The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy

by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

  But perhaps there remained a way to prevent them leaving if they had decided to do so tonight.

  “Maybe we should check where Emily was attacked? We might find something.”

  “An excellent idea. We’ll pick up the blankets in the kitchen with the excuse of returning them.”

  We had no problem finding the spot where Emily had been pushed. The plate she had been carrying still lay on the ground.

  “Pity it’s so cold,” Mother said, turning about with the lantern. “There is nothing much to see in terms of footprints. But the plate…”

  We both stepped to the dish. It lay faceup, the contents, a stew, now splattered about it on the ground, the edges already crusting.

  “Imagine if you were pushed from behind,” she said to me. “Step over there and pretend to carry a plate. Now fall forward as if pushed.”

  I followed her directions, my imaginary plate flying from my hands.

  “It would probably turn over. Scatter the contents in a forward manner.”

  “And if you dropped it?”

  “Land upright. Perhaps a more even distribution about it.”

  “My thoughts as well. Let’s carry the dish back to the kitchen and consider what this suggests.”

  “Beyond appearing that Emily dropped it?”

  “Precisely. I think we needn’t be as concerned about Constance’s security right now. Let’s get these blankets to the barn.”

  Slightly relieved over my friend, I shifted my thoughts to more pressing concerns—my brother’s future. The knot in my stomach returned as we approached the barn for fear of what we would find there. I held my breath as Mother opened the door. All was quiet, however, and after leaving the blankets, we returned to the house. Where was Mycroft, then? And Miss Meredith? Or Colonel Williams? I continued to have my reservations about his integrity —despite my uncle’s trust in him.

  I considered sharing some of these thoughts, but events overtook me when we entered the kitchen.

  “There you are,” Miss Simpson said. “Miss Bowen was looking for you. Apparently, Trevor has been asking for you both.”

  My cousin was sitting up in bed. Some color had returned to his cheeks, but he jiggled one leg without stopping. When my mother and I stepped into the room, a smile broke across his face, but his leg remained in motion.

  “You were right,” he said. “I do recall the necklace now.” He pouted and puckered his forehead. “Or I think I do. I mean it seemed quite real in my dream.” He sighed and glanced at us. “Are you cross with me?”

  Mother moved to his bedside and placed a hand on his cheek. “Never.”

  “Why don’t you share with us what you do remember, and we’ll sort it out together? Sometimes dreams are a way of helping us recall what we’ve forgotten. It’s happened to me.”

  Another sigh from Trevor. He continued to squeeze his eyebrows together. “I’ll try. In my dream I had the necklace in my hand—”

  “Do you have any memory of finding it?”

  Mother frowned at me from the other side of the nursery bed and shook her head. “Let’s let Trevor tell us in his own words.”

  Her reprimand stung, but I understood her concern. Pushing my cousin might make it more difficult for him to share what he did remember. As much as I wanted to direct his story, I had to keep quiet and let it unfold.

  “You had the necklace in your hand…” Mother said, prodding him to return to his tale.

  He nodded. “That’s right. I had the necklace, and I was running.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t know who was chasing me, but I was scared. And I knew they wanted the necklace.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from asking if a woman or man was chasing him. Any harder and I would have drawn blood.

  “I was in the stables,” he said. “And then I wasn’t. I was in…in…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember any more.”

  “That’s all right,” Mother said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “It will come.”

  I rose. He had nothing else to share, and I still needed to find Mycroft.

  “You aren’t leaving, are you?” he asked.

  His lower lip poked out, and tears welled in his eyes. Mother gave me a hard stare. I knew she expected me to stay with him for a while. I recalled my vow to be kinder to him, and so I sat again. “I can stay for a bit, if you wish.”

  A smile stretched across his face. “Very much.”

  “What would you like to do? A game of chess?”

  He shook his head.

  I had no idea what other activity to offer. What did the boy like to do? “Or I could read you a story? Or draw?”

  The smile returned.

  I rose. “Let me get some paper and pencils.”

  When I returned from the schoolroom, Mother was gone, but a table had been pulled to the side of his bed. I dragged a chair next to it, and he turned to sit on the edge of the bed. We both stared at our papers for a moment, deciding what to sketch.

  “What are you going to make?” I asked.

  “The same picture I drew last time.”

  “You mean the one from the other day?”

  He nodded, head down as he concentrated on his pencil. He’d only made a few marks when he raised his head to stare at me. “Miss Meredith,” he said.

  “What about her?”

  “I remember now. I was searching for Mummy. To give her the drawing. It was a ship. On the ocean. When I went to the second floor, I was confused about the rooms. I opened one thinking it was Mummy’s, but Miss Meredith was in there. She turned around and that’s when I saw the necklace. The one you showed me.”

  Almost afraid to breathe, I asked in a whisper, “And then what?”

  “I-I don’t remember.” His voice wavered, and I feared he was going to cry.

  Reaching out, I placed my hand over his. “It’s all right. See? You’ve already remembered two things. More will come. But I want to share this with Mother. Can you finish your drawing while I do that? I’ll send someone to sit with you.”

  “All right, but not that Emily. I don’t like her. She says mean things about Constance.”

  About to rise, I sat more firmly in my seat and asked, “What sorts of mean things?”

  “That she’s a wicked girl, trying to act rich when she isn’t. I told her that’s not true. That she’s kind and my friend.”

  My opinion of Emily shifted on its axis. I had chalked up Constance’s criticisms of the maid as exaggerated and based on jealousy. Now, however, I had to consider that Emily was the jealous one.

  I had much to share with Mother.

  After stopping in Miss Bowen’s room to send her to stay with Trevor, I went in search of Mother.

  She was in the parlor with my father, Uncle Ernest, and …

  Chanda.

  They all turned to me when I entered, and my cheeks grew hot from the attention. The shock of seeing the rajkumari left me speechless, and completely forgetting all social convention as well as my original purpose in coming downstairs, I couldn’t even express my relief at the woman’s release. I could only stare open-mouthed at her.

  Mother, however, saved me.

  She rose, stepped toward me, and placed an arm about my shoulder. “Look, Sherry, dear, isn’t it wonderful? Miss Chanda has been released from gaol.”

  “Forgive me, Miss Chanda,” I said, finding my voice. “Your presence was rather a shock. I’m truly thrilled to see you’ve regained your freedom.”

  “It was rather a shock for me as well,” she said, one side of her mouth lifting slightly.

  “With the attack on Trevor occurring while she was in gaol,” Father said, “Colonel Williams insisted I persuade the constable that she could not be behind the attacks.”

  “We are all so glad to see you,” Mother said to the woman. “I know you will want a bath. It was one of the first things I indulged in when I was freed. I’ll speak with Mrs. Simpson about arranging for one.”

  “You’re too kind, Mrs
. Holmes,” she said, putting her hands together and bowing her head slightly.

  “I’ll seek out Mrs. Simpson, and she’ll let you know when the bath is ready.” She turned to me. “And I need to speak with you, Sherry, dear. Why don’t you come with me?”

  After we had gone a good distance down the hall, she said, “I must say, the last thing I thought would happen today was Chanda’s arrival.”

  “And that Colonel Williams was behind it. Didn’t you say you thought he wanted her to stay there? For her own safety?”

  “I have no explanation for his change in heart, but I agree, it is odd.”

  “What does Father say?”

  “I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to ask him, but I suspect he’ll be as puzzled as we are. Although I also believe he’ll see no reason for them to remain here now and will strongly suggest they move on to London, or…wherever.”

  Her mention of London reminded me of the reason I had sought her out in the first place. “Does Miss Meredith know? That Chanda is here?”

  She paused. “You know, that is a good question. I haven’t seen her, or Mycroft, in quite a while.”

  My heart skipped a beat. Again, I remembered Mycroft had committed to leave tomorrow. But what if Meredith knew of Chanda’s return and pushed Mycroft to leave tonight? Or was afraid that Trevor might report her having Chanda’s necklace?

  I gripped Mother’s arm. “We need to find Meredith. Trevor remembers seeing her with the mangala sutra.”

  “Is he certain?” she asked. When I nodded, she tapped her lip. “What would her interest be in the necklace? Especially if it belonged to the woman she claimed attacked her?”

  The question, although logical, created a dilemma for me. Had Father told her about Meredith’s past? That as an orphan, her position in society was compromised? And her true profession was that of spy? I couldn’t very well share this information with her without explaining how I’d eavesdropped on my father’s interrogation of Colonel Williams.

  “I-I’m not sure.”

  “Let me arrange for the bath, and then I’ll search for Miss Meredith. We can use the pretext of informing her that Chanda is here.” She shook her head. “Why the colonel would choose to bring Chanda now, under the same roof as her accuser, is beyond me.”

  After checking both the first and second floor and not finding any sign of either Meredith or Mycroft, we agreed they were most likely together and in one of the outer buildings. When we pulled on coats against the winter wind and stepped out into the dark night, I couldn’t decide if I preferred to find them both in the stables and preparing to flee, or in each other’s arms in a secret meeting. Either way, Mycroft’s fate was most likely sealed. I shuddered to consider Meredith as my sister-in-law.

  Mother must have noted my reaction because she said, “It’s taken quite a cold turn.”

  I didn’t contradict her.

  Mother shone a lantern around the empty barn. I was grateful for the shelter from the wind. It howled through the rafters, and the horses stomped and protested in response. A quick review of the stalls indicated all our stock was present, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding when we opened the door.

  Mother glanced around and shrugged. “No one appears to be here. But while we’re here, show me where Ernest puts his traps.”

  Turning, I squinted at her. Uncle Ernest’s traps? Why the sudden interest?

  In response to my confused look, she put a finger to her lips and then pointed to one of the empty stalls. Who did she think was in there?

  Approaching the stall, Mother chatted as if she had no other interest. “I do need to talk to Ernest about these traps. It’s one thing to capture the rats and then use them in experiments, but when he doesn’t empty them out, it seems rather cruel. They could literally starve to death—”

  “All right, Mother,” Mycroft said, rising from the stall she had indicated to me. “I know you know I’m here.”

  She showed no surprise at his sudden appearance. “You mean, ‘us,’ don’t you, dear? Miss Meredith, please come out of there as well.”

  The woman stood, and Mycroft stepped next to her.

  “I suppose I should ask what you’re doing—”

  He reached out and took Meredith’s hand. “It’s rather obvious, isn’t it? We’re in love, Mother. I hope you can accept that.”

  She rubbed her forehead. Mycroft shifted on his feet, but Meredith straightened her shoulders and stared at my mother. Her lips turned up ever so slightly, as if she found some amusement in the situation—whether at being caught and forcing a marriage or at my mother’s discomfort, I wasn’t certain.

  After another moment’s deliberation, Mother sighed and said, “I think it best we all share this with your father and uncle immediately. They are in the parlor.”

  She motioned to the couple to step out.

  “Father and Colonel Williams are together?” he asked as we all headed toward the door.

  “They were when I left to look for Miss Meredith,” she said without breaking her stride. “To let you know Chanda has been released.”

  Meredith halted and pulled Mycroft to her side. She clutched his arm. “I-I can’t go back there. Not into that house. Not if Chanda is there. What if she attacks me again?”

  “Really, Mother,” Mycroft said, placing a hand over Meredith’s, which continued to grip his arm. “Do you think it’s safe?”

  “Obviously Miss Meredith’s uncle does. He was the one who worked to get her freed.”

  Meredith blinked her eyes and stared up at him. I was certain she was on the verge of tears. “Please. What am I going to do? I-I can’t very well stay in the same house as that…that woman.”

  “I’ll speak to your uncle,” Mycroft said, patting the hand that gripped his arm. “I’m certain we can work out an arrangement where you feel safe.”

  “Shall we go to the house now? I can assure you you’re quite safe,” Mother said.

  The young woman glanced first at Mycroft and then at our mother. Her shoulders dropped, but her features remained rigid. I considered it not to be from relief of her anxiety or tension, but rather from resignation. Mother gave a little tug on my brother’s arm, and we all headed toward the house.

  Shortly before entering, Mother turned to the couple. “As I mentioned, your father and uncle are in the parlor. I’ll join you there momentarily. I have a necklace that I believe belongs to Miss Chanda. If it is hers, I’m certain she would want it back. Trevor says he remembers seeing it before he was attacked, but unfortunately he has no recollection of how he came upon it.”

  “Trevor’s awake?” Mycroft asked. “How is he doing?”

  Mother rubbed the back of her neck. “Physically, he’ll be fine with another day or two of bed rest, but I’m afraid he might never recover his memory of the attack or attacker.”

  Almost involuntarily, I spun to catch Mother’s gaze and correct her. Trevor had recalled more than she reported—and we both knew it. Realizing that she did know, I also grasped she had shared about the mangala sutra on purpose—perhaps to catch the other woman’s reaction.

  If the knowledge of the discovery of Chanda’s missing jewelry concerned Meredith, she hid it well. She entered the house and, with her hand on Mycroft’s arm, moved toward the parlor.

  The two of us followed them until we reached the stairs. I moved to continue to the parlor. I was anxious to learn how Mycroft’s and Meredith’s futures would be resolved. With my brother unaware of all the circumstances surrounding the woman, I longed to see his reaction when he learned the truth. Would his total dedication to her disappear or become more resolute? I didn’t consider my brother fickle or easily dissuaded, but neither did he like to play the fool. In this case, the revelation might be enough to break any spell the woman appeared to have over him.

  Unfortunately, Mother touched my shoulder and indicated I was to follow her upstairs. As we ascended the first step, I glanced over my shoulder and sighed when I saw
the couple enter the parlor.

  “You know your father would have sent you out,” she said, continuing up the staircase. I caught up with her, and she glanced across at me. “Besides, I have a special request for you. I want you to stay with your cousin tonight.”

  “I do every night. We share the nursery together.”

  “But I need you to stand guard. For whatever reason, Miss Meredith had the mangala sutra in her possession and knows that Trevor saw her with it. She may be worried that he will remember.”

  “But she showed no interest when you mentioned it just now.”

  Mother’s mouth turned down. “Perhaps its significance has lessened with the importance of Mycroft’s attentions. All the same, it is best to be prepared.”

  While I was quite willing to serve as my cousin’s bodyguard, I wasn’t sure I was the best selection. “Wouldn’t it be better if Mr. Straton—”

  “Straton’s presence might throw off any efforts against Trevor. I plan to keep watch over Chanda tonight after I share with the others about the discovery and return of the necklace. I will also speak to your father—”

  “No. I refuse. I will not wait.” Meredith’s voice rose through the foyer and up the stairwell.

  Was she referring to staying at Underbyrne with Chanda? Or had she and Mycroft announced their plans?

  Mother must have been as curious as I. She hustled up the stairs to stand at the railing overlooking the corridor below. I followed, stepping into the shadow at one end to gain a view without revealing my presence.

  The young woman stomped out of the parlor, the men following behind her.

  “Please, Meredith dear. Let’s hear them out,” Mycroft said, trying to keep up with her as she continued toward the stairs.

  She paused at the first step and faced him. “Are you saying you don’t love me?”

  “Certainly not,” my brother said, his voice having a quiver I’d never heard before. Despite his protest, I could hear uncertainty creeping into his voice. “I do see some logic, however, in the year’s engagement your uncle and my father suggested. By then, I would have read for the law, and we would be more financially secure to begin our household.”