Page 124 of Death at a Highland Wedding
“Ezra poisoned it,” I say, “though he made it look as if it had been caught in the trap.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “My God. Why would he…” She trails off, as if she’s realized the answer.
“To get closer to Fiona,” I say. “To position himself as an ally. As someone who understood her and agreed with her sensibilities. Ezra would feign horror at the death of the cat. Feign fury with Müller for doing it—and your brother for allowing it. When Fiona wanted to tend to the kittens—which he knew she would—he would demand she be allowed to do so. That last part didn’t work, because your brother was fine with her keeping the kittens. But Ezra still made it seem as if he had won the day.”
“For her,” Violet murmurs. “He killed the cat so that he could join her in outrage over its death. Show her that he shared her love of wild creatures. I want to say he would never be so manipulative, but I have long feared I did not fully understand the depths of him. The worst depths.”
“You realized what he was up to,” I say. “Especially when you intercepted that note. You went in Fiona’s place to warn him off.”
Her mouth twists. “I doubt it was necessary. Fiona had no idea Ezra was interested in her that way. The note would have only befuddled her. I had hoped, when she did not reciprocate, he would give up, but that was foolish. He would never have given up. When I found that note in Fiona’s room—I had gone in to get her shawl—I knew I had to act. He would not do to her what he had done to me. I would not allow it. If necessary, I would use whatever munitions I had, including the force of threats.”
“To reveal that he had gotten you with child.”
She swallows and looks away. “He seduced me when I was sixteen. It went on for three years, and it is not surprising that a child was the eventual result. He may… he may even have planned that. He wanted to tell my parents and offer to marry me. I would not let him—I knew they would never agree and I was… no longer sure he was a man I wished to marry. The affair ended with that. My parents sent me to visit a cousin in Switzerland. I stayed there while I had the baby. My cousin was married and childless and happily took him.”
“So your family knew?”
“My parents did.”
“Not Archie?”
She shudders. “Certainly not Archie. My parents did not realize who the father was—I said a young man had seduced me while we were on a seaside holiday. Archie would have uncovered the truth. Had that happened, Archie would have run Ezra out of Edinburgh, perhaps Scotland altogether.”
“It must have been difficult continuing to see him socially, as Archie’s friend.”
She flushes. “When I say the affair ended, I do not mean it ended forever. We would periodically reunite. I was often… lonely. Ezra helped me through some difficult times. But that is what he did. He was there when you needed him, offering kindness and sympathy, so when you had cause to question other behaviors, you felt guilty for doing so.”
“It didn’t help when everyone else saw him as a good man.” I look at her. “That’s what men like him do. They woo with kindness, and if anything goes wrong, everyone else can confirm they are a wonderful chap who would never do such a thing. Clearly there was a misunderstanding.”
“Yes. There was no way I could accuse him and be believed, and his reputation made me feel as if there was something wrong with me for doubting him.”
“Yet you did doubt.”
She nods, her gaze averted, and she walks a little more before speaking. “Something odd began happening. I would be with him and then it was morning, and I was back in my own bed without knowing how I got there.”
A chill slides down my back.
She continues, “He would claim I had fallen asleep and he had snuck me back home, but that seemed… odd. Would I not have woken to him carrying me? It made me very uneasy. Then I heard a story about him taking advantage of a maid. I had heard such things before, but by then I had reached the point where I did not automatically dismiss them as tittle-tattle. Four years ago, I ended our relationship for good, which has been difficult. I have always suffered bouts of melancholia. They have become worse, with my mind torn between fearing Ezra mistreated me and then being horrified at suspecting him of such a thing.”
“Being here with him could not have been easy.”
“It was not,” she says firmly. “But I resolved to put a good face on it, andif I seemed despondent, I would let everyone think it was because of Hugh. While that is not an easy situation either, Hugh was always honorable in his dealings with me. Ezra was not.”
She walks in silence, and then says, “I have feared that Hugh ended it because he learned of the baby.”
“He had no idea,” I say firmly. “He ended it…” I trail off, not sure where to go.
“Because he loves Isla Ballantyne?” A soft twist of a smile. “Yes, I see that now, and I am happy for them. For both of them, if they can find their way to each other, which I sincerely hope they do.”
“That is kind of you.”
“Hugh would have made a good husband, but I was in love with Ezra.” She looks over. “You are wondering how far I would go to ensure he did not hurt Fiona.” She shakes her head. “If I wanted to hurt him, I would have taken away the most important relationship in his life, which I could have ended with a few words.”
“By telling Archie everything.”
“Yes. I would gladly have threatened that, for Fiona’s sake, but I also would have hoped the mere threat would be enough. I would not have hurt Archie that way. For him to realize that his best friend had seduced his sister and aimed to seduce his wife?” She sucks in a breath. “I would not have wanted to inflict that guilt on him.”
We walk around the garden one more time, without speaking, before I say, “And your child? You say your cousin took him? I hope he is well.”
