Julian had so much to think through that he didn’t even know where to begin. He’d known that whatever had brought Ophelia to his cottage had to be something bad. No lady would be riding a horse alone in the middle of the night unless she was afraid. If he knew something about Lord Wolfe, he might be able to figure out how to handle the gentleman. But he’d only met Lord Wolfe once, and that was when Lord Wolfe asked him to marry him to his betrothed.
Lord Wolfe had seemed amiable enough. Julian would never have guessed that he’d locked away a young orphan at his estate until she was old enough to marry him. He certainly wouldn’t have guessed that he was the type to try to ravish a virgin in the drawing room or later try to abduct the same lady when he found her in London. There was no doubt that Julian was dealing with an immoral person. The question was, how far would Lord Wolfe go to get what he wanted?
Then there was the matter of his brothers’ deaths. While Detective Hall was entertaining the possibility of a connection between Lord Wolfe and their deaths, Julian didn’t see how they were connected. What would he have to gain by it? Julian had been estranged from both of them. There was no reason for Lord Wolfe to think he was somehow punishing Julian by killing them.
Also, it just didn’t seem like a logical plan. If he was Lord Wolfe, Julian wouldn’t bother killing the brothers. He would go directly for the husband. As Ophelia’s husband, Julian was standing in the way of Lord Wolfe taking Ophelia as his wife. But then, maybe Lord Wolfe wasn’t interested in whether or not she was married. He seemed to be willing to kidnap her regardless of whether Julian was still alive or not. Which only supported his assumption that Lord Wolfe had no involvement in his brothers’ deaths.
But someone had been involved in their deaths, and it was up to him to figure out who that person was.
The next morning after breakfast, the doctor and detective came by. Not wishing to give Ophelia more to deal with than she could handle, Julian sent her to the den while he spoke with the gentlemen in the drawing room.
“You’re right about your brothers being murdered,” Dr. Westward said. “I examined both bodies, and I found remnants of the same poison in their bodies. They both drank laurel water. Whoever did this probably put the poison into a drink. My guess is that the second brother, James, drank the poison right before he went down the stairs. There are no signs of a struggle, so I doubt he even knew what happened to him.”
“What times would you say they died?” Detective Hall asked.
“Late at night,” Dr. Westward said. “My guess is that they drank the poison in their bedchambers after retiring for the evening. From there, it was just a matter of time before a servant found them and reported their deaths.”
“Do you think one of the servants did it?” Julian asked.
Dr. Westward shrugged. “I have no way of knowing who did it. The person would have to have access to a cherry laurel plant. The murderer is extracting the poison from the leaves. Do any of the servants have a cherry laurel plant?”
Julian shrugged. “I’ve never heard of such a plant, let alone seen one.”
“Well, I suggest taking a look through the servants’ quarters and see if you find such a plant,” Dr. Westward said. “The plant has evergreen leaves that are dark green on top and pale underneath. These leaves are three to eight inches long and are thick and shiny. Sometimes they’ll have little white flowers with five petals on them.”
Detective Hall nodded. “At least we know what we’re looking for.” His gaze went to Julian. “We should look for this right away. It’s possible the murderer already hid the plant, but I doubt they would be expecting us to look through their rooms. If we act now, we’ll probably catch them by surprise.”
“Let’s do it now,” Julian agreed then turned to the doctor. “When will my brothers be ready to go to the family mausoleum?”
“I can have their bodies delivered there this afternoon,” Dr. Westward said.
“I’ll visit the cemetery later today to pay my respects,” Julian said. “Thank you for coming by.”
Once the doctor left, Julian and Detective Hall searched through all of the servants’ rooms. Since the detective didn’t want Julian to tell them what they were looking for, or why, Julian kept quiet on the matter. Their search, however, came up empty. They found no plants anywhere.
After they were finished, Detective Hall pulled Julian aside into the drawing room and whispered, “Be careful. Just because we didn’t find something, it doesn’t mean the servants are free from suspicion. For the time being, I would only eat and drink things that aren’t prepared in this place.”
“I understand,” Julian said.
“If anything new comes up, send for me right away. In the meantime, I’ll see what I can find out from the people who knew your brothers, and I’ll see what I can learn about Lord Wolfe. Search the ledger to see if your brothers had any debts. It’s not uncommon for money to play a role in murder.”
As soon as Detective Hall left, the footman hurried into the room, but he didn’t talk until he reached him, and when he did, his voice was quiet. “Your brothers were murdered, weren’t they?” he asked.
Julian nodded, but he didn’t dare reveal any more than that. He had to remember that every servant in this house was a suspect. They were far more likely to have a role in the murders than Lord Wolfe did.
The footman clasped his hands together and shook his head. “I knew it. Deep down, I knew there could be no other explanation, but it’s still a shock.”
“I have a lot to do right now,” Julian said, figuring the less interaction he had with the footman at this point, the better. “The detective gave me a lot of things to do.”
“Of course. I won’t get in your way. Just remember to be careful. I don’t want the same fate to happen to you.” The footman offered a quick bow and then left the room.
Julian didn’t know if he could believe the footman or not, though he did seem sincere.
After standing quietly in the room for a minute, Julian ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled. There was much to do. First, he had to check through the ledger and find out if his brothers had any debts or, perhaps, underpaid a servant who sought revenge. Then he had to make sure Jonah and James had been properly buried. And then he had to make sure he didn’t eat or drink anything prepared in this place. He supposed he could have his meals with Didimus and Serena or Lewis and Marcy. That would take care of things on that end.
But first, he would check the ledger, and that was in the den with Ophelia. Ready to tackle the tasks ahead of him, he left the drawing room.
***
Julian stood in front of the family mausoleum in the cemetery. Jonah and James had been laid to rest, but Julian didn’t experience any kind of peace. Finding out his brothers had been murdered left him with a sick feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. Who poisoned them? And, more importantly, why?
He had checked through the ledger twice, and nothing in it gave him any answers. His brothers had been diligent about paying the servants a fair wage. They hadn’t taken any debts. They’d managed their money with considerable care, and in a short amount of time, they had acquired a small fortune. Their murders made no sense to him.
“Is everything as you wish, Your Grace?” the caretaker of the cemetery asked Julian as he walked over to him.
Julian nodded. “You may close the door to the mausoleum now.”
The caretaker did as he said, and even though there was nothing else to do here, Julian remained standing in front of the large structure. The weight of the world pressed in on him. There was so much he hadn’t been able to resolve with his brothers, and he’d never get the chance to try again. First, Jonah died, and then James died. That left only him. Their parents were in the mausoleum with his brothers. All were laid to rest.
But he couldn’t rest, nor would he. If it was the last thing he did, he would find out who killed his brothers. It was the only thing he could do for them at this point. He didn’t know if he’d get to see them again once he crossed the threshold into the next life. He hoped he would, and that there, at last, they could finally be reunited and have peace between them.
He closed his eyes and waited for the urge to cry to pass. It wasn’t that he objected to tears. Tears could be healing for those who were suffering. But there was a time for crying, and now wasn’t it. Right now, he had to figure out who killed them. And while doing that, he had to make sure he wasn’t poisoned.
Once his emotions settled, he opened his eyes. He felt slightly refreshed. His emotions were still on edge, but at least he could focus.
He gave a prayer he often recited at a funeral then turned to leave the cemetery. He made it to the entrance when he realized Didimus had just pulled up in his carriage. He stopped and waited as his cousin got out. He waited to see if Serena had joined him, but she hadn’t. But then, why would she? This wasn’t a place to take a lady.
“I heard James died,” Didimus said as he approached him.
Julian nodded. “Yes, I had to come back here to take care of his funeral.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know enough people to invite. I didn’t think to invite you. I’m sorry.”
“You have so much going on,” Didimus replied. “It’s understandable. And you’re right. You’ve been gone for so long. Who would you have invited? To be honest, your brothers didn’t have any friends. Or, if they did, I can’t think of who they were.”
“Well, some gentlemen had come out for Jonah’s funeral. I didn’t recognize any of them, but someone must have cared.”
“I’m sure they did. Even acquaintances pay their respects for the deceased.”
“Yes, that’s been my experience in presiding over funerals.”
They were silent for a moment then Didimus smiled. “I didn’t intend to be so glum. I realize you weren’t close to your brothers, given everything that’s happened.”
“That was my fault.”
“It was partly my fault, too.”
“But you made things right. I wish I could have done that.”
“Why spend time looking back on the past? You can’t change it. All you can do is move forward.”
“I know. I tell people this all the time in my line of work. You’d think that I, of all people, would be able to do that without any difficulty. I suppose what you know to be true isn’t the same as feeling it.”
Didimus put a comforting hand on Julian’s shoulder. “It’s always different when you have to do it.” He patted his shoulder. “Did you take a carriage here?”
“No, I walked.”
“Why don’t you let me take you home? There’s no point in having to walk all the way back.”
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.” Didimus turned his gaze to the cemetery. “I should go in there and pay my respects. Do you mind waiting?”
“No.”
Julian watched as his cousin went into the cemetery and made his way over to the family mausoleum. Didimus stood in front of it for a couple of minutes, his head bowed in prayer. Then he left and returned to Julian.
“It’s not going to be the same without them,” Didimus said.
“No, it’s not.”
“It’s a shame, isn’t it? They were young. I know you and I are younger, but they had more than enough years ahead of them.”
“It is a shame.” Julian didn’t dare say more than that. Detective Hall had warned him not to tell anyone anything to do with the murders. Discretion, he had advised, was the best course of action. As he went to the carriage with his cousin, he added, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“You’ll take over the estate,” Didimus replied. “You’re the Duke of Alwood now.”
“I don’t deserve the title.”
“Whether or not you deserve it, it’s yours. You were the next in line to inherit it.”
Yes, there was no arguing that. He had the title. The estate was now his responsibility. He waited until they were heading back to London in the carriage before he said, “My brothers worked hard to get the estate in good standing.”
“Did they?”
“Yes.” Julian slumped against the side of the carriage and glanced out the window where things seemed much simpler. “They had acquired over half of what I stole.”
“That’s good.”
Julian sighed and shook his head. “The money isn’t mine. I don’t deserve it.”
“You shouldn’t say that. You tried to make amends for what you did. It’s not your fault they didn’t want to listen to you.”
“But that’s their money. I can’t take what belongs to them a second time.”
“So what will you do with it?”
Julian shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far yet.”
“Well, there’s no rush in making a decision. Even if you don’t feel worthy to take it, you should do what’s best for the estate. That’s why the title went to you.”
“I do want to make sure the servants are provided for. With my job, I can’t come back here to London. I’m needed at my parish.”
“Why? Didn’t you become a vicar because you had nothing else to do? You should leave that profession and come here. Be a part of this world again. You and I had a lot of good times together. It’d be nice to have those back.”
Julian hesitated to answer for two reasons. One, he could never leave his job as a vicar. He loved what he was doing, and he had a responsibility to his parish. The people in that area didn’t have many vicars who were willing to be so far outside of London, and the vicars certainly didn’t want to take so little pay for what they were doing. Two, he wasn’t the same person he used to be. He had changed, and because of that, he wasn’t sure he and Didimus would make good friends anymore. It was best to leave those good times in the past where they could both think fondly on them. He could see visiting Didimus once in a while, but that would have to be it.
“Everything has happened so fast,” Didimus said. “I’m sure you’re overwhelmed.”
Julian nodded. That was most definitely true. All he could do right now was follow the detective’s advice. Beyond that, his mind was a jumbled mess. “Even if Jonah and James never would have forgiven me, I wish they’d been able to live a full and long life. It’s not natural for someone to die while in the prime of youth.”
“You did all you could. That’s what matters. In the end, we do what we need to.” The carriage came to a stop, and Didimus added, “Why don’t you come by my townhouse for a dinner party this evening? We won’t make it a big deal. It’ll be a quiet meal and time spent with friends.”
Considering the situation, he was safer having dinner at Didimus’ residence than at his own, so Julian agreed to stop by at six that evening.
As Julian stepped out of the carriage, Didimus said, “Everything will be all right. Give it time. Things will work out like they’re supposed to.”
“Yes, I know.” Julian offered him a smile then headed up the stairs of the townhouse.