The Dowager Countess (The Saga of Wolfbridge Manor Book 2) by Sahara Kelly (classic children's novels txt) 📕

Gwyneth’s sake, I’ll run down the basics. Evan, Jeremy and Trick know this man of old.” He glanced at Royce and Gabriel. “And you may or may not know that he was largely responsible for having Trick jailed on trumped-up charges of murder.”

Royce frowned. “Why?”

“That’s an excellent question, and one I’ve spent more than a few hours stewing over, I can tell you.” Trick shook his head. “Sir Amery Fairhurst, who owned Fivetrees for several years, was poisoned last year. I was present, as was Lady Adalyn. There were circumstances in my past that made it easy for a finger of guilt to be aimed my way, even though I had no earthly reason to want the man dead, and Lady Adalyn confirmed my innocence.” He looked at Giles. “In all fairness, I probably wouldn’t have been confined as long as I was, had the judicial system worked more effectively.”

“True,” nodded Giles. “But the fact remains that Fairhurst was perfectly willing to assign guilt to you, even though he must have known you were innocent.”

He turned to the others. “We traced two servants from Fivetrees and believe that they poisoned Sir Amery’s meal. Unfortunately, we were unable to pursue the matter further, since both were attacked not long after we learned their identities.”

“How badly?” Royce asked.

“The woman was killed. The man barely survived and never regained consciousness. I was informed a couple of weeks ago that he had succumbed to his wounds.”

“So no other idea of who could have perpetrated the poisoning?” Gabriel frowned.

“No, not at the moment,” answered Giles. “But I’m becoming increasingly fond of the idea that he wants Fivetrees and will move heaven and earth to get it.”

“And I suppose his brother would not have sold it…” Gwyneth tipped her head to one side in thought.

“Lord, no,” said Trick. “The man was extremely conscious of being Sir Amery Fairhurst of Fivetrees.”

“Ugh. One of those,” said Gabriel. “A man who thinks a property elevates him above his fellows.”

“Well put.” Giles agreed. “If Baxter was behind the killing, then clearly he believed that he would be able to move in to Fivetrees, either as owner or husband of the heiress.”

“And that failed…” Evan sounded thoughtful.

“Quite dramatically,” said Jeremy. “Even with the drama of Trick being accused, and then Miss Judith being left there alone…”

“But not for long,” interrupted Royce. “I’ll wager you had matters in hand for her within weeks, Giles.”

“More or less.” Giles answered. “But no matter the timing or his plans, it all fell apart. Fivetrees is Miss Judith’s, and now under my supervision. So that is a dead end.”

“I don’t like Baxter Fairhurst,” offered Evan. “There is something about him that is…unsettling.”

“For what it’s worth,” added Giles, “Miss Fairhurst had much the same opinion. He came sniffing around after Sir Amery’s death and subtly insinuated he might ask for her hand in marriage.”

“Oh, how horrid,” muttered Gwyneth. “He believed she’d say yes? Was she the named heiress?”

“He might have thought so at the time, but it took some legal wrangling to officially get her named as such.”

“You know, this is just another example of how brilliant the original Lady of Wolfbridge was. In settling the estate the way she did, she protected every Lady thereafter from unwanted proposals.” Gwyneth looked around at six male faces expressing everything from surprise to agreement. “Well? Isn’t that the case?”

“Er…yes,” said Jeremy. “Yes, when you think about it, I suppose it is.”

“Well, be that as it may,” Giles continued, “Baxter Fairhurst is a person I would like to keep an eye on. And now that he is in the company of this Baron Randschen, even more so.”

“The Baron…who is he?” Royce tipped his head to one side. “I don’t believe I’ve met him, but I could swear I’ve heard the name somewhere.”

“And I could swear I know him from somewhere,” added Jeremy. “It’s extremely annoying that I cannot remember more…”

“My Lady, how did you meet him?” Gabriel twisted his head around and looked up at her. “I should have thought to ask before now.”

“It was the first year of my marriage to the Earl,” she replied. “A small party of gentlemen travelled north for the shooting, and they stopped at Kilham Abbey briefly, and met with my husband. If I recall correctly, they arrived late in the morning, had lunch, then after a few more hours closeted away, they left.”

“Not to impugn your attractions, my Lady, but that seems a very short time for him to have developed the affections he professed a couple of days ago.” Giles raised one sceptical eyebrow.

She nodded. “I agree. He was very charming, of course, in what I felt was an over-effusive European way. I was somewhat discomforted by his obvious admiration, but the others—including the Earl—seemed to think nothing of it. So I put it down to excessively fulsome Society manners and thought no more of it than that.”

“Any idea what the men were discussing?”

“It’s quite a few years ago, Royce…” answered Gwyneth, frowning. “I’m not sure why it might matter, but…” she paused, pushing her mind back to those early days at Kilham, when life had been…settled, if not joyous. “I believe they were something to do with the government. Attachés perhaps? Or connected to attachés? Baron Randschen referred to himself as Margrave, and I recall an Austrian gentleman present as well. The others were British, I’m sure…but again, not ones to stand out in my recollections. Clearly well-to-do…I was told to put the best of everything out for their visit.”

“Margrave,” murmured Royce. “I heard about a Margrave. Rumours, gossip…a man who didn’t like being crossed, and had some unpleasant preferences when it came to pleasure. He had connections, though. Diplomatic ones. And those kept his name out of the limelight.”

Jeremy shifted on a sound, and all eyes turned