The Archer's Paradox (The Heart of a Hero Book 8) Read online

  “Did you hear any unusual sounds that night?”

  “No, I fell asleep almost immediately.” She turned to Beatrice. “That’s why I took the book. I wanted to catch up, but it’s so good I kept reading.”

  She smiled at the girl. “I’m glad you enjoy reading so much, but it isn’t fair to deprive the other girls.”

  Colin cleared his throat. “Do you know anything that might help us discover who killed Madame Delacroix? Anything unusual, even if it doesn’t seem important?”

  She shook her head.

  “Thank you for your help. Please come to me immediately if you think of anything else. And don’t forget to return the book to the parlor as soon as you finish.”

  “Yes, Miss Pottinger.” She turned and rushed from the room.

  Beatrice glanced at the clock. “It’s too late to interview the rest of the girls. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

  “In that case, I’m going to find Grant and see if he’s had any luck locating Monsieur Delacroix. I’m also hoping he might have a place for me to sleep if I can’t locate Mrs. Turner. She left to go to the Home Office when we arrived, and I haven’t heard from her since.”

  “She’s welcome to stay here if there isn’t room with the Captain. I’m going to get the girls settled in their bedchambers, then I will send a note to Monsieur asking him about the arrangements for Madame. Hopefully that will make him respond.”

  Colin squeezed her hand. “I know this is difficult for you, but thank you for allowing me to help. Shall we break our fast early tomorrow so we can plan how to proceed?”

  She smiled and nodded.

  “Then I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed the top of her hand and a thrill went through her. It was certainly much more pleasant to be his friend instead of his enemy.

  Chapter Five

  As was his tendency, Colin awoke before the sun rose and enjoyed an early meal with Grant before heading back to Madame Delacroix’s School for Girls. He and the captain had discussed several possible motives for the killer, and he wished to share them with Beatrice to get her input as well. Since Monsieur Delacroix was no where to be found, they had to consider whether he was also dead, or why he was in hiding. Though he was certain Beatrice would defend Delacroix, Colin was very suspicious of his motives. It was possible that Delacroix was hiding from someone or something, but it was just as likely that he could be a foreign agent, or perhaps had been involved in the murder of his sister.

  Jane was hard at work digging up information about the Delacroix family. Though it was a common French surname, she’d already found information about their travel from France to England. She was very good at what she did, and Colin had no doubt she would find useful information for them to consider.

  Colin had expected the house to be quiet, but it seemed to be in an uproar when he arrived. Girls were everywhere, calling to each other across the room, thundering up and down the staircase, and generally making as much noise as possible. He pushed his way into the house and searched through the girls in the parlor until he spotted Beatrice. “What is going on here?”

  She took his arm and steered him away from the girls. “Harriet sneaked out of the house sometime after I retired for the evening and she has yet to return.”

  “I suspect she went somewhere to meet her beau.”

  “Yes, but how are we ever to find her? Her parents are counting on us to keep her safe. Perhaps we ought to send all of the girls home until we capture the killer, or at least locate Monsieur Delacroix. Without him, the best we can hope for is that someone will purchase the house and continue to run the school, but it’s more likely that it will simply cease to exist.”

  “If you send the girls home, it’s unlikely that their parents will allow them to return. Unless you’re certain it would be best to close the school, I suggest you delay notifying the parents until it is absolutely necessary.”

  He took her cold hands and rubbed them between his palms. “I suspect she will return on her own.”

  “Before or after her character is questioned? If anyone learns that girls are sneaking out at night, there will be no way to salvage the reputation of the school.”

  “Then we’ll have to ensure that no one finds out. How many of the girls know she is missing?”

  She blew out a deep breath. “Only Margaret, who shares a bedchamber with her. The other girls believe she is still abed.”

  He was taken aback. “Are you saying that this melee is normal? Based on the chaos, I assumed everyone knew.”

  Beatrice opened her mouth to respond, then shifted her attention to the staircase—

  Harriet was making her way down as if she had never been gone. Beatrice intercepted the girl and headed to the parlor with her. Colin signaled to Morgan, who quickly ushered the other girls into the dining room to eat breakfast. He wondered why anyone would ever want to run a school. It looked to him as if it was ninety percent wrangling the pupils and ten percent teaching.

  While he waited for Beatrice to return, he studied the furnishings in the house. Though he was no expert, some of the furnishings and art appeared to be valuable. He needed to ask Jane to look into the history of the house and how Madame had acquired it.

  Harriet slinked out of the parlor and went straight into the dining room. Seconds later, Beatrice waved to him from the doorway.

  “How did it go?”

  “I told her if she sneaks out again I will expel her and send her home. If that threat doesn’t work, then nothing will. She’s not just compromising her own reputation, but that of the school and the other girls as well.”

  “I assume she refused to tell you the name of her beau.”

  Beatrice nodded.

  “I spoke with the captain this morning, and he would like to have members of the Legion watching this house at all times. Between the murder, the missing brother, and the mysterious beau, there is much to be concerned about. It would also prevent Harriet from escaping again.”

  Beatrice sighed. “I hate that it’s come to this, but I agree that it’s necessary. The safety of the girls has to be my first priority.”

  “Do you know if Madame owned the house?”

  “Yes, she did, and her brother is her only living relative, so I presume he stands to inherit everything, which makes me wonder why he isn’t here, staking his claim.”

  Colin shrugged. “There are many reasons. Because he killed her? Someone else killed her and his life is in danger? He is a foreign agent working for France?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “None of those things seem likely.”

  “Perhaps Madame Delacroix was killed because she was a double agent.”

  “She wasn’t. I’m certain.”

  “Then who is on your list of suspects?”

  “She received several offers to purchase this house. This neighborhood is sought after.”

  “You think someone would resort to murder to have a house in a good neighborhood?”

  Beatrice shrugged. “Stranger things have happened. What are your other theories?”

  “French spies killed her because she refused to give her allegiance to Bonaparte? Her brother killed her because he needs money? Of course, that doesn’t make sense given his disappearance. What if he is also dead? I think we need to go out in society and see if there is gossip circulating about the murder, the school, her brother’s disappearance, or anything else that might help us.”

  “I will contact Elizabeth. She should be able to secure us invitations to whatever entertainments are being held this week.” She glanced at the clock. “If you’re amenable, I’d like to finish questioning the rest of the girls this morning. The dance instructor will be here this afternoon and I’d like to try to keep their schedule as normal as possible.”

  “Of course.”

  She stuck her head out the door and spoke with someone. “Theodosia is on her way. She’s rather shy, so I’d appreciate it if you would refrain from trying to intimidate her.”

 
“I think I ought to be insulted by your insinuation.”

  “You may feel whatever you like, but you can’t deny that your methods are not the best way to interview young girls.”

  He bit back a grin. “I would argue that it depends on the situation, but I will follow your lead if it makes you happy.”

  “Thank you, I think.”

  A knock sounded on the door, then a girl entered.

  Beatrice put her hand on the girl’s back. “Theodosia, we’d like to talk to you about Madame. Do you have any information that might help us solve the murder?”

  “No, Miss Pottinger. I didn’t want to see her…like that, so I didn’t go into her bedchamber that morning.”

  “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?” Colin asked.

  “The morning we found Madame, there was an open window in the dining room.”

  He exchanged a glance with Beatrice. “Are the windows usually kept closed?”

  “The windows on the first floor are always closed at night, but we often leave them open during the day when it’s hot outside.”

  He turned to the girl. “Theodosia, do you recall if it was hot that day?”

  “No, sir, it wasn’t, and I was the first one to go into the dining room since everyone else went to Madame’s bedchamber. The room was quite cold so I assumed someone had opened it during the night.”

  They needed to talk to the maids to determine whether the rules for open windows were strictly followed.

  “Have you seen anything out of the ordinary? Anything at all, even if it doesn’t seem important?” Beatrice asked.

  Theodosia shook her head. “Nothing comes to mind.”

  “If you think of anything else, please tell me immediately, no matter what time of day it is.”

  “Yes, Miss Pottinger.”

  She left the room and they waited for the next girl to enter. “What do you think of the open window? Could it just have been an oversight?”

  “This is an old, drafty house. We rarely open windows outside of the summer months. I don’t believe it was left open by accident.”

  “Do you think it was left open so the murderer could get in, or perhaps escape?”

  “I think that’s the most likely explanation, but of course we can’t be sure.”

  A knock sounded on the door and another girl entered.

  “Eleanor, please come in.”

  It was another of the younger girls. Her eyes were wide with fear, so Colin decided to take a step back and let Beatrice question the girl. She went through the usual questions without luck.

  “Eleanor, is there anything else you can think of that might help us determine who killed Madame? Anything that seemed odd to you? Have you seen any strangers around the house?”

  Eleanor shook her head. “No, I haven’t noticed any strangers, but I saw Monsieur Delacroix in the alley last night.”

  Beatrice froze. “Are you certain it was him?”

  “Yes, ma’am. It was definitely him. He was standing below my bedchamber window.”

  “Did you see anyone else with him?”

  “No.”

  “Did you watch to see where he went?”

  Eleanor shrugged. “I assumed he was leaving the house like he always does at night.”

  “Darling, what do you mean?”

  “I used to see Monsieur outside almost every night before Madame was killed.”

  “At night? Are you certain?”

  The girl nodded.

  “All right. Thank you, Eleanor.”

  As soon as the door closed behind her, Colin moved to where Beatrice stood. “I’m going to send a message to Grant to come to us immediately. We need to search the entire house, inside and out, and have the Legion stand guard at all times until we have some answers. I will not risk your safety or that of the girls.”

  ~~~

  Two hours later, Beatrice waited impatiently while Colin and Grant explored the cellar. It was in poor condition, and they had forbidden her to enter. Finally, they emerged.

  “It looks like someone might have been living down there,” Colin said.

  “Do you think it’s Delacroix?” she asked.

  “I think it’s a good possibility since one of the girls saw him recently.”

  “But why would he hide?”

  “Because he is guilty of something?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t believe him capable of murdering his own sister.”

  Grant spoke up. “Maybe he is afraid of being the killer’s next victim.”

  Colin crossed his arms. “If that was the case, I would think he’d want to come to the house. There is safety in being around other people.”

  Grant attempted to hide his smile. “You two are free to keep arguing, but I am going to send out a message that we need everyone to take a shift guarding the house if we are to watch around the clock. We’ll need a man at the entrance to the cellar, one patrolling the perimeter of the house, and another at the top of a nearby house who has a bird’s eye view. Did I miss anything?”

  “A man to stay inside the house to make sure no one gets in.”

  She definitely objected to that. “Colin, I cannot have a strange man staying in the house with the girls.”

  “Surely you don’t think the member of the Legion would harass the girls.”

  “Of course not, but the girls will definitely talk about a strange man in the house, and if their parents find out a man is staying at the house overnight we’ll be ruined.”

  “Fine, I will do the night time surveillance myself. The girls all know me since we questioned them. I doubt they’ll think anything of me being around, and if you insist they stay in their rooms all night for safety reasons, they’ll never know I’m here.”

  She would feel safer in the house if he was there. “I guess we can try and see what happens. The safety of the girls has to be our priority.”

  “I will have Jane come to stay as well. That should lend even more propriety.”

  Several of the girls had left right after Madame’s death was announced, so there was room enough for Jane to stay. Since Madame did not appear to have a will, and her only living relative was missing, Beatrice had taken money from the school account to pay for her burial. They would hold a memorial for her once things settled down.

  Grant cleared his throat. “I must leave so I can make all of the arrangements for surveillance, but we are already engaged to attend a ball tonight, and I suspect Elizabeth would like to see you both there.”

  “Thank you, Captain. We will attend.” With everything happening, Beatrice was not excited to attend a ball, but it was necessary to determine how widespread the rumors about the murder might be.

  Beatrice was no longer certain that she wanted to stay on at the school without Madame. Her father needed someone to watch over him, and even if Monsieur Delacroix turned out to be innocent of any wrongdoing, he probably wouldn’t want to continue using the house as a school. Romney Marsh and the surrounding area was slowly becoming more populated, so there was a chance that with Papa’s help, she could open a small school there. Though her future seemed very uncertain, she had hope that she would find her way to the place she should be.

  Chapter Six

  Beatrice had attended several balls prior to returning home to take care of her father, so she was comfortable in society. She only had two ball gowns to choose from, but despite her limited wardrobe, she was looking forward to leaving the school and its veil of grief. Since she had been wearing her green gown the first night she met Colin, she decided to wear her blue gown instead. Besides, she hadn’t been able to get the mud stains out of the hem of the green gown after she’d traipsed about the marsh to catch the lamb. With the string of pearls she inherited from her mother around her neck, she went downstairs to wait for Colin.

  There was a strange woman standing in the foyer wearing a magnificent purple gown. The silk draped perfectly over her ample curves to show them to their best advantage, and if Bea
trice wasn’t mistaken, that was a diamond necklace circling her neck. The lady turned and with a start Beatrice realized it was Jane.

  “My dear girl, you are radiant in that gown.”

  “Not nearly as gorgeous as you are.” She looked like a completely different person and Beatrice was very curious why someone as wealthy as she must be would work as Colin’s secretary. Perhaps Elizabeth would be able to enlighten her at the ball.

  The patter of feet on the stairs sounded and three of the girls rushed down. “Miss Pottinger, you look lovely, as always.” Theodosia leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Who is that?”

  Beatrice stifled a laugh since Jane had fooled her as well. “This is Mrs. Turner, Mr. Hoskins’ secretary. You may have met her earlier, but she is quite transformed.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you, Theodosia.”

  Theodosia stared at Jane’s diamond necklace for a split second, then said, “Is it not unusual for a woman to serve as a secretary?”

  “Well, my dear. It might be unusual, but I can tell you that women are much more suited for the job than men. We are much better at organizing.”

  “What sorts of tasks do you perform?”

  “Everything. Mr. Hoskins has various business concerns and I help him manage all of them.”

  Theodosia was spellbound.

  The front door opened and Colin walked in, looking magnificent in his breeches and a navy waistcoat that brought out the color in his eyes. “Are you ladies ready?”

  Instead of answering his question, Jane shifted toward Theodosia. “If you’re interested, my dear, I would be happy to talk to you about the duties of a secretary.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. I am quite interested.”

  “Perhaps we should have you speak to all of the girls about your uncommon position,” Beatrice said.

  Jane smiled. “I would be delighted.”

  “I think that’s an excellent idea, but we will be late if we don’t leave now.” Colin held out his arm to Beatrice and she took it. The pleasant scent of lime and cedar wafted over her when a soft breeze blew in from the open door. A rather grand carriage stood waiting for them, and Beatrice assumed it must belong to the enigmatic Mrs. Turner. Colin handed them both into the carriage, then climbed up and sat across from them, taking care not to step on their gowns. Beatrice wondered if she was dreaming. There didn’t seem to be any other explanation for the magical transformation of both Colin and his secretary.