A Gilded Grave

by Shelley Freydont

  “I’m sure we’d all be pleased if you would join us for luncheon,” Madeline cooed, dazzling him with a pair of glittering blue eyes.

  Ordinarily, he would have been flattered, but today he had only one thing in mind: talking to Deanna. And what he had to say certainly couldn’t be said over luncheon meats with guests and servants listening. He turned to Cassie. “I went round to the Randolphs’ earlier. Dickerson said the family had already left.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. “Mrs. R. is taking Adelaide to Boston to see yet another doctor. But we convinced her to let Deanna stay with us. In fact”—Cassie looked around—“where is she?”

  “Down by the water,” Vlady said, and yawned. “Looking for clues,” he said in a theatrically spooky voice.

  “Oh, Vlady. She is not.” Cassie pouted at him and shivered, which made Vlady put his arm around her.

  “Well, do tell her hello for me,” Joe said primly. He couldn’t very well go running down the lawn in order to have a private conversation with her. He didn’t want tongues to start wagging again. He’d have to bide his time. “And that I asked about her family. Until tomorrow, Lord David. Charles.”

  “Excellent. See you then.” Lord David turned away from him and watched Deanna move behind the shrubs and out of view. “Do you think she should be out there by herself?” he said. “In view of the tragedy at the ball?”

  Joe knew she shouldn’t be out there alone.

  “I’ll just go get her before she wanders afar and misses luncheon.” Lord David started across the lawn and down the path that led through the topiary hedges to the cliff walk.

  Joe could only grit his teeth and take his leave.

  Deanna stopped to look out to the ocean. She wanted to turn back toward the house to see if Joe was gone but was afraid that he’d still be there and would know that she’d looked for him.

  “You have a wicked turn of mind, my girl.”

  Deanna nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Lord David’s voice.

  “You startled me.”

  “I can see that I did. What are you doing, looking down on the scene of tragedy?”

  “Was I?” Deanna said innocently. Of course she was. She’d wanted to see the place in the daylight, but she hadn’t figured out how to leisurely make her way there until Joe had fortuitously appeared and distracted everyone. Besides, Cassie knew Deanna wanted to avoid him, and would explain as much to the others. So she was not a little annoyed that Lord David had interrupted her before she had memorized the scene.

  But she had seen enough to be certain that, if Daisy had slipped, she wouldn’t have fallen all the way to the boulder where she’d been discovered. She would have to have taken a flying leap or been pushed. An extremely strong push. It was just as she’d told Will. It looked like someone had thrown her over.

  “If you’ve satisfied your curiosity, Cassie sent me to tell you that luncheon is being served.” He smiled as if they had a secret. “Cassie has dismissed your—am I wrong to say?—your undesired swain.”

  Deanna laughed. “Really, Lord David. I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Of course you do, my cunning young lady. I hope you’re not flirting with me just to make him jealous.”

  “I don’t flirt,” Deanna said before she could stop herself. The idea that she was flirting with him brought the color to her cheeks.

  “Of course not. Come, let us dine on cold lobster and salad.” He offered his arm and Deanna took it. She enjoyed their walk back to the house. She was just sorry that Joe wasn’t there to see it.

  They stopped by her chair to retrieve her drawing book. Lord David playfully tugged the book from her hands. She grabbed for it.

  “Now, now. Let’s see what you’ve been drawing while we were at play.”

  “Really, Lord David, you don’t want—” No longer feeling playful, she made a grab for the notebook. He turned the page.

  “Very nice.” He cut her an expressive smile. “It seems I need a haircut.” He turned the page for her to see. She’d captured several sketches of him, and Maddie, too.

  “That’s quite enough. Please give that back to me.”

  “Just a few more.” He turned the page.

  Deanna stilled.

  “Well, what have we here? Is this what the poor girl looked like down on the rocks? You’ll remember I wasn’t on the scene until after our intrepid Vlad discovered the body.”

  “I—”

  “You are a strange creature.” He smiled his most charming smile. “And I mean that in the best possible way.” He handed the notebook back to her. “Our little secret.”

  Deanna hugged her notebook under her arm. Why hadn’t she gotten to it first? If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with what Joe would think, she wouldn’t have let that happen. What would Lord David think of her sketching pictures that belonged in the Police Gazette? Her mother would be furious.

  They started back to the house. “You should give Maddie some pointers on drawing. I’m afraid she can’t manage the difference between a horse and a dog. Proportion is the problem.”

  “Are you disparaging my artistic ability?” Maddie said from where she was “artistically” draped on a chaise lounge.

  “Deplorable, sis dear.”

  Maddie sighed. “Alas, he’s right. My needlepoint and embroidery are even worse. And please, please, for your own sake, never ask me to play the harp.”

  Deanna smiled. She wished she could be that carefree about the accomplishments young ladies were expected to have. Madeline Manchester might not be accomplished in the arts, but at least she got to travel and see the world. Someone like Lady Madeline wouldn’t have to get her adventures out of books.

  As soon as luncheon was over, Charles and Lord David left for the Reading Room, a place where, everyone knew, men drank, smoked cigars, and napped, but did very little reading. Vlad and Herbert took their leave soon afterward. Maddie and Cassie went upstairs to dress for their obligatory afternoon carriage ride. Deanna excused herself to write letters.

  “Oh, come on, Dee,” Cassie said. “Your mother isn’t even here.”

  “I know, but with all the parties and events, I’m behind in my correspondence.”

  Cassie sighed loudly. “Her mother is a gorgon. Even when she isn’t here.”

  For once Deanna was happy to use her mother as an excuse. “And she expressly told me not to neglect my duties.” She smiled slyly, something she was proud of perfecting. “I’ll get them all done while you’re out and then I’ll be free to play.”

  Cassie would have argued but Madeline pulled her away. “Let her get her duties out of the way. We have so many things planned for the week.” The two young women went off arm in arm toward their rooms, and Deanna felt a momentary pang of conscience. She had no intention of spending the afternoon writing letters. She had another obligation to fulfill.

  Well, maybe not an obligation. To be absolutely truthful, she wanted to search Daisy’s room.

  Elspeth turned from the window when Deanna entered her bedroom.

  “Heavens, have you been standing there since I left?”

  “I thought you’d never come, miss. I was about to go without you.”

  “Don’t even think of acting without me. It might be dangerous.”

  Elspeth’s eyes widened.

  “Oh, I don’t mean something physically harmful, just that you might get caught.”

  “I have permission to gather Daisy’s possessions.”

  “But not to snoop around looking for evidence. Which I know you’ll do.”

  “I have to do something.”

  “And we will. But carefully.”

  “And what happens if you get caught in the servants’ quarters?”

  “I’ll say I had to come looking for my awful, disobedient maid who will answer none of my calls.”
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  Elspeth grinned and started across the room, where she opened the door a crack and peered out into the hallway.

  “It’s empty. Hurry.” Elspeth brushed through the opening of the door; Deanna pulled her skirts together and followed her.

  Elspeth was already speeding silently down the corridor toward the back of the house and the servants’ staircase. Without looking back to make sure Deanna was following, she opened the door and disappeared. Deanna followed right behind.

  The staircase was narrow and poorly lit. If they met anyone, they would have to pass practically nose to nose. And how would Deanna explain being here? She crossed her fingers and followed close on Elspeth’s heels.

  Two flights later, when Deanna was beginning to feel out of breath, Elspeth stopped, again put her finger to her lips, and cracked the door to look out. She motioned for Deanna to follow.

  They stepped out into another hallway, perpendicular to the main hallway below. The floors were wooden and there were doors leading off to each side. There was a single window at the end, and Elspeth hurried toward it. When she was two doors from the end, she stopped, turned the knob on one, and stuck her head inside, then followed it in. Deanna crowded in behind her.

  They were in a tiny gabled space, smaller than Deanna’s dressing room. Two painted iron beds stood against opposite walls. A washstand flanked by two small chests of drawers stood between. One side of the room was completely unoccupied, but on the other a summer coat hung on a hook and a photograph of a family was tacked above the bed.

  “Is this where you’re staying?” Deanna asked.

  “No, miss. I’m a floor below in the nicer rooms, since I’m a lady’s maid.” Elspeth sniffed. “Daisy got extra duties and they didn’t even give her a better room. It wasn’t fair.”

  Deanna placed her hand on Elspeth’s shoulder. “Courage,” she said quietly. They would both need it.

  Elspeth nodded. “The girl who shared the room with her was afraid to stay here by herself and moved in with two of the other maids, so we won’t be interrupted.”

  She opened the first drawer. They both leaned over and peered at the contents.

  It became obvious right away that they should have brought a valise in which to carry things away, but when Deanna mentioned this to Elspeth, the maid merely lifted the coat from the hook, spread it across the bed, and piled Daisy’s few belongings on top.

  It was a sad testament to a life spent in hard work and a future cut off by some villainous creature.

  Elspeth cleaned out the top two drawers and piled them on the coat. Chemises, cotton stockings, a faded skirt with tiny blue flowers. A change of undergarments made of coarse muslin that made Deanna’s skin itch at the thought of wearing them.

  And she felt a surge of guilt for being so spoiled.

  Elspeth knelt down to open the bottom drawer. It was harder to open and scraped as she pulled it out. A pair of shoes and a small painted box were the only things it contained. Elspeth carried the box to the bed and sat down, then looked up at Deanna.

  “Open it,” Deanna said. Inside was a corsage dried between a folded piece of waxed paper, a seashell broken on one side, a roll of paper, a nub of a pencil, and two envelopes.

  Deanna sat down beside Elspeth and waited while Elspeth unrolled the paper. The first page contained two rows of letters, one in a decent print, the second less perfected.

  Elspeth bit back a sob. “She was practicing her alphabet. Orrin told her it was important to read and write.” She shoved the rest at Deanna and groped for her handkerchief.

  Deanna looked through the rest of the paper but it was all blank. She looked inside the envelopes. Empty. Had the envelope Vlady had found in Daisy’s hand come from here? What had been in it if she could hardly read or write?

  Elspeth closed the drawer, and Deanna returned the few treasures to the box. “Maybe Orrin would like to have this.”

  Elspeth took the box and added it to the pile of clothes on the bed. Her tears dropped silently on the dead girl’s paltry possessions.

  Deanna sighed and looked around at the bare room. “Should we pack up the blanket and pillow?”

  “No, miss. They belong to the house. But where are the books you said I could loan her so one of the other girls could help her read them? She liked the poor-working-girl stories best. Like Cinderella, she said.”

  Those stories were Deanna’s least favorite; the ones where the hardworking girl overcame a villainous master to find true love and riches. But maybe they had meant the world to Daisy. Elspeth, too.

  “She always returned them. Kept them real neat, she did.”

  “Maybe she loaned them to one of the other maids.”

  “She would never.” Elspeth looked around the empty room. She and Deanna both looked at the pillow at the same time. Deanna often stuck things under her pillow at home when her mother or Adelaide knocked at the door. She lifted it off the bed. “Nothing.” She replaced it on the mattress.

  Elspeth dropped to her knees and looked under the bed. Sat back on her heels and shook her head.

  “The mattress,” Deanna said.

  She knelt next to Elspeth and together they lifted the thin pallet mattress. Sitting on the frame was a flat paper parcel. Deanna lifted it out while Elspeth held the mattress up. Then they both sat back down on the bed.

  Deanna slid the cheap paper books out of the paper. On top was The Pointing Finger. Deanna remembered it from several months ago. The second novel’s cover was missing.

  “Oh, dear,” Elspeth said.

  “No matter. The books are so cheap, it probably fell off.”

  “No, miss. She was ever so careful. She told me she’d pretend like she was one of the girls in those stories. It was like having a magic door to somewhere special. Feels that way to me, too.”

  And to me, thought Deanna.

  “She took good care of them. Not even a tear or a dog-eared page when she returned them.”

  “Well, it makes no matter now.” Deanna returned them to the bag and placed the bag on the top of the other belongings.

  Elspeth handed them back to Deanna. “No, miss. She wouldn’t want to keep something that weren’t hers.”

  Deanna reluctantly took the package and watched while Elspeth neatly tied up the bundle. “What are we going to do with it until we can return it to Daisy’s mother?”

  “We can leave it in my room. It’s right downstairs.”

  “Will it be safe there?”

  Elspeth gave her a sad smile. “Who would want it, miss?”

  “I don’t know, but I think we should keep it in my dressing room.”

  Elspeth nodded but insisted on carrying the bundle herself, and Deanna, grasping the package of books, followed uselessly behind. They stopped at the door and Elspeth peered down the stairs. “All clear.”

  They had just passed the entrance to the second floor when Elspeth sucked in a startled cry.

  Deanna froze. Before them stood the largest, blackest man Deanna had ever seen. He was standing on the steps beneath them and yet he towered above them. A giant with massive muscles, a gold hoop hanging from one ear, and totally bald.

  Deanna’s mouth went dry. He was dressed in black livery, but in the dim light his stance, his eyes, and his demeanor all cried “savage.”

  Elspeth stepped back into Deanna, and Deanna fell against the wall.

  He tilted his head slowly, then bowed slightly. “Ladies.” His voice, deep and hollow, rumbled as if drawn from a cavernous pit and sent chills up Deanna’s arms.

  Elspeth let out a whimper and ran.

  Chapter

  10

  Deanna wanted to run, was tempted to scramble screaming after Elspeth. But she wouldn’t let her dignity slip. This must be the manservant Swan she had heard about. And he was everything she’d been told and more.

 
Praying that he wouldn’t crush her with one blow, or put a curse on her, she took her skirt in hand and gracefully—as gracefully as one could manage with knocking knees—went down the stairs, followed by reverberating quiet laughter.

  Elspeth had waited for her, but as soon as Deanna reached the second floor, she yanked Deanna into the hallway and slammed the door. The hall was empty and quiet, but Deanna was sure she could still hear that abominable laughing. Both girls grabbed their skirts and ran until they were safely inside Deanna’s room.

  “Do you think he’ll tell?” Elspeth asked.

  Deanna shrugged. “I don’t think so. You have every right to be in the servants’ area. And he hasn’t seen me before. Maybe he’ll think I was just another servant girl.”

  Elspeth wrinkled her brow.

  “Well, it’s possible.”

  “Do you think he’ll put a curse on us?”

  “Of course not. Though he does look just like the witch doctor from Lord Winston and the Black Death of Voodoo.”

  Elspeth moaned. “I told you.”

  “Not to worry. Lord David wouldn’t keep him as a servant if he put curses on everybody.”

  This rationale seemed to assuage Elspeth’s worst fears. But not Deanna’s. She didn’t think Swan could put curses on anybody, but he had a look about him that frightened her. She wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was just because he was so different. Deanna shook herself.

  He’s just a servant, and I probably won’t see him again.

  Elspeth carried Daisy’s bundle into the dressing room; when she didn’t come right back, Deanna put the novels down and went to see what was keeping her.

  Elspeth was sitting on a bench, the bundle in her lap. “This is all that’s left of her. It’s just like nothing happened,” she cried. “Your life goes on with your parties and dinners and fine houses and carriages. Them out playing games on the lawn when Daisy died just a few steps away. They didn’t even think about her, did they?”

  “I don’t know about the others,” Deanna said. “But I did.”