Death of an honourable g.., p.1
Death of an Honourable Gent, page 1
part #3 of Eliza Thomson Series
Death of an Honourable Gent
Eliza Thomson Investigates (Book 3)
VL McBeath
Death of an Honourable Gent
By VL McBeath
Copyright © 2019 by VL McBeath, Valyn Publishing
(a trading company of Valyn Ltd).
For more about this author please visit:
https://vlmcbeath.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author at:
https://vlmcbeath.com/contact/
*
Editing services provided by Susan Cunningham (www.perfectproseservices.com)
Cover design by Michelle Abrahall (www.michelleabrahall.com)
ISBNs:
978-1-9999426-8-7 (Kindle Edition)
978-1-9999426-9-4 (Paperback)
Main category - FICTION / Historical Mysteries
Other category - FICTION / Crime & Mystery
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Author’s Notes and Acknowldgements
Also by VL McBeath
Cast of Characters
Eliza Thomson: Doctor’s wife and amateur sleuth
Dr Archie Thomson: Eliza’s husband
Henry Thomson: The son of Eliza and Dr Thomson
Mr Bell: Eliza’s father
Mrs Connie Appleton: Eliza’s friend and next-door neighbour
The Aristocracy
Lord Lowton (Neville): Earl of Lowton
Lady Caroline Lowton: Lord Lowton’s wife
Lord Albert Lowton: The son of Lord Lowton and Lady Caroline
Lady Alice Lowton: The daughter of Lord Lowton and Lady Caroline
Lady Hilda Forsyth: Lord Lowton’s sister
Lord Forsyth: Lady Hilda’s husband
The Honourable (Sir) Cyril Lowton: Lord Lowton’s brother
Lady Victoria Lowton: Sir Cyril’s wife
Lord David Lowton: The son of Sir Cyril and Lady Victoria
Lady Mary Lowton: The daughter of Sir Cyril and Lady Victoria
Sir Rodney Brough: Lady Caroline’s father
Lady Rosemary Brough: Lady Caroline’s mother
Lord Beaufort: Family friend and lawyer
Lady Beaufort: Lord Beaufort’s wife
Soams: The butler
Colonel Hawkins: The estate manager
Inspector Adams: Police inspector from New Scotland Yard
Chapter One
Eliza Thomson tossed the invitation onto the dining table and plonked her hands on her hips.
“What do you mean you can’t go? You’ve known about this weekend for months.”
Archie sighed and looked up from his breakfast. “I know, but I can’t leave the village without a doctor, not now Dr Wark can’t cover for me.”
“I thought you’d arranged it with him.”
“I had, but I got a letter from him this morning to say that he has to go away on a private matter.”
Eliza closed her eyes and paced to the other side of the room. “Why can he go away and you can’t? Did he even ask you?” Eliza stared at her husband as he dropped two lumps of sugar into the cup of tea in front of him. “He did, didn’t he? And you said you’d cover for him.”
Archie ran his hands through his thick mane of greying hair. “I’m sorry, but his need sounded greater than mine. Let’s be honest, I was never going to fit in this weekend, was I? Your father already looks down on me and with all those lords and ladies around…”
“Is that what this is about? After all these years, can’t you bear to spend time with my father?”
“Of course I can, but … well, he doesn’t make it easy, does he? You’ll be spending all weekend with his best friend, whose daughter happened to marry an earl. He’ll have more reason than usual to sneer at me. I’m better off staying here.”
“That’s nonsense, it’s all in your imagination. Father wouldn’t do that. He never once criticised Henry when he decided to study medicine.” Eliza perched on the edge of a chair. “And talking of Henry, you do realise he’ll be there this weekend and we haven’t seen him for months.”
Archie put a hand to his head. “I’d completely forgotten. Why don’t you ask him to come here for a week? He can’t be due back at university for another week or two.”
Eliza groaned. “You know what he’ll think of that idea. It’s as if he wants nothing to do with us since we moved out of London. I was hoping you’d be able to talk to him.”
Archie reached for her hand. “He’ll be back when he wants more money, you mark my words. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you still go? I don’t want to spoil it for you.”
“On my own?”
“Your father will be on his own, won’t he?”
Eliza shook her head. “That’s different and you know it. Besides, I can’t travel on the train by myself.”
Archie shook his head. “No, you’re right. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you invite Connie? I’m sure Caroline won’t mind.”
“Connie?”
“Why not? You do almost everything else together. I’m sure she’d enjoy seeing how the ruling class live.”
“But the family dinner’s tomorrow night. It’s rather short notice.”
A frown settled on Archie’s forehead. “Don’t you want her to go?”
“Yes, of course, it’s not that, but … well, she likes to plan things and she’s been complaining that her dresses are looking dated. I’m not sure she’ll want to spend the weekend in a stately home, especially not with there being a ball on Saturday evening.”
Archie stood up and took a final mouthful from his cup of tea. “You’re about the same size, aren’t you? Why don’t you lend her one of your ballgowns?”
Eliza sighed. “I suppose I could, if she wouldn’t mind, but what will Caroline think? She’ll have been working on the seating arrangements for weeks and if I arrive with Connie instead of you…”
“Connie can just take my seat. I imagine that would be preferable to cancelling the whole weekend.”
Eliza nodded slowly. “I’ll need to send Caroline a telegram and tell her what’s happening. I hope she doesn’t mind.”
Archie smiled. “That’s settled then. I’ll tell you what, I don’t have many appointments this morning, why don’t you go and speak to Connie and I’ll deal with the patients?”
Eliza grinned. He always knew he could get around her with that soft Scottish accent. “As long as you can remember how to make up the creams and lotions.”
Archie narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ll have less of your cheek. Now be off with you. Go and tell Connie the good news.”
Connie stood in the middle of her living room, her eyes wide as she gazed at Eliza.
“Me? Spend a weekend in a stately home… and go to a debutante ball?”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Because I’m Mrs Connie Appleton, a widow and lifelong resident of Moreton-on-Thames, that’s why not. I won’t know anyone, let alone know what to say to them.”
“It’s not what you think. Father will be there, and you remember him, and Lady Caroline was just plain Miss Caroline Brough before she married the earl. Even before we were born, my father and hers were the best of friends. Father is her godfather. There’s nothing fancy about them.”
“So how did she end up marrying an earl?”
Eliza rolled her eyes and took a seat by the fireside. “We used to go to school together, but when I left to go to university, she went to a finishing school in Switzerland.”
“What on earth did her father do to make his money?”
“He produced steel for the railways; that’s how he knew Father. The problem was, as he made more money, her mother became determined that Caroline should marry well. When she came home from Switzerland, Mrs Brough, as she was then, made it her business to get Caroline on the invitation list for as many debutante balls as she could. Although she wasn’t presented to the Queen, she met Lord Lowton at one of the balls and married him six months later.”
Connie smiled as her head fell to one side. “Lucky her. And so the debutante ball is for their daughter? Has she been presented to the King yet?”
“I don’t think so. The season only started a couple of weeks ago but with the Queen dying, the Palace had to delay the presentations.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Not that it’s stopped the season. It’s still back-to-back parties from now until August.”
Connie puffed out her cheeks. “It must be
“Yes, very. Not to mention expensive. I’m glad I’m only going to one ball.” Eliza stood up and walked to the window. “If you’re coming with me, I need to go to the post office and send Caroline a telegram to tell her what’s happening. What do you say?”
“I don’t know…”
“Oh, please. It’ll be fun.”
Connie fidgeted with the bow on the front of her dress. “Are you sure Lady Caroline won’t mind?”
Eliza smiled. “I’m sure she won’t.”
“And you don’t mind lending me a couple of dresses?”
“Not at all.”
“All right then, I suppose so.”
Eliza clapped her hands together. “Excellent. Now, come along and get your coat on before those rain clouds move in … and you change your mind.”
Chapter Two
It was three o’clock when the train pulled into Lowton railway station, three quarters of an hour after it had left Moreton-on-Thames, and Eliza noticed Connie tighten her grip on the handbag perched on her knee.
“Don’t look so frightened.”
Connie’s usually pale complexion was decidedly white. “It’s all right for you, you know these people.”
“Only Caroline and her mother and father, I don’t know the rest of the family … well, not very well anyway.”
“But you’ve met them?”
“Not all of them. I saw Lord Lowton several times when I visited Caroline at their Mayfair house, not that he had time to talk to the likes of me. I met him at the marriage service as well, although thinking about it, that was an ‘us and them’ situation. They’ve been married for over twenty years now though and so I’m sure that will be behind them. Underneath everything, they’re only people like us, who happen to have more money.”
“And bigger houses.”
Eliza nodded. “And bigger houses.”
“And power.”
Eliza squeezed Connie’s hand. “Stop worrying, this is our stop. Hopefully, someone will be here to take us to Lowton Hall and then you’ll see.”
Ten minutes later, a horse-drawn carriage bearing the coat of arms of the earl of Lowton turned into the driveway of Lowton Hall. Connie couldn’t keep her eyes from the window.
“Look at the trees, you can’t even see the house yet.”
Eliza sighed. “You’d have seen it quicker if they’d sent their new motor car to pick us up. I know I shouldn’t be ungrateful, but I had hoped they would. Wouldn’t that be fun… to go in such a splendid machine? It would have served Archie right as well for cancelling on me.”
Connie gasped. “Oh, my word. Have you seen the hall?”
Eliza put her face to the window and gazed out at the stone-and-glass facade as it emerged from the trees. The central four-storey section stood proudly at the head of the stone driveway, flanked on either side by well-tended lawns. It bore an ornate bell tower high above the front door and to either side rooms led to the two wings of the house.
“At least there shouldn’t be a problem finding you a spare bedroom,” Eliza said.
Connie clenched her handbag again. “I hope I’ve not put them to any trouble. You will explain, won’t you?”
With the carriage at a standstill, the coachman appeared from the back and opened the door before arranging the steps for them to climb down. At the same moment, the front door opened and a man Eliza presumed to be the butler stepped out to greet them.
“Mrs Thomson and Mrs Appleton, I presume. Please follow me. Lady Caroline is expecting you.”
The butler waited by the door, his left arm extended towards the hallway.
“What about the bags?” Connie turned around in search of her luggage.
“Leave it,” Eliza whispered. “They’ll send them straight to the rooms. You won’t have to do anything while you’re here.”
They followed the butler across a large square hallway where an elaborate central staircase gave them both reason to pause.
“Look at that.” Connie’s voice was breathless as she gazed up at a splendid crystal chandelier. “It would fill my living room.”
Eliza grinned at her friend as the butler continued to a highly polished pair of mahogany doors set to the right-hand side of the stairs. He gave a brisk knock before pushing them open and ushering the ladies inside.
“Your guests, m’lady.”
Eliza smiled as she spotted a small group seated around the fireplace.
“Eliza!” A petite woman with deep brown eyes and an elaborate chignon of dark hair hurried towards them and took Eliza’s hands. “How lovely to see you again, it’s been too long, and your friend Mrs Appleton, I presume.”
“It is. Lady Caroline, this is Connie; Connie, this is Lady Caroline. Archie sends his apologies for cancelling so late in the day.”
“I’m sure we’ll miss him, but think nothing of it.” Lady Caroline held out a hand to Connie, who gave a curtsey.
“Thank you for having me. What a lovely room.”
Eliza nodded in agreement as she admired the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the gardens, allowing sunlight to flood in.
“Yes, isn’t it?” Caroline ran her eyes around the room. “Although it’s far too big for everyday use. We only come in here when we have guests, but between you and me, it gets awfully draughty. That’s why we’re sitting by the fire. Come and join us. I think you know everyone, Eliza.”
They approached the fireplace as a tall, slim man with grey-blond hair and matching moustache stood up to greet them.
“Father.” Eliza smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here yet.”
“I’ve got more time on my hands since I retired, so I took the two o’clock train. Besides, I don’t see nearly enough of you now you’ve moved back to Moreton and so I wanted to be early.”
“Well, I’m glad you are. You remember Connie, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” Mr Bell took Connie’s hand and kissed it. “How delightful to see you again. I didn’t realise you were joining us.”
Connie flashed him a smile. “I’m here in place of Dr Thomson.”
Mr Bell studied his daughter. “Why isn’t he here? Has he let you travel up here on your own?”
“He took us to the station and helped us onto the train. He couldn’t join us because the doctor in the neighbouring village needed to go away at short notice and someone has to cover.”
“And it had to be him. When’s he going to get a respectable job?”
Eliza took a deep breath. “You know that being a doctor is becoming more acceptable. You’ll be glad of one when you’re ill.”
“If you say so.” Mr Bell shook his head before turning towards the couple sitting behind him. “Now, you remember Lady Caroline’s parents, don’t you?”
Eliza smiled. “Of course, Mr and Mrs Brough. It’s been a long time.”
Mr Bell’s eyes widened. “Not Mr and Mrs, Sir Rodney and Lady Brough, if you don’t mind.”
“Lady Rosemary is quite acceptable.” Lady Brough smiled as Eliza put a hand to her mouth.
“Yes, I’m sorry, how remiss of me. Congratulations. It’s quite an honour.”
“Nothing more than Rodney deserved,” Mr Bell said.
“I didn’t deserve it any more than you.” Sir Rodney stood up and first kissed Eliza’s hand followed by Connie’s. “I must speak to Neville about your knighthood, George, see what he can do for you.”
“That would be jolly decent of you, old chap,” Mr Bell said.
“Neville is Lord Lowton to us,” Eliza whispered to Connie as she guided her to a chair next to Sir Rodney before taking the seat by her father.
