Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings

Author:Anastasia Hastings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Chapter 12

I will admit to some discouragement, and though I thought to find comfort in telling myself there was no shame in it, that the mystery I was faced with was both twisted and devious, I could not help but feel as if there was something I was missing. Who would want to kill Lucien? And why?

I had eliminated Margaret from my list of suspects immediately, and Albion, too, could not have been involved. Aside from his account of his whereabouts on the evening of the murder (a report that I had since confirmed with Phoenix), I thought him far too timid to kill, even for love. I should have been cheered to remove two of those who might have committed the murder, yet the ones who remained made so little sense as to confuse me even further.

Master, certainly, had argued with Lucien the night of the murder. Yet from all I knew of him, he believed in peace, and truly seemed to practice it.

Enoch Pullman had been acting suspiciously, but though he was surly and rude, I had yet to draw a clear connection between him and the dead man.

And then there was the matter of the nasty man in armor who had interrupted Lucien’s funeral service.

How odd I happened to think of him as I was leaving my meeting with Margaret at the police station just as I spied a familiar face across the way. The man—the son of the armored hooligan—saw me, too, and made his way in my direction. When he tipped his top hat to me, the sun glinted off his golden hair.

“Miss Manville.” He bowed from the waist. “I am fortunate to have encountered you. I thought to have to go to Alburn to see you again so that I might offer apologies on behalf of my father.”

“You know my name.”

His cheeks were so pale that even the hint of color that touched them appeared flamboyant and out of sorts with his elegant, understated appearance—dark trousers, a gray jacket, a cravat tied so perfectly around his slender neck I had no doubt a valet of some skill had a hand in it.

“I do not mean to appear too forward. I asked after your name. After the ugliness there at the abbey.”

“You talked to Master. And I have not had the chance to ask after you and learn who it was who appeared at just the right moment to save me from the drunkard who interrupted the ceremony.”

He dipped his head. “Tarquin DeClare. If I may be so bold to say it, you were both brave and unyielding there in the church. No one else stepped forward to defend those two girls from my father.”

“You did.”

“No.” A smile touched his lips and transformed his face. At the church, I had noted that he was fine-looking. Now, even though his face was gaunt and his eyes were shadowed, I saw he was unquestionably handsome. “I defended you.”

“And I appreciate it. You put yourself in harm’s way on my behalf.

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