“Ah, Constable,” Frits said in a well-bred drawl. “Excellent timing.”
“I heard a scream.” The officer looked at the scene, then crouched down and inspected the man before pointing at her maid. “I was told he attacked the lady.”
“Yes, he did.” Pulling back from Frits’s embrace, Adeline placed her hand on his arm. She might very well have killed a man. It was time she spoke for herself. “He attempted to abduct me. I hit him, and then Maximus”—the dog was now standing firmly against her leg—“leapt upon him. He appears to have hit his head on the marker.”
The officer had pulled out a pocketbook and a pencil. “Do you own the dog, my lady?”
“No, he belongs to Lord Littleton.” It wasn’t until then that she realized she’d been stroking him as she spoke.
The constable wrote something down. “He appears very attached to you.”
“Lady Adeline and I are betrothed.” Frits placed his hand over hers. “As you said, my dog has become quite fond of her.”
“I see, I see. Thank you, my lord.” Another constable joined them, and the first one said, “I’ll need you to fill out a report describing what happened, if you don’t mind.”
Taking a breath, she asked again, “Is he alive?”
“No, my lady. He’s not. We’ll remove the body as soon as we can.”
Frits smiled. “I shall be happy to give you a statement as soon as I return her ladyship home.”
The officer looked a little sheepish. “I’ll need statements from the lady, and her maid as well, my lord. Unless you were here to see the attack?”
“No.” Frits’s lips formed a thin line. “I arrived as the miscreant fell.”
“Yes, of course,” the constable said.
Poor Frits. He was probably blaming himself for not being there to protect her.
She would have to take the matter in hand. “Constable. Please come with me. We are preparing to leave Town. It will be better if you have the statements before we do.”
“Yes, indeed, my lady. That would be the best thing to do.”
After a brief conversation between the law enforcement officers, the second constable organized the removal of the body, aided by the Watford footmen.
She led the way to the front drawing room, tugged the bellpull, and asked the footman who responded for a tea tray. Then Adeline took a piece of foolscap and cut it into sheet-sized pieces. “These should be large enough. Fendall, would you like to write your statement first?”
“Yes, my lady.” The maid sat at the writing table.
Once the tea arrived, she offered a cup to the constable while he waited for them to finish, and her mother sailed into the room.
Mama looked at the officer and frowned. “What has occurred?”
Adeline handed her mother a cup of tea. “I was assaulted in the park. The villain is dead.”
Her maid rose and handed her statement to the constable. “If that’s all, my lady, I’ll finish preparing your last bag.”
“Thank you, Fendall.” Adeline smiled at her maid. “You did an excellent job sounding the alarm.”
“I’m glad I was there to help.” The maid bobbed a curtsey.
“I wish to thank you as well,” Frits said. “I am glad you will be joining our household.”
“You’re welcome, my lord.”
As she left the room, Lady Watford sat on the sofa against the back wall. She was obviously waiting until the officer left before speaking. Frits was only glad that his mother was not there. She wasn’t nearly as cool as her ladyship.
Adeline sat to write her statement, and he watched her closely, wondering when she was going to start blaming herself for the death. As horrible as the scoundrel was, and as much as he thought the man deserved to die for even touching his beloved, she was bound to take it hard. Any lady would.
