Chapter 10 – The Aftermath

Eleanor was sitting in an armchair in the drawing room. Her hands were clasped together in her lap. Miss Tessa had helped her change into a morning dress, but no one had bothered about her hair. It sat loose on her shoulders.

Lady Serrs-Comtess sat in the chair cater-corner to Eleanor’s. The baroness was sitting far enough forward, their knees were almost touching. Helena’s hands were resting on top of a cane that stood in front of her voluminous skirts. It was held as upright as its owner’s spine.

Aubrey-Serrs stomped around the room, pausing only to bellow at Haley or one of the many policemen that came to talk to the inspector. The room was cluttered with sounds and movements.

“Not the art. We’ve checked it.”

“Gems?”

“Taylor!”

“Are there any other safes, Your Grace?”

“What? No!”

“Any hiding places?”

“Sir, we’ve finished inspecting the third floor.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Taylor”—the duke waved his arm—“he needs you.”

“Yes, Inspector Haley?”

“Have you and Mrs. Park finished checking the silver?”

“We have, sir. It’s all accounted for.”

“Your Grace, please! Any other places you might have hidden money?”

“Leave me alone! I don’t know. Bah! They must have taken something.”

“What about private papers?”

The only pocket of quiet was around Eleanor. The stillness and silence she had adopted emanated from her far enough to enfold her aunt. No one and nothing coming in or out of the room could penetrate her impassivity.

She only moved when the sun shone through the window. The beam crept up her skirt and into her lap, creating an alien warmth on her clutched hands. She raised her face to look at the dawn.

Haley, who’d been stealing glances at her the whole morning, noticed her reaction. He stepped away from the other policemen.

“Lady Serrs?”

The baroness looked up at him, but Eleanor made no move to indicate she’d heard him.

“Lady Serrs?” he said louder.

Eleanor drew in a breath and turned away from the window. The room had gone quiet to listen to the one-sided exchange. She noticed everyone was watching her.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, lowering her eyes.

Lucas Haley looked around the room behind him. When his eyes fell on each of his men, they departed, one by one. Taylor was an expert at reading the room, as any good butler should be, so he also took his leave. The inspector was left alone with the members of the Serrs family.

Haley squatted so he would be level with Eleanor.

“Are you all right?”

She stared at him. He regretted his question the instant he saw the pain in her eyes. He took a breath and tried again.

“Lady Serrs…”

His mind cast around, trying to find a way to pry her from her shell without hurting her. There was something about the way she was sitting. Undecided. Nervous. It made him feel like there was something he needed to know.

He saw the tendons in the back of her hand flex as she tightened her fingers.

“…do…do you have something for me?”

Eleanor lifted her hand. It moved over the table between her and her aunt. The four people in the room were so quiet, they all heard the tiny chink of metal landing on the wood. Eleanor moved her hand to reveal a small gold ring.

Lady Helena put a hand on Eleanor’s arm.

Her father stormed in from the other side of the room. “What is that? What is that?” He grew louder the closer he came. “That’s a wedding band!”

Haley stood to face the duke. “Your Grace, please—”

“The sanctity of my home was destroyed—me and my men were assaulted—so tha-that thief could be…twee?! With me?!”

“Your Grace—”

“There you are, my girl!” the duke roared. “Congratulations! You’re finally engaged. Aren’t you proud? I wonder you preferred doing it this way, rather than mine, but god knows, you would do as you please!”

“Your Grace!” Haley shouted.

The duke, stunned, turned to face the inspector.

Haley took advantage of the silence to finish saying, “Your daughter didn’t do this. It’s not her fault.”

“It damn well is!”

“Erravold!” Helena snapped.

“No!” Her brother rounded on the baroness. “It damn well is, and I will scream it a thousand times until someone hears me! Eleanor, this is your fault!”

Through grit teeth, Haley said, “Penn is his own moral agent. He did it. This is his fault. Lady Serrs is not the cause, she’s the victim!”

“If she’s a victim, it’s only because she sits there and does nothing to help herself!”

Eleanor’s eyelids fluttered shut.

A sense of steel stole into the inspector’s face. Whatever thoughts and feelings were shut behind the metal mask, when he spoke, Haley’s voice was low and even: “Duke Aubrey-Serrs, I must ask you to leave.”

“What?” the duke cried. “Do you know who I am?”

“I thought I said your name clearly enough, Your Grace. Now, please leave. I need to talk to Lady Serrs alone.”

“You want me to leave you alone with my daughter?”

“Your daughter is twenty-three years old. She’s a grown woman, not a child.”

“You can’t order me around, Chief Inspector! This is my house!”

“I’m a duly appointed officer in Her Majesty and the Regent’s police force, and I’m investigating a crime. I have the authority here. I will be talking to my eyewitness alone. The only choice you have is if it’ll be done in your drawing room, or if I have to take Lady Serrs down to police headquarters.”

The duke stared at the inspector.

“Whichever you prefer, Your Grace.”

Still, the duke stood there, staring, as if he’d never seen Haley before—as if he wasn’t sure what to do.

Lady Serrs-Comtess rose to her feet with the aid of her cane. In a voice that harked back to a childhood where an older sister was always trying to guide her stubborn brother, she said, “Come on, Erravold. Let the policeman do his work. I’m sure he’ll talk to us before he leaves, and in the meantime, we can get some badly needed breakfast.”

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The duke hesitated. “You’ll talk to us?”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Haley assured him.

Aubrey-Serrs scowled, but he also dropped his head in a single nod. Then he turned to join the baroness. The cane clicked on the floor as she walked.

As they left the room, Haley heard the duke say, “Why are you carrying that thing, Helena?”

“I’m tired, Erravold.”

“You? Never.”

“Then maybe I’ll use it to hit your shins if you contradict me again.”

The door shut behind them, and their voices were cut off.

Haley took a breath before he turned back to Eleanor. He was not surprised to find there were tears on her face.

She still managed to whisper, “Thank you.”

He walked over and handed her his handkerchief. “There’s no need to thank me. I’m willing to bet I wanted the peace almost as much as you did.”

Haley dropped into the chair Lady Helena had abandoned and rubbed his face with his hand. When he was done, he let his hand rest there for several minutes, covering his eyes. The inspector hoped that the dearly bought peace might make Eleanor feel more comfortable.

When he finally removed his hand, she was trying to control the last of her sobs. He marveled at how she managed to cry so silently even when her emotions were powerful enough to shake her body.

She wiped her nose and eyes one last time. Without looking at him, she said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Haley.”

“You do not have to apologize for your father’s behavior.”

A hysterical laugh caught in her chest. “I am sorry about that, but that’s not what I was apologizing for.”

She glanced over, saw him watching her, and lowered her eyes again. “I’m sorry you had to see this.” She felt too drained to even motion to her face.

Haley seemed to understand anyway.

“Do you know what a policeman is, Miss Serrs? A stranger. An interloper. I’m the unwanted man that comes into people’s lives in their worst moments. I’ve seen a lot of terrible things, but the honest expression of emotion is not one of them. I’m not embarrassed, and I don’t think less of you.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you feel better?”

“Take a good cry, then you get on.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s something my old nanny used to say. Yes, Mr. Haley, I feel a little better. Hopefully, now I can be less useless.”

Haley frowned when he heard the comment, but he decided to leave it alone. He sat up in the chair. “Miss Serrs, I’d like you to tell me what happened. Everything you saw, everything he did, everything you heard. Try to take it one thing at a time, in as close to the right order as you can manage. Can you do that now, or do you need more time?”

“I think I can do that. Will you be patient with me?”

“Yes. Take as long as you need.”

Eleanor closed her eyes and composed her thoughts. As soon as she was focusing on the facts, it became easier. She took a breath and started to tell her story.

The inspector listened without making a sound. He didn’t want to risk doing anything that might interrupt the flow of her narration. It was too precise. When she told him what Penn had said, he knew it was a quote, not a rephrasing.

Haley knew she was done when she opened her eyes and looked at him.

As a matter of form, he said, “That’s everything?”

“Yes.”

“There was nothing else you saw or heard that struck you?”

She hesitated, then said, “No. Nothing.”