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The Vanishing Thief(42)

By: Kate Parker


“I think it will help a great deal.”

She took a sip of tea and set the cup and saucer down on the side table. “When I arrived at Blackford House that day, Victoria was already there. They each had a small teapot in front of them with their cup and saucer, and Margaret rang for a third one for me.”

“Did you find that odd? Two teapots?”

“Yes, and then a third one seemed stranger still. Margaret said since it was such a blustery day out, everyone would want tea, and she hated stale tea. The pot gets cold and the tea bitter before the last cup is poured, so she was trying something new. Actually, she stole the idea from the tea shops and admitted as much. Fresh-brewed tea for each guest.”

“How was Victoria that day?”

“Complaining of a heaviness in her lungs. Winter air bothered her, poor thing.”

“Why did she go out and brave the weather to visit Margaret? You just said they hated each other.”

“I don’t know. There was a tension in the air, but they made every effort to cover it up when I arrived.”

“Did all three of you fix your tea the same way?”

“Margaret never put milk in hers, while Victoria and I both did. We all took sugar, Victoria most of all. Margaret said something rude and Victoria added even more. I don’t know how she stood it so sweet, but she drank her tea.”

Julia smiled. “Margaret mentioned once she wanted to add sugar to Victoria’s tea in secret, to see if Victoria could stand it after all the sugar she put in.” The smile vanished. “Now we’ll never know.”

“How long did Victoria stay?”

“About a half hour after I arrived, she said she felt very tired, that her heart was pounding, and could she lie down. Margaret insisted we take her home and have her doctor called. I agreed. I thought she looked very red, and her skin was clammy.”

“Did she complain about how the tea tasted?”

“No.”

“You’re certain about that?” If Victoria’s tea was poisoned, it should have tasted bitter or metallic. Wrong, somehow.

“Yes, I’m certain. I was asked that later by both Lord Dutton-Cox and the Duke of Blackford. I told them both what I’m telling you. She said nothing about her tea tasting strange in any way.”

I nodded. Victoria mustn’t have been poisoned with her tea. “Were you served anything else to eat or drink?”

“Nothing, which was strange, but may have been why there was such an atmosphere in the room. Margaret was always on Victoria about her weight. I guess it was to pay her back for being on Margaret about her clothes, her manners, her interests, and the men she favored.”

Was there anything the two didn’t fight over? “What happened next?”

“Victoria said she felt so weak, she’d have to be carried. Margaret called her a silly fool and went to help her up. In the process, the tea tray went over. I was standing next to it and grabbed one of the pots, but the rest went over with a crash and splashed us all.”

“Was she really that weak?”

“I don’t know. Margaret said not to worry about the tea but to help her with Victoria. I did, of course, so I was standing close by when Victoria again said she’d have to lie down. Margaret said, in the duke’s house before the wedding? Did she want to start a scandal by throwing herself at the duke and forcing him to marry her? Her brother would surely balk at marriage then. Victoria grumbled and demanded we give her a hand.”

“Could she walk?”

“She could. All three of us tromped through broken china, with crunching sounds at every step. It would have been embarrassing, but no one noticed because Victoria had enough energy to stomp around and carry on dramatically. I think she hoped Margaret would back down and invite her to stay. Margaret rolled her eyes and made obvious she thought Victoria was trying to have her own way. Victoria was the type to always insist on having things her way.”

Julia didn’t sound like she thought Victoria’s illness was too serious at that moment. “And then?”

“We all climbed into the Blackford coach and rode around to the Dutton-Cox house. By the time we arrived, Victoria was feeling nauseous and the footmen had to help her upstairs to bed. Margaret, Victoria’s sister Elizabeth, and I went with her. Her mother called the doctor and sent word to the club for her father.”

“Elizabeth didn’t call on Margaret with Victoria?”

“Victoria fought with Elizabeth even more than she did with Margaret. It sounds terrible to say now, but Victoria only got along with men.”

“Why? Did Victoria like to read and discuss politics and economics?” Elizabeth certainly didn’t. She hadn’t so much as glanced at the books in my shop as she walked by. If Victoria was intellectually curious, she would have found Elizabeth dull.