Death of a Recluse (Riley Rochester Investigates Book 6) Read online

  ‘Did Sir Theo plan to announce your condition along with your engagement?’ Riley asked.

  ‘No, Inspector. No one knows, not even my brother or Trent. I was only sure myself two weeks ago. Theo was delighted, and it was then that he decided to have this get-together, after which we would have immediately married, quietly and in private. He wanted to enjoy the prospect of fatherhood without anyone intruding upon our happiness. I think he was also attempting to protect my reputation. Anyway, he reasoned that the baby could then arrive early and no one would bat an eyelid. Well, they don’t when the parents are rich and influential, do they?’

  Riley suppressed a smile, thinking of his own circumstances and certainly hoping that would prove to be the case.

  ‘I am not an immoral person, Inspector.’ She lifted her chin, defying Riley to refute that claim. Once again, he didn’t feel the need. ‘Theo is the only man I have ever known. We loved one another, and what happened between us wasn’t planned. He didn’t seduce me.’ A flicker of a smile troubled her lips. ‘For all his cleverness, I doubt whether he would have known how to go about it.’

  ‘Not a man of the world then,’ Riley said gently.

  ‘Hardly. But when it happened, it seemed right and natural. I shall never regret it, and at least I will have his child to remind me of our few brief months together. I can only hope that he or she will not be quite as clever as Theo. He looked upon his intellect as a curse rather than a blessing, you know. He could never accept anything at face value, and he always had to find his own independent proof of even the most established facts. He said it could be tedious, and very lonely, but it was the only way he could find a modicum of peace.’

  ‘I’m sure he was right about that.’ Riley stood. ‘Thank you, Miss Bradshaw. I shall have a brief word with your brother and then you are free to return to Islington. Please keep yourselves available. I am sure we shall have more questions for you.’

  ‘Thank you for your discretion and understanding, Inspector.’

  Salter opened the door for her.

  ‘Please ask your brother to spare us a few moments,’ Riley said.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Poor lass,’ Salter said.

  ‘I’m surprised you aren’t full of condemnation, Salter. A man with your Christian morals ought to be offended.’

  ‘Now don’t go getting at me about my beliefs, sir. I ain’t that narrow-minded. She loved the man and they were to be married. I’m not saying I approve, exactly,’ Salter replied, rubbing his bristly chin, ‘but there’s a vast difference between that and simply trying to seduce him for what she could get out of it.’

  ‘Indeed.’ Riley ran a hand through his hair. ‘I just wish I knew what she’s hiding.’

  ‘You think she didn’t tell us the truth?’

  ‘She was honest as far as she went. It’s what she didn’t tell us that concerns me.’

  ‘You surely don’t think that she killed Sir Theo. Blimey, I’d lay good money on her having loved him.’

  ‘I am satisfied that she did. But we only have her word that Theo was happy about her condition.’

  ‘If he weren’t, he’d hardly call all his estranged relations in and disown her in front of them. He don’t strike me as a vindictive man.’

  ‘I don’t think that either. But she’s definitely hiding something.’

  ‘You didn’t press her.’

  ‘No, she’s still fragile. Besides, I didn’t know what to ask. Perhaps after we’ve spoken to Trent and Lord Isaac we’ll have a better idea.’

  Before Salter could offer up his own unique opinion on that issue, the door opened and Harry Bradshaw stepped through it.

  ‘Inspector.’ He offered his hand to Riley, who shook it. ‘A sad affair. Very sad.’

  Riley indicated the chair that Bradshaw’s sister had just vacated, and Salter licked the end of his pencil. ‘Sir Theo was about to become your brother-in-law, I gather.’

  ‘He was, and I was delighted at the prospect. Not because he was a wealthy man, if that’s what you’re thinking, although that didn’t harm his prospects in my eyes. I’ve been responsible for my sister’s well-being since our parents died several years ago and I have no desire to see her married to a pauper. What sort of guardian would that make me?’

  ‘That would rather depend upon whether she genuinely loved the pauper in question,’ Riley replied mildly, studying the young man’s face. He was as handsome as his sister was pretty, but while Miss Bradshaw possessed delicate features and dark hair, her brother was broad-shouldered and fair.

  Bradshaw inclined his head. ‘She was good for Theo, and he for her. I was delighted for them both, and frankly I’m not sure how Cassie will get over her loss. She’s devastated.’ He paused. ‘How did he die? Am I permitted to ask?’

  ‘He was poisoned,’ Riley said succinctly.

  ‘The poor chap,’ Bradshaw replied, shaking his head. ‘This puts a damper on everything. I am due to be married myself in a little over a month’s time. Cassie and Theo intended to tie the knot at about the same time. Well, Cassie will have to live with us now. No doubt she will want to carry on working, so it makes sense.’

  Riley asked him about his movements, but his account tallied with his sister’s in every respect. They had either agreed between themselves what to say, or were telling the complete truth. Riley was inclined towards the latter, at least up to the point when they retired. Anyone could have left their room for any reason at all once the household settled, and no one else would be any the wiser.

  Riley thanked Bradshaw and told him to take his sister home.

  ‘I don’t envy her having to tell him about her condition,’ Salter said, sighing as the door closed behind him. ‘What now, sir?’

  ‘Now, Jack, we talk to Trent. He knew Theo better than anyone alive and I have a feeling that the interview is likely to prove the most revealing to date. Go and fetch him, please.’

  Chapter Five

  ‘The last of the guests have just left,’ Trent told Riley a few minutes later when he entered the morning room with Salter.

  ‘I am very sorry for your loss,’ Riley said, meaning it. He could see that Trent had been crying. ‘You were more to Theo than a butler?’

  ‘A great deal more. We were friends.’ Trent rubbed both hands down his face. ‘I like to think that I was his best, his only genuine friend.’

  ‘You didn’t tell us that when we first arrived,’ Salter said from his customary place supporting the wall, showing far less sympathy for a broken man than Riley deemed appropriate.

  ‘At the time I had not realised he’d been murdered, so there didn’t seem to be any need.’

  ‘You had been with him for a long time,’ Riley said.

  ‘Since he was six. His father was as eccentric as Theo, but more sociably inclined. He lacked Theo’s natural charm, though. Theo was unfailingly polite when he couldn’t avoid people, and very generous if a little remote. Theo’s mind was always occupied with his latest thorny intellectual argument, which some mistook for arrogance. His father, on the other hand, lived to make money and to create a heritage for his family to inherit. But the only family he had was Theo, who was a disappointment to him.’

  ‘Because he wasn’t physically strong?’ Riley suggested.

  ‘Precisely. Sir John seemed to think that Theo only had himself to blame for his weak lungs, and that if he was more physical his constitution would improve. It was nonsense, of course. Fortunately, Theo’s mother took his side and insisted that a public school education would be the death of her beloved son. Sir John gave in to her but he wasn’t happy about it, and I think—no, I know—that Theo felt he had let his father down, which is why he tried so hard to impress him with his intellect. His thirst for knowledge was instinctive and became apparent even before I was involved with him.’ Trent chuckled. ‘I have never known a child to ask so many probing questions and then dispute the answers he received. He kept us all on our toes.’

  ‘He was fond of his mother?’ Riley asked.

  ‘Devoted to her, as she was to him. Theo’s birth was difficult, leaving her unable to have more children. Sir John was constantly travelling, building up his empire, so Theo became Lady Allen’s world.’

  ‘What did Sir John do to amass his fortune?’ Salter asked before Riley could.

  ‘Manufacturing and foundries.’

  ‘Iron and steel?’ Riley asked.

  ‘Yes. With the manufacturing boom led by Brunel’s pathfinding innovations, Sir John saw an opportunity and got in early. It was the making of him.’

  Riley nodded. ‘I see. So let us turn to you, Trent. How did you come to be engaged as the boy’s carer, for want of a better word?’

  ‘I was a junior footman in the Allen household when Lady Allen decided that he needed a dedicated servant. Theo and I got along as well as such an introverted boy could get along with anyone. He was shy, reserved and only seemed happy when he was immersed in his books. Lady Allen wanted me to encourage him to spend less time studying and more time out in the fresh air.’

  ‘You bonded with him, man to boy, in the way that his father did not.’

  Trent nodded. ‘I suppose that I did. I slept in his room in case he had an asthma attack at night, and apart from when he took his lessons I was never out of his company. I suppose it was natural that we grew close. He confided in me, talked about the things that worried him, or mattered to him, and he knew that I would keep what he told me to myself.’

  ‘What sort of things did he talk about?’ Salter asked.

  ‘Oh, the usual, Sergeant. He might have been a child genius but he was still a child, and surprisingly naïve in many respects.’ Trent shrugged, flapping a hand in front of his face when a gust of wind blew down the c
himney, sending a choking cloud of smoke billowing into the room. ‘That’s not so hard to imagine, I suppose. Clever people’s minds rise above the mundane. What seemed vitally important to the average child held no interest whatsoever for Theo, which is why he resented being made to socialise with people he didn’t much care for. He didn’t know how to behave, and it made him feel uncomfortable.’

  ‘His relatives?’ Riley asked.

  ‘Yes, and some of his parents’ friends who had children Theo’s age. They thought it would do him good to mix with them. Needless to say, he hated it.’ Trent sighed. ‘Children can be so cruel. He was different, so they ridiculed him and there was only so much I could do to protect him from their cruelty and spite.’

  ‘Frustrating for you,’ Riley said, not without sympathy.

  ‘Theo’s biggest regret was not being able to impress his father, whom he seldom saw but by whom he desperately wanted to be noticed.’

  ‘Let’s move on to the fire that killed his parents. You were there, I take it.’ Trent gave a small nod. ‘Well of course, you must have been. It was you who saved Theo’s life.’

  ‘Yes. It was lucky. I woke and smelled the smoke, otherwise…’ He paused, shaking his head. ‘We both inhaled a great deal of fumes. That’s why, just now, when the smoke blew back into the room, neither of you seemed unduly concerned but for me…well, it brings back unpleasant memories.’ Trent closed his eyes. ‘The smoke was so thick that day, choking us both. I still wake up sometimes, smelling it and panicking. It’s not the sort of experience you easily forget.’

  ‘I would imagine not,’ Riley said softly.

  ‘I recovered fairly quickly, but with his weak lungs, Theo had a bad time of it. We weren’t sure at first if he would pull through.’

  ‘His parents did not,’ Salter remarked.

  ‘No, sadly they did not. I tried to go back in for them, but by then the fire had taken hold and it was impossible. I’d raised the alarm, of course, and the rest of the household had stirred but no one could get anywhere near them.’

  ‘Were there other fatalities?’ Riley asked.

  ‘No, we were the only ones in that wing of the house. Fortunately, I suppose.’

  ‘There were no other guests?’ Salter asked.

  ‘There had been, and yes they’d been in that wing too. But they had all left the previous day.’

  ‘Including his aunt and uncle?’ Salter asked. ‘We’re told they were included in the invitation.’

  ‘They were, but they left along with everyone else. We stayed on because Sir John had business to discuss with Lord Telford. It was easier for them to transact it without interruption after Lord Telford had discharged his duties as host. I think Mr Allen was disappointed not to be asked to stay behind too. He helped Sir John run some of his businesses, you see, and considered himself more important to the various enterprises than he actually was.’ Trent threw back his head, his eyes closed once again. ‘How often I have wished since then that Sir John had decided against staying on.’

  ‘What caused the fire?’ Riley asked. ‘Was that ever established?’

  ‘An unextinguished candle was blamed, but I have never subscribed to that view,’ Trent said briskly. ‘The candle was supposedly in Sir John’s bedchamber, but the Telfords had efficient gas lighting and Sir John would not have needed a candle to find his way to his bed. However, my opinion was never asked. Besides, my priority was Theo. We stayed on with the Telfords for two more weeks and I never left his side until his breathing improved. Of course, Mr and Mrs Allen were champing at the bit to get their hands on the boy, pretending that their interest was for his wellbeing.’

  Riley allowed himself a cynical half-smile. ‘You do not subscribe to that view?’

  ‘You’ve met Mrs Allen, Lord Riley. What do you suppose their true purpose was?’

  Riley conceded the point with an inclination of his head. ‘And yet they were named as Theo’s guardians.’

  ‘Sir John didn’t expect that he would die under such tragic circumstances, or indeed any circumstances at all, whilst Theo was still a child. He enjoyed the rudest of health, and loved all forms of sport, which of course Theo was unable to participate in. Theo was bewildered and still recovering when his relations finally got their way and took him back to their house. They knew how attached he was to me, and any half-caring person would have realised that he needed me more than he ever had, but I was told in no uncertain terms that my services were no longer required.’

  ‘They didn’t want you influencing the boy, I imagine,’ Riley remarked, adjusting his position in the vain hope of finding a more comfortable one. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I found a situation as a footman in an establishment close to the Allens’ residence. I could have done better, but it was more important for me to be close to Theo.’

  Salter nodded. ‘You and he corresponded?’

  ‘We did. Theo’s uncle discouraged the connection, but he discovered that Theo could be tenacious. The poor lad was only sixteen, he’d just lost his parents and he was recovering from smoke inhalation that had almost killed him, yet his relatives, the very people who were supposed to have his best interests at heart, thought only of themselves.’ Trent shook his head, his expression fuelled by disgust. ‘Theo was desperately unhappy. He wanted to leave and set up home with me, but I knew that the Allens could and would enforce the terms of Sir John’s will, which gave them a generous allowance in return for caring for Theo. They wouldn’t give that up. Plus, of course, they hoped to persuade Theo to marry one of their daughters. But once again he demonstrated his stubbornness, showing absolutely no interest in any of them.’

  ‘But he paid for each of them to be presented,’ Riley remarked.

  ‘That was my suggestion. Theo and I still saw one another weekly on my afternoon off. Mrs Allen was furious but there was nothing she could do to break the connection. Anyway, I thought that if the daughters were properly presented, they would find husbands elsewhere and Theo would be off the hook.’

  ‘Which is precisely what happened,’ Riley said. He glanced out the window. The rain had stopped at last, but low, dark clouds suggested a further deluge in the offing.

  ‘To a degree. Mrs Allen found ever more artful ways to try and extract money from Theo, but he got tired of always putting his hand in his pocket, and when it came to Arthur needing funds he decided that he’d had enough.’ Trent allowed himself the suggestion of a smile. ‘That was his decision alone. No influence from me was required.’

  ‘The moment he turned twenty-one, he left his aunt’s establishment and purchased this property, and you were reunited.’

  ‘Yes. We viewed the house together a good six months before he came of age. I handled the purchase through his solicitors so that Mrs Allen wouldn’t get wind of what was going on and try to put a stop to it. She was furious when she found out, of course. Told Theo he was ungrateful, and so much more besides. Theo, being Theo, remained calm and weathered her bad temper without bothering to defend himself. When she ran out of invectives, he thanked her politely and walked out of her house. He never set foot in it again.’

  ‘You and he have lived here, cosy as you like, for fifteen years,’ Salter said. ‘It must have come as quite a shock to you when Theo decided to marry Miss Bradshaw.’

  ‘A very pleasant shock, Sergeant. She was good for him in every respect.’

  ‘I think what my sergeant is suggesting is that Miss Bradshaw would have displaced you as the most influential person in Theo’s life.’

  ‘I didn’t share Theo’s bed, Lord Riley, let there be no question about that, and it is many years since I slept in the same chamber as him. Theo would have needed me as much as ever. His death is not only a terrible tragedy and a devastating personal loss, but it also means I no longer have employment. Theo was very generous towards me, I might add. I have everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain from his death.’