The Secret of Hollyfield House

by Jude Bayton

  “Not if you were the person who killed him,” Dominic growled. “Because it was not my brother.”

  “I have not killed anyone,” shouted Marik.

  “You have no alibi,” Dominic replied and watched the Indian’s face widen in surprise.

  “You were overheard speaking to Evergreen about your fears of being suspected of something suspicious,” Dominic explained. “You certainly had a motive.”

  “Perhaps I did have good reason to want the man dead,” Marik said icily. “But I did not kill Flynn, though I would shake the hand of the person who did with heartfelt thanks. Flynn was scum. He feasted upon the secrets of others like a rat gnawing a carcass. The day he died, Perry and I were in Hawkshead, with some of our—friends.”

  “Then you do have an alibi,” Victor commented.

  “Not one we could share with a constable,” added Marik. “Unless we wanted to admit to our relationship.”

  “And be imprisoned,” I said. They turned to look at me as though just realising I was there. “It is a terrible dilemma for them both,” I continued. “Escaping the condemnation of one crime would lead to the punishment of another.”

  “Just so.” Marik sighed. “But I am glad it is finally out. I have been worried sick with it all since the cad turned up dead.”

  “Evergreen knows of your relationship, does she not?” I asked them both. They nodded, though Perry reluctantly.

  “Do not be angry with her, Father,” he pleaded. “She has been a good sort about it from the start.”

  “Did she also know Jareth was blackmailing you, Marik?” I had to know.

  “Yes,” he admitted.

  Perry looked at him with surprise. “You told her, yet not me?” There was hurt in his voice.

  “She wanted to help. Evergreen loves you, Perry,” he explained.

  I turned to face Dominic. “We should take our leave now, and let these good people finish their conversation.” I got to my feet.

  Dominic stood also and glanced at Victor. “I will be at the farm for the rest of the day. Please do not hesitate to come if you have need of anything. This is not finished.”

  There was no response.

  I said nothing but slowly followed Dominic from the room.

  “POOR VICTOR,” DOMINIC SAID, AS he put the kettle on the stove.

  I removed my coat and hung it on a peg before joining him. I passed Dominic the empty teapot. “I am relieved Victor already suspected Perry and Marik. At least he didn’t have that as a shock. But what he shared about his wife was most sad.”

  “Yet it explains a great deal about Evergreen, does it not?” he said, placing tea leaves into the pot. “Do you think she might be afflicted with the same illness as her mother?”

  “It seems likely given the propensity Evergreen has with her moods. Victor might want to seek help from a medical man. Surely there are methods or medications which can help someone with that type of affliction,” I suggested.

  “Victor has the means and resources to find out,” said Dominic. “You know, though their visits were infrequent over the years, I’ve often thought Evergreen a complex person. She has many wonderful qualities, but beneath them lays something wicked.” He finished making the tea, and we sat down at the table.

  “What do you think will happen now?” I asked.

  “Victor will need time to reflect on everything we told him. Then I imagine he will come and speak to me, and then to the solicitor, Kemp.”

  “I would expect the evidence of blackmail would give more credence to Billy’s case. Don’t you think?”

  “Yes,” Dominic agreed. “The problem is Louisa Mountjoy will never admit her secret, and if Victor exposes Flynn’s blackmailing Perry and Marik, he runs the risk of both men going to gaol. If he mentions Evergreen, her reputation is gone forever. He has so few choices and none of them are good.”

  “It is unfair,” I declared. “We have learned so much, Dominic, yet we are no closer to freeing Billy than we were at the beginning. If Victor does not tell Mr Kemp, what shall you do?”

  “I cannot remain quiet.” Dominic’s voice was grave. “Victor must choose his own course—but I’ll not let my brother hang for the sake of the LaVelles’ reputation.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I HAD NOT YET DISCLOSED ANYTHING to Uncle Jasper. He was happily ignorant of Dominic’s and my investigations, and I preferred to keep it that way. Therefore, when the LaVelle carriage stopped at our house the next morning with a note from Victor requesting my immediate presence, he grew curious. I concocted a quick story about my offering Victor an opinion on the organisation of Hollyfield’s library. This seemed to pacify the dear man, but only after I had assured him I was not going to start working for the LaVelles.

  As the carriage turned down the driveway to the house, I hoped everything was all right. Yesterday’s conversation with the head of the LaVelle family had been incredibly personal, and I still felt uncomfortable having witnessed it. What did Victor want with me? Perhaps Dominic was there too?

  When I was shown into the study, I was alarmed to see Evergreen sitting in one of the leather armchairs. She quickly got to her feet and bestowed me with a beaming smile.

  “Jillian. I am so pleased you came.” There was no trace of animosity in her voice. It was as though our most recent heated discussion had never taken place.

  I held my ground. “I am not come to see you, Evergreen. ’Tis your father who sends for me.”

  “Nonsense.” She grinned again. “It was me. I took the liberty of signing his name. I knew you would not come if it was at my request.”

  I glared at her with no thought to spare her my irritation. “That was deceitful, Evergreen. I am not at your beck and call whenever you have the desire to have company.”

  She arched a brow. “Is that so, Jillian? Yet you are happy enough to be at my father’s.” It was a well-aimed shot, and it had the desired effect.

  “What is it you want?”

  “I wish to speak with you on a variety of subjects. I believe you have misunderstood many events which concern me. I considered us friends and I would welcome the opportunity to clarify where there might remain a misunderstanding.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. What should I do? Make one concession and hear her out? I thought of Victor’s revelations. My own mother had been the centre of my world. It was from her nurturing that I had learned how to navigate my life. Evergreen was far less fortunate. Motherless, with a father bent on a successful career, she might have had plenty of financial resources behind her but not the emotional support every child needed.

  “All right,” I conceded. “What is it you wish to say?”

  She looked over my shoulder and out to the hall. “Not here. There are too many prying eyes and ears. What I wish to discuss is delicate in nature. Let us take a turn outside. It will be more private.”

  The day was already warm and the weather perfect for a stroll. Evergreen led me away from the house down the path to the boathouse and the lake. The gardens were thick with early summer blooms, Dahlias, Asters, and Roses. Their fragrance hung in the air.

  “Thanks to you and Dom, Perry and Marik’s secret is finally out,” she began. “’Tis a relief if you ask me. The boys have been mad for each other since they were old enough to read. Father is being rather decent about it as well. Shame he never admitted knowing anything earlier. It would have saved a lot of bother and that idiot blacksmith could have been sent packing.”

  “I doubt that for a moment,” I replied. “Your father would not have been able to protect them. Flynn would have told the authorities, and Perry and Marik would have been arrested.”

  “You are right, of course.” We had reached the boathouse. Evergreen walked around to where the boat was docked. “But then you have been right about so many things, dear Jillian. Come.” She gestured to the boat. “Step in. Let us go out on the lake.”

  I frowned. “I am in no mood for a jaunty sail, Evergreen.”
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br />   “Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped. This was the Evergreen I was most familiar with. “I am to meet with Peggy Nash. Surely you know of her by now? The old hag sent word for me to come. She insists she has information of great import to share.”

  “That is most cryptic,” I exclaimed. “But what has it to do with me?”

  “Dominic,” she said his name and then smiled. “Peggy wants to tell me something about Dominic and Jareth Flynn.”

  I grew suspicious, “Then why do you not tell her to come here to Hollyfield?”

  “She refuses to come anywhere near the house,” Evergreen said impatiently. “She demands I go to her. She says she knows something about Billy’s knife too.”

  What on earth could the old woman know? She had already told me of Billy’s innocence, though she was not able to give him a strong enough alibi. But had Peggy found more proof? What should I do? My instinct was to let Evergreen go on alone. But part of me mistrusted what she would do should Peggy have anything which could help Billy’s case.

  “We should tell Constable Bloom,” I stated. “Let him take care of this.”

  “No,” she spat. “The hag won’t talk to anyone but me. I am sure she expects me to reward her with a coin or two. Now,” she unfastened the rope tethering the boat. “Do you join me, or not?” Evergreen stepped into the boat and held out her hand. “Peggy camps in a small bay, and though we could go on foot, it would take all morning.”

  “How did she contact you? And why would you suddenly care about helping Billy? You are the one who has been happy to see him in gaol.”

  “True,” she admitted and gave a shrug. “I think him a simpleton, and I have never liked the brat. But after the long talk I had with Father last night—well, let us say he has persuaded me to think a little differently. If he can show compassion to my brother, then I can make an effort to do the same with Billy. I received word from one of the gardeners early this morning that Peggy had been on the grounds yesterday. Apparently that is when she asked him to pass the message along.”

  “Look, Jillian, I am going whether you come or not. It may be a complete waste of time, but I will not find out anything by doing nothing.”

  I was not entirely convinced, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, what would it hurt? I took her hand and stepped into the boat. Evergreen gestured for me to sit on one bench while she took the other which faced me. She pushed against the side of the dock and the current took us slowly out of the boathouse. Evergreen grasped the oars and, once we were free, she began to row.

  “You are not seasick I hope? I never thought to ask.”

  “No,” I replied. “I’m a Devonshire lass. I grew up by the sea.”

  “Do you miss living there?” she asked.

  “Sometimes. But after my mother died, there was nothing to stay there for.”

  “Rather like me and India,” she commented. “I loved it there. But once mother died, there was no reason to stay.” She sighed heavily. “I have never been happy in England.”

  “I am sorry to hear it,” I said kindly, and I meant it.

  “Oh, Jillian.” She chuckled. “You are such a liar.”

  I had not anticipated that response. I was astonished.

  Evergreen laughed. “You should see your face—’tis quite a picture.” She was no longer smiling, and her eyes held malevolence. “You have enjoyed yourself since you came to Ambleside, Jillian, but at great cost to me.”

  “What are you talking about?” My pulse picked up speed.

  “I wish the damned coach had run you over the day we met, for you have done nothing but bring me strife since you set foot in my house.” She pulled hard on the oars, heading straight for the centre of the lake.

  And then all at once, everything started to make sense. “You are not taking me to see Peggy, are you, Evergreen?”

  Her pretty eyes gleamed with malice. “Of course not. You really are quite stupid, Jillian—or perhaps gullible is the better word.”

  “And you have no intention of ever helping your brother, Billy.”

  Her face flushed red with indignation. My using the word ‘brother’ hit the mark. Instantly agitated, she scowled.

  “As far as I am concerned that imbecile can swing. Imagine having a half-wit for a brother?” She laughed, and the sound was maniacal. “With him out of the way, Dominic can return to London and his painting. We can be together, and I shall introduce him to society. He’ll make quite a name for himself.”

  I did not take her bait. “You are completely mistaken.” I responded, forcing my voice to remain calm though my heart hammered against my ribs. “Should anything happen to Billy Wolfe, Dominic would never leave the farm. He would be too heart-broken.”

  She stopped rowing and glowered at me. “And how would you know? I’ve loved Dominic for years, since I was a child! You’ve spent a handful of weeks with him. That does not equate to your knowing him better than I. Dominic has always been in love with me.”

  “You are wrong. You mistake the infatuation of a boy for the passion of a man. The only person Dominic loves beyond measure, is Billy. And do not forget, Dominic knows much of what you have been up to. Would he ever forgive a woman who contributed to the incarceration of his brother? Think about it. After all, do you not feel that way about Perry? You would do absolutely anything for him, wouldn’t you?”

  And then the penny dropped. The little scrap of information that had rested just out of reach in my brain finally revealed itself. It was love—everything that had occurred had happened because of love.

  “You killed Flynn. Didn’t you, Evergreen? You discovered he was blackmailing Marik and Perry, and you had to protect your brother.”

  Her expression did not change. She stared at me as we floated aimlessly out into the middle of the vast lake.

  I continued, “You were seeing Flynn, meeting him at the boathouse. But when Marik confided that Flynn was blackmailing him, threatening to expose he and Perry’s homosexuality, you decided to get rid of him. How did you manage it?”

  Her face remained impassive—and then she grinned. Not the smile of the person who had bought me tea and crumpets all those weeks ago when we first met. Or the girl who laughed as we shopped for hats in Kendal. The woman who faced me in a small boat, isolated upon the waters of Lake Windemere, smiled at me like the madwoman she was.

  “You think yourself so damn clever, don’t you, Jillian? So clever that you have come out here alone and your fate rests in my hands.” She paused, as though considering her options.

  My mind raced ahead, composing what actions she planned to take and what I could do? Yet though I was frightened, I was sick and tired of her games. It was time for her to tell me the truth.

  “Not as astute as you believe yourself to be, Evergreen.” I taunted. “You think yourself infallible, yet ultimately you have been bested by a mere blacksmith.”

  That got her. Her upper lip rose in a snarl, I had managed to land a hit to her fragile ego.

  “Flynn, was an utter moron,” she said. “But he was a wonderful lover. So passionate, so handsome. I knew he was a rotten scoundrel when he couldn’t wait to tell me all about Louisa. She had fallen for the man—the stupid sap. Yet I’ll admit, it was deliciously fun stealing him away from her.” Evergreen arched a brow. “I didn’t care one whit about Jareth. He meant absolutely nothing to me, other than a welcome distraction to my boring existence here in this godforsaken village. He was just an amusement, someone to play with. Until he became a liability.”

  She tilted her lovely face up at the sun and sighed with pleasure. “I do so love it out on the water.” She looked back at me. “When I ended our liaison, Flynn threatened to tell my father about our affair. Well, I could not have that, could I? Especially after London. But really, it was all Marabelle’s fault. She started the whole mess.”

  “Marabelle?” A shiver passed through me.

  “Yes. The self-righteous bitch. She had caught Marik and Pe
rry together, in flagrante and planned to tell Father. She threatened Marik and demanded money. The woman was obsessed with becoming the matriarch of the family. Marik told me what had happened, and so I confronted her. I said, in return for her silence, I would help ingratiate her with my father. That I would encourage his attentions towards her if she kept the boys’ secret.

  “It would have ended there, except Jareth Flynn spotted Marik and my brother at the waterfall one evening while on his way to meet me. He planned to approach Perry with his demands, but Marik intercepted and dealt with him instead. I met Marik in the woods, and he gave me Flynn’s blackmail letter. I tore it up and tossed it away.”

  My mind conjured up the image of the pieces of note Billy had found and hidden.

  “Marabelle was keeping her end of our bargain. My only problem was with Flynn. He might expose Perry’s love for Marik and tell Father about his previous involvement with me.” Evergreen gave a sigh and smiled at me. She was enjoying herself. Now she had started I could see she could not stop. It was as though she had bragging rights. She was insane.

  “I sent for Jareth. I told him I missed him, that I couldn’t stand being without him. I even went so far as to suggest I would tell Father I wanted to marry him. The arrogant bastard actually believed me.” She laughed derisively. “As if I would sink so low. On the day we met up, Billy Wolfe saw us together in the woods. I told Jareth we’d been spotted, and of course, he chased after Billy to scare him away.”

  “And then you tried to frighten him too, didn’t you? You went to the shed to scare him, and that is when you stole his knife.”

  “My, you are the clever one, aren’t you? No wonder I wanted to be your friend.” She looked so pleased with herself. “Yes, I took Billy’s knife, and the next time Flynn came to meet me, I stabbed him. It was ridiculously easy. I dragged him out to the water and left him there.”