Alexander Prescott gave her a dubious look, but cleared his throat. ‘If you are quite sure, Lady Radcliffe… Adrien tells me that, as well as that unfortunate matter when he was part of your household, Lord Radcliffe, you have considerable experience in getting to the root of, er, situations.’
‘Murders, you mean?’ I asked encouragingly.
More throat clearing. ‘Well, yes. Which led me to wonder, that is to enquire whether…’ His voice trailed off. he cleared his throat and tried again. ‘The whole family will be at Tillingham Hall. There is always the possibility that the crime was committed by a servant, or some criminal intent on burglary, but there is no getting around the fact that…’ He ran out of words again. ‘I was hoping that your expertise might throw light on this.’
I know Luc is an earl, of course. But I had become used to that and it always took me aback when he got on his dignity and behaved like a top-lofty Georgian aristocrat.
Now, one brow rose and his voice chilled by several degrees. ‘Is it possible that you believe I can be hired like some Bow Street Runner to investigate your family assembled under your roof?’ he enquired.
‘Good heavens, no! You quite mistake me. I was simply hoping for advice.’ Mr Prescott ground to a halt and I felt sorry for him. He was clearly in great distress – unless, of course, he was the killer and a very fine actor and this was a subtle double-bluff.
‘We could hardly come and stay in a house of mourning,’ I said. ‘And that is what it would take, is it not? The ability to observe everyone, to talk with them, would be essential. It is not as though you would all be together in London, is it?’
‘Of course you are correct, Miss Lawrence.’ Prescott ran one hand over his face. ‘I do not know what I was thinking – only that this is a nightmare and Adrien spoke so admiringly about your powers of deduction, Lord Radcliffe.’
Luc’s hackles appeared to have subsided as rapidly as they had risen. ‘We would wish to help for many reasons. Murder is always abhorrent and Lord Tillingham was a neighbour, besides which, Adrien has earned any support we can give him. But, although it is true that I have been involved in a number of similar situations, I cannot see how I can help with this, given that you are hardly hosting a house party.’
James, who had been sitting silent opposite Luc looked up and said, ‘Rook’s Acre.’
Mr Prescott blinked at him and I was not surprised. It seemed a complete non sequitur. Then Luc smiled. ‘Of course. That would answer very well.’
‘What is Rook’s Acre?’ I asked.
‘A house, in Buckinghamshire, very close to the Tillingham family seat. It belonged to one of Matthew’s godmothers, Lady Alleyn, a close friend of my grandmother. She died at the beginning of the year, leaving the house to Matthew, and I have been meaning to visit the place and make decisions about how it should be managed.’
Matthew was the younger of Luc’s twin sons – by ten minutes, apparently. Everything that was entailed would go eventually to Charles, now Viscount Chevening, and Luc had clearly selected godparents with the hope that they would leave the younger boy property to bolster his estate as an adult. The same thing had happened for James, who was the heir to his godfather’s estates in Leicestershire. Luc would doubtless settle other property on Matthew, but legacies from godparents would be of great value to a younger son.
‘It would be excellent for the boys to be out of London now the hotter weather is here,’ Lady Radcliffe said placidly, as though we were discussing village fetes and country rambles and not murder. ‘And I would welcome the change. Perhaps, as a neighbour, I can be of some support to the ladies of the household. I have often observed that a little dilution is a good thing in family crises.’
If Alexander Prescott was acting, he deserved an Oscar: I could swear actual tears of relief appeared in his eyes. ‘That would be a great consolation, ma’am. My wife is quite overset by this. We were all exceedingly, er, fond of my nephew.’
Yes… but the realisation that you and your sons are now in direct line of inheritance for a title, lands and wealth is going to dawn on you sooner or later, I thought. That might mitigate the grief a little. Or it might add a burden of guilt to an innocent person’s mourning, I added, more charitably.
‘I will have Wilkins begin preparations directly,’ Lady Radcliffe said. ‘There is a skeleton staff there, but the butler is elderly and they have been used to serving an even more aged widow. They will need assistance. James, will you and Mr Lyle be joining us?’
I could see James thinking it through. ‘I believe Kit should go back to his post with my godfather,’ he said. ‘He can manage without both of us, but we have left him long enough and one should return. I would have gone too, but can I be of help..?’ He cocked his head at Luc who nodded.
‘Thank you, James, I would appreciate it.’
‘I imagine you will be accompanying the coffin?’ Luc asked Mr Prescott.
‘Yes. We set out tomorrow before dawn. My brother will wish to receive it and I do not want him to have to do so after dark.’ He got to his feet. ‘I greatly appreciate your support, my lord. Lady Radcliffe. If you will excuse me now.’
We waited until we heard the front door close. ‘He angered you, Luc,’ I said.
‘Yes. Unreasonably, I confess. I simply find myself unable to warm to the man.’
‘You think him guilty?’ Lady Radcliffe asked. ‘It seems improbable to me. After all, he could easily have entered through the garden, tapped on the window and his nephew would have admitted him. Why show himself in the way that he did?’
‘To make himself seem innocent?’ James wrinkled his nose as he thought it through. ‘He was close at hand because of the reception and perhaps it seemed safer to make a point of calling at the house.’ He shrugged. ‘But if I was the guilty party the last thing I would want is the pack of us descending on the family with our noses on the scent.’
‘Perhaps it was a bluff,’ I suggested. ‘He invites yo
u to investigate, Luc, but in such a way that it would seem insulting. You refuse, but think he must be innocent or he would not have done it.’
‘Whatever his motives, it will take us out of Town and allow us to assess Matthew’s inheritance.’ He grinned at me. ‘An expedition.’
‘But not an adventure, I very much hope,’ his mother said as she stood up. ‘I will put our preparations in train. When do you wish to set out, Luc?’