Free Shadow of the Past by Judith Cutler Page B

at having to submit to my examination and I thought it would provide a diversion. Secondly, Maria has heard some of it—’
    ‘Chiefly in the form of smothered oaths and imprecations,’ she said, a twinkle in her eye.
    ‘If by my ill-chosen words I have harmed your enquiries—’
    ‘Let that pass, Tobias,’ he said kindly. He paused, while I helped him to beef and pickle, waving a hand to signal enough.
    Mrs Hansard took one of the dainty sandwiches. ‘Edmund, why do you not explain exactly what transpired? You could not have a more attentive audience, I promise you.’
    ‘But how am I to eat this excellent repast if I am talking?’ he asked impishly.
    ‘Slowly,’ Mrs Hansard said with flat finality. ‘Poor Tobias deserves to hear it all, and I to hear the sections you omitted as we drove down.’
    ‘Very well.’ He laid down his knife and fork. ‘Sir Marcus – on his own – received me in the library. He was very much on his dignity when I was announced, saying that he did not need to justify his actions towards his employees to anyone. Without saying a single word, I let him bluster on until he had no more to say. At length, standing before the fireplace looking extremely foolish, he stopped. I told him that while he did not necessarily need to justify his treatment of Miss Southey, however despicable that might be, I held him responsible for either permitting or indeed encouraging one who was certain to be called as a witness at the Coroner’s Inquest to leave the district. It was not only irresponsible but possibly constituted contempt of court.’
    ‘Does it?’ I asked, round-eyed.
    ‘I neither know nor care. At very least, I told him, he must provide me with details of her destination.’ He stopped to load his beef with mustard.
    ‘And could he – did he – oblige?’
    Mouth full, he shook his head.
    ‘Apparently,’ Mrs Hansard responded in her husband’s stead, ‘he claimed to know nothing at all of her whereabouts.In other words, he now implied that Miss Southey had left of her own free will and gone he knew not whither.’
    ‘So why did he not say as much at the start of your conversation?’
    ‘Perhaps because he is a foolish man who likes to exercise what little power he imagines he has – or one day might have,’ Edmund replied, dabbing his mouth with one of the snowy napkins that were Mrs Trent’s pride and joy. ‘Who would not wish to leave the place where she made such a dreadful discovery?’
    ‘Not to mention the ill-treatment meted out to her by the young ladies who should have respected her?’ I put in. ‘You have seen their veiled insolence in public, my dear friends. As I told you yesterday, you would have been shocked by their all too open rudeness when they believed that they were unobserved. In fact, the more I think of it the more I am inclined to believe that they may actually have torn Miss Southey’s bonnet from her and thrown it into the water, forcing her to attempt its rescue.’
    ‘I wondered if that was the case,’ Maria sighed. ‘My sex is supposed to be a civilising influence, but I have seen young ladies, gently born and well brought up, behaving in a way that I believe boys of a similar age would find excessive.’
    I said nothing, having experienced bullying at Eton – from Toone, no less, though he at least seemed to have forgotten all about it.
    ‘You have not seen boys in the herd, my dear,’ Edmund observed cryptically. ‘But I should certainly question the young ladies—’
    ‘Separately,’ Mrs Hansard declared.
    ‘Very well. And possibly with you, my dear, or Edmund inattendance. I was permitted to do no more than take their pulses and check for feverish symptoms this morning. Their mama fears for their lives after yesterday’s events,’ he explained, in a simpering voice. ‘I tell you roundly, however, that they were a good deal less afflicted than poor Jem. In fact, they were in the very bloom of health. Had I been prepared to