The Duke of Gwyndonmere raised his hand. “Please stay, Mr. Hammonds. Pull up a chair and help impart the knowledge that the inspector will require.”
“Of course, Your Grace.” Mr. Hammonds then turned one of the spindly audience chairs to face the Duke, and indicated another for the Inspector. “I will be glad to help in any way I can.”
The Inspector took out a ratty notebook bound in dark leather, and prepared to make notes with a stubby pencil.
The Duke began the tale, with the steward and butler taking up pieces of it.
“So let me get this right,” the Inspector said, tapping the page in his notebook with the stubby pencil. “You have a dead body and one girl thrown in the marsh. You don’t normally have this sort of crime, so you have sent for a specialist to find the person or persons responsible.”
The Duke of Gwyndonmere nodded. “Indeed, that is the essence.”
“Have there been any other strange happenings?”
“There have been reports of signal fires and banditry on the heights.”
“Is there a chance that these things could be connected?”
“At this point, I am not sure what to think. Constable McHenry, Mr. McAhmladhson, and Mr. McOwen have been quietly investigating, but they have tried to avoid alerting anyone about any suspicions they might have. I am surprised that you did not stop in the village and speak to the constable.”
“In God’s truth, I should have,” the Inspector said ruefully. “Discourteous to fail to consult a comrade in arms. What is your impression of your constable, Your Grace?”
“Constable McHenry takes care of our needs here in the village. But for the most part, my people are an orderly sort. The rare times we have murder, it is usually in hot blood and well-witnessed. Ordinarily, the good constable deals with the villager who had had a little too much to drink at the Blind Sheep or with domestic spats or rivalry between shops or farms. This is a completely different sort of thing.”
“To be expected of a village constable. Likely he is a very fine fellow, but crime of this sort might be somewhat out of his experience range. I’ll go see him before I retire tonight. It is likely that he will have a feel for how things should be, as opposed to how they currently are.”
The gentlemen sat in silence for a minute or two, each lost in his own thoughts or waiting for the others to speak.
“Now tell me, you say this is not customary for your people. What is different this year?”
Mr. McAhmladhson spoke up. “First, the Duke was at home for the spring trade fair. Usually at this time, he is in London for the spring Season. As is our custom, we hired extra help for the event since there are many guests who attend it. With the Duke and Duchess at home, there were an unusual number of guests.”
“Were these also peers who are foregoing the Season this year?”
The steward shook his head. “A few perhaps, but for the most part they were local gentry who were excited to have the opportunity to rub elbows with a peer, as it were.”
“Have you taken on any permanent staff who were not here last year?”
“Only a new abigail for the Duchess. A displaced shopkeeper from France.”
“This young lady, this former shopkeeper, is there any chance that she might be a spy?”
“Are you thinking of the infamous Aphra Behn?”
“Hardly. She was far too public to be successful. However, the ladies are often in a prime position to infiltrate and gather information. Many a gentleman has spoken indiscreetly under the covers, if you take my meaning.”
The Duke glared at him. “Your meaning is taken, but Miss Singer came highly recommended by the agency in Edinburgh, and has excellent repute. To the best of my knowledge, she has not engaged in any “under the covers” activity. Furthermore, I think that by now we would have seen signs that she might be collecting information were she a spy.”
“Is she your only recently hired staff, Your Grace?
“Sadly, no. We have several new men at arms, some footmen and a maid or two who were hired for the spring trade fair. Thanks to the troubles, I have kept them on. Both for the extra hands and to keep them close in case they were needed for questioning.”
“Nicely done, Your Grace. You’ve made my job a lot easier. Well, enough. I’ll hope to visit with all of them tomorrow. I’ll go down to the village and speak with the constable before I talk to anyone else. Did he interview the staff at the time of the incident?”
“After the maid was nearly drowned in the Lolly Mire, yes. But his results were inconclusive. As is often the case, no one saw anything or heard anything, other than that the girl was extremely upset.”
“The maid who was nearly drowned, is she still on staff?”
“In a manner of speaking,” said Mr. McAhmladhson. “In point of fact, she is staying with the Gentle Sisters, and the Duke is paying a small stipend for her support. She had quite a shock and is not always quite rational. It is likely that the Abbess will want to be with her when you question her.”
