Page 57 of In the Midnight Hour

“My goodness, what’s going on here?” Dr. Ellingham, who’d been downstairs at the gathering after attending the church service and burial, entered the bedchamber, his eyes widening.

“Thank you for coming up,” Mr. Sheffield said.

“The butler said it was urgent.” Dr. Ellingham glanced behind him at Maberly, who squeezed into the room. His gaze then fell on the walking stick in Mr. Sheffield’s hand. “Is that the missing walking stick?”

“Indeed. Please, come and inspect it, if you would.” Mr. Sheffield held it out as Dr. Ellingham crossed the room to join him.

The physician took the walking stick and scrutinized it thoroughly. Whilst he was doing so, Mr. Sheffield returned his attention to the Clavertons. “When did you take these items?”

When neither answered, Northwood spoke. “We suspect they stole them last Saturday afternoon when they called upon hearing Sir Radnor had died. As Claverton said, they overheard Wadham telling Maberly that they weren’t in the will, so they stole these items. They almost certainly took the manuscripts too.”

“Is that what happened?” Mr. Sheffield asked the brother and sister. “You may as well answer. I don’t think there’s any chance you won’t be arrested and tried for theft.”

Mr. Claverton blanched whilst his sister flushed again. He appeared afraid, and she radiated fury.

“Yes,” Mr. Claverton replied. He didn’t look at his sister. “We were expecting to inherit a fortune from Uncle Radnor. When we learned that wasn’t going to happen, we took the items we deserved, and the manuscripts because he was a cruel and vindictive miser.” Ire flashed in his eyes.

Mr. Sheffield did not appear moved. “Why are you returning everything?”

“Because she offered us ten thousand pounds.” Miss Claverton pointed at Hypatia. “She said she felt bad that Uncle Radnor left us out.”

“Is that true?” Mr. Sheffield asked Hypatia.

“Yes. I didn’t think it was right that Sir Radnor ignored his relatives in favor of me.”

Mr. Sheffield’s eyes narrowed briefly again as he regarded her. “Did you feel guilty?”

“No. I felt sorry for them.” And she’d been trying to salvage her reputation, as if she could buy that. She felt rather foolish for even thinking it.

“We don’t want your pity,” Miss Claverton snapped.

“But you’ll gladly take her money,” Northwood said sardonically.

Mr. Sheffield turned to the physician. “Dr. Ellingham, what do you make of the walking stick? Could it have been used to bludgeon Sir Radnor to his death?”

Dr. Ellingham’s wide brow pleated. “Now that I see the walking stick, I have my doubts. The wound on his head was larger than the end of this walking stick. I think the injury was likely caused by a larger, blunter object. Neither the sharp finial on the bedpost nor the end of this walking stick appear to match the wound upon close inspection.”

Mr. Sheffield nodded before turning his attention back to the Clavertons. “Mr. Claverton, did you or your sister kill Sir Radnor?”

“No! Absolutely not. We were at home on Friday evening.”

Northwood addressed his brother. “Honestly, Harry, it doesn’t make sense that they’d scheme to break into Sir Radnor’s house in the middle of the night and murder him with a weapon they found here.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing, but the walking stick is almost certainly not the murder weapon,” Mr. Sheffield said.

“We didn’t kill him!” Mr. Claverton cried. “We didn’t even know we weren’t in the will until after he’d passed.”

“Makes far more sense that she would kill him.” Miss Claverton again indicated Hypatia. “She’s the one who had the most to gain.”

Hypatia felt the eyes of everyone in the room, and that included Mrs. Babcock, who’d arrived at some point and now stood with Maberly.

“She didn’t know she was in the will,” Northwood explained calmly. Hypatia was extremely grateful for him in that moment. Her heart was pounding, and she didn’t trust herself to speak.

Northwood glowered at the Clavertons. “Meanwhile, you thought you were. Perhaps you feared your great-uncle would marry Lady Cartwright, and then you’d be cut out.” He looked at his brother. “I take back what I said. Seeing the Clavertons’ capacity for outrage, particularly Miss Claverton, I don’t have trouble believing they would steal into Sir Radnor’s house in the middle of the night and kill him.”

“Your point is taken,” Mr. Sheffield said. “However, we still don’t have evidence they were here. Lady Cartwright, however, was.”

Again, everyone looked at Hypatia.