Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan

Author:Ellie Brannigan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

Chapter Fifteen

“Good timing!” Rayne said. She showed Maeve the prescription bottle. “Did you know Uncle Nevin was taking medication for his heart?”

“I know everything that goes on in this house,” the housekeeper said with a sniff.

“He told you?” Ciara asked, standing next to Rayne, her arms crossed.

“Did his lordship tell me in so many words?” Maeve shook her head. “Not exactly.”

Rayne’s brow rose in surprise.

“Not from snooping,” Maeve said indignantly. “Cleaning. As is my job.”

Ciara snickered and brushed by Rayne on her way to the open door. “Way to go, princess. You’re just making friends all over the place.”

Rayne’s cheeks heated. “I’m sorry, Maeve. Didn’t mean to imply anything like that. Of course you would know. Did he take anything else, like vitamins? Supplements?”

Maeve’s ruffled feathers settled. “No. The work around here kept him fit. I’ve got Garda Williams in the blue parlor downstairs. Oh, what’s this?”

Maeve homed in like a missile to the torn letters that Rayne had put on the bed to decipher later.

“Just trash,” Ciara said. “I’ll take care of it.”

Maeve frowned at the stack, turned around, and led the way out of the room, carefully closing the door once they were all in the corridor once more.

Rayne glanced at Ciara. Was she trying to protect her dad’s memory by tossing the love letters herself?

Maybe she’d let Rayne read them first. It seemed strange to tear up correspondence from a lady friend, unless there were secrets in there Uncle Nevin didn’t want anyone to read. Why keep them?

To quote Alice in Wonderland, it was “curiouser and curiouser.”

Maeve urged them forward. “Should I invite the garda to stay for dinner? We’re having roast lamb, and Neddy’s made plenty.”

“No!” Ciara barreled toward the stairs. “He needs to work on the case.”

“A man must eat,” Maeve murmured. “His lordship always extended an invitation to a meal.”

“Dominic suspects everyone in this house of Da’s murder, except for Rayne.” Ciara paused at the top of the stairway.

“What?” Maeve put her hand to her chest as she and Rayne strode in step, finally reaching the grand staircase. “Even me?”

The housekeeper sounded so indignant that Rayne chuckled.

Ciara waited on the top stair, her hand on her slim hip. “Now how do you feel about having him stay to dinner?”

Maeve’s chin tipped. “Not so keen.”

“We’re on the same page at last.” Ciara skipped down the steps.

“I never,” Maeve muttered. “Cormac and I have been in this house since before we married. I was seventeen and hired as a maid by the previous Lord and Lady McGrath, and Cormac trained the horses. We had a large stable back then.”

Rayne thought that sounded interesting—except for the part about the horses. The large animals terrified her. She and Maeve reached the main floor and turned left. Ciara was ahead of them, her long legs making quick work down the hall.

“I can’t believe I offered that man lace biscuits with his tea.” Maeve stopped at the door to the parlor.

“His job is to suspect everyone. It’s not personal,” Rayne said.

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