Deadly murder, p.20
Deadly Murder, page 20
“Aye.”
Epilogue
TWO DAYS LATER, THE STRAND, LONDON
“I am pleased that you were not seriously injured, Lady Forsythe.” Sir Avery rose from the chair across the desk from Brodie.
That could be subject to one’s perspective, I thought.
The cut I had received in that attack in the graveyard at St. Mary’s had been well bandaged by Mr. Brimley upon our return to London late that same night after we’d met with the local police. The bandage was bothersome, and I had since removed it.
The director of the Special Services Agency had received Brodie’s telegram and was responsible for the arrival of the Metropolitan Police at St. Mary’s, those “shadows” I had seen in the tree cover just beyond the graveyard.
A great deal had been learned in the past two days since the attack.
William Chastain, so named after his grandfather, Reverend William Chastain, was the man who had attacked me and was responsible for three murders and the attack on the Duke of York.
He had been born after Reverend Chastain and his daughter arrived in London. There was a record of it in the later entries at St. Pancras church where Reverend Chastain served as vicar.
From subsequent records that were found, Mary Chastain had never married, her son born out of wedlock.
She had lived with her father near St. Pancras and had continued to live with him until his death from illness. And near St. Mary’s Church, his final position, on the small pension he received and what she earned as a lady’s maid and at a local tavern.
The tall, heavyset man who had aided her son had been caught and arrested after the attack on the Duke of York. He had provided information about where he had met with William Chastain and where Chastain lived in a single room at a tenement in Spitalfields after the death of his mother.
Her son had no doubt eventually asked to know who his father was, as children were wont to do. There was no answer because she could not name him after that night at the tavern near Cambridge.
He had apparently been born with the lameness in one leg, noted by the physician in Hendon after the attack in the churchyard.
How he had learned the circumstances of his birth could only be speculated upon. Perhaps Mary Chastain had finally spoken of it on her deathbed to unburden herself. However, the two people who knew the truth of that were now both dead.
The neck scarf Lily had found was much like those worn by the vicars of the Church. Had Mary Chastain’s son attempted to wrap himself in the cloth of the righteous, as Brodie had suggested? That would remain unknown.
As for the marks that had been made on each victim’s body, perhaps a crude image of a cross, meant to be a symbol of absolution for a sinner?
So much that would never be known for certain.
The Prince of Wales had been informed that the case had been resolved with the threat ended. Not surprising there was no mention in the daily newspaper the day after, nor today.
I had sent a note the day before, as promised, to Lady Walsingham. I briefly explained that the case had concluded, and the person responsible for her son’s murder was dead. I had received a note in response just this morning that simply read—Thank you.
Perhaps there was some comfort to be had in the knowledge that the man had been found and was now dead.
I would call on her when it was appropriate, as I liked her very much.
After Sir Avery left, Brodie stepped to the cabinet and poured us both a dram of whisky.
He handed a tumbler to me and slowly sipped from his own glass.
Not a man of many words or grand gestures, still he reached out and lightly brushed his fingers near the cut on my neck.
“Ye should have left the bandage on a day or two more.”
Care and concern in a comment about wound care.
How could a woman possibly resist such words? The truth was that I could not.
However…
I took a sip of whisky. It was warm, with just a hint of heather; earthy, musky, and slightly floral, with hints of honey and lavender, according to Mr. Hutton who oversaw the distilling of it at Old Lodge in the north of Scotland.
“There is one part of the case that we have not yet discussed,” I commented.
That dark gaze was a bit distracting.
“What might that be?”
“You fired three shots when one obviously was sufficient.” I added. “The physician was quite certain of it after he examined the body.”
He took another sip of whisky, that dark gaze warm as the color of the drink in his hand.
I waited as he emptied the tumbler, then reached out, his fingers gentle on my cheek, that dark gaze, darker still.
A man I could trust.
Author Note
So many changes were coming about as the end of the 19th century approached.
The London railway system had expanded considerably, and the London Tube actually opened in 1863 on a very limited basis, with the Metropolitan Railway between Paddington and Farringdon. An electric line opened for service in 1890 between the city and the South London Railway.
For the story, Mikaela and Lily traveled from London to Cambridge on the steam rail line from King’s Cross Station.
There were numerous well-known scandals surrounding the Prince of Wales, from his early university days and throughout his life.
I’ve used an incident at Trinity College at Cambridge that necessitated a visit from Prince Albert. The young Prince Edward Albert subsequently left Trinity for military service and travel abroad. I have expanded upon that incident for the basis of the story. The names of the victims and their families are fictitious, although I have used some well-known historical persons in addition to the Prince of Wales.
Edward Albert, who would eventually assume the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria, was the second son. His older brother, who would normally have succeeded, died the year before from influenza.
London newspapers were rampant with scandals, however there was censorship in certain situations which figured into the story as well, and makes the inquiry case all the more difficult for Brodie and Mikaela.
The gentleman’s club, White’s, has a long history in London society, one of those places barred to women and where men could indulge in…entertainments.
A lift has now been installed at the office on The Strand, making travel from the street to the office more convenient, although not without some complications, as demonstrated by Rupert the hound.
The Jampot is a real coffeehouse tucked into a small courtyard off Cornhill. In the story, it’s where Brodie goes to meet with Mr. Dooley at the beginning of the case.
According to my research, there are in excess of a dozen St. Mary’s parish churches in greater London. I’ve used two of them for Deadly Murder.
Church archives and records were written in Latin for centuries and at the time of the story. Most are now written in English.
As for Lily… She is no longer a child, a fact Mikaela is forced to accept. Along the way, she has discovered how intelligent and impulsive she is, not to mention possibly a little too worldly for her own good. And then, there is the obvious tension between Lily and Munro yet to be explored…
Thank you for reading. And next…Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe Murder Mystery Book 15—DEADLY REVENGE.
Also by Carla Simpson
Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe Murder Mystery
A Deadly Affair
Deadly Secrets
A Deadly Game
Deadly Illusion
A Deadly Vow
Deadly Obsession
A Deadly Deception
A Deadly Betrayal
A Deadly Scandal
Deadly Lies
Deadly Curse
Deadly Ghost
Deadly Attraction
Deadly Murder
Merlin Series
Daughter of Fire
Daughter of the Mist
Daughter of the Light
Shadows of Camelot
Dawn of Camelot
Daughter of Camelot
The Young Dragons, Blood Moon
Clan Fraser
Betrayed
Revenge
Outlaws, Scoundrels & Lawmen
Desperado’s Caress
Passion’s Splendor
Silver Mistress
Memory and Desire
Desire’s Flame
Silken Surrender
Angels, Devils, Rebels & Rogues
Ravished
Always My Love
Seductive Caress
Seduced
Deceived
About the Author
“I want to write a book …” she said.
“Then do it,” he said.
And she did, and received two offers for that first book proposal.
A dozen historical romances later, and a prophecy from a gifted psychic and the Legacy Series was created, expanding to seven additional titles.
Along the way, two film options, and numerous book awards.
But wait, there’s more a voice whispered, after a trip to Scotland and a visit to the standing stones in the far north, and as old as Stonehenge, sign posts the voice told her, and the Clan Fraser books that have followed that told the beginnings of the clan and the family she was part of ...
And now ... murder and mystery set against the backdrop of Victorian London in the new Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe series, with an assortment of conspirators and murderers in the brave new world after the Industrial Revolution where terrorists threaten and the world spins closer to war.
When she is not exploring the Darkness of the fantasy world, or pursuing ancestors in ancient Scotland, she lives in the mountains near Yosemite National Park with bears and mountain lions, and plots murder and revenge.
And did I mention fierce, beautiful women and dangerous, handsome men?
They’re there, waiting ...
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Carla Simpson, Deadly Murder
