Barnaby inclined his head. “On Monday morning, at what time did you leave your room?”
“I came down to breakfast quite early. Percival was already there, as well as Morehouse, Carrington, and Cordingley, and Griffith arrived soon after. Monty came in a few minutes later,followed by his son and his friends, but I left soon after with Percival, Morehouse, Carrington, and Cordingley. Morehouse, Carrington, and I came in here, while Percival and Cordingley headed upstairs.”
Barnaby saw that Stokes was busily taking notes. “Thank you. That’s very clear. What did you do next?”
Elliot replied, “I settled with a news sheet, and Morehouse and Carrington did the same. Leith was here when we arrived, glancing at a news sheet, but he left soon after, saying he had letters to write. Griffith looked in, cast his eye over a news sheet, and went out again—he didn’t say to where—and after quite some time, Morland and Wincombe joined us. We five sat and read and occasionally traded comments.” Elliot frowned. “About ten or so minutes after Morland and Wincombe came in, Monty arrived. He chatted and circulated, asked if we had all we needed—that sort of thing. Then, he said he had to check on some estate matter and was going for a stroll to attend to it and went out.”
“That must have been, what?” Barnaby asked. “Ten or so minutes after nine?”
Elliot considered, then nodded. “Yes. About that.”
“And neither you nor any of the others left the library after Underhill went out?” Stokes asked.
“No. We were all there until we heard Miss Hemmings scream for help.”
“While you were in here, did you notice any of the company leave the house or see them outside?” Barnaby asked.
Elliot frowned. “Well, Monty headed toward the front door, so I imagine he went out that way. Other than him, the only person I saw leave was Percival, who must have been on the stairs when we all heard the scream. He went racing past the library doorway and out onto the porch. We—the five of us—followed him outside and across the lawn.”
After glancing at Stokes, Barnaby returned his gaze to Elliot. “We gather you know the Underhills reasonably well. What was your view of Monty?”
Elliot took a moment to think, then offered, “He was always a genial, jovial soul, very amiable and good-natured. Never saw him lose his temper or even get close to that. I always thought that, socially speaking, he was the positive side of the marriage, while Pamela, with her abrupt manner and abrasive personality, was the negative. They balanced each other, and all in all, the alliance worked well.” He paused, clearly debating, then he glanced at Barnaby and said, “Over the years, one thing I have wondered about is whether Monty resented the general assumption—correct in his case—that he married for money. While that might have been the truth, there are times when the truth can grate.”
Barnaby saw that Penelope looked quite struck by that observation. He returned his gaze to Elliot. “Do you have any idea why someone might have wanted to kill Monty?”
“No. None whatsoever.” Elliot’s brow furrowed. “In truth, it seems quite inexplicable.”
When Barnaby glanced at Stokes, he fractionally shook his head. Barnaby smiled at Elliot. “Thank you for your help.”
Barnaby rose, as did Elliot, and after bowing to Penelope and nodding to Stokes, Elliot turned for the door, and Barnaby saw him out.
“Well!” Penelope said. “Would that all our interviewees were as refreshingly direct and straightforward.”
Stokes nodded. “And factual. He didn’t just tell us about himself but also where others were over that time. That’s going to be a big help in placing those others at the time of the murder.”
“He’ll make an excellent witness if it comes to that.” Barnaby arched a brow at Penelope.
She consulted her list. “Mrs. Waterhouse is next.”
After Barnaby sent the footman to find Mrs. Waterhouse and returned to the armchairs, Penelope filled in, “The Waterhouses are a well-connected family within the Goodrich-Underhill orbit. That said, the Waterhouses tend to spend more time in the country than in town, but with a recently presented daughter, Alison, to establish, it’s no surprise that Mrs. Waterhouse and Alison are attending this house party. Alison is a pretty girl with nice manners who, all things being equal, should make an acceptable match.”
Two minutes later, Mrs. Waterhouse was shown into the room. She was of average height with wavy brown hair looped into plaits that formed a coronet about her head. With pretty but ageing features and a rather timid, self-effacing manner, she was the sort who tended to eschew attracting any attention.
Smiling, Penelope rose and welcomed Mrs. Waterhouse and guided her to the central armchair.
Mrs. Waterhouse tentatively sat and, finding herself the cynosure of three gazes, drew in a nervous breath.
Seeking to reassure her, Penelope quickly said, “We’re asking everyone the same questions, purely to get some idea of who was where and when. Our first question is straightforward—when did you arrive at the Grange?”
“Oh.” Mrs. Waterhouse’s hands fluttered in her lap, then stilled. “We—Alison and I—came down in our carriage and were here by three o’clock on Sunday.” She leaned toward Penelope a trifle and lowered her voice. “We’re very grateful to have been included by dear Lady Pamela. I know you’ll understand when I say that it’s imperative that Alison meet with suitable gentlemen, and this event is simply perfect for that. We’re very glad we’re here….” Mrs. Waterhouse suddenly looked stricken and hurried to add, “Except for the murder, of course. That has been a horrible shock!”
She sat back, and Penelope gently asked, “On Monday morning, at what time did you and Alison leave your rooms and come downstairs?”
“We kept an ear out for the others—Lady Susan and her daughters and some of the other ladies—and we followed them down and joined them at the breakfast table.”
“And after you rose from the table…?”
“I went with the other matrons and the two older ladies to the morning room. Alison—she and Cecilia are great friends. Did I mention that? She went off with Cecilia, Enid, Regina, and Samantha to the conservatory, no doubt to put their heads together and discuss the eligible gentlemen here.”
