Page 21 of A Most Inconvenient Murder

Elizabeth watched his eyes as he spoke. They did not dart, did not shrink from the question, but neither did they linger. Each answer was presented cleanly and with a careful absence of excess.

“May I ask,” said Mr. Darcy, “whether there was anyone in the house who might have wished Mrs. Blackstone harm?”

Mr. Haldridge answered, “We at The Grange are not in the habit of cultivating grudges that end in tragedy. Mrs. Blackstone was a paid companion. She kept to her place, as did we all. Any enemies she may have had were not to be found under my roof.”

Elizabeth found herself both convinced and unconvinced by the answer. She could not help thinking that it was a conclusion arrived at before the facts.

“She did receive a note, did she not?” Elizabeth asked, softening her tone so as not to seem adversarial.

Mr. Haldridge turned to her, and his mask slipped a fraction. “You have been speaking to my staff.”

The question was not a challenge, only a statement of fact.

“I have,” she said. “I hope you do not object.”

“Not at all,” said Mr. Haldridge, and for a moment, the lines around his eyes deepened with something like actual humor. “I did not know about the note until Mrs. Bayes mentioned it. I have not seen it, and, as far as I know, it was not left among her effects.”

“Nor did she mention to your sister where she was going?” Elizabeth pressed.

“Not of which I am aware, but it was very early in the morning. If she informed anyone of her destination, it has not been communicated to me. As I said, Mrs. Blackstone was a woman of few confidences.” He considered, then added, “I arose late yesterday; my sister was indisposed, and the staff was busy with their work. The post does not arrive until about ten o’clock. There is, so far as I can tell, no one in my household who would have lured her outside.”

He said this last with an air of finality, as if to signal that the subject was closed.

But Mr. Darcy, whose sense for unfinished business was as keen as Elizabeth’s, asked, “Did Mrs. Blackstone have any attachments? Any close acquaintances who might have cause to see her privately?”

Elizabeth watched Mr. Haldridge as he shifted his weight from heel to heel. He seemed suddenly restless.

Mr. Haldridge shook his head. “She was a widow, and—if I may speak plainly—not a woman likely to inspire pursuit. I do not mean that unkindly, but I got the impression that she had long ago reconciled herself to her situation.”

His gaze now veered from face to face, as if he were monitoring their reactions to his answer.

“She was seen walking along the east boundary of your property, toward Rosings Park,” Mr. Darcy said.

“As the gardener told me.” Mr. Haldridge shrugged. “I find it odd, but not inexplicable. The boundary is less than a quarter mile from our door. If she wished privacy, that is as good a place as any.”

“May I ask,” Elizabeth said, “whether there is anyone in the village, or amongst your acquaintance, who might have called on Mrs. Blackstone? I do not mean a social caller, but someone from her past. Someone who may have wished to meet her unobserved.”

Mr. Haldridge hesitated. For the first time, he seemed to consider the possibility seriously.

“There is only one person who comes to mind,” he said at last. “A distant cousin, Mr. Lorrimer, who wrote to her the last time she was here in Kent. He wished to borrow money, as I recall, and was refused. I doubt he is in the country just now, but I cannot say with certainty. Mrs. Blackstone had not spoken of him since last year, when she mention his pestering her.”

Elizabeth exchanged a glance with Mr. Darcy, who registered the new information with a single blink.

“Would you permit us to look among her things?” Elizabeth asked.

A faint line appeared between Haldridge’s brows. “If it would serve to end the matter, yes. You may search her room.But I doubt you will find anything. The coroner already sent a man, who left without result. Wait here. I will have a footman escort you up soon.”

Mr. Darcy bowed, ever the diplomat. “We thank you for your time, sir.”

Mr. Haldridge nodded. “If there is anything further, you may leave a note for me. I will do my best to assist. But I ask that you not trouble my sister again unless it is necessary. She is… not herself.” He paused. “It is why I wished to meet with you out here.”

He glanced at Elizabeth, as if hoping for understanding on this point.

She nodded, acknowledging both the request and its reason.

There was a peculiar tenderness in the way he spoke of Miss Clara Haldridge, a care that seemed at odds with his otherwise guarded manner.

With the formalities complete, Mr. Haldridge excused himself, withdrawing into the house by way of the same doors through which he had joined them.