“Dr. Darwin, Jacob has told me so much of you, I consider you as such a friend.”
“Then you must call me Erasmus, not Dr. Darwin. And you should begin doing so at once. It must appear natural by the time that Brandon Dunwell arrives.”
“Very well. Erasmus.” Milly glanced from him to Jacob Pole and back. Her cheeks turned a brighter pink. “There is one problem. You are not on the list of guests for the wedding. Brandon would accept your presence the more readily if he thought—if we were to somehow suggest—that you were here for other reasons. That you had come, perhaps, because you and I—”
“Say no more. He will learn that I am interested in Millicent Meredith, as any sensible man would be interested.”
“And you must call me Milly.”
“I already think of you that way.” Darwin bowed gallantly, as far as his girth and the table top permitted. “Milly, if it will not disturb your meal, I would like to ask a question or two concerning friend Brandon. He seems to keep curious hours. Do you happen to know why he pursues activities only in the daytime?”
“I have no idea, but it was not always so. Brandon today is sober, quiet, and serious. Years ago, from what I have heard, it was very different. He indulged in gambling, and drinking, and hard living, and was out to all hours.”
“But you are sure that he has abandoned that style of living?”
“Quite sure. I would not normally have mentioned his earlier actions at all, since they are so inconsistent with his behavior today.”
“You were right to do so. I compliment you. It is a rare intelligence, Milly, who answers what a man means, rather than what he asks.” Darwin cocked his head at a sound from outside. “Is that a horse?”
“Brandon, for a certainty. I recognize the harness bells.” Milly stared about her. “Doctor—Erasmus—I hope I do not betray your interests. I am new to deception.”
Darwin reached across and gripped her hand in his. “It is like sin, Milly. Improvement comes rapidly with practice.” He deliberately held on, until the door opened and a newcomer stood at the threshold, a brown basset hound at his side. The dog sniffed at Darwin’s luggage, still standing just inside the entrance, and wagged its tail.
“Sit, Harvey.” The man waited until the dog sank to its belly, then propelled himself into the room with an almost spasmodic surge of energy. His heels clattered on the floor, as though he was deliberately stamping them. Milly Meredith sprang to her feet with a matching urgency.
“Brandon, this is my friend, Erasmus Darwin.” Her blush could have come equally well from embarrassment or knowledge of deception. “He will be staying here for a few days.”
But Brandon Dunwell showed little interest in Darwin. He nodded a greeting, blinking pale, tired eyes, and moved at once to the window. He leaned forward toward Milly, gripping the edge of the table.
“Kathleen has not yet returned?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Good. For her sake, I would like to discuss certain financial arrangements for the wedding without her presence.” He paused, and stared pointedly at Darwin and Pole.
Darwin nodded reassuringly at Milly Meredith. “Our journey here was a long one. If you will excuse us, Milly, Jacob and I will retire. We need rest.”
He led the way, off up the curving wooden staircase. He and Pole were sharing a room under the eaves with two beds. Between them stood a dresser bearing a large bowl and a jug of water. Darwin went across and drank directly from the pitcher, then sat heavily on one of the beds. He pulled out the yellow paper and stared at it.
“Pox on this, ’Rasmus.” Jacob Pole was over by the window, prowling the bare boards. “I’m sorry. I bring you here for one mystery, and Milly hits you with another before you’re halfway in the front door.”
“This, you mean?” Darwin tapped the paper. “It will help, Jacob, not hinder. There is surely only one mystery underlying all events, and a concatenation of strange events reduces the possibilities.”
“You mean you know what this is all about?”
But Darwin merely sniffed and puffed out his cheeks. He was silent for a long time, until finally Pole said, “Well, if you’re going to sit in a stupor I’d better have the cases brought up.”
He was absent for maybe five minutes, and returned with two servants from the inn. Between them they were carrying the bags and medical chest, and Milly Meredith followed close behind.
“He’s gone,” she said, “if you want to come down.”
Darwin shook his head. “I was not deceiving Brandon Dunwell when I said I was in need of rest. Also, I must have time to think. Before that, however, I would like to ask you a few more questions. Please bear with me. Some you may feel are tedious and pointless, and some will be extremely personal.”
“Personal?” Milly blushed, but her gaze did not waver. “Ask me anything. And I will tell you everything I can.”
“Then I will not stand on ceremony. Do you like Brandon Dunwell?”
Milly looked miserably at Jacob Pole, who shook his head. “The truth, Milly. No weasel words. You can trust Erasmus as you would me.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I know. Dr. Darwin—Erasmus—I dislike him. And yet I dislike myself for disliking him. He has been so good to Kathleen, and he is so clearly fond of her. Perhaps too fond, to the point of obsession.”
“And she?”
“That is much more difficult. She says nothing. But sometimes I wonder if she is marrying him for my sake.”
“I gather that he is extremely wealthy. While your own situation is—what?”
“You shame me. I am of good family, but Kathleen and I are poor. As you may have deduced, Brandon will bear the bulk of the wedding costs, even though by tradition that falls to the family of the bride. You see, by every rational standard this is a most excellent marriage for Kathleen.”
“Do not despise yourself for that. There is no virtue in poverty. But now I must proceed to an even more delicate matter.”
“I cannot imagine one. But I will answer whatever I can.”
Darwin turned to Pole. “I wish to warn you, too, Jacob, before you respond with outrage to my question. But this is vital information. Milly, is it possible that Kathleen and Brandon Dunwell have in certain matters anticipated their marriage vows?”
Jacob Pole grunted, while Milly Meredith turned fiery red. “I understand.” She looked down at the wooden boards. “Even a mother cannot be completely sure. But unless Kathleen is lying to me, and unless my own instincts are also totally wrong—she and Brandon have not.”
“And anyone else? Is Kathleen virgo intacta?”
“That is my belief.”
“Thank you.” Darwin nodded in satisfaction. “Kathleen is lucky to have you for her mother. Let me move on to what I trust will be less delicate ground. Since you have known him, has Brandon Dunwell ever been away for an extended period?”
“About a year ago, he was absent from Dunwell Hall for several weeks.”
“Do you know where he went?”
“I understood that it was to London.”
“The great center of everything—including disease. That makes excellent sense, though it proves little. By that time, of course, his brother Richard had been arrested.”
“Arrested for the murder of Walter Fowler, convicted, and dead, over a year before.”
“And you knew Richard, also?”
“Very well.” Milly sat down abruptly on one of the beds.
“And did you like him?”
She stared hard at Darwin. “I have never before said this to anyone, and I beg you not to repeat it—particularly to Kathleen. But until I learned that Richard was a murderer, I far preferred him to Brandon. Even though he was deemed odd by the staff at Dunwell Hall.”