Davenport House 6: House Secrets

by Marie Silk

  Serena gasped in horror. “My Angelina was being held hostage?”

  “Something like that,” Giovanni answered. “It’s why I wanted you to know she was well cared for before I explained. A sister of one of the men took care of Angelina in a house in the countryside…but the men wouldn’t tell me where she was until I told them where to find Lawrence. I had no idea they would show up here and beat him to death that same night.”

  Serena shuddered, but felt relief at the same time. “Now I understand.”

  “When I heard that Lawrence had been killed, I thought it best to lay low for awhile. But then I heard that you were in jail thinking it was you who killed him. I couldn’t believe it. I hurried to Yorktown with Angelina to tell the police what Lawrence’s partners told me about that night. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

  “I’m only glad that my daughter is alright, and that we are back together as it should be,” Serena answered.

  Giovanni hesitated for a moment before asking his next question. “And how is the little girl?”

  Serena didn’t have a chance to answer him before Angelina emerged from one of the bedrooms. She walked straight to Giovanni and climbed into his lap, hugging his neck tightly. He smiled sheepishly in response. “I’m glad to see she’s well. I hope everything goes better for you from now on.”

  Serena could not help but comment, “You look so much different now than when I met you in the city. Today you seem quite cheerful.”

  He laughed. “Well, I don’t suppose I’ve had a job I could feel proud of until now. I think it will turn out nice. I don’t want to go back to where I was, working for the kind of people that I was. You were the only decent person who came to me, really.”

  Serena blushed. Phillip looked back and forth between them and broke the awkward silence. “Well, I thank you for getting all this straightened out,” Phillip told him.

  “I suppose I better get next door to explain to the ladies at Davenport House. There’s more to the story that needs to be told.”

  “Thank you for stopping by and explaining,” Serena told him gratefully.

  Giovanni stood up from his seat, but Angelina still clung to his neck. “I suppose this one isn’t so anxious for me to leave,” he chuckled. He gently handed the little girl to Serena, who promptly put her back to bed.

  “I’ll see you to the door, Detective,” she said afterward, leading him to the front door. Phillip went into the kitchen to wash the dishes from their supper.

  “There’s one more thing, Miss Valenti,” Giovanni told her from the doorway. “I’ve been wanting to give this back to you ever since you gave it to me.”

  Serena was stunned when he handed her the envelope full of money. “But it’s your payment. You’ve done so much to bring my daughter home. How can I take it from you?” She tried to hand it back to him, but he refused to take it.

  “I don’t need it, Miss Valenti.” Giovanni held out his hand for a handshake, but Serena put her arms around his neck instead.

  “Thank you again for everything. God bless you for all you have done. And please, if we ever meet again, call me Serena.”

  At Davenport House, Mary, Clara, and Abigail were having tea in the upstairs sitting room, all glancing nervously at the clock. “Perhaps the police changed their mind about coming today,” Abigail suggested.

  “To be honest, I wish we could get the questioning over with already,” Clara was saying, but jumped when someone was heard at the door.

  Nora entered the sitting room. “The detective is here, Mrs. Collins.”

  “Please send him up,” Clara replied. Mary held Clara’s hand while they waited for the detective to enter the room.

  Giovanni seemed uncertain when he arrived to the sitting room and saw the three ladies. “ ‘Evening. I’m Detective Salvatore, and I’d like to speak with Mrs. Collins.”

  “I am Mrs. Collins,” Clara told him. “And these are my friends. I would like them to stay during the questioning, if you don’t mind.”

  “Your friends can stay if you want, but I should say that the news I have for you is nothing pleasant,” Giovanni answered.

  Clara sighed. “It’s alright. My friends can hear anything you have to say to me.”

  Giovanni took a seat across from Clara. “Very well, then I will begin. I’m not here to question you, Ma’am. The Pittsburgh police have two suspects in custody who have admitted involvement in Mr. Collins’ death. A trial date will be set for them very soon.”

  “Excuse me, Detective,” Abigail said quickly. “What about the person being held at the police station?”

  “That suspect has been released, and the prosecutor will not press charges,” he told her.

  Abigail heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I am sorry I interrupted. Please, continue.”

  “The suspects were former business partners of Mr. Collins. The deeper I looked into Mr. Collins’ history, the more I uncovered about debts and nefarious business dealings. I don’t suppose you know anything about these things, Ma’am?”

  “Lawrence was gone for months at a time. He always said he was attending to his ill mother, but I found out quite recently that it was not true at all. He received mail at a Pittsburgh address that I did not know he had. So I don’t know the first thing about what he was involved in.”

  “I suspected as much. Mr. Collins had run up debts all over Pittsburgh. He was seen gambling on many occasions, and began planning a business for the illegal distribution of alcohol.”

  Clara’s eyes were wide. “I had no idea of any of this!”

  “I’m afraid there is more, Ma’am. This brings me to the most unpleasant aspect of this investigation…but the fact of the matter is, you are not the first Mrs. Collins.”

  Clara sighed. “Lawrence did tell me that he was a widower. Maybe it was the only truth he ever told me.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not true, Ma’am. That is, Lawrence Collins was never a widower. What he did was seduce different women in separate locations, and proceeded to marry them.”

  “I don’t understand,” she cried. “You mean Lawrence pretended to be married to these other women while he was married to me?”

  “It’s the other way around, Ma’am. It was you that he pretended to be married to, since he was still legally married to his first wife. Your marriage to him was never valid in the eyes of the law.”

  Giovanni sat back in his seat while the words sank in for the three girls, who remained in stunned silence.

  Finally, Clara spoke, but it was barely above a whisper. “Is there anything else?”

  “I suppose the final news is that the body of Mr. Collins will be sent to his legal wife for burial arrangements. I am sorry to have to tell you all this, Ma’am. I hope you may find peace in the days ahead.”

  “Thank you, Detective,” Clara said quickly. “I believe I will be fine, now that I understand the situation better.”

  Giovanni nodded. “I hope so, Ma’am. If you have questions about anything, you can call us at the police station.”

  “Very good,” Clara said. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

  Giovanni rose from his seat. “Goodnight, ladies.”

  After he left the house, Mary and Abigail exchanged shocked glances with Clara. “I’m sorry, Clara,” Mary told her. “To hear this after all you’ve been through!” Abigail nodded in agreement.

  “Don’t be sorry,” Clara replied. “I feel like a burden has been lifted from me all of a sudden. I feel like I may even be truly happy again someday. Oh, I am so glad the detective came tonight!”

  Abigail smiled. “I’m glad you are taking the news so well, Clara. You always knew something wasn’t right about Lawrence. I suppose you have no reason to feel guilt over any of it now.”

  Clara relaxed in her seat and almost felt like laughing. “I feel a hundred times lighter. I’m glad you could be here with me to hear the news. What a mess! And I don’t need to be a part of any of it anymore, thank goodness. I
don’t even need to think about a funeral!”

  “No, you do not,” Mary said, trying to be encouraging.

  “We can start everything fresh now, and put this whole ordeal behind us,” Clara said determinedly. They all sat quietly in the room, unsure of what to say next. Clara suddenly rose from her seat. “There is something I need to do. If you’ll excuse me, ladies.” Clara headed to the servants’ quarters, quite unexpected by the maids. She arrived just in time to see Mrs. Malone sitting at the table with her arms stubbornly crossed over her chest. She was in the midst of an argument with Nora.

  “I’m tellin’ you, this is how Miss Clara likes it,” Mrs. Malone was saying. “I’m not changing it!”

  “You will change it if I change it on the menu! I run this house, and you will do what I say, you stupid fool!”

  Clara was flabbergasted as she marched into the kitchen to face Nora. “Oh—good evening, Mrs. Collins,” Nora sputtered, wondering if Clara had heard what she just said. Mrs. Malone and the others made themselves scarce.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself for speaking to Mrs. Malone in that manner,” Clara scolded her. “It was a mistake to appoint you as housekeeper. A mistake I have regretted ever since I made the change!”

  “But Mrs. Collins,” Nora began impertinently. “What about your secret?”

  Clara shrugged. “It is no longer a secret, and I don’t need your help keeping it anyway. If you want to continue working at this house, you may do so as a maid, on the condition that you apologize to the staff and show them the respect they are due. Otherwise, you should leave the house first thing in the morning.”

  Nora pouted as she thought it over. “Does this mean Fiona will be housekeeper again?”

  “I hope it does mean that,” Clara answered. “But I have yet to ask her.”

  Nora scowled. “Then I will pack my things and leave first thing in the morning.” She stomped away to her room while Clara summoned Fiona, Jane, and Mrs. Malone in the servants’ lobby.

  “There are some changes in the house I would like to discuss with you all. The first is that Nora will no longer be under my employment. It was a mistake of mine to give her the position of housekeeper, and I hope you may all forgive my poor judgment.”

  The staff nodded with curious eyes as Clara continued. “Fiona, I would like you to be housekeeper again, if you are willing. You always exceeded my expectations and I regret that I ever took the position from you.”

  Fiona smiled shyly. “I would be grateful to be housekeeper for you again, Mrs. Collins.”

  Clara began to feel lighter than ever and managed to smile as she made her final announcement. “There is one last change to be made. I would like to be known only as Clara Davenport from now on. I hope to never hear the other name spoken in this house again.”

  The staff nodded in agreement and Fiona gladly answered her, “Very good, Miss Davenport.”

  Chapter 11

  Early the next morning in the servants’ quarters, Sam was having breakfast at the kitchen table before beginning his work for the day. He raised his eyebrows when Fiona walked in wearing her housekeeper uniform and holding a clipboard. “Fiona? What’s happening?” he asked.

  “Miss Clara said I’m to be housekeeper again,” she whispered with a smile.

  Before Sam realized what he was doing, he had stood up from his chair and hugged her tight. “Just as you should be,” he said.

  Fiona blushed when he let her go, but was eager to tell him the other news. “Nora is not coming back, either.”

  “I thought it felt better in here than usual,” Sam laughed.

  “I’m afraid it will mean that Jane and I must work longer hours until I can hire a new housemaid—I’ll be quite busy.”

  “Makes sense,” Sam replied with a nod. “When you’re not too busy sometime, maybe you could meet me outside for an hour or two. There’s something I want to show you.”

  “I’ll see if I can steal away. After all the commotion upstairs, I imagine everyone will want a day to relax. It’s a long story, but there won’t be a funeral for Mr. Collins after all. And Miss Clara only wants to be called Miss Davenport from now on.”

  “Really? Alright,” he said. “I gotta get to work now. I’m glad things are getting to the way they should be in the house, and that you got your rightful job back.”

  Fiona smiled. “Thank you, Sam. I’m glad too.”

  Later that afternoon, Ethan was tending to the horses in the stable. He heard footsteps approaching, then a meek voice spoke from behind him. “Um, pardon me, Mr. Smith?”

  Ethan turned around to see Serena standing there, holding the hand of a little girl. Ethan smiled when he saw the two of them. “Abigail will be happy to see you are both looking so well.”

  She smiled bashfully. “I hoped to see Abigail today, but I didn’t know how Clara would feel about us going to the house. Would you mind asking your wife to meet us here in the stable?”

  “Sure, I can tell her,” Ethan responded. He first leaned down to smile kindly at the little girl, who peeked out from behind her mother’s legs. Ethan did not mean to stare, but he was struck by the familiarity of her appearance. “She looks just like—” he began to say, but stopped himself abruptly. He stood up straight and faced Serena, who looked at him expectantly. “She looks just like—her mother,” he finished. “I’ll get Abigail now.”

  Abigail was smiling proudly when Ethan entered the bedroom. “What do you think? I just finished it this morning,” she said. She took Ethan’s hand and led him to the bed where baby Patrick lay in his flowing white christening gown.

  “You did great, Abigail,” he remarked, scooping up the baby in his arms and kissing his forehead.

  “I’m so pleased with how it turned out. It looks just like the gown my mother used to have for all of us, but I don’t know whatever happened to that one.”

  Ethan was quiet and deep in thought as he carried the baby around the room. Then he suddenly looked toward Abigail. “I nearly forgot to tell you, there’s—there’s a surprise for you in the stable. I’ll stay here with the baby while you go look.”

  Abigail laughed. “A surprise? You have me very curious now. Will you at least give me a hint?”

  Ethan smiled. “The hint is: the surprise will make you very happy.”

  She laughed again and pulled on her boots and sweater. “Then I can’t wait to see it.”

  When Abigail walked into the stable, she gasped suddenly to see that Serena was waiting there. “Oh my goodness!” she cried, running to hug Serena. “When Ethan told me a surprise waited for me in the stable, I never expected to see you! Why don’t you come into the house? Are you alright?”

  “I’m more than alright,” Serena beamed. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” She reached out her hand to Angelina, who was hiding behind one of the haystacks.

  Abigail held her hands over her heart as the little girl briefly came into view, only to hide behind mother’s legs.

  “This is my daughter, Angelina,” Serena said gently.

  Abigail blinked back tears of joy. “She is lovely.”

  “I thought it best that we meet you out here. I did not want to upset Clara by coming into the house,” Serena whispered.

  “I understand. Thank you for coming with Angelina. My heart is so full, it could just burst!”

  “I also wanted to give this back to you,” Serena told her, reaching into her pocket for the envelope. “The investigator did not require the payment after all.”

  “It was generous of him,” Abigail replied, taking the envelope gratefully. “I’ll be sure to speak with Clara about you coming to visit us at the house. I have a feeling she’ll be more agreeable to it than you might think.”

  Serena nodded with a smile. “We should be getting back to the farmhouse now. Thank you for everything, and goodbye, Abigail.” The little girl turned to face Abigail and waved goodbye before leaving the stable with Serena.

  Abigail returned inside t
he house and stopped by Mary’s bedroom before she went back to her own room. “Mary?” she called past the open door.

  “Come in,” Mary answered quietly. She lay in bed and stared blankly at the wall.

  Abigail sat beside the bed and looked at her in concern. “How are you feeling?”

  Mary shrugged but did not say anything.

  “Oh Mary, I wish you weren’t taking this so hard. If you want to blame someone, you can blame me. I am the one who telephoned William and told him that you were working too much and needed help.”

  Mary looked up at her. “You did?”

  “Yes, and I am sorry about how it all got printed in the paper. It certainly wasn’t fair to you. But I wish you would understand how much we care about you and want you to be alright.”

  Mary sighed and continued to stare blankly. “Don’t feel bad, Abigail. It’s not your fault that I feel this way.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Mary was quiet for a long time but tears began to roll down her cheeks.

  Abigail looked on helplessly. “Is there anything I may do for you?”

  “No. There’s nothing you can do for me.” Mary turned on her other side, away from Abigail. “I want to go back to sleep.”

  “I will leave you to rest,” Abigail replied softly. She left the room and headed down the hall for her bedroom where Ethan waited with the baby.

  He was confused when he saw Abigail looking upset. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy to see them.”

  She managed a smile. “It was a lovely surprise to find Serena and her daughter together. I’m very happy for them. The thing is, I stopped by Mary’s room on my way here, and she is not doing well. I’m worried for her. I’m not sure if I feel right moving away just after the christening as we planned. Perhaps we should stay a little longer.”