""The body of Lord Wilmersley was found at seven o"clock this morning floating in the swimming bath at Geralton. It was at first thought that death had been caused by drowning, but on examination, a bullet wound was discovered over the heart. Search for the pistol with which the crime was committed has so far proved fruitless. The corpse was dressed in a long, Eastern garment frequently worn by the deceased. Lady Wilmersley"s bedroom, which adjoins the swimming bath, was empty. The bed had not been slept in. A hurried search of the castle and grounds was at once made, but no trace of her ladyship has been discovered. It is feared that she also has been murdered and her body thrown into the lake, which is only a short distance from the castle. None of her wearing apparel is missing, even the dress and slippers she wore on the previous evening were found in a corner of her room. Robbery was probably the motive of the crime, as a small safe, which stands next to Lady Wilmersley"s bed and contained her jewels, has been rifled. Whoever did this must, however, have known the combination, as the lock has not been tampered with. This adds to the mystery of the case. Lady Wilmersley is said to be mentally unbalanced. Arthur Edward Crichton, 9th Baron Wilmersley, was born--" here follows a history of your family, Cyril, you don"t want to hear that. Well, what do you think of it?"
asked Campbell.
"It"s too horrible! I can"t think," said Crichton.
"I don"t believe Lady Wilmersley was murdered," said Campbell. "Why should a murderer have troubled to remove one body and not the other?
Mark my words, it was his wife who killed Wilmersley and opened the safe."
"I don"t believe it! I won"t believe it!" cried Cyril. "Besides, how could she have got away without a dress or hat? Remember they make a point of the fact that none of her clothes are missing."
"In the first place, you can"t believe everything you read in a newspaper; but even granting the correctness of that statement, what was there to prevent her having borrowed a dress from one of her maids? She must have had one, you know."
"No--no! It can"t be, I tell you; I--" Cyril stopped abruptly.
"What"s the matter with you? You look as guilty as though you had killed him yourself. I can"t for the life of me see why you take the thing so terribly to heart. You didn"t like your cousin and from what you yourself tell me, I fancy he is no great loss to any one, and you don"t know his wife--widow, I mean."
"It is such a shock," stammered Cyril.
"Of course it"s a shock, but you ought to think of your new duties. You will have to go to Geralton at once?"
"Yes, I suppose it will be expected of me," Cyril a.s.sented gloomily.
"Peter, pack my things and find out when the next train leaves."
"Very well, my lord."
"And Guy, you will come with me, won"t you? I really can"t face this business alone. Besides, your legal knowledge may come in useful."
"I am awfully sorry, but I really can"t come to-day. I"ve got to be in court this afternoon; but I"ll come as soon as I can, if you really want me."
"Do!"
"Of course I want to be of use if I can, but a detective is really what you need."
"A detective?" gasped Cyril.
"Well, why not? Don"t look as if I had suggested your hiring a camel!"
"Yes, of course not--I mean a detective is--would be--in fact--very useful," stammered Cyril. Why couldn"t Guy mind his own business?
"Why not get one and take him down with you?" persisted Campbell.
"Oh, no!" Cyril hurriedly objected, "I don"t think I had better do that.
They may have one already. Shouldn"t like to begin by hurting local feeling and--and all that, you know."
"Rot!"
"At any rate, I"m not going to engage any one till I"ve looked into the matter myself," said Cyril. "If I find I need a man, I"ll wire."
Campbell, grumbling about unnecessary delay, let the matter drop.
Two hours later Cyril was speeding towards Newhaven.
Huddled in a corner of the railway carriage, he gave himself up to the gloomiest reflections. Was ever any one pursued by such persistent ill-luck? It seemed too hard that just as he began to see an end to his matrimonial troubles, he should have tumbled headlong into this terrible predicament. From the moment he heard of Lady Wilmersley"s disappearance he had never had the shadow of a doubt but that it was she he had rescued that morning from the police. What was he going to do, now that he knew her ident.i.ty? He must decide on a course of action at once. Wash his hands of her? No-o. He felt he couldn"t do that--at least, not yet.
But unless he immediately and voluntarily confessed the truth, who would believe him if it ever came to light? If it were discovered that he, the heir, had helped his cousin"s murderess to escape--had posed as her husband, would any one, would any jury believe that chance alone had thrown them together? He might prove an alibi, but that would only save his life--not his honour. He would always be suspected of having instigated, if not actually committed, the murder.
If, however, by some miracle the truth did not leak out, what then? It would mean that from this day forward he would live in constant fear of detection. The very fact of her secret existence must necessarily poison his whole life. Lies, lies, lies would be his future portion. Was he willing to a.s.sume such a burden? Was it his duty to take upon himself the charge of a woman who was after all but a homicidal maniac? But was she a maniac? Again and again he went over each incident of their meeting, weighed her every word and action, and again he found it impossible to believe that her mind was unbalanced. Yet if she was not insane, what excuse could he find to explain her crime? Provocation?
Yes, she had had that. She had been beaten, flogged. But even so, to kill! He had once been present when a murderer was sentenced: "To hang by the neck until you are dead," the words rang in his ears. That small white neck--no--never. Suddenly he realised that his path was irrevocably chosen. As long as she needed him, he would protect her to the uttermost of his ability. Even if his efforts proved futile, even if he ruined his life without saving hers, he felt he would never regret his decision.
"Newhaven."
It seemed centuries since he had left it that morning. Hiring a fly, he drove out to Geralton, a distance of nine miles. There the door was opened by the same butler who had admitted him five years previously.
"It"s Mr. Cyril!" he cried, falling back a step. "Why, sir, they all told us as "ow you were in South Africa. But I bid you welcome, sir."
"Thank you. I am glad to see you again."
"Thank you, sir,--my lord, I mean, and please forgive your being received like this--but every one is so upset, there"s no doing nothing with n.o.body. If you will step in "ere, I"ll call Mrs. Eversley, the "ousekeeper."
"Is Mrs. Eversley still here? I remember her perfectly. She used to stuff me with doughnuts when I came here as a boy. Tell her I will see her presently."
"Very good, my lord."
"Now I want to hear all the particulars of the tragedy. The newspaper account was very meagre."
"Quite so, my lord," a.s.sented the butler.
"Lady Wilmersley has not been found?" asked Cyril.
"No, my lord. We"ve searched for her ladyship "igh and low. Not a trace of her. And now every one says as "ow she did it. But I"ll never believe it--never. A gentle little lady, she was, and so easily frightened! Why, if my lord so much as looked at her sometimes, she"d fall a trembling, and "e always so kind and devoted to "er. "E just doted on "er, "e did.
I never saw nothing like it."
"If you don"t believe her ladyship guilty, is there any one else you do suspect?"
"No, my lord, I can"t say as I do." He spoke regretfully. "It was a burglar, I believe. I think the detective----"
"What detective?" interrupted Cyril.
"His name is Judson; "e comes from London and they say as "e can find a murderer just by looking at the chair "e sat in."
"Who sent for him? The police?"
"No, it was Mr. Twombley of Crofton. He said we owed it to "er ladyship to hemploy the best talent."
"Where is the detective now?"
""E"s in the long drawing-room with Mr. Twombley."
"Has the inquest been held?"
"No, the corpse won"t be sat on till to-morrow morning."