Murder at the Hunt Ball : A 1920s Historical Cozy Mystery Read online

  Evie shrugged. Instead of answering, she turned to Henrietta. “You look confused.”

  “That’s because I am. How did her father become involved?”

  “Gambling debts. They were going to sell the horse and he needed the money to pay off his debts.”

  “And he sacrificed his daughter? That is dreadful.” Sara took a sip of her tea and set her cup down. “I have heard say gambling is a disease and drives people to do strange things.”

  “What about the others?” Henrietta quizzed.

  “Mr. Prentiss and Twiggy Lloyd were also involved in an attempt to switch the horse and sell it.”

  “Will they serve time?”

  “That is up to Sterling Wright. He hasn’t decided if he will insist on charges being pressed against them. He… He is hesitating because it will force him to involve Marjorie’s father and that is something he is reluctant to do as he is determined to continue on with the engagement.”

  Tom and Evie exchanged a look of surprise.

  “My apologies, detective, but I still need clarification.”

  “Henrietta, what more do you want to know? The man has been caught. That appears to be the end of the story.”

  “My dear Sara, I am curious about the others. Were they involved in the murder or just the attempt to sell a horse that didn’t belong to them?”

  The detective glanced toward the door. Sighing, he said, “No, they actually tried to prevent the murder. Apparently, they had been insistent on drawing the line.” The detective clasped his hands together. “We did get a small confession out of Archie Arthurs. I noticed he touched his right hand a great deal…”

  Before the detective could finish, Evie interjected, “He’s the one who hit Caro.”

  “Yes.”

  “I wonder… Would it be possible to speak with Lady Carolina?”

  Evie tapped her riding crop against her leg. She knew she had made him wait long enough and he had delivered the news as promised. “Edgar, please tell Caro Lady Carolina needs to come down to tea.”

  The detective shifted to the edge of his seat. “Actually, it’s Caro I’d like to see.”

  Everyone’s eyes widened slightly. Even Tom understood the significance. The detective did not harbor any biases against people in service.

  The drawing room filled with an air of expectation and excitement.

  Moments later, Caro appeared at the door dressed in her neat lady’s maid dress. Her cheeks had a light tinge of pink and she only had eyes for the detective.

  The detective rose to his feet and invited Caro to accompany him on a walk around the park.

  To her credit, Caro did not collapse into the nearest chair. “I’ll fetch my coat, detective.”

  “It’s… It’s actually Henry.”

  Caro smiled. “I won’t be long, Henry.”

  The detective turned and gave the others a nervous smile. “Caro is going to fetch her coat.”

  “Yes, we heard,” Sara said and then whispered, “we just can’t believe our eyes.”

  The moment the couple stepped outside, they all rushed to the window to watch them.

  “I foresee a short engagement,” Sara murmured.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Evie said. “I’ll need to contact Inspector O’Neill and ask him about Henry Evans.”

  Henrietta glanced at Tom. “You should speak with Henry Evans. He might be able to give you a pointer or two on how to get your gal.”

  When the couple disappeared behind the folly, everyone returned to their chairs and their tea.

  “Well,” Sara exclaimed, “I daresay, we won’t be attending any more functions at Hillsboro Lodge. Sterling Wright might be prepared to forgive Marjorie Devon but I don’t believe I can. I hope I speak for everyone.”

  Evie tried to reason with her. “It would have been a tough choice to make, Sara. It must have been difficult to discover her own father had been willing to use her for his ill-gotten gains. In any case, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sterling sells the house and moves on.”

  After enjoying another cup of tea, Henrietta excused herself saying she had some matters to attend to. Strangely, she needed the others’ assistance so Lotte, Sara and Toodles left with her.

  “I wonder what that’s about?” Evie asked.

  “I’m sure you will soon find out.” Tom looked around the drawing room. “Listen to that?”

  “What?”

  “Silence. I wonder how long it will last…”

  Epilogue

  The library

  Halton House

  “Mr. Winchester. Just the person I wished to see.” Henrietta breezed into the library.

  Glancing up from her book, Evie noticed Henrietta hadn’t come alone. A young man accompanied her. He wore round spectacles and stood a head taller than the Dowager. He had a prominent Adam’s apple which bobbed up and down as he adjusted his tie. As he walked, he fidgeted with his tie and nearly collided with Henrietta when she stopped in the middle of the library and tapped her umbrella.

  “Everyone, this is Mr. Barclay Chides. He is an expert in genealogy and I have hired him.”

  Setting her book aside, Evie exchanged a worried look with Tom. “Henrietta. Have you lost your lineage?”

  Henrietta chortled. “Sometimes, I do wonder. However, in this instance, I have been in search of someone else’s lineage.” Henrietta gave Tom a pointed look.

  “Do sit down and tell us all about it,” Evie invited and noticed Tom hadn’t spoken.

  Henrietta chose the chair closest to Tom. “You look perplexed.”

  “Is that how you interpret my look? I’m sure I feel like someone who’s been cornered and ensnared.”

  “Nonsense. Now, we have much work to do and we are going to need your input. When did your people first appear in America?”

  “My people?”

  “Yes, your forebears.” Henrietta’s eyes brimmed with excitement. “Mr. Chides believes he can trace your lineage… Oh, but I’m getting ahead of myself and I promised him I wouldn’t.”

  “Oh,” Evie exclaimed. “I see it now.”

  “See what?” Tom asked, his voice filled with caution.

  “The cornered and ensnared look.”

  Tom frowned at her. “Didn’t you say we needed to be somewhere else and if we didn’t make a start now we’d be late?”

  Smiling, Evie sat back. “No, we have nowhere to go.”

  “Wonderful,” Henrietta. “Let’s get started…”

  I hope you enjoyed reading Murder at the Hunt Ball.

  Next in the series: Murder at the Hunting Lodge

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