He clearly was not going to be dissuaded, it was necessary for him to go, but not for her. He was stronger than her, Ferris would do whatever he asked and he carried a pistol. She could hardly call the watch to get rid of Sir Arthur, because he would then reveal her part in the plot. She could not overpower him. Even if she was lucky enough to strike him unconscious, she feared failure. There must be some way to incapacitate him so she did not have to do what he said? She walked over to her dressing table and began to remove her bracelets so that they could be carefully packed for travel.
On the table she noticed a packet of tablets which had been left by her husband’s doctor, when he had last been in town. The doctor had warned her about how strong the tablets were. The doctor had said they had been made from foxgloves. They helped her husband’s ailing heart, but only a few could make a healthy man seriously ill. She picked a fistful out of the packet and took them over to where Sir Arthur was now ploughing his way through the fruit cake. She slipped them into the brandy decanter and poured him a fresh glass. He muttered a thank you and washed the cake down with a swig of brandy.
Sir Arthur finished the cake and then poured himself another glass. This time he attempted to savour the liquid.
“The brandy is rather bitter, Selena, have you been trying to save by changing your wine merchant?”
“Of course not Arthur, I expect it is just in contrast to all that sweet fruit cake you have been eating.”
The noises of packing continued in her bedroom behind them. Selena sat and smiled provocatively at Sir Arthur. He seemed in a much better mood and almost smiled back. She waited and wondered what would happen next. He sat there slowly consuming the brandy in the decanter. The tablets had all dissolved completely and the level in the flask was falling quickly. Then he began to heave. Selena rang for Yeatman and asked for a bowl, but Sir Arthur began to vomit and she ran to locate the porcelain bowl from her dressing room. She brought it to him and managed to catch some of the half-digested food he brought up. Arthur was clearly in a great deal of pain and continued to heave, the air stunk and Selena was forced to believe he had fouled himself as well. He tried to stand but failed, falling to the floor and then spasming in fits for some time.
Selena stood back covering her mouth and nose, disgusted at the smell and horrified by the obvious chronic pain he was experiencing. She almost regretted giving him the medicine, she had known it should kill, but had thought it would be quicker. After some minutes, he became still and lay in a contorted position. Selena wondered if he remained alive and forced herself to move closer to Sir Arthur. She could see that he was breathing still, but he did not appear to be awake. She touched his wrist and found there was yet a fluttery pulse. She sat back down and waited. His breathing became fitful and then with one last gasp, he seemed to writhe before collapsing backwards. His eyes rolled up and his face fixed in the most unholy grimace.
Selena gasped, realising shocked that he was actually dead. She had killed him. She sat there watching the corpse of her dead lover and wondering what she should do now. Finally she got up and went into her bedroom.
“We are going nowhere, put it all back away,” she ordered her maids. She rang the bell for Yeatman. He appeared fairly quickly as if he had been waiting on the landing for her summons. “Take this decanter and the glass and wash them out thoroughly, tip the rest of the brandy away Yeatman, do not let anyone drink it. I don’t know what I am going to do. It seems that Sir Arthur has had a heart attack. I think it would be better if his man were to take his body and put him to bed at Devereaux House. He can be discovered dead tomorrow. Ferris should arrive soon.”
Selena sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. Neither Yeatman, nor her maids would tattle on her. She paid them too well for that. Ferris would co-operate when he realised his patron was dead. Leaving the body until morning would give him time to loot his master’s house and make off with his proceeds. She was just beginning to get her breath back when her front door was hammered on once more. It was not hard for her to recognise the Earl of Kittleton’s voice demanding admittance. Yeatman had left with the decanter, but she sent a footman to admit the earl. After all what could he do to her? He would not raise a hand to a woman, even if she had helped to have his wife abducted.
***
Xavier pushed past Selena’s footman and ran up the stairs, he doubted Devereaux was stupid enough to be at his mistress’s town house but he had not found him elsewhere. He was probably on his way to Dover by now and good riddance to him. Xavier reached the door to Selena’s boudoir or private sitting room. It was slightly open and he entered without knocking. There an interesting tableau met his sight; long before the various noxious smells hit his nostrils. Lady Selena stood weeping while her maids bustled in the background, unpacking her belongings. On the floor contorted in an unnatural pose, lay her former lover, Sir Arthur Devereaux. Whatever pretensions he had formerly to looks and fastidious dressing lost in the cruelty of death. His ostentatious clothes soiled by vomit and other bodily excretions. The corpse’s face grimaced in a ridiculous mask of hilarity which seemed to Xavier singularly inappropriate.
He reached over and closed the body of his former enemy’s eyes. Then he straightened his body before he set in that position.
“What did you do to him, Selena?”
“Nothing, I asked Yeatman to exclude him, because I was shocked at his involvement in your wife’s abduction. But he pushed his way in and shouted at me. He was going to force me to go to the continent with him. Yeatman got him supper to try and calm him down. He seemed better for a while, but then he started to be sick. After that he had dreadful fits and I could not wake him from them.”
“I don’t believe you Selena. I think you killed your paramour. You knew about my wife’s abduction and were involved in it. You were overheard talking to Devereaux. A witness to your complicity wrote the note I showed to Lady Charlotte. Devereaux’s death saves the cost of hanging him, I suppose. You are as guilty as he. I would strangle you myself, but that might hasten your husband’s death. You must know Lord Romshire is now sick abed and not expected to rise again. You will find no welcome in London, for I shall make sure your guilt is known. Retire to Somerset and act the dutiful wife while Lord Romshire lives. If you return to London, I will give evidence against you and have you hung.”
Xavier turned and left Selena with Sir Arthur’s body. He returned home to comfort his wife.
***
Ferris arrived back at Lady Selena’s town house and was sombrely admitted by Yeatman, who informed him that his master had taken ill and died. Ferris suspected his master had not died naturally, but if he accused Lady Selena he would merely draw attention to his own crimes. So he pragmatically accepted the facts and ordered his master’s grotesque corpse wrapped in blankets and two footmen bundled him into his own carriage. Ferris took charge of having his master’s body washed and put to bed. He instructed Sir Arthur’s butler to report the death at noon, by when he himself would be long gone.
Early in the morning he had his master’s clothes unloaded from his carriage and his own modest possessions loaded. He was driven first to Sir Arthur’s main bank where he withdrew the balance of his master’s liquid funds. He then instructed the driver to travel to Deveraux’s country seat. The entailed property would go to some cousin of Sir Arthur’s, but it would be some time before his lawyers dealt with it. There would be plenty of time to pack up the best of his treasures, before anyone came looking. Ferris already had letters of credit to various foreign banks and the details of various off shore business contacts where he could extract further money, should he ever need more, which he doubted.
Sir Arthur’s London staff busied themselves looting whatever they thought they could carry off. Long before noon, most of them had left London having already sold the various items they had purloined. No one took any notice as carts drew up and carried away larger objects. Even Sir Arthur’s haughty butler failed to report his death and merely remov
ed such items as would keep him in a comfortable retirement, before leaving London to live with his innkeeper brother. Finally at the end of the day, Sir Arthur’s death was reported, but the contents of his town house had already been ransacked. Lady Selena left for Somerset that morning.
After the announcement of Sir Arthur’s demise, Xavier approached William Higgins himself.
“Your sleeping partner, Sir Arthur Devereaux, has been disgraced and is now dead. The crimes perpetrated on behalf of Higgins & Morpeth by Sir Arthur’s henchmen to the Wellmouth group and to Gregory Wellmouth himself will become public knowledge if I speak out. Then I doubt you personally will escape culpability. Sir Arthur supported your businesses financially and Gregory Wellmouth suffered physically and financially from your despite. Unless you compensate Sir Gregory substantially, I will be forced to bring the matter to the notice of the courts….”
Epilogue
On Hector’s return to London he found that the mystery surrounding the attacks on Celestina and the Wellmouth chandleries had been solved. Sally finally found the courage to inform him that although she would still be happy to marry him, she had no intention of pretending to be something she was not. She wanted nothing to do with London life or of trying to become a lady. Her highest ambitions had been to be landlady in a fine inn of her own, to bring up a family who she could afford to have educated to make their own way in life. Hector accepted her decision and informed Celestina he would be retiring from the Blighton group. When she left London for her confinement at Kittleton Place, he would act as her deputy, but when she returned after weaning her child he would leave Blighton Industries and retire.
It took Celestina and Hector most of the months until her confinement at Kittleton Place to restructure the companies, reducing the managerial work load and training up some of the senior clerks to take more responsibility. Hector withdrew sufficient of his capital in the group without causing any instability. At his suggestion Celestina gradually explained the workings of her businesses to Xavier. She found that while he might not have Hector’s gift of financial wizardry, he was an excellent manager who understood how to direct a large number of employees. Xavier was prepared to take advice on anything he did not understand, but he was an excellent judge of men, which both Hector and Celestina appreciated.
Hector eventually purchased an inn only twenty miles away from the Kittleton estates. Sally would be able to visit her family and he would be able to check on Celestina and his godchild. If Sally did not understand fully how much money her children would eventually inherit then Hector saw no reason to complicate her dreams for the future. However Xavier acted as Hector’s best man for their wedding and Hector’s advice was always available, as he kept up a regular correspondence with Celestina. If Sally was concerned that Hector’s retirement was not total, she was too busy preparing a layette for her own future petit paquet’s arrival.
Further books by Giselle Marks
The Fencing Master’s Daughter
Edward, Earl of Chalcombe, walking home, is attacked. He attempts to defend himself but is bludgeoned to the ground. Death seems inevitable when a beautiful young lady and her servant rescue him. Refusing any reward they leave no address, But Edward, fascinated by both Madelaine’s beauty and swordsmanship, intends to pursue the acquaintance. Edward seeks his rescuers and the culprits who wish to terminate his life. He offers the elusive Madelaine marriage but she repeatedly declines. Her father accepts an invitation to visit his estate with her, over Christmas as he takes a liking to Edward. As Edward pursues Madelaine, the attempts on his life continue. The mystery intertwines as their romance progresses and Madelaine eventually reveals the secret making her refuse to marry him.
By Giselle Marks and Sarah J Waldock
Fae Tales
‘Fae Tales’ is an anthology of short stories by two inspired and obsessed writers, whose knowledge of mythology, folk tales and the fae could be legendary. The book arose from ‘what if’ discussions between Sarah and Giselle, drawing on their knowledge of folklore which they updated to a contemporary setting. Most of the tales have a twist or two. Not all of the stories are about fairies, nor are all the fairies nice. ‘Fae Tales’ encompasses mythic tales from around the world. This is not a fairy book for little children. It is intended for lovers of fantasy from teenage up. Some stories may be rather gory and a few do not have happy endings.
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