Murdered on a Wednesday by Lang Jaime Marie

Author:Lang, Jaime Marie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Idle Musings Publishing
Published: 2023-10-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

What Could Happen in a Day or Two?

Elizabeth’s blood turned cold as she became transfixed by the bottle in Mrs. Graham’s possession. The plain brown bottle looked so innocent, and yet what it represented was ominous. Someone had gone into her room and put it there. Someone wanted her to look like a murderer. She did not know what disturbed her more—that she would look like the culprit of such a heinous crime or that there was an actual murderer in the house. Someone who was targeting her.

Feeling the need to say something, anything, Elizabeth finally managed to open her mouth, “I would not even begin to know where to get hemlock.”

“I know that this is not your doing, Miss Bennet. You would never hurt someone maliciously.” Mr. Darcy’s expression was one of earnest entreaty. Reaching out, Mr. Darcy took the bottle from Mrs. Graham, examining it as if the bottle could tell him who planted it.

Free of the offending item, Mrs. Graham reached over and pat Elizabeth’s hand in a show of maternal comfort. “You do not worry, dear. I know it was not you that brought that bottle into the house. Hattie went through your room putting your clothes away earlier and it was nowhere to be found.”

Though Elizabeth smiled vaguely at Mrs. Graham’s show of comfort, her mind was whirling. They had put hemlock in her room, but at least they had not put it in her tea. When she nearly burst out laughing at the odd idea, she forced herself to halt and focus on her breathing. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused on the sensation of the air filling her lungs. Relaxing for a moment allowed her to step back from the building panic and think. Eyes widening as she remembered something, she turned to Mr. Darcy to point it out. “Now that I think about it, I think the physician said that he knew she did not have the symptoms to match hemlock poisoning. Why would the presumed killer use a bottle of hemlock to make me look bad?”

“You are right. It is not logical.”

“Someone who has been pushed to the point of murder may not be in the right frame of mind to exhibit logic.” Elizabeth found herself hugging the journals that she had found to her chest as if needing some comfort, though it was all becoming too alarming for her complete comfort.

It was to this scene that Colonel Fitzwilliam came into the room with a stack of papers in his hands and noted all the concerned expressions. “What else has happened?”

“Someone has planted a bottle of hemlock in Miss Bennet’s room and one of the maids found it just now.” Mr. Darcy held the bottle of poison up for his cousin to see.

“Well, that is certainly a bold move.” Reaching out, the colonel took the bottle of poison from Mr. Darcy and handed him the papers. “These came for you from Aunt Catherine’s barrister. To have been sent by express, I thought it might be important.

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