Ashworth Hall - Anne Perry [105]
“Same person as killed Greville,” Tellman replied. “An’ we know that wasn’t McGinley, O’Day, or the valet Hennessey, but it could be just about anyone else.”
“Then we had better find out when the bomb was placed here. Obviously it was after the last time Jack used the drawer. Speak to the servants, housemaids, butler, footmen, anyone who came in here or was around the hall. See where everyone was all morning, who can substantiate it, who they saw and when, especially Finn Hennessey. I’ll go and speak to Mr. Radley, and then to the other guests. But before you do that, you had better have someone help you put poor McGinley in the icehouse.” He turned around. “You can carry him on the door. It’s only hanging by one hinge. Then we’d better see if anyone can at least tack a curtain over the doorway, something to keep the sight from distressing anyone still further. And board up the window too, in case of rain.”
“Mess, isn’t it …” Tellman said, puckering his brow. He disapproved of wealth, but he hated to see beauty spoiled.
Gracie had heard the blast, as had almost everyone else in the house. At first she thought of some domestic accident, but only for a moment. Then her better sense told her something was very seriously wrong. She put the jug of water in her hand on the marble-topped table bench in the stillroom, where she was helping Gwen prepare a remedy for freckles, there being no mending to do.
“What’s that?” Gwen said nervously. “That wasn’t trays or pans dropped.”
“I dunno, but I’m goin’ ter see,” Gracie replied without hesitation. She almost ran out of the stillroom door past the coal room and the room where the footmen cleaned the knives and along the passageway towards the baize door.
Tellman came out of the boot room, his face pale, his eyes wide and bright. He ran after her and caught her just short of the baize door, taking her by the arm.
“Stop, Gracie! You don’t know what it is.”
She was swung around by the strength of his hold.
“I know it didn’t oughter be,” she said breathlessly. “It’s summink bad. Is it a gun?”
“Guns don’t make that noise,” he argued, still gripping her arm. “That’s more like dynamite. You wait here. I’ll go through and see what’s happened.”
“I in’t waitin’ ’ere! Mr. Pitt could be ’urt!”
“There’s nothing you can do if he is,” he said briskly. “Just wait here. I’ll tell you—”
She wrenched herself away and flung the baize door open. Immediately she saw the dust and the shattered door of the study. Her heart lurched so violently she thought she would suffocate. Then she saw Pitt standing up and the relief was almost too much. Dizziness overwhelmed her. She was going to faint like some silly little housemaid if she wasn’t careful. She had to hold on to the side table for a moment.
There was another crash and she nearly jumped out of her skin. It was only a looking glass falling and breaking. There was a horrible smell, and dust everywhere, clouds of it. It would take weeks to get rid of all this.
People were coming from every direction. Thank heaven there was Mr. Radley. Mrs. Radley was flying at Mr. Pitt, shouting at him. Understandable, perhaps, but she still didn’t ought to do it.
Tellman was standing close behind her. “You all right?” he demanded.
“Yes, course I’m all right!” she assured him with an effort. Pitt was safe, and Charlotte was coming across the hall, white-faced but unhurt. “Thank you,” she added.
“There’s nothing you can do here,” he went on. “There’ll be a lot of tidying up to do later, but for now we need to know what happened, and we don’t want anything moved.”
“I know that!” she said hotly. Of course she knew it. Did he think she was stupid?
Someone spoke McGinley’s name.
Doyle’s valet was standing next to the stairs.
There was a smell of burning. Someone was calling for water.
Suddenly Gracie saw Finn half sitting on the floor, a footman supporting him and Charlotte close by. Her stomach lurched. She slipped past Miss Moynihan and Miss Baring and went over to Charlotte.
“Wot ’appened?”