Harriet tried and failed to smother a grin. Anne Cox was rather her nemesis, since the dratted girl flirted with Harriet’s husband whenever she had the chance.
“I do think Susantriesto be nice,” said Harriet. “And I know the girls were very embarrassed by William’s behavior at Donwell’s party. He was making quite a pest of himself, from what I could see.”
Startled, Emma leaned forward a bit. “You actually observed him pestering girls, then? Anyone in particular?”
“He spent half the night following Miss Nash about the hall. When he wouldn’t leave her alone, I went to her and made her come away with me.”
Emma frowned. “Miss Nash?”
“Yes. William was making quite a fool of himself over her.”
That was an unexpected and rather deflating revelation. Miss Nash was a schoolteacher at Mrs. Goddard’s establishment and a friend of Harriet’s. If William was so taken with Miss Nash, why then did he go on to bother Prudence?
Emma mulled that over for a few moments. “Did you see William bother any other girls that night?”
Perhaps after his intentions with Miss Nash had been thwarted, William had become frustrated and chosen an even more vulnerable woman to harass.
Harriet shook her head. “No. As I said, I made Miss Nash come away with me to the drawing room, so I didn’t see William for the rest of the night.”
“Was she upset by William’s behavior?”
Harriet looked a trifle disconcerted. “Not really, which I found very strange. Normally she’s so careful about her interactions with young men. But then she went off with one of the other teachers, and I didn’t speak to her again that evening.”
“Huh,” Emma muttered.
It seemed a bizarre episode, and not very helpful in illuminating William’s subsequent behavior toward Prudence.
“Is that everything you’ve heard about William?” she asked.
Harriet flapped a hand. “Oh, I forgot. There is one more thing. Mrs. Cox asked Mr. Barlowe to speak to William about his naughty behavior. She hoped the vicar could persuade William to give up his new friends and spend more time helping his father.”
“Yes, I was aware of that. I wonder if—”
“Auntie Emma, I finished my book,” Henry loudly announced.
Emma all but fell off the settee, since her nephew was now standing right on the other side of the tea table. Obviously, he wasquiteadept at sneaking—something she’d have to remember.
“Was it good?” she brightly asked.
“It was very good, but I’m not sure what to do next.”
Emma felt a stab of guilt. The poor lad was probably bored to tears listening to all this adult gossip.
Except it wasn’t really gossip. It was information gathering. Still, it was clear she’d gotten as much out of Harriet as was to be had. Emma needed to ponder her next steps, because she’d reached something of an impasse.
For now, that could wait. Henry needed some attention.
“I have an idea,” she said. “Why don’t we do a little exploring? Some of the storerooms and cellars have been neglected these past several years. I need to make an assessment for your Uncle George so we can decide what must be cleaned and repaired.”
Harriet looked surprised. “I cannot imagine Mr. Knightley or Mr. Larkins neglecting anything. Donwell always looks perfectly maintained to me.”
“The main living quarters, yes. But with only George residing here for so many years, it wasn’t practical to employ the number of servants necessary to maintain those parts of the house for regular use. And, of course, he’s been at Hartfield these twelve months and more, so much of the abbey has been shut up during that time.”
Henry jiggled with excitement. “I love to explore! Mama never lets me do that at home. She says it’s too dangerous in London.”
“It’s not dangerous here, so I’m sure Mama couldn’t possibly object.” Emma stood. “I’d like to start at the bottom of the house and work my way to the top. There are two cellars in particular that I’d like to examine. Your Uncle George says they’re very interesting chambers that the monks used for storage when Donwell was still a working abbey.”
“Do you think we might see a ghost? Perhaps one of the monks who was killed during the Dissolution?” Henry eagerly asked. “Some of them were hung, drawn, and quartered. Maybe we’ll even spot a headless ghost!”
