whatsoever about Miss Barclay’s death. She had a very strong motive for taking her
own life. She must have known that she would be arrested for the murder of Lord Gavin. Obviously she
could not bear the thought of the ordeal that was to come.”
“Indeed.” Anthony tapped his fingertips together once. “I was convinced to abandon that line of inquiry.”
He did not take his attention off Louisa. “But the suicides of both Fiona and Mrs. Hastings continued to
make me uneasy. I made some more inquiries, this time into Elwin Hastings’s business affairs.”
Louisa abruptly stopped polishing her spectacles. Curiosity surfaced above her fear. She popped the
spectacles back on her nose and peered at him. “Did you find anything that aroused your suspicions?”
“Unfortunately, no. Hastings was involved in one of his investment consortiums at the time of the deaths,
but I could not see any possible link between Fiona and his financial affairs.”
Louisa cleared her throat. “Forgive me for mentioning this, sir, but I must. Is there any possibility that
Fiona and Mr. Hastings were intimately involved?”
“None whatsoever.”
The denial was flat and unequivocal. It allowed for no argument.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
“I see,” she said. “Very well, then.”
“I spoke with several people who saw Fiona and the Hastingses at the ball that night. Evidently Mr. and
Mrs. Hastings had gone out into the gardens to take some fresh air. Fiona was also seen leaving the
ballroom. She was alone, and she, too, went into the gardens.”
Emma handed him a cup of tea. “There would have been a number of people out in the gardens that
night.”
“True.” Anthony took the cup and saucer and set them on the table beside his chair. “In any event, the
Hastingses were seen returning from the gardens some time later. They called for their carriage and left
almost immediately.”
“What of Miss Risby?” Louisa asked.
Anthony’s jaw hardened. “She was never seen alive again.”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying no one noticed her come back into the ballroom?”
“Yes, Mrs. Bryce, that is what I am saying. She went out into the gardens alone and never returned.
When she was pulled out of the water at dawn she was still in the gown that she had worn to the ball.
The necklace was gone. It was assumed that it had fallen to the bottom of the river.”
Emma stirred her tea with an absent air. “I hadn’t heard those details.”
“For obvious reasons, the Risbys were anxious to maintain as much privacy as possible,” Anthony said.
“Go on,” Louisa urged, fascinated now. “Were there any other clues that led you to link the deaths of
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
the two women?”
“In the course of the autopsy it was discovered that Fiona had suffered a blow of some kind to her head.
The authorities concluded that she had hit a rock or some other underwater obstacle when she jumped,
but there are other possibilities.”
Louisa stifled a small shiver. There were indeed other ways one could sustain a blow to the head. A
poker, for example, could create a most grievous wound, a killing wound.
She touched her tongue to her suddenly dry lips. “Is that all you found in the way of clues?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “In the end, I was forced to abandon my inquiries.”
“I don’t understand,” Louisa said. “If that is the case, what led you to take the risk of opening Hastings’s
safe last night?”
“The supposed suicide two weeks ago of a man named Phillip Grantley,” Anthony said.
Louisa looked at Emma for clarification. Emma shook her head, indicating she was equally mystified.
That meant that Grantley had not moved in Society.
Louisa turned back to Anthony. “Who was Phillip Grantley?”
“My informant told me that Grantley was well acquainted
own life. She must have known that she would be arrested for the murder of Lord Gavin. Obviously she
could not bear the thought of the ordeal that was to come.”
“Indeed.” Anthony tapped his fingertips together once. “I was convinced to abandon that line of inquiry.”
He did not take his attention off Louisa. “But the suicides of both Fiona and Mrs. Hastings continued to
make me uneasy. I made some more inquiries, this time into Elwin Hastings’s business affairs.”
Louisa abruptly stopped polishing her spectacles. Curiosity surfaced above her fear. She popped the
spectacles back on her nose and peered at him. “Did you find anything that aroused your suspicions?”
“Unfortunately, no. Hastings was involved in one of his investment consortiums at the time of the deaths,
but I could not see any possible link between Fiona and his financial affairs.”
Louisa cleared her throat. “Forgive me for mentioning this, sir, but I must. Is there any possibility that
Fiona and Mr. Hastings were intimately involved?”
“None whatsoever.”
The denial was flat and unequivocal. It allowed for no argument.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
“I see,” she said. “Very well, then.”
“I spoke with several people who saw Fiona and the Hastingses at the ball that night. Evidently Mr. and
Mrs. Hastings had gone out into the gardens to take some fresh air. Fiona was also seen leaving the
ballroom. She was alone, and she, too, went into the gardens.”
Emma handed him a cup of tea. “There would have been a number of people out in the gardens that
night.”
“True.” Anthony took the cup and saucer and set them on the table beside his chair. “In any event, the
Hastingses were seen returning from the gardens some time later. They called for their carriage and left
almost immediately.”
“What of Miss Risby?” Louisa asked.
Anthony’s jaw hardened. “She was never seen alive again.”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying no one noticed her come back into the ballroom?”
“Yes, Mrs. Bryce, that is what I am saying. She went out into the gardens alone and never returned.
When she was pulled out of the water at dawn she was still in the gown that she had worn to the ball.
The necklace was gone. It was assumed that it had fallen to the bottom of the river.”
Emma stirred her tea with an absent air. “I hadn’t heard those details.”
“For obvious reasons, the Risbys were anxious to maintain as much privacy as possible,” Anthony said.
“Go on,” Louisa urged, fascinated now. “Were there any other clues that led you to link the deaths of
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
the two women?”
“In the course of the autopsy it was discovered that Fiona had suffered a blow of some kind to her head.
The authorities concluded that she had hit a rock or some other underwater obstacle when she jumped,
but there are other possibilities.”
Louisa stifled a small shiver. There were indeed other ways one could sustain a blow to the head. A
poker, for example, could create a most grievous wound, a killing wound.
She touched her tongue to her suddenly dry lips. “Is that all you found in the way of clues?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “In the end, I was forced to abandon my inquiries.”
“I don’t understand,” Louisa said. “If that is the case, what led you to take the risk of opening Hastings’s
safe last night?”
“The supposed suicide two weeks ago of a man named Phillip Grantley,” Anthony said.
Louisa looked at Emma for clarification. Emma shook her head, indicating she was equally mystified.
That meant that Grantley had not moved in Society.
Louisa turned back to Anthony. “Who was Phillip Grantley?”
“My informant told me that Grantley was well acquainted
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