“It has been my experience that people don’t usually confess to murders that they commit,” Mr. Moore said. “The consequences are dire.”
Before he could reply, Lord Roswell Westlake and Mr. Westcott came to a stop next to him and pulled out chairs.
“Are we too late?” Lord Roswell asked as he sat down.
“You are right on time,” Greydon replied. “Thank you for coming.”
Mr. Moore gave him a baffled look. “What are these men doing here?” he asked.
“I needed men that I could trust; ones that Sir David couldn’t dismiss as unimportant or untrustworthy,” Greydon replied.
Lord Roswell smirked. “I am rather important.”
“Only in your mind,” Mr. Westcott muttered.
A server came and placed drinks down in the center of the table before he departed.
As Mr. Westcott reached for a glass, he asked, “What exactly are we doing here? Your note was rather vague.”
Greydon grew somber. “We are going to catch a killer.”
“Please say that your plan is better than just knocking on the door and hoping the murderer will allow us entry,” Mr. Westcott mocked.
“That plan worked once before, did it not?” Greydon asked.
“You were lucky,” Mr. Westcott said.
Greydon gave him a pointed look. “I don’t rely on luck. I understood the odds and I acted accordingly.”
Lord Roswell glanced at one of the drinks but didn’t make a move to take one. “Perhaps you should start from the beginning.”
Greydon knew his plan revolved around these gentlemen’s involvement so he needed to convince them to go along with what he was proposing. “Lady Eugenie just confessed to killing my brother, but we do not believe she was the murderer.”
“Then why did she confess?” Mr. Westcott asked. “Innocent people tend not to admit to something they didn’t do.”
Mr. Moore spoke up. “I played a hand in that. She is very protective of her younger sister and I tried to get her sister to testify in her trial. I wanted to cast doubt in the jury’s mind of her guilt.”
“By implying Lady Charlotte had something to do with the murder?” Lord Roswell asked.
“That was the idea, but Lady Eugenie refused,” Mr. Moore replied. “The next thing I am told is that she confessed, leaving no need for a trial.”
Lord Roswell furrowed his brow. “Is it possible that Lady Charlotte did play a hand in Phineas’ murder?”
“My brother promised to marry her once his divorce was granted,” Greydon explained.
“Yes, but it is nearly impossible for members of Parliament to grant a divorce,” Lord Roswell said. “It almost seems like an empty promise.”
“True, but Harriet was seen leaving my brother’s apartment not long before Lady Eugenie discovered the body,” Greydon shared. “And it goes without saying that she did not want Phineas to go forth with the divorce proceedings. It would ruin her.”
“Do you think Lady Rushcliffe is capable of murder?” Mr. Westcott asked.
“Everyone is capable of murder, given the right circumstance,” Greydon replied. “Harriet did not want to give up the life that she had grown accustomed to and decided to take matters into her own hands.”
Lord Roswell frowned. “Do you have any tangible proof, other than she was seen leaving his apartment?”
“No, but people have killed for a lot less,” Greydon said.
“I do not dispute that, but Lady Rushcliffe could have a reasonable explanation for visiting her husband’s apartment,” Lord Roswell said.
