And Edward caught me.
I tumbled into his arms. He wrapped them around me, and I responded by planting kisses all over his face. “Darling husband! How I have missed you!”
John, Edward’s manservant, hooted with laughter. “That was a near thing, miss! I positioned master just right!”
“Jane, I did not know you to be so athletic!” Edward twined his fingers in my hair and kissed me. “That is a promise kiss. More will have to wait. Williams holds the carriage for us, and Lucy is most impatient to see you.”
“But my skirt!” I pointed to the shredded fabric caught in the tree. He followed the direction of my finger with his eyes. Was it my imagination or did the one eye seem clearer?
“Confound that silly frock. I suppose we can’t depart and leave your skirt flapping like a pirate’s flag, can we? Dash it all.” Setting me on my feet gently, he caressed my face and wrapped his cloak around me. “John, will you tear that down? My poor dear wounded sparrow. I can tell your eye is still swollen.”
He ran a gentle fingertip around the bruise. “Does it hurt much? When I catch the thief who hit you, he will wish he was never born.”
John tugged at my disheveled frock until the fabric tore free. I shivered in my chemise and Edward’s wrap. With fabric in hand, we headed toward the street where Williams sat in the driver’s seat. “Hurry!”
Once the carriage door closed and John had joined the driver in the dickey box, I showed my husband all the affection he’d been lacking. In turn, he stroked me and petted me until warmth ran up and down my body. “When did you get here? How did you know I needed you right this minute?”
“John and I set out several days after you left, but that blasted carriage kept sticking in the mud on the way to Millcote. Then I realized: John could lead my mount, and we could ride faster on horseback. What a fool I was not to think of it sooner! I arrived this morning at Lucy’s house. Lucy told me what you are doing at the school and why.”
“Are you angry?” We had not been married long. Although I knew Edward, and understood him, I had long ago realized that we might occasionally disagree. This could be one of those times.
“Of course not. I know why you went along with such a dangerous ploy. I would have expected nothing less of you than to step forward to help these girls. I promised our hostess she could come with me to see you, but again—”
“You couldn’t wait.”
“No, I couldn’t. I missed you too much. When Williams pulled up with the carriage, he spied you out on a limb, as it were.”
“Just in time.” I ran my hands over the rough fabric of his suit and tucked my hands in his pockets. I pressed my face to his throat and breathed in the scent of him, tobacco, whiskey, and masculinity. I kissed him and wrapped his arms around me. “Thank you for understanding me so well. How is our son?”
“He is splendid. Big and fat and jolly. I do believe he is trying to coo like a turtledove. Mrs. Fairfax is delighted to have him all to herself for these few days.”
“And how are you?”
“Besides missing you with every fiber of my being, I am well. In fact, my sight has improved tremendously. Mrs. Fairfax has been quite the ogre, forcing me to submit to warm compresses almost hourly. I have spent most of the time since you left reclining. Although I can’t see as well as I did before the fire, I am surprised at what I can discern. Even without John’s help, I could see the shape of you dangling from that tree like a woman’s eardrop.”
He lifted my chin and kissed me softly on the lips. “I shall always be here for you, my darling. Always. You need never fear. You are never alone. Never again.”
The privacy we enjoyed inside the carriage ended too soon. At Lucy’s house, we greeted our hostess and Mr. Douglas, then adjourned to the parlor. I set out my plan. “Lucy, can you keep these on your person? I shall need them soon, but it is best that I do not carry them.”
I handed her the threatening notes, including the one that had started everything in motion.
“Mr. Douglas, can you convince Mr. Waverly to help us?” This was vital to my scheme.
“I am sure I can,” Mr. Douglas said. “The Bow Street Runner has little to lose and everything to gain.”
“Lucy? Can you dispatch Higgins or Williams to waylay Fräulein Schoeppenkoetter? I am not sure how you can identify her, but I know she arrives at the Bull and Mouth at eight o’clock this evening.”
“One of my men can go there and hold up a placard with her name on it. It is done all the time,” she said.
Next I explained my plan, going step-by-step. I concluded with this warning: “My scheme cannot be postponed. We cannot detain Fräulein Schoeppenkoetter for long. They have not yet charged Miss Miller with a crime. Mr. Waverly is gathering all his information and the magistrate will issue the summons. Once that happens, we shall be too late to help Nan Miller—and the real killer will go free.”
“I understand what you are doing, but I do not like it, Jane,” Edward said. “Before, you were simply an observer, and you posed no threat to the killer. This bold plan sets you up as a target! Let Mr. Waverly bring charges. That is his job. You have done yours—and this is far too dangerous!”
“I believe I have a way to protect Mrs. Rochester,” Mr. Douglas said. He rolled back his sleeves to display a small dagger and its sheath strapped to his forearm. “Take this kirpan. Straps at the elbow and near the wrist keep the apparatus steady. The Sikhs believe the kirpan can only be used in self-defense or to protect those who cannot protect themselves. In their teachings, one should never stand idly by and let another come to harm. Mind you, the blade is incredibly sharp. It has saved my life more than once. I suggest you never let it out of your sight. No one needs to know you carry this.”
I nodded, grimly. Suddenly I realized the enormity of the task ahead.
“You should wear it to bed tonight. Especially then, given your plan! If you can practice reaching up your sleeve and withdrawing the blade, so much the better. In addition, I can climb the tree and position myself right outside that window you’ve spoken of. If Mrs. Rochester raises the sash, entrance will be no problem. I’ll never be more than a few feet away.”
Edward nodded. “That sounds much better.”
I touched the small handle and withdrew the instrument from its sheath. I marveled at the size of it—the blade could not have been more than three inches long. I handed the weapon to Edward so that he could examine it more closely.
“By Jove, that’s a dandy.”
“It has served me well,” Mr. Douglas said. “Saved my life several times. I hope you don’t mind that I gave it to your wife. Like you, I value her courage but am also concerned for her safety. Beg your pardon if my actions give you offense.”
“Caring for my wife will never be offensive to me. I thank both of you for extending your help to her and to Adèle.” Edward returned the kirpan to me. I replaced it and pulled my sleeve down over the ensemble.
“However, Jane, you do not have to do this,” Edward said, drawing me close. “We could take Adèle and go home. I understand that you are concerned for the other girls, but really, my dear, that’s not your responsibility.”
“I am armed. I am prepared. You will all be outside and able to respond to my cries. There is no other way to flush out the killer.”
“Let me impress this upon you: Your opponent is a murderer—and you are issuing a direct challenge to this killer,” warned Mr. Douglas. “Once a person breaks that sacred pact with society and takes one life, crossing the line a second time is much easier. If you are threatened or if you sense danger, I urge you to action. Do not fall victim to the rules that society impresses on your gender. Never let societal whims cloud your own good judgment. You have a duty to protect yourself and to protect others.”
“I understand.”
My life, and perhaps the lives of others as well, was in my hands.
I must have presented an incongruous sight, armed with the knife and wearing Edward’s cloak around my waist while Polly mended my skirt. I did not dare return to Alderton House wearing another dress. That would produce unwanted questions and might lead someone to suspect that I had left the premises.
“Lucy, won’t Augie enjoy hearing all about this when he comes home?” Edward remarked, with somewhat forced gaiety. “He will think us all quite daring or quite daft. I am not sure which. Is Jane’s skirt ready? I believe we need to get her back into the school.”
Lucy watched Polly refasten my freshly mended skirt as I stood in the middle of the guest bedroom floor. “I wish I could go on calls today. Honestly I do. For the first time I can remember, it would be entertaining. Think of all the gossip and slander I could contribute. Instead I must content myself with helping you catch a murderer. Ho hum.”
Once I was fully dressed, Lucy and I returned to the parlor, where the men had been talking in low tones. “Any ideas on how to spirit me back into Alderton House? If anyone suspects I have been away, my plan will be worthless.”
Reclining in the wing back chair, and crossing his legs, Edward grinned at Mr. Douglas. “You are not the only schemer among us. We also need to get Adèle out, to make sure that she is safe. Here is what Mr. Douglas and I have in mind…”
I hunched down in the space between the seat and the wall of the carriage. Edward leaned over. “Are you quite miserable? Luckily, we haven’t much farther to go.”
I couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculousness of our desperate machinations, and my location on the floor of the carriage. The possibility of being discovered and tossed from Alderton House so close to the end of my mission was both appealing and appalling. Had it not been for the girls inside, I would have happily walked away.
The carriage rolled to a halt. Before stepping out into the street, my husband tugged his navy blue waistcoat down into place, smoothed his jacket, and gave me a half grin. “Ready, Jane?”
“Yes!” It came out in a half whisper.
“Off we go!”
“I’m here, sir,” John said, joining Edward on the cobblestones.
I was happy that Edward didn’t catch John’s expression of chagrin. The old servant wasn’t accustomed to subterfuge, and he valued decorum far too much to approve of Edward’s plan. But he loved the boy he’d helped to raise, and so he was willing to play along, even if he did so glumly.
Williams pretended to close the door after Edward and his manservant, but in truth left it ajar, so I could follow their progress. My husband used his cane and John’s shoulder as his guide up the front steps of Alderton House. Once there, he banged on the door with the head of his walking stick. When no one came immediately, he banged again, harder. Finally, Caje opened up and Edward bellowed, “By God, where is she? What have you done with my Adèle? Where is your superintendent? Tell that woman I expect her here now! Immediately! Move it! By Jove, I shall beat sense into you and everyone else in this ridiculous excuse for a school!”
“You heard him!” John pushed the door so hard it bounced against the interior wall. “Do not just stand there! Go fetch Adèle Varens! Bring her here, right now!”
Both men stood in the doorway shouting as loudly as possible. From inside came the shrill sound of Adèle screaming, “Mon bon ami! Mon Dieu! Il est ici! Je suis libre!”
I smiled to myself. In a life full of surprises, some things could be counted on.
Adèle appeared tout de suite.
Edward spoke to her in rapid French, telling her not to say another word. Especially not about me. “Entre,” he said and pointed to the carriage. In her native tongue, he told her to stay there no matter what and not to talk to anyone because they were off to Mrs. Brayton’s house in just a tick.
“Jane?” Adèle paused to ask.
“Tout va bien. Ferme la bouche,” he said.
On Adèle’s heels trotted Mrs. Thurston, calling after the girl, “Come back here!” and then turning on Edward with, “You, sir! What is the meaning of this?”
Williams wrapped his reins around the rein guides, hopped down, and ran around to the carriage door on the opposite side of the school. Opening it, he helped me out. Mr. Douglas jumped off the back, where he’d played the part of a rather too tall coachman. Together he ran with me to the side of the house by the horse chestnut tree. By now, Edward and John were inside Alderton House, causing a commotion that capitalized on Adèle’s excitement at being “rescued” by her bon ami.
“Remember, leave the window open for me. I’ll climb up to that limb tonight and stay just outside the dormitory in case you need help.”
“Will do,” I said.
“Good luck. Up you go.” Mr. Douglas boosted me up to a low limb, keeping watch while I climbed one branch after another until my waist was even with the windowsill of the Senior dormitory. Pushing off from that last branch, I inelegantly shoved myself back into the window I’d earlier exited. I hit the floor with my hands and walked on my palms into the dormitory until my legs were inside. Then I rolled onto my backside.
I was still on the floor catching my breath when Emma burst through the door. “Miss! There’s a terrible commotion downstairs, and Mrs. Thurston wants you to come right away.”
“Pardon? I dropped a button under the bed. Can it wait until I find it?”
“I’ll help you.” Emma started toward me.
“Here it is.” With great exaggeration, I pretended to pocket my “lost” button. “My goodness! Who is making all that noise?”
Despite my “pleas” that she be allowed to stay, Adèle rode off with her guardian within minutes. Edward did his utmost to look upon me with disdain, while I played my part of mewling former governess as best I could. As he walked past me, he gave me a solemn wink. It was torture not to hop into the carriage with them. Hearing the front door slam behind them caused my heart to pound wildly.
This has to work. It has to!
I moved through the remainder of the morning’s lessons as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. The Seniors missed Adèle, so I suggested that they write letters to her in German.
We were heading down the stairs to eat our lunch when a street urchin in ragged clothes and a cap that covered most of his face appeared at the front step. I overheard him barter a letter for a shilling. Emma called Mrs. Thurston to make the exchange. The superintendent gave the boy a ha’penny and he went running as fast as his legs could carry him on his makeshift shoes of newspaper tied on with string.
“Miss Eyre?” Mrs. Thurston called to me from the foyer. The upheaval had taken its toll on Mrs. Thurston. Social niceties fell by the wayside.
“Yes, madam?” I gave her a half bow. “I am packed and ready to depart, directly after classes finish.”
“There has been a change of plans.” She waved the letter at me. “You can stay a little longer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I bobbed to Mrs. Thurston. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Good heavens, what is on your dress?”
I looked down at the dirt I had gathered while climbing the tree.
“Change immediately into something presentable,” said Mrs. Thurston.
“I will do so.”
We were in the midst of eating luncheon when Mr. Waverly rapped at the front door, demanding to see Mrs. Thurston. After a hurried conference in her office, she entered the dining room. All of the girls were already there, as were Miss Jones and myself. Miss Miller remained sequestered in the Infant dormitory. Mr. Waverly, however, also called in Caje, Emma, and Cook. The staff members took places at the back of the room.
“Go get Miss Miller,” Mr. Waverly instructed a constable, “and escort her to the carriage waiting outside.”
Mr. Waverly took the floor. “I am sorry to tell you that we believe that Miss Miller is Selina Biltmore’s killer. Therefore, we are now taking her into our custody. If any of you have evidence pointing to Miss Miller’s guilt, it is your duty as a loyal subject of the Crown to bring those facts forward. Do not share them with each other. I repeat: Do not share any information you have. I shall return on the morrow, at breakfast. You can give whatever information you have directly to me. That is all.”
Mr. Waverly left, and our meal concluded shortly after. Back in the classroom, a subdued mood settled over the group. The girls were oddly quiet. Rose’s brow puckered and she said, “Will they hang Miss Miller?”
“Let’s keep her in our prayers.” This was an evasion, but one that satisfied all of our needs.
The afternoon lessons dragged along. A soft rain started, gathering effort as it went on, until thunder burst like a drumroll demanding we snap to attention. “I believe we shall work indoors today,” I said.
Once again, loud knocking at the front door disturbed our studies. This time it was the undertaker removing Selina’s body. His assistants also carried all the floral tributes out into the waiting hearse. Twice now she had left this building in the rain. This time, I knew she would not be returning.
This sorrowful event further dampened my students’ spirits. I lectured on birds of prey. Even my thrilling description of how a barn owl can find a field mouse failed to elicit a flicker of interest. Each child turned her fears inward rather than express her worries. Nettie chewed on her fingernails, and Rose twisted a strand of hair around and around her finger. Rufina dug at a bump on her knee. The Juniors mainly sat huddled together, hunched over, and bleak as an outcropping of small stone protrusions.
Another spate of banging interrupted our session, but this noise came from directly overhead. Leaving Rufina in charge, I slipped out to ask Emma what was happening. “Mrs. Thurston asked Caje to nail the windows shut.”
“What!” My plan depended on Mr. Douglas being able to enter the dormitory from the horse chestnut branch.
“Since Miss Miller won’t be here in the Infant dormitory, this way no one can crawl in or out.”
This would prove an impediment, but there was no help for it. I would have to carry on regardless.
By dinner, the girls had recovered somewhat. Their bright chatter did me good. Children seem incapable of dampening down their natural buoyancy for long periods. By the time we repaired to the sitting room, a modicum of normalcy had returned. Without Miss Miller, Mrs. Thurston was compelled to join us during the sewing hour, as I had hoped she would.
“She plans to sleep with the Infants,” Miss Jones whispered in my ear. “I guess that Mr. Waverly told her in private that under no circumstances were the girls to be left without chaperones again. He was most adamant on that point!”
The superintendent’s presence had a distinctly dreary effect, though she largely ignored the girls. The novel she had been reading must have been captivating, because she stuck her nose in the book and never spoke to the rest of us. After a while, the book fell from her grip, and she slumped over in the big brown tapestry wing back chair, snoring loudly. When Emma brought the tea and bread, Miss Jones tapped Mrs. Thurston on the shoulder. The rotund woman awakened in time to heap her plate high with savories.
I had carefully chosen a spot in the middle of the room, on an ottoman, where I was the centerpiece of the group. As the girls poured tea, I leafed through the handful of papers that I’d found in Selina’s dresser. They were nothing but poorly done homework assignments and her unkind thoughts about her classmates; however, for my purposes they worked nicely. I waited until Emma brought a second tray of cheese and then gasped loudly.
“Oh my!”
“What is it?” Mrs. Jones set down her teacup.
“This is a diary that Selina must have started.”
That elicited a snort of laughter from Mrs. Thurston. “Selina? A diary? I heartily doubt it. Our Selina wasn’t much interested in introspection.”
“Nevertheless, I found these papers in her dresser earlier. I meant to throw them out but decided I should look through them first.” I made a show of glancing over the papers before clutching them to my breast dramatically. “They are dated shortly before her death. What time is Mr. Waverly arriving tomorrow? He will certainly want to read these. I believe there is information here that points to a motive for her murder.”
Mrs. Thurston snapped her fingers at me. “Give me those.”
“I cannot. You heard the inspector.” I folded the papers and tucked them into my pocket. “He specifically told us to keep any information to ourselves, didn’t he, girls?”
Little faces nodded, looking from me to Mrs. Thurston and back again.
“How could I face him and tell him I was disobedient? For tonight, this will keep. I shall hold them close to me. I plan to sleep with them under my pillow.”
“Confound you! I say, hand them over!” The superintendent thrust out her chubby hand.
“No. Considering all that has happened, I plan to adhere to instructions. To do otherwise would reflect very poorly on all of us!”
That capped it for her. Mrs. Thurston heaved herself from her chair and stormed out of the room, stomping along and muttering darkly. Miss Jones sighed. “I am going down to the kitchen to ask Cook to make hot chocolate. It might settle our nerves.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “On such a dreary night, I’m sure that would be most appreciated by all.”
A few minutes later, Miss Jones reappeared with a tray, and the girls perked up considerably as the rich scent of chocolate filled the room. As she had predicted, the treat improved everyone’s mood.
Afterward, we went to the dormitories. Mrs. Thurston’s voice drifted through the wall as she fussed at the Infant girls about some small matter.
I pushed the curtains aside and checked. Yes, the sill had been securely nailed shut. There was no remedy except to move forward. While behind my modesty screen, I fingered the kirpan. The sleeves of my night rail would not cover it. The wrapper caught on it. Frustrated, I took the dagger from its sheath. When I stepped out from behind the screen, I quickly tucked it under my pillow.
Although the rain had quit, clouds covered the moon. I’d never known a darker night. My pulse raced. Would my audacious plan work? The stillness absorbed all light and gave nothing back.
“Miss? Are you going to tuck us in?” Rose called to me from across the room.
“Of course I shall. That is the best part of my job,” I told her as I picked up my candle and headed her way. Although I yearned for my own son, I would also miss these girls. I pulled up the covers and gave each child a kiss on the cheek. Rose surprised me by reaching up and hugging me—hard. “You are the nicest teacher we have ever had.” Her words were slightly slurred.
Rufina tried to speak and also tripped over her own tongue.
There was only one explanation: The hot chocolate had been dosed with laudanum.
In short order, the girls fell fast asleep. I moved from bed to bed to be sure they were tucked in. Rhythmical snores and sighs came from all my young friends. With any luck, tonight I would flush out the killer—and none of the children would be the wiser. They would sleep through any commotion. In the morning, we could assure them that the school was safe again.
At long last, I climbed into my bed and stared at the ceiling while I waited for a signal—Bruce Douglas’s tap on the windowpane. That noise would tell me that he was up in the tree and in place. I planned to pantomime that the sash could not be opened.
Perhaps I could use the kirpan to somehow pry the nails loose. I climbed out of bed, lit the candle, and tried, but it did not work. The struggle seemed to tire me, and I was increasingly clumsy. After a few halfhearted attempts, I staggered back to bed.
My last waking thought: I’ve been drugged!
Fighting the call to slumber, I fell fast asleep.