A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1)(56)
“But for all that exquisite material and equally exquisite workmanship, your clothes are two years behind fashion. The buttons have been recently replaced and the cuffs rewoven. Perhaps most tellingly, your shirt has a detachable collar. Lord Ingram, does your shirt have a detachable collar?”
“No,” said his lordship. “It does not.”
“Lord Ingram has no need of detachable collars because he can afford to launder dozens of entire shirts at a go. But a man who wears a detachable collar underneath a jacket made by one of London’s finest tailors—either he stole the jacket or his circumstances have been reduced. Since wages at the Metropolitan Police Force have not suffered a noticeable decline, one can only conclude that Mrs. Treadles’s income had been drastically cut and it seems reasonable to conclude that instead of a generous father, she now has a much less generous brother.
“With regard to her devotion to you . . . She is being punished for marrying down by that ghastly brother of hers, and yet you look impeccable—the care and skill that went into the repair of your garments nearly equals that which went into their creation. Whatever sacrifices she has had to make in the running of the household, she has made sure that they affect you as little as possible. If that is not love . . .”
Throughout her explanations, Inspector Treadles had to restrain his facial muscles from expressions of dismay and stupefaction—to have his domestic situation laid bare like this by a stranger, and before an esteemed friend, no less! But now he found himself fighting back unexpected tears.
“I am extraordinarily fortunate in Mrs. Treadles.”
“Yes, you are, Inspector,” said Miss Holmes, taking a sip of her tea.
Inspector Treadles did the same, to help recover from his sudden onset of sentiments. Dear Alice. Dear, dear Alice.
“Well, Inspector, do you feel more confident now that my brother’s abilities have not been diminished by his recent misfortune?”
Treadles wasn’t sure whether confident was the correct word. He was awed, as well as rattled. “I—yes, Miss Holmes.”
She smiled again. “Excellent. Let us proceed.”
Treadles gave a quick account of his investigation thus far. “After I left Lord Sheridan’s residence, I happened to run into Lord Ingram. Taking advantage of that, I requested his help in finding out what lay behind the estrangement between the brothers.”
“It took me a little longer to hunt down my quarry than I’d anticipated,” said Lord Ingram. “When I received word that you had telephoned, Inspector, I had just spoken to Lady Avery.”
“Lady Avery, of course,” said Miss Holmes. She turned to Treadles. “Lady Avery and her sister Lady Somersby are Society’s most accomplished gossips. They possess an encyclopedic knowledge of every affair, every snub, and every spat from the past fifty years. If anyone alive knows the reason for the estrangement, other than Lord Sheridan himself, it would be one of these ladies.”
“Unfortunately, even Lady Avery has never been privy to the particulars of that alienation,” said Lord Ingram. “She did, however, pinpoint the last time the brothers were seen together, which was in August of fifty-nine, twenty-seven years ago. The previous summer the Sheridans’ only child had died. For a year afterward the parents did not move in Society. That August marked their first outing at a house party. Lady Avery was there in person and remembered the brothers being very affectionate.
“Later that year she heard that Mr. Sackville had left for an extended stay in the south of France. She thought nothing of it. He was a wealthy bachelor and south of France a fashionable place. It was quite some time later that she noticed he had not returned. Then rumor had it that he did come back but not to the bosom of the family. She tried to pry some information out of Lady Sheridan, but Lady Sheridan was apparently in the dark as well. She was under the impression that Mr. Sackville had suffered severe personal trials and was hurt that he didn’t come to the family to seek comfort and succor, but rather shut himself away, locations unknown.
“And that was all she was able to tell me. That and something that may or may not be related to the case. Inspector, you said you had verified that Lord Sheridan had been in town throughout the time period of interest. But did you ask about Lady Sheridan’s movements?”
“No, I did not. It didn’t occur to me.”
“Lady Avery mentioned that she recently saw Lady Sheridan at Paddington Station, getting off a train by herself, without a maid in tow. She is sure that was the day Mr. Sackville died.”
Paddington Station served all points west of London, including Devon. It would be very interesting if Lady Sheridan’s travels had taken her to the vicinity of Stanwell Moot. But again, a tantalizing clue that did not amount to concrete evidence.
“Anything else, gentlemen?” asked Miss Holmes.
Inspector Treadles produced all the transcripts and reports that had been generated in the course of the investigation, from the inquest onward.
“I will take this to my brother. Please excuse me.”
They both rose as she departed. Lord Ingram remained on his feet and moved slowly about the room, examining the furnishing. Treadles, without thinking about it, reached for the notebook she had left behind.
It was new. And almost completely blank except a single word on the first page: Barrow-in-Furness, his place of origin, written in an unfamiliar hand.