Ashworth Hall - Anne Perry [59]
As Carson O’Day joined them Pitt excused himself and went to look for Tellman. He found him coming up from the servants’ hall, his face dour and pinched in concentration.
“Learned anything?” Pitt asked him quietly, not to be overheard by a housemaid carrying a broom and a pail of damp tea leaves for the carpets.
“How to clean silver knives,” Tellman said with disgust. “It’s like a madhouse down there. At least six of them have threatened to give notice. The cook’s drinking the Madeira as fast as the butler can fetch it up, and the scullery maid’s so frightened she screams every time anyone speaks to her. I wouldn’t run a household if you paid me a king’s ransom!”
“I’m going to Oakfield House,” Pitt said with a ghost of a smile. “Greville’s home. It’s about ten or eleven miles away. I need to look at his papers, especially the threatening letters he received over the past month or two.”
“You think there’ll be anything in there that matters?” Tellman asked doubtfully.
“Possibly. Even if it is Moynihan, and I’m not sure of that, he certainly didn’t act alone. I want to know who’s behind him.”
“He doesn’t need anyone behind him.” Tellman also kept his voice down. “He’s got enough hatred to kill without prompting. Although he’ll be lucky if McGinley doesn’t do anything to him before the weekend is through. They’re all at their separate prayers down there.” He jerked his head towards the way he had come. “The Catholics looking daggers at the Protestants, and Protestants looking daggers back.”
His face reflected bewilderment and disgust, his eyes pulled down at the corners. “I’ve half a mind to stoke the kitchen fires so they can burn each other at the stake, and be done with it all. I can understand greed, jealousy, revenge, even some kinds of madness. But these people are sane—after a fashion.”
“Try and keep them from violence while I’m gone,” Pitt said, looking at Tellman steadily. He was uncertain whether to be light or to let Tellman know how anxious he felt. “Stay near Mr. Radley. He’s the one in most danger now.” He could not keep the catch out of his voice. “You can’t sit in the conference with him, but you can wait outside. I’ll be back not long after dark.”
Tellman straightened his shoulders a little, and the criticism dropped out of his voice.
“Yes sir. Ride careful. I suppose you know how to ride a horse?” He looked worried.
“Yes, thank you,” Pitt answered. “I grew up in the country, if you recall?”
Tellman grunted and continued on his way.
Pitt went to look for Charlotte to tell her what he proposed to do. He had hardly seen her since they arrived at Ashworth Hall. She always seemed to be with one of the other women, trying to persuade them to keep some kind of peace, or else making idle conversation to mask the social difficulties which were admittedly appalling.
This time it took him a quarter of an hour to find her, and he eventually discovered her in the warming room, a place designed to keep food hot before serving, since the dining room was a considerable distance from the kitchen. It contained a good fire, a steam-heated cabinet, and also a butler’s table and a marvelous array of implements for opening and decanting wine. She was listening earnestly to Gracie. They both stopped the instant he came in. Gracie blinked and excused herself.
“What is it?” Pitt asked, looking at her small, retreating form.
Charlotte smiled, her eyes filled with sadness and laughter at once.
“Just a few feminine secrets,” she answered.
Pitt could see she was not going to tell him any more. He had not thought of Gracie as having feminine secrets. He should have. She was