A Hanging at Lotus Hall

by Corrina Lawson

  “What kind of man needs a gun like this?” she said, to no one.

  “The kind of man who gets shot at on a semi-regular basis.” Reg leaned against the doorframe, next to an aghast Agnes.

  “Mr. Benedict! I told you to stay out of your rooms,” Agnes said. “They’re being cleaned.”

  Agnes was angry.

  “So you did, but I chose not to listen.” Benedict crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not armed, you know. You’ve got my best weapons. Peacemakers. The guns that won the Wild West. Gets off shots faster than any gun I ever used, sometimes even quick enough to catch a mage before they strike.” His face crinkled into a smile. “Given Cooper’s murder, I guess I might need them.”

  If Reg was guilty, he certainly felt no guilt about it.

  “Agnes, thanks for trying. It’s much appreciated,” Joan said.

  The maid glared at the American.

  “That’s just bad manners, sir!”

  He put up both hands. “I surrender. Remind me never to anger you again, Miss Agnes.”

  She blushed.

  “It’s all right,” Joan said. “It seems Mr. Benedict and I must have a conversation. If you could give us the room?”

  “You’ll be safe, miss?”

  “I can take care of myself. And, as Mr. Benedict said, I have his best weapons. If anything happens to me, they’ll know immediately who to blame.”

  “But it won’t make you any less dead.” Agnes pulled herself back to a semblance of the perfect lady’s maid. “As you say, miss. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  And she left, glaring at Benedict all the while.

  “The duke hires the most fascinating help,” Reg drawled. “Though I suppose I can hardly count you as part of the help, Miss Krieger, since you’re not being paid to investigate Cooper’s murder.”

  “And you are?”

  “Eh, not quite.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, can we sit? It’s been a long day already.” He took his own advice and sat before she could. Bad manners indeed. “Look, Miss Krieger, if I wanted to hurt you—”

  “It’s not that.” Joan sat in the chair across from him. “It’s that you don’t seem surprised to find me here.”

  “If I were investigating, I’d be going through all the rooms of all the guests, then I’d start on family. Seems a smart thing to do.”

  He pulled out a cigarette. She flicked her finger and it flared into life.

  “Oh, handy that.” He drew out a puff. “It’s one of the things that makes me wish for the mage gift.”

  “You said searching rooms was the smart thing to do. Is that why you went to Cooper’s room?”

  “Oho, that’s what gave me away? You saw me? But how?” He snapped his fingers. “Gregor’s shadow ability. I should have guessed. Nick’s told me enough about it.”

  “You’re not from a wealthy merchant family,” Joan said.

  “Why would you say that?” he prodded.

  “Because your other suits are not nearly as well stitched as the ones you bought in London.”

  He laughed. “Trust a dressmaker to notice. No, I’m not wealthy.”

  “Who are you?” She settled in the chair, enjoying the dance between them. It took her mind off everything else, including Gregor keeping secrets.

  “It wasn’t by chance I was booked on the same boat as Nick. I had to meet him. It’s part of my job.”

  “Which is?”

  “It’s complicated.” He blew smoke rings. “The Sherringfords are going to be part of what determines the future in England, and that affects my country too. My superiors needed to know more about them.”

  “Are you an inquiry agent in the pay of some American company then?” she asked.

  He paused, grimacing. “Nothing so mercenary as business. I’m a Pinkerton, on special assignment from the State Department to assess the situation in England.”

  “You were sent by the U.S. Government to spy on the Duke of Bennington?” The pistols suddenly made sense. The clothes went with a spy of middle-class means.

  “Spy is such a nasty word.” Reg waved it away. “Gathering information is a far more accurate way to put it.” He nodded, reassuring himself.

  “And how will your friend Nick react when he learns you’re spying on him?” She set her teeth. What a betrayal.

  “You think I seduced Nick to spy on him?” He shook his head. “Never. That wouldn’t work with Nick. He’s got an eye for being yanked around by the nose. Instead, I told him the truth.”

  “Which is?”

  “I’ve fallen for him.”

  “So you met Nick under false pretenses, you insinuated yourself into his life, and fell in love with him in the process. He believed that?” Joan raised an eyebrow.

  Reg took a deep breath and crushed out the cigarette in the ashtray on the table. “I said the same to Nick. Offered to leave on the spot. But we worked that out.” He stared at the bedroom door. “God, I love that man.”

  How easily he confessed love, more easily than she could’ve done to a stranger. It could be a ploy.

  “I would think you’d understand, Miss Krieger,” he added.

  “Why should I understand your deception?” she snapped.

  “You should understand what it’s like to fall in love way beyond what you ever expected or even hoped for.” He lit his own cigarette this time. “You don’t belong in Lotus Hall any more than a man like me, that society twice hates, once for being black and once for, well…being like your Oscar Wilde.” More smoke. “And you know what it’s like to fall in love with one of the damned Sherringford brothers. It’s like Icarus reaching for the sun.”

  Joan said nothing for a moment, letting his words sink in. But loving Gregor was not like loving the sun. It was rather like loving the shadows that appeared only for so long before vanishing.

  “But there’s one difference between us,” Reg continued.

  “And other than the obvious, what is that?”

  He pointed the cigarette at her. “You can get married to your Sherringford. I can’t.” He crushed out the second one, only half-smoked. “I can’t even admit to being in love with him, save to a few chosen people. You’re lucky, Joan Krieger. I’m damn jealous of you.”

  God, what pain this man must be in, to love someone so much and never be able to say so openly. She’d told Gregor that marriage was akin to slavery. Her own parents were a good example of that. But Reginald Benedict saw it as something he desperately needed but could never have.

  “Perhaps you’re right,” she whispered. “You and Nick are welcome at my home any time, Mr. Benedict.”

  “Reg,” he corrected. “And thank you.” He shook his head. “Does that make us friends now? Or are you still worried I’m a danger to you?”

  She believed him. There was no other reason to bare his heart to her like this other than honesty. “It would be nice to have a friend, Reg.”

  “Capital, as Nick would say,” he replied. “Seems the thing one has to do to win your trust is open a vein and let it bleed out.”

  “Truth is generally convincing.” Reg had been more open and honest about how he felt just now than Gregor ever had. “I will keep your confidence, sir.” She nodded for emphasis. “But what made you trust me?”

  “It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you and Gregor love each other. Smart bet for you would be to marry him, get the prestige and the money. But you didn’t.”

  “I don’t need the money.”

  “Right. Still, life is safer for women when they’re married. Easier too, at least from the outside looking in. But you choose the path less traveled and, I guess, refuse to compromise your principles, even if I and everyone else think you should jump the broom with Gregor Sherringford. Miss Krieger, you’re a person with integrity.”

  “You’re quite the philosopher, Reg. And please, call me Joan.”

  “Joan, then.” He smiled. Not pretense, only approval. “Okay, that’s all said and done. Let’s get down
to this mess here. Who the heck murdered Samuel Cooper?”

  “I don’t know yet. But I need to know why you were searching his rooms.”

  “There are many secrets in this house. Nick’s tired of being in the dark. I told him I’d scout about while he dealt with the authorities.”

  “Which secrets did Nick want answers about?” Edward Dale? The secret of how the paintings were imbued with magic? How the dowager duchess and Edward Dale had appeared out of thin air?

  But he said, “Jared.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Jared? Nick suspects the duke of something?”

  Moriarty had accused Vai and Dale. Now Reg accused the duke. Apparently, no one trusted anyone in this place. Except her and Reg, it seemed. They were alike, he’d said. That was true. Neither belonged.

  “Jared’s one of the reasons Nick took a tour of America. Said sometimes Jared was the brother he remembered and loved, sometimes he went into a temper and berated Nick for being who he is. There were insults about Jared being horrified that the heir to the dukedom was, well, someone like Nick. He figured the pressure of being the head of the family was getting to his brother, so he took off. But now, Nick says Jared’s been especially weird since the dowager duchess and Mr. Dale arrived here a week ago.”

  “Define weird.”

  Reg leaned forward, hands on his knees. “I think the duke believes Nick is in league with the dowager duchess and Mr. Dale, as some sort of conspiracy to replace him.”

  “You make Jared Sherringford sound unhinged. I’ve seen little evidence of that. The man strikes me as difficult at times, yes, but he’s part of the push-pull on the Mage Reform Act, which brings its own pressure, and he’s concerned for his wife. Did you know the duchess lost two children in pregnancy before this one?”

  “That’s what Nick said. He said Jared’s under a great deal of strain. That he would come around. But I don’t buy it. He looks at Nick with hatred when he thinks no one is watching. And he actively loathes Edward Dale. Won’t even speak to him.”

  Joan thought of Moriarty’s veiled comments that the duke mistrusted Dale and the dowager duchess. These pieces must fit together but damned if she knew how.

  “Your turn, Joan.”

  “Moriarty told me earlier today that Jared is suspicious of Mr. Dale’s return from Nepal. The duke even suspects that Mr. Dale is not who he says he is, and he’s a total fraud.” It felt good to lay this out for someone. If Gregor were here, they could have done that. Instead, Gregor had run off. While failing to reveal that it was Mr. Dale who’d written the list. “Moriarty said he and Mr. Cooper were invited to Lotus Hall so the duke would have mage support when confronting Mr. Dale and the dowager duchess.”

  “Makes sense.” Reg nodded.

  “How does that make sense?”

  “Because it’s smart to gather allies and, as unhinged as he might be otherwise, the duke isn’t stupid. Besides, the dowager duchess and Mr. Dale appeared in the foyer one night last week without warning. One minute it was empty, the next, there they were. The dowager duchess never explained it and, well, Dale was too sick for questioning. So, yes, they’re hiding something.”

  “Magic,” Joan breathed. They’d appeared in the foyer, which was full of the magic of Mr. Dale’s paintings. The answer lay there, she thought.

  “I’m sure it was some new sort of magic. Nick accepted Vai’s lack of explanation because he trusts his stepmother. He loves her. Nick told me he thinks she hasn’t told anyone the full truth because she’s suspicious of Jared.”

  “And so we’re back to that. Nick doesn’t trust the duke. Jared doesn’t trust Nick. Both believe that the dowager duchess and Mr. Dale are keeping secrets, for some reason. What a mess,” Joan muttered. She stared at the window. It all revolved around Dale. But why?

  “Yeah, this is where I’m stuck. If I push harder, Nick’s family might fall apart. If I don’t, the killer could strike again. I was going to put all this off until Nick gets back. But then here you are and here we are.”

  “But you still searched Cooper’s rooms. What did you hope to find?”

  “Letters. Miss Dale has been receiving letters from the Isca School, sent by Cooper.”

  She knew that. “Did Miss Dale send letters to him?”

  “Oh, yes. A day after her last letter, Cooper and Moriarty come running. Now he’s dead and we’re all in a pickle.”

  “I need a chart for all this.” She rose, pacing, having picked up some of Gregor’s habit. “Let me recap. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

  “Of course.”

  “Cooper was murdered by a mage who knew him and knew the layout of Lotus Hall. Those who have the means to do that include the duke, the duchess, Lady Anne, Lord Nicholas, the dowager duchess, Mr. Edward Dale, Phyllis Dale, and Mr. Moriarty.”

  “Don’t forget Gregor, or yourself, Joan.” Reg grinned.

  “Hah. But I have the luxury of knowing I’m not the killer. As for Gregor, his mage talent does not work that way. He might scare someone to death, but he could not use his gift to stop a heart.”

  “If the duchess did this while she’s nine months pregnant, I’d be shocked,” Reg said.

  “If she thought she was protecting herself or her child, she might do it.”

  Reg nodded. “True. But you can’t suspect Anne. She’s a child.”

  “She’s a child with enough ability to power a mage light.”

  Reg shrugged. “Have it your way, though I’d put the duchess and her daughter at the bottom of my list. Still, Anne could have seen something.”

  “I know.” Too many suspects. “To continue, all our mages had connections to Cooper. He was courting Miss Dale, which connects Cooper to Edward Dale. Even more, Dale was evidently something of a teacher to Cooper, years ago. Cooper was friendly with the duke. Cooper worked for Moriarty. Cooper also knew Nick and Jared from the Isca School and Jared from his work on the Mage Reform Act.” She set a hand on the fireplace mantel. “About the only person who didn’t know Cooper was the dowager duchess.”

  “And she’s connected to Dale,” Reg added. “Ask me, we unravel that mess, we might have answers to Jared’s suspicions about them, at least. As much as I hate to believe Nick’s stepmom could be a killer—”

  “My own mother was a killer,” Joan confessed.

  “Oh. That came out of nowhere. My condolences,” Reg said. “But I take your point.”

  “It’s possible that Vai is the killer, but the pattern is unclear. If she did kill, she had a good reason, though I can’t sort out why she would make it look like a hanging. The display of Cooper’s body, to create maximum scandal, is not in her interest.”

  “Not in any of the family’s interest, really,” Reg agreed.

  “Which leaves us the mysterious Mr. Dale and Moriarty, though the duke has given Moriarty an alibi. We need to move on Mr. Dale now,” she said.

  “With you there. Scandal’s only going to get worse. Nick’s name is going to be mud after this, and I know he cares about his family. As you said, he makes a good suspect. And I’m his only alibi and…that…is going to cause even more nasty rumors.”

  “It’s almost as if someone wants to destroy the Sherringfords.”

  As soon as she said the words out loud, something clicked. She’d been wondering who benefited from the murder. But maybe she should have considered who would lose: Gregor’s family.

  “You’re on to something,” Reg said into the silence.

  “Maybe. It could still be a family member who wants to destroy it from within, for an unknown reason.” She thought of Vai’s promise to tell the truth. “The dowager duchess said she’d explain things today. I only need to get her alone.”

  “Great. You take her. I’ll take Mr. Dale.”

  “Reg.” She turned to face him. “Even if he’s who he says he is, even if he’s not responsible for the murder, Mr. Dale is a traumatized mage with a quick temper.”

  “Yup,” Reg drawled. “That’s why I’ll be carrying a Pea
cemaker with me.”

  Chapter 17

  Agnes had been waiting in the hallway for them.

  “Were you listening at the door?” Reg asked.

  “No, sir, I was called down to the main floor. They gave me a telegram for Miss Krieger. There was one for you too, Mr. Benedict. I told them I’d deliver both.” She handed slips of paper over. “Oh, and Miss Krieger, the duchess said she’d hoped you’d join her in her sewing room.”

  “The dowager duchess?”

  “No, ma’am, the duchess proper. I believe the dowager duchess, Miss Dale, and Lady Anne are with her already.”

  All the ladies of Lotus Hall. But Joan wouldn’t be able to question Vai if the others were there.

  She unfolded the telegram. “Instructive trip. Trust Reg. Coming back.” It was signed “G” but she’d have known he was the sender. The terse words were pure Gregor. She showed it to Reg. He snorted and showed her his telegram.

  “Trust Krieger. Keep those Peacemakers handy. Be back soon, Nick.”

  “I wonder if they read each other’s telegrams,” Joan said, making Reg laugh. Yes, she liked him. And Nick’s reference to the Peacemakers confirmed Reg’s account that Nick knew Reg was a Pinkerton.

  Reg bowed to her. “Nice chatting with you, Joan. I’ll just get my Peacemaker and see if Edward Dale is up for visitors. Enjoy your time with the dowager duchess.”

  “It should certainly be interesting.” Gregor’s family was not boring. Deadly, possibly, but not dull.

  Again, Joan questioned Agnes for any updates from the staff during the walk. This time the maid rattled off information at a fast pace. The staff was in an uproar and snippy with each other. The duke’s valet had implied the duke had a short temper today, and the constables were finally gone.

  “They reach any conclusions?”

  “Not that I heard, ma’am.”

  Not that Joan had expected the constables to find out something Gregor had not yet uncovered. At least they hadn’t actively contradicted him.

  Agnes led Joan to the inner sanctum of the home, the quarters of the Duke and Duchess of Bennington. It occupied the entire west-wing floor above the nursery. The furnishings became richer, the carpets more plush, and the furniture more ornate as they entered the duchess’s suite.