Kenneth immediately raised his instrument and cried, “I have my flute! Lady Cecilia, what are some of the songs that you have been learning in your singing lessons?”
* * *
Anthony hung his head in silence. With his breaths shallow, he focused on the sound of his fingers lightly drumming the desk.
Day Seventy-five of the agreement, the 1stday of the month of August. Death had visited the household once more.
Chapter 24
Hugh hadn’t been particularly close with Young Timothy. But every member of the kitchen staff maintained that he was a diligent, sweet lad aged ten-and-seven, who never grumbled.
At half past four this morning, Mr. Tulk had gone into his bedroom with the intention of waking Timothy up. The young lad was usually up and about by four o’clock sharp without anyone needing to rouse him. As soon as Mr. Tulk discovered the body, he fetched Hugh with the utmost urgency.
In turn, Hugh had immediately alerted His Grace and Mrs. Oakley. The cause of death was uncertain, so His Grace immediately sent for Dr. Wentworth. After a close examination of the body, Dr. Wentworth declared that he suspected a violent seizure to have been the cause of death.
“But I’m afraid there isn’t any indication as to what event triggered the seizure,” Dr. Wentworth gravely explained to His Grace.
Hugh stood silently next to His Grace’s desk, a vantage point which afforded him quite a view of the fatigued doctor, whose disordered hair and misbuttoned shirt indicated that he had practically rolled out of bed to throw some clothes on in order to come to the estate.
“Thank you, Dr. Wentworth. I deeply appreciate your willingness to assist us even during these absurd hours of the morning.”
After Dr. Wentworth left, His Grace asked Fletcher to make the necessary arrangements to go into town in order to contact Timothy’s family. He handed Fletcher two letters.
“Please make sure that this one reaches Timothy’s family. And please drop off the other letter at the orphanage, I assume that they will know what to do with it.”
Hugh did as he was told. As a faithful butler, he wouldneverdare open any correspondence sent by his employer. But out of curiosity, he examined the name on the letter that he was supposed to deposit at the orphanage: Mr. I. Lockhart. The name seemed curiously familiar, but he put it out of his mind, for he had more urgent matters to attend to at the moment.
As he passed the other servants in the hallway, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong. Something simply didn’t sit right with him. Yes, this was a tragedy, so it was only natural that he felt uneasy, to say the least. But there was something else, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on…
Just before he descended the front steps, he took a moment to survey the entrance hall and its many furnishings. Despite the summer weather being in full force, he was gripped by the feeling that the house was growing darker. And for whatever reason, he had a dreadful inkling that the house would only continue to be enveloped by darkness.
I hope I’m mistaken. Please, please let me be mistaken…
* * *
Meredith handed Lady Cecilia a handkerchief while Mrs. Oakley gently stroked her back. Anthony had initially insisted that he did not want to tell Lady Cecilia about a new death in the household right away. But Meredith had reassured him that Lady Cecilia had a right to know what was happening under the roof of her own home.
So with Anthony’s permission, Meredith and Mrs. Oakley gently broke the news to Cecilia after she had finished her breakfast.
Lady Cecilia sniffled, “I knew something was wrong! I wondered why you found it necessary to stay with me through breakfast.”
Meredith used another handkerchief to dab the young girl’s eyes.
“Yes, dear. Mrs. Oakley and I thought we would stay with you and grieve together. The entire house is shocked. And I know that this must bring back some dreadful memories for you.”
Lady Cecilia pressed her handkerchief to her eyes and nodded, “Yes, Miss Meyer. It’s truly awful! Maybe it is strange, but I feel as though Mother has died all over again.”
Mrs. Oakley stroked Lady Cecilia’s head.
“No, no, Lady Cecilia. That is not strange at all. And I know you have such a good heart that even though you may not have known Timothy very well, you still feel a good deal of compassion towards him.”
After a few minutes, Anthony came in to check on her. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he inquired, “How are you feeling, Cecilia?”
She couldn’t bring herself to answer him, so she simply nodded. Meredith gave him a small smile.
“Like all of us, Lady Cecilia is still adjusting to the news. I was about to suggest that we stroll around the garden. The sunshine is always good for spirits and the fresh air would certainly be a massive help.”
Anthony concurred with this point.
