Page 101 of Death at a Highland Wedding
“It was nothing to do with the job or Mr. Cranston. She liked both well enough. She’d had a sweetheart, I believe. She would not speak of him and adamantly denied it, but she acted like a young woman in love. Light and happy and glowing. Then it ended, and she was not herself. She left her position here and moped for weeks. She is back to herself at last, and I am glad to see it.”
“As are we,” Isla murmurs. “As are we.”
THIRTY-THREE
“The poor woman is wrong,” Isla whispers when Mrs. Hall leaves us alone. “Mr. Müller did do something to Lenore. That is why Lenore quit her position and fell into a state of melancholia.”
“That’s one explanation,” I say as I lower myself behind the desk. “But if he did that, would she not have mentioned it? For the sake of the other maids?”
“Perhaps she did not feel the other maids were in danger. And while Mrs. Hall might believe her daughter would tell her, that is not always the case.” She plucks at her bodice, as if adjusting it. “I never told anyone about the problems in my marriage. Even my mother, with whom I am extremely close.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
When Isla colors, I hurry on. “That’s not an accusation. I think I know the answer, which means this would be a very different situation.”
She hesitates and then nods. “I see your point. I did not tell my mother because she could not help. Even in Scotland, it is exceptionally difficult to end a marriage. If I feared for my life, I would have done anything to escape. But it was not as bad as that.”
She looks over at me, a wan smile playing on her lips. “I heard that noise you made. You would like to point out that any mistreatment is bad, but you also understand what I mean. My mother could not help me, and I would not put her in that untenable position—knowing I am miserable andshe cannot help. Then our father died and Duncan took over the family finances, and hecouldassist me, having seen enough to realize I needed it.”
She pauses. “Which has nothing to do with the current situation except that you are correct about it being different. However much I desperately needed my mother’s guidance, I hid my unhappiness from her because she could not help. Lenore was not bound to Mr. Müller. Had she told Mrs. Hall, I do not doubt the woman would have found a way to convey it to Archie, who would not have stood for it.”
“I agree.”
“So you do not think Mr. Müller molested Lenore?”
“Not… necessarily.” I rise. “But I’m going to need to ask Mrs. Hall something else before I say more.”
I speak to Mrs. Hall briefly and get the answer I expected. Then I find McCreadie and Gray outside, still deep in conversation. Seeing that, I pause, but they catch sight of me and wave me over.
“First,” McCreadie says, “I absolutely did not get Violet with child. I believe I can speak of such things with you as if you were a man.”
“Uh…” I say.
Gray arches a brow.
McCreadie gives us both a hard look. “You know what I mean. The sensibilities of your time mean I do not need to act as if I am an unspoiled flower of male bachelorhood waiting to discover the joys of the marriage bed.”
I sputter a laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think many single men fit that description. And probably fewer women than Victorians would like to think. But yes, I do not expect you to be a virgin.”
“Which I am not. However, I also would never have had premarital relations with Violet. That is far too great a risk to her reputation. As we were not in love and I was free to do as I wished before marriage…” He clears his throat. “There was no chance we would get carried away while courting. Also, while I liked Violet, I did not feel that way about her.”
“Got it, and you understand we needed to ask, just in case.”
“I do, and I am horrified to think that someone did that to Violet, that he left her with child.” He lowers his voice even more. “It does explaina great deal. While we had long been promised by our parents, no one seemed in any rush to fulfill the obligation. I was only twenty-one, barely out of school, a new police officer. Then, suddenly, things were moving very quickly, and I was told I would be wed within the year, with an increased dowry, supposedly because of my reduced expectations as a policeman.”
“Do you think Violet could have already been pregnant?” Gray asks. Then he pauses. “No, the timing would not work.”
“It would not. Her parents were in a hurry to solidify the engagement, but the marriage was still six months away. She could not have been pregnant. Also, when I reflected further, I recalled that her parents began to push shortly after she returned from a long sojourn abroad.”
“Violet went abroad?”
“Visiting a cousin on the Continent. She was gone for about five months.”
“I forgot about that,” Gray murmurs.
I swear under my breath. “She got pregnant, was whisked off to have the baby, and then her parents wanted her married as soon as possible. Before you had time to discover why she went abroad.”
“I cannot imagine Iwoulddiscover it. They were only making sure the wedding happened.”
