not sure. That is, she should be home with my aunt, Lady Victoria.”

“We shall certainly question the young lady again,” the runner said, writing the name in his black book.

“Now, regarding the Lady Anne. Did you escort Lady Anne into the gardens the night of her death?”

“No, I did not.”

“But you did show a marked interest in the young lady, did you not, Your Grace? Until she started pursuing you?”

“No more than any other of the hundreds of females I
have met this Season,” Nathaniel stated. “In fact, if you want the truth, I was trying to avoid them all.” He appreciated Cheery Gaunt’s remarks, but he wasn’t going to just stand back and do nothing.

“So, you might have been upset by her interest in you, I gather. Upset enough to dispose of the young lady?
”

“
Certainly not. I wasn’t considering the young lady one way or the other.”

“And why was that?”

“If you must know, I have been trying to fix my interest with Miss Haywood.”
What the hell am I doing
? He glanced at Archer to see him smiling blandly in his direction.

“Indeed,” the runner replied. He didn’t appear impressed by the information. “Then these other young ladies might have presented difficulties to you? Perhaps they made Miss Haywood jealous enough to refuse you?”

“Certainly not! I am sure she was not even aware of them.”

The runner and Cheery both laughed at this.

“There is not a woman alive who wouldn’t be aware of her competition,” Cheery murmured.

Nathaniel glared at him. If this was his notion of assistance, Nathaniel would do better without him. His temper rose. “She did
not have anything to do with these events, I can assure you.”

“
I am certain that is true enough,” the runner said, still smiling. “Well, I will conclude my questioning for tonight. You indicated you are sending the poor lady to her family?”