The Swordmaster's Mistress: Dangerous Deceptions Book Two(26)
‘Who, exactly, has murdered your husband, Lady Northam?’ It was a new voice, elderly, precise, dry as old bones.
They turned as one to face the door and Twite hurried into the room on the very coat-tails of the stranger. ‘I am sorry, Lady Northam, but Mr Runcorn insisted… Mr Runcorn the Coroner, my lady.’
‘Mr Runcorn.’ There had to be some etiquette for this, something in the rules of manners for Receiving the Coroner as your husband lies poisoned just along the corridor. Guin felt the wild bubble of laughter rising inside her and closed her eyes against the longing to simply give way.
‘Be assured, sir, that if we did know that we would have informed the nearest magistrate by now,’ Jared said coolly.
It gave her the moment’s grace she needed to quell the hysteria. Guin opened her eyes and stood up. ‘Someone has been harassing me with attacks. This is Mr Hunt, employed by my husband to investigate. He had concluded that the attacks were too random and too ineffectual to be actual attempts on my life and both my husband and I agreed with him. It appears we were all wrong.’ And she had been wrong to turn on Jared like that. He could not have prevented this.
‘My condolences, Lady Northam. Mr Hunt, did you make the discovery?’
‘No. I was at my home in Great Ryder Street. A footman was sent to rouse me with the news. Doctor Felbrigg was already here when I arrived.’
‘Who did discover his lordship?’
‘His valet, Tonkin,’ Guin said. ‘He sent word to me and I went immediately to my husband’s room. I saw at once that he was dead. Mr Runcorn, will you not take a chair?
‘Thank you no, my lady. I will go into the bedchamber now and view the deceased. Has anything been disturbed in the room?’
‘I believe Tonkin threw back the bed covers in his efforts to discover what was wrong. The doctor may have moved my husband’s… my husband. Nothing else has been touched except a window being opened just now and a chair and screen moved so I could sit down.’
‘I found the silver paper squares that had held marchpane sweetmeats on the floor by the bed. It appears Lord Northam had eaten them last night. I picked them up. Doctor Felbrigg assisted me and he then placed them, and the remaining sweetmeat, in a box which he now has in his possession,’ Jared said. ‘They came from this box here. We were just discussing securing it to await your arrival.’ He looked across at Guin. ‘May her ladyship retire with her maid to her room? She has sustained an appalling shock and should be lying down.’
‘I have no objection to Lady Northam retiring to a drawing room, but I have questions – ’
‘Her Grace the Duchess of Calderbrook, my lady,’ Twite pronounced.
Sophie swept in past the men without looking to left or right, flung her arms around Guin and hugged her tight. ‘Oh, Guinevere, my dear. I am so very sorry! Tell me what I can do – if you want to come back with me, or I can stay, or if you wish me to go to the devil because you want to be alone, I will take myself off.’
‘You are so kind.’ Guin bit her lower lip until the pressing urge to simply flee with Sophie subsided a little. ‘Being alone is unlikely to be possible, just at the moment. Doctor Felbrigg is here, and Mr Hunt, as you can see, and this gentlemen is Mr Runcorn the Coroner.’
Sophie gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze and turned. ‘Doctor Felbrigg, I am sorry to see you on such a melancholy occasion when only a week past you were dining with us. And Jared, I came as soon as I heard from you.’ Guin realised what she was doing, establishing the credentials of the two men to the Coroner as intimates of a duke and duchess. In the case of the doctor it was probably unnecessary, but it could only help where Jared was concerned.
‘Mr Runcorn.’ Sophie held out her hand and shook his briskly. ‘I can see you are a man of experience and intelligence, which is a huge relief under the circumstances.’
‘You are aware of the circumstances, Your Grace?’ Mr Runcorn, who looked to be at least sixty years old and unaccustomed to being spoken to with decision by young duchesses, let alone being shaken by the hand, regarded her solemnly over his spectacles.
‘But of course. Lady Northam is dear to us and Mr Hunt is my husband’s closest friend. Doctor Felbrigg is our doctor, but much more than that, to all my family. The distressing persecution Lady Northam has been suffering is of great concern to us.’
Sophie is overdoing it, Jared thought. Runcorn is nobody’s fool and such a display of big guns is going to make him wonder what there is to necessitate it. And Guinevere looks ready to drop where she stands. Quite what was keeping her on her feet he was not certain, but he could not place much reliance on it lasting for long.
‘Perhaps Her Grace could accompany Lady Northam to the drawing room so she may rest while you inspect the bedchamber, Mr Runcorn?’ he suggested.
The Coroner murmured, ‘Certainly, certainly.’ Guinevere, Sophie and the maid went out. The three men looked at each with what Jared suspected was a mutual male relief at having the threat of feminine emotion removed, then the Coroner said, ‘Let us proceed,’ and Doctor Felbrigg led the way into the bedchamber.
Chapter Nine
‘Lord Northam was in good health for a man of his age?’ Runcorn asked as he stood looking down at the contorted body on the bed.