A Murderous Masquerade (Unrivalled Regency Book 2)

by Williams, Jackie

  Giles scanned the study. The wood panelling that covered every wall could have concealed any number of secret compartments but all of them were equally covered in dust with no tell tale finger marks.

  “You had best lead the way. If nothing else there may be items that we can sell in order to release some funds.” He looked doubtfully at the leather desk chair. Stuffing was spilling from a hole in the arm and the back wobbled precariously as he stood up.

  They walked up the wide wooden staircase and Charlotte pointed out one or two pictures that they might be able to sell, but there was very little else in the way of furnishings. All of the rugs were already worn through into bare threads and holes and the candelabras looked as though they had never been works of art in the first place.

  Charlotte stopped at a heavy door and turned the iron handle. The door opened on a long creak and swung against the wall beside them. A heavily curtained bed stood against one wall of the room. There was a large fireplace on the wall opposite the foot end with two chairs and a small table set between. The mantelpiece was covered with what looked like tiny wooden figures. Giles immediately stepped up to them and took one from the shelf. It looked like a tiny, blackened mouse but it felt cold in his hand. There were several other animal figures placed along the shelf alongside it.

  “Where did your father get these from? I think they are from the Orient.”

  Charlotte smiled around his shoulder and picked up a small but fat pig. She stroked a finger along its back.

  “I loved playing with these as a child. Father would only let me touch them if I could keep quiet for a whole hour. They were a special treat. John hated the things. He didn’t like the holes in them.” She pointed one out with a ragged fingernail. “But I liked to string them onto my sashes and pretend that they were my real pets. Apparently they had been a wedding gift from my mother. Her father had brought them home from his travels and she loved them so much that she wanted to keep them for herself. Her father insisted that they were meant for a man’s apparel so when her father passed on, mother gave them to father as gift. Are they worth anything?”

  Giles bit down his original answer. They would have brought in a great deal of money but were obviously far too precious to Charlotte for him to force her to part with them.

  “They are worth a little, but we will not think of selling something so personal. Let’s hope that there is some hard cash in here.” His eyes caught sight of a small but heavily carved red box further along the mantelpiece. He picked it up and turned it in his hands. Something rolled unevenly inside the box but he couldn’t see the opening for the lid. He held it up to Charlotte who shrugged.

  “It’s Oriental too. He bought it on one of his trips. I have never been able to open it. Father used to think it fun to frustrate me with it. He told me that the antiquities merchant who sold it to him related a story of a prince’s ransom. He said that there is a diamond as big as a hazelnut inside and that I could have it for my dowry if I could open the box without damaging it. Apart from the fact that I am not going to get married and so won’t need a dowry, I can’t open the box anyway. I’ve tried for years.”

  Giles turned it in his hands. The red carvings were intricate, detailed.

  “I cannot even see the join but it has a secret mechanism somewhere. One of the men had something similar while I was in the war. It made for endless fun in the evenings as men bet on opening the thing, but I never saw how the trick worked. The box itself is quite valuable. It would be a shame to smash it only to discover that your father had put a real hazelnut or even a plum stone inside.”

  Charlotte laughed at the thought of her father making one trick into two.

  “Ha! He just might have done at one time. But not a plum stone, apricot maybe or even a hazelnut, but not a plum. My father hated plums.”

  Giles looked at the box again.

  “Do you mind if I take it for now? If I do manage to open it, I promise to tell you how I did it and show you what’s inside.”

  She nodded.

  “Of course, but I trust you, Giles. You don’t need to ask me.” She waved her hand around the room. “Years ago, father had a great collection of Oriental artefacts, but much of it has been sold. There were some fabulous swords and a whole collection of devilishly sharp knives. At one point he had a medicine cabinet made from the finest jade. It contained hundreds of tiny phials, but John sold it to the Doctor. All I have now are the books that went with it. I can’t understand them as they are written in Japanese and the translations don’t make much sense without the medicines that the box contained. It all belongs to you now anyway so you may do as you please with it all.” She gave a little sigh.

  Giles shook his head.

  “I can’t take your things, cousin. I can’t just come here and walk roughshod all over you. Maybe I’m just not used to this ‘Lordship’ thing yet, but suddenly owning your home and all its contents doesn’t fit well with me.” He paused as a clock chimed from somewhere inside the house and Giles pulled his watch from his pocket. “It’s past lunch time. I never heard cook ring the gong?”

  Charlotte laughed.

  “Why would she when we have barely enough to eat for our supper, let alone for titbits during the day. Since father died, we’ve existed on a slice of bread or a scone for breakfast and at night, a small piece of meat with a few potatoes from what is left of our stores.”

  Giles breathed in slowly. The guilt of not knowing her dire circumstances ate at him.

  “We will work this out together, cousin. I’ll buy provisions while I’m in town, at least enough for three meals a day while we are here and plenty for Mrs. Downham for while we are away. If there is any money I’ll try to locate a craftsman to repair the roof and windows, and I’ll also see if I can find some help to begin clearing the place too. I want you to go and eat whatever we were going to have for dinner now. I’ll bring something back for supper with me.”

  Charlotte looked as though she was about to protest the necessity, but her stomach let her down again and chose that instant to rumble loudly. She grinned as Giles raised an eyebrow at the unladylike noise. She put her hand on her empty stomach and gave it a rub.

  “If you insist then I will have to agree, besides my stomach is now tying itself in knots at the thought of even a thin slice of pork. I’ll continue my researches up here this afternoon and hopefully we will both have good news by dinner time.”

  Mr. Cooper of Redditch and Cooper Solicitors was not at all surprised to hear that Giles Denvers, the new Lord Caithwell, had come to call. The man straightened the papers on his vast desk and cleared his throat several times before he opened his door to greet his visitor.

  “Do come and be seated, my Lord. I will send for some refreshments immediately.” The man rang a small bell and a maid appeared almost instantly, bearing glasses and a bottle of brandy. There was a small plate of tiny biscuits on the tray as well and Giles looked on fascinated, as Cooper delicately dipped the morsel in his drink before putting it into his mouth.

  Giles didn’t feel like following suit. The thought that Charlotte was sitting in that cold and draughty ruin, eating some left over scraps of meat and drinking water from a well, left his taste buds curling backwards in distaste. He waited until the man had bitten into another biscuit before he spoke.

  “You must know why I am here. I need the full details of my inheritance and all that it entails. The house has gone to rack and ruin while in the care of my uncle and cousin. It would be reassuring to know that there are at least some funds for its repair and upkeep.”

  Cooper swallowed noisily and wiped his mouth on a hastily gathered napkin. He laid the linen aside and pulled forth a sheaf of papers from a drawer.

  “Hmm, well, the entail is easy. As the next nearest male relative you inherit the title and Caithwell in its entirety. Let me see...” He stood and gathered some more papers from a shelf. He leafed through several sections before he located a plan of the whole estate. He turned it
towards Giles and pointed with a bitten fingernail. “You can see the general area. This farm here is the limit of your estate. You’re lucky to still have it. Master John had insisted on selling it as it is one of the few areas that still bring in a goodly return, but we hadn’t found a buyer at the time of his death and I thought it best to withdraw it from sale until your uncle had recovered from his malady, or until the next in line could decide what to do for himself.”

  Giles leaned over the desk and studied the plan. Caithwell was on a good sized estate with a river border on one side and what looked like some sort of forestry in the northern quarter. Much of the rest of the area was given over to farmland. Giles counted at least twenty tenanted properties. He tapped his finger on what appeared to be the largest of them.

  “Do these places bring in any rental? What are the tithes from their crops? There are pressing matters to attend to at the hall and however vulgar this appears, money is of the utmost importance.”

  Cooper sighed deeply and shook his head.

  “I advised Lord Caithwell time and again to carry out repairs but his son...well, I am sure Miss Charlotte has brought you up to speed on that young man’s antics. Deplorable!” Cooper tutted and shook his head in dismay.

  Giles drew in a deep breath. While he could understand the man’s sentiment, it wasn’t his place to voice an opinion on any member of Giles’ family. He drummed his fingertips on the desk.

  “Cooper, I suggest you stick to the point. Blaming a dead man is a very low thing to do. I do not know my cousin’s mind or his circumstances when he was drinking and gambling. Nor do I know what my uncle was thinking of, but lamenting his behaviour now is far too late. All I am concerned with is what to do about the situation at this present time. Do I have any funds to repair the place or not? It’s a simple question that requires a simple answer.”

  The solicitor took his glasses from his nose and stared with faded blue eyes, over the desk at Giles. He took out a handkerchief and polished the glass circles several times before pressing them onto his nose once again and staring down at his papers. He leafed through several sheets in silence before stopping and perusing some figures.

  He looked back up as Giles began tapping his boot on the wooden floor.

  “It would appear that you have two hundred and twelve pounds available immediately. It is a tidy sum and I did try to persuade you uncle to spend a little of it.” He sighed as Giles’ expression warned him not to say more. He concentrated on the papers. “Tyler’s Farm and Tinkers Farm just paid their yearly tithes and your uncle’s corn has sold at an excellent price. The wool sold well too. A little less than last year but that’s to be expected.”

  Giles tried not to look too relieved. The sum of money wouldn’t last long what with the renovations he had to carry out, but it would be enough to start work. He looked down at the ledgers.

  “What are these farms here? It looks as if they should have paid up too.” He tapped his fingertip against the names of several other farms.

  Cooper gave an embarrassed cough.

  “The tenants are refusing to hand over any money. They say they need it to repair their houses seeing as Lord Caithwell didn’t do the work for them. I’ve sent them demands, but only one of the farmers reads so I don’t know if that has actually been of any use.”

  Giles frowned.

  “You would have been better off sending me word of the difficulties. I’ll go and speak to them this afternoon and see what arrangements we can come to. Who looks after the woods and what income is being made by them? I can see nothing of their mention in these papers.”

  Cooper shook his head.

  “The head gamekeeper and forest warden left when they hadn’t been paid for six months. There’s been no one to look after the place for nearly a year. Plenty of wood that you can sell if you can get the place going again but there’s nothing immediate coming in from that area of the estate. Perhaps it’s something you can look to in the future.”

  Giles rolled his eyes in exasperation.

  “I need income now, not in a few months time. What on earth was my uncle thinking of by not paying his staff. I shall have to find them to pay what they are owed and hope that they haven’t found other positions that I cannot persuade them away from. The money in the accounts won’t last long what with the amount I have to do. Well, if there’s nothing else that you can add, I’ll need a draft for at least fifty pounds now. Can you arrange a line of credit for me?”

  Cooper nodded and brought forth some more papers. He wrote out a few notes and asked Giles to sign others.

  “These should be sufficient for around town now. Should you need more, just let me know. In the meantime, if you need the cash so urgently, I would suggest that you sell off a few of those delightful figures that your uncle cherished so much. I believe they are worth as much as twenty guineas each in London.”

  Giles stood up. The solicitor had obviously been inside his uncle’s bedroom at some point. Probably when he had changed his will after John had died.

  “The Netsukes will not be sold. They belonged to Charlotte’s mother and as such are far too precious. Their value will remain as charming ornaments. Well, thank you for seeing me at such short notice. I’ll be in touch with regards to increasing the income from the estate and employing a steward to oversee it all. In the meantime, please don’t bother to contact any more of the tenants. I’m going to see them myself this afternoon. Hopefully I can make some agreeable arrangements.” Giles gave Cooper a nod and strode from the room.

  It was near dusk when Giles eventually rode back up the long, overgrown drive to Caithwell. His saddlebags were full and his purse was nearly empty. He had accomplished much during his visit to town and his journey around his estate. An impromptu meeting with several of the farmers had them airing their grievances loudly but agreements had been reached on both sides. Giles would begin basic repairs with more major works beginning as soon as possible while the farmers would deliver half of their agreed tithes this year. The remainder would be used for the upkeep of the buildings or for projects that the farmers preferred. Either way Giles gained. He would earn higher tenancy rates or have the buildings repaired with no more outlay from his own purse.

  Unable to secure the previous staff, even though he paid them what he owed in wages, he had arranged for interviews with regard to the game keeping and forestry work. Three young women, who might be suitable to help Mrs. Downham about the house, were also calling in the morning.

  Callum waited in the dusky courtyard for him. The boy took the reins while Giles dismounted. He unbuckled the bulging bags from the horse’s saddle and handed them back to Giles before taking the horse back around the house to the stables.

  Giles wearily climbed the steps to the front door which was immediately opened by Craddock.

  “Good evening, My Lord.”

  It was the first time Craddock had used his formal title and it sounded strange and unnatural to his ear, but he was too tired to think of asking his valet to call him anything else at such short notice. He nodded his thanks at the man as Craddock took his packages and then helped remove his hat, coat and gloves.

  There was a scurry of movement on the stairs and Giles turned to see Charlotte, dressed in a simple grey dress, walking down the stairs.

  She sniffed appreciably as she neared the packages that Craddock was unloading onto the hall table.

  “A ham? And could that possibly be goose too? Some fresh bread and something that smells suspiciously like lardy cake? Where have you been shopping, cousin?”

  He smiled and handed over the bags containing food to Craddock.

  “You had best take these down to Cook before they get cold. I bought them from the local inn. I daresay we have deprived some of his regular customers, but I felt that our needs were greater than theirs. He’ll cook more for them anyway. There are more provisions arriving on the morrow.” He lowered his voice. “I am assuming that she actually does know how to cook of course.�
�� He glanced over his shoulder towards the door that led to the kitchen.

  Charlotte giggled and nodded.

  “Oh yes. It was only the lack of ingredients that stopped her. She’ll be delighted to know that she’ll be able to provide for us again.” The girl looked curiously over the rest of the bags. “These don’t look like food. What else have you been buying?”

  Giles laughed.

  “Meet me in the salon and I’ll show you. He sauntered into the salon and pulled two bottles from one of his bags. He poured himself a measure of brandy from one of the bottles, sat down and kicked his long legs out towards the fireplace. Charlotte came and joined him a few moments later. He stood again and poured her a glass of sweet white wine which she sipped daintily while she curiously eyed the packages at his feet.

  He bent to his side, picked up a parcel and handed it to her.

  A tiny frown grew between her eyes.

  “I hope that you haven’t been wasting your money on me.” Her voice broke and her fingers trembled as she slipped the string from the paper. She choked as a sheath of delicate flowers slipped onto her lap. The gloves were of the finest lace, the intricate stitches linking dainty flowers. A tear dripped from her eye as she slipped one glove over her hand and rolled it up her arm.

  Giles handed her another, much larger package.

  “I’m afraid that I guessed your size. It’s not an exclusive as I had to buy what Madame Felicity had already made, but the woman in the shop says that she will call to make any alterations on the morrow.”

  Charlotte stared at him with wide eyes before she suddenly tore the paper aside and pulled out a pale pink frock, the likes of which she had never seen before. The material cascaded from her hands as she held the tiny, puffed sleeves up to her shoulders. She swallowed visibly.