Beatrice by Rebecca King Page B

Someone may come and ask for it
back.”
    Beatrice
swallowed and felt a little sick. “Like Hargraves has.”
    “I am
not suggesting for one second that he is the killer. However, for
the time being, do not, under any circumstances, let any strangers,
especially Hargraves, into this house. Keep the doors locked and
don’t answer the door to anyone you don’t know. I would also
strongly recommend that you don’t go out at night, and try not to
walk the lanes.” He mentally winced at just how many orders he had
given her. He had effectively placed her under house arrest and
knew from the mulish look on her face that she wasn’t going to
comply.
    “I
refuse to be a prisoner in my own home,” she retorted
flatly.
    Although
the words sounded confident, a small voice reminded her about the
incidents in the lane yesterday. She began feel a little sick at
the prospect of just how dire her situation could have been. “While
I agree not to answer the door to strangers, and will now keep it
locked whenever I am at home, I do have a life to live. I cannot
just stay at home and wait. I have to go about my daily life and,
given where I live, it is impossible to go anywhere without using
the lanes.”
    “Getting
about isn’t a problem, Beatrice. I can take you in the carriage,”
Ben assured her. “It is safer than you walking. Given how proud
Hargraves is of his carriage, I doubt that he would be foolish
enough to crash into us.”
    Beatrice
felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on
end.
    That being the case, she
thought. Why did he risk damaging his
carriage by attempting to run me over yesterday?
    She
turned her attention back to Ben and she frowned when his eyes met
and held hers meaningfully for several long moments. She had no
doubt that he too was thinking about the journey they had planned
to take today, however neither of them mentioned it in front of
Mark and Isaac. She wondered if Ben was going to succumb to Mark’s
dictates by forgetting about visiting the people on the list
either. Somehow she doubted it.
    “Look, I
have to go to London tomorrow to give evidence at this trial for
the clairvoyants. I am going to be gone for the rest of the week,
but will hand over some of the investigative work to my colleagues
to continue with while I am away. They need to check out Hargraves’
address, and work on identifying the deceased. He may be one of the
men on the list, we don’t know yet. I just don’t want you getting
involved in this any more than you already have, Beatrice. This is
a dead body we have here, not a note of warning.”
    She
nodded and reluctantly admitted that he was right. Still, the
thought of having to sit around and do nothing while he toddled off
to London to deal with the court case, didn’t sit well with her at
all. Just thinking about all of that inertia made her want to
fidget.
    It took
an age before Mark had finished asking his questions, and issuing
orders. Eventually, both he and Isaac appeared to be satisfied that
they had enough to go on and quietly left.
    “What
are we going to do now?” She asked Ben when Mark and Isaac had gone
to speak to several constables who were scouring the garden for
clues, and they were alone in the kitchen.
    “We need
to think carefully about what we do from now on, Beatrice. This is
no game. This is a real murder investigation,” he warned on a sigh
as he moved to stand beside her.
    She tore
her gaze away from the men outside and looked up at him. “I don’t
know how to thank you for all of this,” she murmured quietly. “You
have done so much for me, and haven’t uttered a word in
protest.”
    “I
really don’t mind,” he assured her.
    Her
snort of disbelief was loud. “I have dragged you into a murder
investigation.”
    Ben
looked down into her eyes and was immediately ensnared by her
feminine beauty. “I don’t want to be anywhere else, Beatrice,” he
whispered and slid an arm around her waist to draw her against
him.
    “I