A Dowager is Done In (A Duchess of Stortford Mystery): A Victorian whodunnit with a hint of humour (The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries Book 3) by Helen Golden

Author:Helen Golden [Golden, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Drew Bradley Press
Published: 2026-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

22

A FEW SECONDS LATER…

“So?” Fee prompted, practically bouncing in her seat. “What next?”

The November chill pressed faintly through the glass in the garden room, but inside, excitement hummed as though the room itself was listening in. Alice leaned back into her chair and let Baxter answer his sister’s question.

He steepled his fingers beneath his chin and said, “We’re attempting to piece together everyone’s movements on the evening Clarissa died. To establish the sequence of events.”

“I can help with that!” Fee sprang from her chair and moved to a small writing desk in the corner of the room, returning with paper, pen, and ink. “I’ll make notes as we go.”

Alice tried not to smile as she glanced at Duncan, who looked as though he’d accidentally bitten into a lemon.

Poor Duncan. It will only get worse when he finds out how we know so much… “All right,” she began. “So the dowager left the drawing room at around nine twenty-five. Her maid, Dotty, confirmed she went straight upstairs.”

Duncan groaned. “I dread to ask how you know that.”

I knew it!

“Do not look so grave, darling,” Fee said, scribbling. “Obviously, Maud told her.”

Alice put her hand to her face to hide her smile from her brother. “I left five minutes later with Violet. I accompanied her to the landing on the first floor, then continued to my own on the second. I saw no one after that—save Maud, of course.”

“So that accounts for you, the dowager, and Violet,” Fee said, looking down at her notes. She rolled the pen between her fingers. “Let me think. Miss Broome left not long after you. Then…er yes, Oliver left a short while after that. Honoria followed him out barely a minute later.” She wrote it down, then tapped her pen against her chin thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve noticed something odd between those two. They kept looking at each other when Frederick shared the news of Clarissa’s death. Almost as if they shared some private understanding.”

Duncan huffed out a breath. “Fee, you’re being fanciful again. They probably both felt equally devastated about her passing.”

“Perhaps,” Fee replied, though she didn’t look convinced. “But there was something in their glances... I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

Alice knew better than to dismiss Fee’s instincts. Her ability to incorrectly match relatives aside, her fluttering observations were often nearer to the mark than anyone supposed. She was right about Felix, after all, even if it was for the wrong reasons.

“Felix left shortly after Honoria, which would have been just before a quarter to ten,” Fee continued, writing on the paper. “Did he say where he went?”

“He claims he went straight up to his room,” Baxter answered. “He took his drink with him and retired for the night.”

Fee wrote it down. “Then I left only a few minutes after him. I saw no one on the stairs.” She looked up at her husband and brother. “Which leaves you two—and Frederick.”

Duncan’s lips thinned. “Frederick remained in the drawing room, brooding over his brandy. Baxter and I went to the billiards room.

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