Beatrice (18 page)

Beatrice, who was not used to doing what she was told,
immediately moved to stand beside Ben and glanced at what was on
the other side of the door.

She
immediately wished she hadn’t. Her stomach began to
churn.

“I told
you not to look,” Ben chided. He tried to draw her into his arms
but she pulled away and hurried out into the hall. Rather than stop
there, she continued to walk until she was out in the yard again
where she stood for a moment, and drew in several large deep
breaths in a desperate attempt to quell the sickness that
loomed.

Ben
joined her a moment later. “We need to report this to the
police.”

“What do
we tell them, Ben? I mean, they are going to ask us why we are
here. Mark told us to stay away and leave the investigating to him.
We have gone against his orders and meddled anyway. Now look what’s
happened,” she sighed.

This
time, when Ben tried to tug her into his arms, she went willingly
and stood within the warmth of his embrace for several minutes
while she tried to quell the fine tremors that coursed through
her.

“We
don’t have to tell them that we are investigating anything. We can
tell them that we met with Archie who transcribed the notes for us.
He told us that Jules would be available to tell us a little more
about who cultivated the plant and why. Mark cannot object to us
finding out what we can about the plant seeing as it is in your
study,” Ben assured her. “After all, dead bodies have started to
appear since that plant turned up. We have to know just how much
danger you are in just by having it in your house.”

Beatrice
leaned back to look up at him. “Judging from the state of Jules
Sanders, we are in a lot of danger.”

“Unless
the killer intends to murder everyone who helped to cultivate it,”
Ben mused wryly. “That being the case, why could he possibly want
you as one of his victims?”

He tried
to reassure her but, as he spoke, even he wasn’t convinced by what
he said. Neither was Beatrice apparently, because she leaned back
to look up at him with a frown.

“To get
his hands on the wretched thing,” she declared flatly.

Ben
looked down at her. “We need to move the plant out of the house,
and hide it somewhere else. I really don’t want you alone with that
blasted thing. Hargraves is just a little too persistent to be
ignored and, while I am not suggesting for a second that he is the
killer, we cannot just sit idly by and wait for him to call
back.”

She
shivered and leaned against him for a moment. “I don’t want you to
have it in your house either, Ben,” she whispered. “I mean, if that
plant is dangerous, the danger goes with the plant. I don’t want
you to get hurt purely because you are a kind and generous man who
has been dragged into this purely through a good deed.”

This was
not the time or place for an argument, so he let the matter drop
for now and leaned back to look deeply into her eyes. Luckily,
although fear lingered, she had stopped shaking and was now a
little calmer.

“Let’s
go and find that constable,” he murmured, and escorted her out of
the yard. “Then we will decide what to do with the
plant.”

If he
had taken a moment to glance back and study the yard behind him, he
would have seen the door to the coal house close ever so carefully
as soon as the gate was shut.

At the
front of the house, Beatrice climbed aboard the carriage and was
suddenly glad that the road around them was empty, and nobody had
been outside to witness the length of time they had been in the
house. Finding two dead bodies in the space of a week was bad
enough but, when connected to the list of names they had found and
the fact that they shouldn’t have been at Jules Sanders’ house in
the first place, the finger of suspicion for the murders could very
firmly be pointed in their direction, and neither of them would
have any grounds to argue.

“I don’t
think it is mere circumstance that Hargraves was in the market
today,” Beatrice whispered with a shiver.

“I
know,” Ben sighed and he drew her against his side, more for his
sake than hers. She looked so pale now that he suddenly wished that
they hadn’t gone to Jules Sanders’ house in the first place, but it
was too late now. “I think that he followed us here. However, we
cannot start to point fingers at him for Jules Sanders’ death just
because he lives on Southside.”

“Maybe
it is me, and I am seeing shadows where there are none,” she
whispered morosely.

She
could positively feel the presence of the house they were leaving
behind, and it made her want to ask Ben to hurry up so they could
get out of the area. She didn’t relish being the policemen who had
to go in there, deal with the body, and investigate the death. It
was all so sinister and macabre that she suddenly had a whole new
respect for the work they carried out.

“It’s
not you, Beatrice. After the events of the last few days, it is
perfectly reasonable for you to have a few collywobbles, darling. I
have to confess that I have had a few too. We had no idea this was
going to happen, so cannot be blamed for any of it.”

“I am
sorry I got you into this mess,” she declared, and threw him an
apologetic look. “You were only helping me. Look at what you have
been immersed in, all because of an act of kindness. I truly am
sorry.”

If she
was honest, she wished now that she hadn’t accepted his help in the
field, and sent him on his way just like she had when they had been
on the lane. At least then he wouldn’t be in the middle of the
chaos her life had descended into.

Having
said that, on an entirely different and more selfish level, she was
glad that he was there because she knew that if she had been alone,
she would have been a babbling bag of nerves by now.

“Don’t,
Beatrice,” Ben muttered and dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “We
have been through this already. I am not sorry at all that I got
involved in this. I could have done without the dead bodies I will
grant you but, on the whole, I am glad that you don’t have to go
through this alone.”

He was
forced to turn his attention to guiding the carriage through the
increasingly heavy traffic for several moments but, as soon as
there was a lull, he turned back to her. “There is one good thing
to come out of all of this,” he said as he gave her a warm look of
reassurance.

“Oh?
What’s that?”

“Us.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The
following morning, Beatrice finished her ablutions and tidied her
bedroom in a thoughtful daze that left her more worried than ever.
Following Ben’s declaration that their relationship was the best
thing to come out of this entire mystery; with which she
wholeheartedly agreed; their day had deteriorated
dramatically.

The
endless round of questions at the police station had left them both
worried and exhausted in equal measure, and they had left Great
Tipton in a tense silence that was a little unnerving.

To her
consternation, Ben had refused her offer to dine with her, and had
insisted on taking the plant home with him before he had quietly
left her on her doorstep. It was only when he had turned out of the
end of the driveway that she realised he had made no plans to see
her again. Had he grown tired of the trouble she brought him? Had
facing questions from the police made him realise that this was no
jolly old mystery; but something very real, and incredibly
dangerous?

She
quietly made her way downstairs, and found Maud already in the
kitchen. Beatrice looked at the breakfast tray that awaited her
with keen disinterest and took a seat at the table.

“I’ll
eat in here,” she sighed quietly.

“Are you
alright dear?”

Beatrice
studied the housekeeper thoughtfully for a moment, and quickly
recounted yesterday’s events. Upon learning of Jules Sanders’
death, the housekeeper slumped down into the chair opposite and
stared in horror at Beatrice.

“Good
heavens. All this over a plant,” Maud exclaimed. “If I was in your
shoes, the next time Hargraves comes calling, I would throw that
awful plant at him and forget about it. The damned thing is
cursed.”

“I have
to admit that I rather agree with you.” Beatrice absently buttered
a piece of toast and began to nibble on it while Maud poured them
both a cup of tea. “However, when Ben left here yesterday, he
insisted on taking the plant over to his house. I cannot help but
think that the danger has just shifted to his back door though. It
doesn’t seem right that he should shoulder the burden of having the
wretched thing in his house. Especially given that two people
connected to it have been murdered.”

“I know
dear, but he is protecting you in the only way he knows
how.”

“But at
what cost?” Beatrice countered. “Two men have been killed because
of that plant. I don’t want Ben to be the killer’s third
victim.”

“You
like him a lot, don’t you?”

Beatrice
shared a rueful look with Maud and nodded. “Of course I do. What is
not to like about him? He is kind, considerate, helpful, gentle,
caring, strong, and has rescued me on more than one occasion. He is
simply wonderful.”

The
fervency in which she spoke warmed Maud down to her bones. Even she
had to admit that Ben had more than proven his worth over the last
few days by the way he had protected Beatrice from Hargraves, and
had always been on hand to help her when she needed it the most. It
was rather remarkable really given that only last week they hadn’t
even been talking to each other. Still, there was nothing as
strange as the course of true love. In spite of the newness of
their acquaintance she knew, with absolute certainty, that if any
two people were meant to be together, it was Beatrice and
Ben.

“Don’t
forget that we have the Circle meeting here tonight,” she declared
and watched Beatrice wrinkle her nose up ruefully. “Now don’t look
like that. It is only one evening. Besides, it will do you good to
think about something else for a change.”

“Perhaps
you are right,” Beatrice mused thoughtfully. “It would be nice to
see the ladies and just do something normal for a
change.”

If only Ben was there,
she sighed,
missing him more than ever.

If she
was honest, it was a little unnerving to realise just how important
he had become to her in such a short space of time. While she was
glad that their relationship was progressing as it was, she had to
admit that she had absolutely no idea what was supposed to happen
between them next. Should she contact him and ask him if he was
alright? Should she merely wait for him to call by her house again?
She wished now that she had prompted him to arrange to see her
again before he had left yesterday because now she felt somewhat
lost that he wasn’t there to talk to.

Maud
stood and began to clear the pots away, leaving Beatrice alone at
the table with her thoughts.

When
boredom began to bite, Beatrice made her way into the sitting room
and began to leaf through the books at her feet. However, now that
they knew what type of plant was in Ben’s house there didn’t seem
to be any point poring through them for information they already
had. She quickly gathered the books into one neat pile and returned
them into the study.

Even
though the plant was no longer there, its pungent aroma still hung
in the air and she contemplated whether she should open the window
a little to let some fresh air in. Before she could decide what to
do, a knock on the door broke into her thoughts and she hurried to
the door as Maud hurried by to see who it was.

“It’s
only Ben,” Maud called seconds later.

Beatrice
slumped with relief and hurried into the hallway. At any other time
she would have been a little disconcerted by the force of the
overwhelming emotion that had swept through her but, right now, she
was just overjoyed that he was there.

“Only
me?” Ben drawled teasingly as
he stepped inside. His eyes met Beatrice’s, and she sighed in
delight at the happiness evident on his face. “I am glad that I am
such an important visitor here,” he added without
rancour.

“Phah!”
Maud scolded and gave him a teasing look before she turned away.
“You are practically one of the family, and you know it.” She
didn’t wait for him to respond and hurried into the kitchen. “I’ll
put the kettle on,” she said to Beatrice only for Ben to stop
her.

“Not for
me, thank you Maud,” Ben replied, loud enough for Maud to hear.
“Beatrice, I thought that we might go to Richard Browning’s house
today. He may not be in, but that doesn’t matter really. I thought
it would be nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine for a while. We
can probably stop off somewhere along the way for a bite to eat, if
you like?”

“That
would be lovely,” she replied with a delighted smile. Although he
smiled back, Beatrice sensed that there was more he wanted to say,
and wondered if he really wanted a quiet word alone with her. Her
smile dimmed and her stomach flipped with nerves as she remembered
his somewhat distant behaviour yesterday. She couldn’t help but
wonder if he had second thoughts about a relationship with her, and
almost dreaded hearing what he had to say.