Free A Death in the Pavilion by Caroline Dunford Page B

let your imagination run away with you.’ He paused, ‘I recognised you from the start, you know.’
    His comment struck me like a glass of cold water to the face. ‘You knew it was me at The Court?’
    Muller nodded. ‘Frederick had given me rather a glowing description of you.’ He looked faintly embarrassed, but quickly composed himself, ‘I thought it was jolly brave of you to back up Richenda like that. I appreciate your loyalty to her. I think you are,’ he paused, ‘simply outstanding.’ At this point it occurred to me that I was a small brunette of the type Lucy had said Muller preferred. I suddenly felt very vulnerable. Muller smiled again, but made no move towards me.
    ‘Bertram’s up at the house,’ I blurted out. ‘He found Lucy.’
    ‘What an unpleasant introduction to my estate,’ said Muller. ‘I think I had better take Grodin’s brandy with me when we go up.’
    ‘Haven’t you …’ I begun.
    ‘Yes,’ said Muller, ‘plenty of the good stuff in the house, but you know traditionally it’s cooking brandy one uses for shock and this isn’t far off.’ He looked at the label. ‘Good Lord, no wonder it made you splutter. I am so sorry, dear girl.’
    ‘Aren’t you concerned about Lucy?’ I asked, drying my eyes.
    ‘Euphemia, I have over four hundred men and women working on my estate. Nature dictates that occasionally there will be accidents. I am sorry naturally that this has proved to be a lethal one, but death is a sad fact of life. As I know only too well.’ He looked down at his hands and sighed.
    ‘Of course, I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t mean to remind you.
    Muller shook his head and levelled his gaze to meet mine. ‘We both know that after tragedy life continues whether we want it to or not.’
    I found myself reaching out a hand to touch his. Entirely inappropriate! But he took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘So no more about murders then?’ he said.
    What either of us would have said or done next I have no idea. The door flew open and Richenda erupted onto the scene. Instead of dropping my hand, Muller gave it one more squeeze before releasing it in clear sight of Richenda. He then stood.
    ‘What is going on?’ said Richenda. She did not sound happy.
    ‘That is exactly what I intend to find out,’ said Muller. ‘I did not want to leave Euphemia alone. She has had a bad shock. Would you mind escorting her to her bedchamber, Richenda? I don’t want the rest of the staff gossiping until we have matters sorted. I believe it was your half-brother who found the body.’
    ‘Bertram!’ said Richenda in accents that boded ill for the absent gentleman.
    Muller laid a hand on Richenda’s shoulder as he passed. ‘I knew I could rely on you,’ he said and left.
    ‘What an earth is going on?’ demanded Richenda of me.
    ‘I’m not sure,’ I said slowly, ‘but I think the famed Muller charm almost overcame me!’

Chapter Eleven

Death of Innocence
    ‘Almost?’ demanded Richenda. ‘What were you doing in here before I arrived? You were holding his hand.’ If looks could kill.
    ‘I think Lucy’s been murdered. Muller didn’t want me to keep saying that.’
    ‘So you held hands?’ Richenda snorted.
    ‘I thought it was trying to console me,’ I said. ‘Only now I’m not so sure.’
    ‘You don’t think he killed Lucy, do you?’
    ‘He’s been with his factor all day. Or at least that is what he told us he was going to do.’
    ‘And who the hell is Lucy anyway?’ asked Richenda.
    ‘She’s the maid I was going to pay for information.’
    ‘Did you get it?’ asked Richenda single-mindedly.
    ‘She didn’t meet me …’
    ‘On account of being dead?’
    Richenda pulled a captain’s chair round from the other side of the desk and sat down with a whumpf . The chair creaked alarmingly. ‘That’s not good,’ she said. ‘Did you tell Muller about our arrangement?’
    I shook my head.
    ‘Good. Don’t,’ said Richenda. ‘People