Death at the Manor by Katharine Schellman

Author:Katharine Schellman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

CHAPTER 15

The thunderstorm that had been threatening all day struck in the middle of dinner.

It had been a pleasant evening, if a slightly tense one. Lily was still distracted by her aunt’s revelation and her argument with Ofelia. Mr. Spencer, who had been happy to come, was polite and attentive to everyone present, as ready to listen to the stories of others as he was to contribute to the conversation. Sir Edward was doing his best to act like his normal, sociable self, but he kept stealing unhappy glances at his wife, making Lily wish she could ask what had passed between them during their time in the village.

Ofelia herself was in fine form, regaling the group with humorous tales from her childhood growing up in the West Indies and describing with great relish the tribulations of her sea voyage to England. But Lily caught her friend sending more than one surreptitious glance her way, though Ofelia quickly looked elsewhere as soon as she saw Lily looking back.

Lily found herself doing the same thing with Susan, her mind wandering back to the conversation they’d had during their walk. It had taken some time for them to come around to the point, but at last Susan had delicately commented, “I understand you and Eliza had a chat yesterday evening that surprised you.”

Lily, normally taciturn and more likely to listen than to speak, had found herself stumbling uncharacteristically over her words. With none of her usual eloquence, she hastened to assure Susan of her continued affection and her gratefulness that she and Eliza had each other. And then she could not seem to help herself as she tried to explain why she was so surprised, how disappointed in herself that she had completely failed to realize something so important. “I, who pride myself on my skills of observation, my insight into the people around me!” But as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized she was making the conversation, which had clearly been worrying Susan, all about herself. She had immediately tried to apologize, felt even more uncomfortable, and fallen silent.

“It is not as though we were advertising,” Susan pointed out. “We try to be very discreet. People will assume one thing, or surmise another, or they won’t think anything of it at all. It’s all the same to us, so long as we can continue to live our lives as we wish.” She had taken Lily’s hand. “But I am glad you know now, dearest. And I am relieved you are not too distressed by the news. Now”—she had given Lily’s hand a brisk pat before releasing her—“we ought to discuss our plans for dinner.”

That dinner had come together with great speed and a good deal of friendly charm. Lily was still not sure how comfortable she was with her aunt’s … not quite machinations, as they had been performed with so little pressure as to the outcome. But they were something, and Lily hoped that they weren’t as transparent to everyone else as they were to her.

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