Free Dorset Murders by Nicola; Sly

swearing his brother to secrecy and promising that he would tell her himself when he felt that the time was right.
    The Isle of Portland .
    Frank had secured a gardening job with a Mr Edward Pierce on the Isle of Portland and the newlyweds moved into rented rooms in Grove Street. Frank seemed somewhat ashamed of not being able to provide a house for his new wife, but Emily soon made their rooms comfortable and homely. However, Frank was an ambitious man who wanted to give her the best he possibly could and so, before long, the couple secured half a house on Reforne. Financially, renting half a house was still beyond their means, so the couple let out a room to a lodger, Jack Roberts. Before long, Ernest and Walter left the family farm and moved to Portland to be near their brother.
    Frank and Emily lived happily together in their rented house, but their relationship was the subject of much gossip and innuendo in the small, tight-knit community. Unable to comprehend why a woman as beautiful as Emily would marry a man as ugly as Frank, people began to gossip behind her back, suggesting that she was enjoying an extra-marital relationship with the lodger.
    The gossip eventually reached Frank’s ears – as it was most probably intended to – and, although he didn’t say anything to Emily, he reacted by giving Jack Roberts notice to leave his home and replacing him with his brother, Ernest. However, the gossip continued and now the alleged recipients of Emily’s sexual favours were rent collector Abe Winter and his friend John Pearce. Frank brooded silently over the rumours, unable to talk to Emily about them, but inwardly seething with jealousy.
    View of Portland .
    In January 1902 Emily announced to Frank that they were to have a baby. She was completely unprepared for her husband’s reaction as he immediately rounded on her and angrily asked, ‘What man have you been with?’
    Stunned, Emily assured Frank that he was the only man she had slept with, telling him, ‘This is your Emily you are talking to.’
    â€˜My Emily?’ raged Frank. ‘Ain’t you Jack Roberts’ Emily?’
    The discussion turned into an argument, with Frank only now telling Emily the rumours he had heard about her supposed infidelity. When Ernest arrived home from work, Frank was still raging and his brother tried in vain to calm him down.
    â€˜Show me evidence that you can’t father a child.’ Ernest eventually demanded, when it was obvious that his efforts to placate Frank were not succeeding.
    Frank had no answer. He continued to fume, announcing his intentions of coming home at unexpected times in the future and putting a ladder to his bedroom window in order to catch his wife ‘at it’. Ernest eventually gave up trying to mediate and went to bed. Throughout the night he could hear the argument between his brother and sister-in-law continuing from their bedroom, although he was unaware that the verbal tirade had become a physical fight.
    Eventually, pushed beyond her limits by her husband’s irrationality, Emily landed a punch on his nose that immediately drew blood. Frank retaliated with a prolonged assault on his wife, although even in his extreme anger he was careful to confine his blows to areas that would be covered by her clothing.
    The following morning Frank went to work as normal but, as he had told his brother, he made a surprise visit home in the afternoon. He found Emily in the company of her friend and former neighbour, Alice Scard. The two women were about to go for a walk and Frank expressed his surprise, reminding Emily that earlier that day she had told him that she could scarcely move for pain.
    â€˜Have you been unwell?’ asked a concerned Mrs Scard, at which Emily promptly hitched up her skirts to show her neighbour the extensive bruising to her legs and hips which had resulted from Frank’s savage beating.
    Within days, Emily had written to her