Sense and Second-Degree Murder by Tirzah Price

Author:Tirzah Price [Price, Tirzah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2022-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

Twelve

In Which One Dashwood Sister Decides to Break the Law (in Pursuit of Justice)

MARIANNE WATCHED HER SISTER storm out of the room, annoyed that Elinor had gotten the last word in without saying a single thing—and by pulling off Marianne’s signature move! Not that Marianne was up for storming anyway, as her ankle was a bit tender still.

From above, she heard the abrupt clap of a door slamming, and Margaret let out a low whistle. “She’s really mad,” her little sister remarked.

“Did you hear all of that?” Marianne demanded. Margaret merely shrugged, so Marianne took that to mean yes. “Well, she’s wrong.”

“About what?” Margaret asked, stepping into the room and flopping down on the settee.

“She was wrong to give away our evidence, for one.” Marianne was already at the writing desk in the corner, hunting for a scrap of paper to send a message on. “And about thinking she needs to protect me from everything.”

“Who are you writing?”

“Willoughby.” Marianne rifled through the contents of the drawer for a quill. “Where are all the quills, Margaret?”

“Why are you writing Mr. Willoughby?”

Marianne spun around. “Not you too.”

“I was just asking! No one tells me anything around here.” Margaret got to her feet and stomped over to the writing desk and opened up a different compartment and pulled out a quill with a sharpened nub. “Well, whatever you’re doing, just be careful.”

“You sound an awful lot like Elinor.”

It was the worst thing that Marianne could think of saying in the moment, but Margaret was nonplussed. “I do think she’s right about Mother.”

That made Marianne deflate slightly because even she couldn’t deny that. The only times that Marianne had seen glimpses of their old mother since they’d moved to Barton Street was when Willoughby had come to call.

“I know,” Marianne said. “But that’s why solving this case is important. It could change everything for us.”

“And then Mother will get better?” Margaret asked.

“I hope so.” Marianne unstopped a bottle of ink and dipped the quill. But first, they had to get back the evidence that Mr. Brandon had and discover what his involvement might be.

Marianne sent an urgent note to Willoughby, asking him to come to Barton Street the following evening, after Elinor left for the ball. She wasn’t quite certain what their strategy might be for approaching Mr. Brandon, but she knew that Willoughby would be by her side.

The next day passed in excruciating boredom. Marianne also did her best to avoid Elinor, which was not so easy in such a small flat but was made simpler by the fact that Elinor seemed to be ignoring her, too. Once evening fell, Mother helped Elinor prepare for the ball, for which Marianne was glad, because it meant that Mother wasn’t so bad off that she couldn’t still attend to them, and it meant Marianne didn’t have to do it. But then they both came downstairs to wait for the carriage that John and Fanny promised to send and Mother said, “Marianne, doesn’t your sister look

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