“It’s time we all faced some very unpleasant facts. And one of them is that Jenny will have to face them as well. We can’t go on lying to her. It’s not fair to Peter or his wife.”

“Oh, do shut up, Leticia,” Walter Teller told her. “I’ll deal with Jenny in my own way.”

“If we could have thrashed this business out amongst ourselves on Friday, none of this might have happened,” Leticia retorted. “And what about Harry? What is Harry to be told?”

There was a strained silence.

“Harry,” Walter began. “Oh, my God, we’ve forgotten Harry.”

“He’s all right,” Amy said. “He’s gone to the church services at Repton. He asked if he could. I told him yes. I thought it would be a good idea. And so he wasn’t here when—when it happened.”

“Surely not alone?” Walter demanded. “You must have taken leave of your senses.”

“He went with the rector and his family,” Amy said curtly. “I went over and asked politely. They were delighted to have him. There’s some sort of blessing of the animals today. He likes that. And he’s staying for lunch.”

“I’d forgot,” Walter said. “Jenny was to take him. When Peter fell, everything else went out of my mind.”

“There’s Gran to be thought of. What are we to tell her?”

“Why wasn’t she invited to the birthday celebration?” Rutledge asked.

“It’s distressing for her to travel. It’s confusing,” Edwin said.

But she had traveled to visit her dead sister’s grandchildren.

Rutledge waited until they had finished dealing with the unforeseen problems brought on by a death.

And when there was a lull in the conversation, he said, “Now that that’s settled to your satisfaction, there’s something I should like very much to know.”

They turned to face him, wary, their eyes waiting for the blow to fall.

Rutledge said into the tense silence, “What did Susannah Teller mean when she told me that it wasn’t Peter who had killed Florence Teller. That one of you was in the house when Peter came there, and used the opportunity he’d given you to kill her?”

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

It was as if, collectively, they had lost their tongues.

“She was upset,” Leticia said finally. “And imagining things. All the blame for whatever happened to that woman in Lancashire had fallen on Peter’s head. She was trying to clear his name. To give him dignity in his death. I think she believes that he must have fallen deliberately, because everyone had seemed to turn against him People do lash out in grief,” she ended. “I’ve seen it myself. And so must you have, Mr. Rutledge.”

He had. But he’d heard the pain and anger in Susannah’s voice, and he’d almost believed her.