Emma widened her eyes. “And you know this from personal experience, dearest?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” he admitted. “When I was under the illusion that you were in love with Frank Churchill, I may have imbibed more than is my usual want on one or two occasions. A thundering headache was the result.”
“Oh dear,” she replied, trying to smother a laugh. “How … how unfortunate.”
He scoffed. “Something tells me that your sympathy is less than genuine.”
“Don’t be silly, George. I’m terribly saddened to hear you had such a difficult time.” Then she grew serious again. “But enough ofusbeing silly. Did Mr. Parr have any thoughts as to why Prudence might have been troubled?”
George returned to the sofa. “He did. Prudence returned home for a short visit a few weeks before her death. Both Mr. Parr and her brothers felt she was not herself, but Prudence was curiously reluctant to speak about it. Mr. Parr he got the sense that she might have a beau, or at the very least an admirer.”
Nowthatwas interesting. Emma’s own theory began to sharpen around the edges.
“Yet,” George continued, “Mrs. Hodges and Harry both stated that no such beau existed.”
Emma waggled a hand. “Not unequivocally, though. I thought they were dodging the issue somewhat.”
He frowned. “Nevertheless, her brothers were adamant that even a disappointment in love wouldn’t drive her to behave so rashly. She was too sensible to jeopardize her position at Donwell, for one thing.”
“A mysterious beau is not the sort of thing a girl is likely to share with protective older brothers,” she dryly replied.
“True. But we would certainly know if she had a beau here at Donwell, or one from the staff in a neighboring household. Nor would I have any objection as long the relationship was conducted in an appropriate manner.”
“But what if the beau—or admirer—wasn’t a servant?” Emma cautiously said.
“Are you suggesting she might have been involved with someone from the village?”
“Not involved, necessarily.”
“What exactly are you suggesting then, my dear?”
She hesitated for just a moment. “For the sake of argument, let’s say Prudence had an admirer in Highbury. She was a very pretty girl, after all, and it would be reasonable that a young man would take an interest in her.”
“Do you have a particular young man in mind?”
“Perhaps William Cox?”
Her husband’s dark brows practically rose up to his hairline. “I cannot imagine his parents would look favorably on such a liaison.”
“Dearest, I suspect there are any number of young men who are undeterred by parental disapproval in such matters.”
He snorted. “I take your point. Still, William hardly seems the type to court a serving girl, even a very pretty one. And the Parrs are hardly on the same social level as the Coxes.”
She rounded her eyes at him. “Have you met Anne Cox and her sister?”
He ignored that. “Mr. Cox is a solicitor from a very respectable family. Besides, when would William even have a chance to see Prudence, much less converse with her?”
“You don’t keep the servants locked up, George. And Prudence went to church every Sunday, as do the Cox family.”
Of course, William generally dozed during the services, which, in Emma’s mind, certainly pointed to a deficiency in character.
“That, my dear, is hardly proof of anything.”
“I know. As theories go, it’s rather a muddle in my own head. But thereismore. William Cox became inebriated at our party and made quite a spectacle. I was forced to order his sisters to remove him from the great hall.”
George grimaced. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry, Emma. I wish I could have spared you such an unpleasant encounter.”
“It was a trifle in comparison to later events.”
