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“It was in a pawn brokers shop in Brampton.”
“A pawn broker?” Babette gasped and stared aghast at Harriett.
“I didn’t take it there,” she protested at the accusation in Babette’s face. “It was given to me by my mother. I wouldn’t pawn something so valuable.”
“That’s alright then,” Babette grumbled.
“The woman who pawned it was a middle aged lady with grey hair. I got a description, but it is fairly nondescript. There were no distinguishable features. Nothing to indicate that there was anything memorable about her. She simply appeared, did the transaction and disappeared again.”
“Records show that the person who sold it got two shillings and six pence for it,” Mark added quietly
“Good Lord, that’s not much,” Babette murmured.
“It isn’t what it is worth that is important,” Harriett protested. “It is the memories it holds that makes it priceless to me.”
“So it was stolen on the night of the séance by someone we accepted into our home, and pawned several miles away for two shillings and six pence?” Babette’s voice trembled with anger. “How despicable.”
“I agree. I think it was taken when the stool was knocked over upstairs. I need you both to t
hink carefully about that night, especially about whose faces you saw in the darkness. Was anyone missing?” He turned toward Harriett. “Do you think that Hugo could have remembered that someone had been missing from the table at some point during the evening?”
“I am not sure. He may have done, but hadn’t wanted to discuss it in the street.”
“Is he likely to have discussed it with anyone else?”
Harriett blew out her cheeks. “Hugo liked to talk but when I saw him, he was distinctly uncomfortable about something and was cagey, as though raising it was something he was not happy about. If he did talk to anyone about it, they would have been someone he trusted enough to feel he could confide in.”
“Someone local and someone he considered a friend?” Mark suspected it was that same person who had poisoned him.
Silence settled over them for a minute.
“Do you think that the ‘H’ in the reading referred to Hugo?”
Mark mentally winced at Babette’s question. He knew it was inevitable that someone would ask the question but hated to answer it. He didn’t want to frighten Harriett unduly but, right now, couldn’t be sure if the murderer was done selecting victims. He had to do everything within his power to make sure that she was safe from harm. If that meant making her a little bit unnerved so that she took extra precautions while she went about her business, then so be it.
“I cannot be certain. Because of that, we have to warn everyone who was at that séance who has an ‘H’ in their first name or surname that they need to be extra vigilant.” He turned hard eyes on Harriett. “Under no circumstances must you go to that séance tonight. You are not to go out alone in the dark, and don’t answer the door unless you know who is on the other side.”
Harriett gasped at the force behind his words. His gaze was so fierce that it unnerved her a little. Why was he being so forceful? It was as though he didn’t like her very much, and that thought made her want to cry again. She lifted her chin she merely stared back at him.
“I am going to the séance tonight. If only to try to prompt my memory into remembering anything I may have forgotten. I am also going to be watching everyone there like a hawk. Nobody is going to leave that room without me knowing about it. If I do remember anything then I shall of course send word for you at the earliest opportunity, but I am definitely going.”
Mark groaned at the determination in her gaze and knew that any further objection would be met with stubborn resistance he was in no position to challenge. He wasn’t sure whether to curse with frustration or applaud her defiance. She was clearly determined not to allow even a murderer to hinder her, even with the possibility that she may be the next victim hanging over her head.
“What are you going to tell everyone about Hugo?” Isaac asked and glanced from Mark to Harriett. He knew that Mark planned to attend the séance tonight, but that was before Hugo’s unexpected demise. Did he still plan to go?
“I think that the meeting needs to go ahead but, before everyone starts, I will make an announcement to the group and let everyone decide if they wish to continue. For now, it would help if the death wasn’t broadcast. People will obviously become aware over the course of time, especially when the haberdashery remains shut, but it will at least buy us a day or so.”
“I understand that your mother is going to join us, Mark,” Babette announced as she placed her tea-cup back into its saucer.
Mark choked on this tea at that and turned his horrified gaze toward the woman seated opposite. “You what?”
“Your mother is coming apparently. I spoke to Miss Haversham this afternoon and she said that she had seen your mother in Great Tipton. Your mother was quite interested in our séance and asked about what had happened. She invited herself along.”
Mark stared blankly at her for several moments and flicked a dark look at Harriett. “Good heavens above.”
Despite her difficult day, Harriett felt her lips quirk at the disgust on Mark’s face. He was clearly shocked and struggling to find something suitable to say. She decided to spare him a few moments to rein his temper in and turned to Isaac.
“Do you know when I can have my brooch back?”
