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“Is there another chamber pot under the bed, doctor? I think Phoebe and I might need to be sick in a minute,” Hermione said tightly. The good doctor managed to retrieve a clean one, just in case.
“That’s why we had to stop the first marriage,” Cordelia was still speaking.
“Good God, Cordelia, be quiet.” Rufus ordered.
“You think I’m going to stay quiet now? You would happily see me sent to prison for this. I’m taking you down too,” Cordelia said with acid in her tone.
“I never said to poison anyone.” Yet his complaint fell on deaf ears.
“I had to stop the marriage to Lord Lulworth,” Cordelia said, turning her gaze back to Hermione. “We encouraged the match because we thought he was wealthy, then it turned out he had debts larger than even Rufus’. I knew then we’d never get the money. So… I may have had some words with Lord Lulworth.”
“You’re the reason he left her at the church?” Antony asked, his voice sounding hollow, numb of emotion.
“I had to stop it,” Cordelia said as though the matter were easy to see. “We wouldn’t get the money otherwise. We couldn’t elope–”
“You forced me into marriage just because you wanted to marry my father?” Hermione asked with disgust.
“It was all I could think to do,” Cordelia said with a shrug. “When I mentioned the idea to Rufus, he ran with it.” Rufus turned away. He appeared ready to make another stride for the exit and push past Phoebe, but before he could, Officer Stenham appeared in the doorway behind her. Rufus gave up, knowing he could not outfight a much younger man.
“Be quiet, Cordelia,” Rufus said, snapping at her.
“After everything I have done for you, you’re going to abandon me now?” Cordelia asked, jumping up and trying to march across the room toward him. Antony laid out an arm, blocking her path, though she struggled against it, trying to fight her way past. “I have given everything to you! Devoted myself to you. Now, you turn from me?”
Rufus wouldn’t even look at her. He had his eyes away on a far part of the room; clearly, he couldn’t stand the sight of her.
“I tried to kill her for us,” Cordelia said with strength.
“Do you think that makes it any better?” Rufus said, his tone venomous. “Death… it’s gut-wrenching. I had to watch my first love die like this, in bed sick with a fever. You think I’d wish that on anyone else?”
“She didn’t react to the poison as quickly as I thought. It was a long death.” Cordelia’s words made Hermione step away from Rose and clamber off the bed.
“You couldn’t be talking about the Dowager Duchess then, could you? You mentioned death?” Hermione’s question made Cordelia stop fighting Antony’s arm. She looked away, down at her feet. “You were talking about our mother. Oh my God…” Hermione backed up and turned to look at Phoebe. “You killed your own sister.”
Phoebe almost capitulated with the words. She was only held up by Officer Stenham who put an arm around her waist, keeping her there. “I had to do it,” Cordelia said hurriedly. “Whilst she was alive, Rufus would never look at me.”
Hermione turned her eyes to her father, seeing that Rufus was as pale as a sheet. He fell upon a nearby wall, leaning against it and resting his hands on his knees, looking as near to throwing up as Rose did.
“You were going to run off with our mother’s murderer?” Hermione asked, barely able to say the words.
“I didn’t know,” Rufus said, meeting her gaze. “Believe me, Hermione, I didn’t know.”
“So, we have attempted murder, and actual murder,” Antony said, pushing with his arm until he shoved Cordelia back into the chair. She made another whimpering sound as she reset herself in the chair. “Where is that constable?”
“The butler went to fetch him,” Officer Stenham said. “By my reckoning, we have an hour at least until he’s here.”
“Then Fergus, help me lock Mrs. Atkins up in her chamber until then.”
“What do we do with him?” Officer Stenham asked, pointing at Rufus, who flinched at the words.
“I haven’t killed anyone,” Rufus said hurriedly. “I couldn’t.”
“I believe him,” Hermione said sadly, seeing the father she used to know briefly once again. He looked in agony as he hung his body forward. “He is guilty of deceit and greed and trying to get the money to run off with my aunt, but he is not guilty of murder.”
* * *
Hermione was staring at her father across the table in the dining room. The whole house seemed in a sort of uproar since the constables had arrived. Cordelia had been arrested and was being dragged to a jail cart, whilst Antony and Officer Stenham oversaw everything. Phoebe had stayed with Rose to comfort her and check she was all right. That left Hermione alone with her father, staring at him across the dining table where they had taken refuge.
“Are you going to say anything?” her father asked. His face was lit by the one orange candle that sat between them on the table.
