Read Online Murder Goes Mumming by Charlotte MacLeod - Free Book Online

have perhaps been told. Mrs. Clara decided not to tell the rest until morning, so we of course respected her wish. Has Squire now been told?”
    “Oh yes, sir. Squire would normally have been informed at once of any untoward occurrence. He is somewhat cast down by the prospect that the late Mrs. Condrycke’s demise may dampen the spirit of the gathering.”
    “But not by the demise itself?”
    The corners of Ludovic’s mouth allowed themselves to twitch again. “Mrs. Condrycke was a very old lady, sir. Well into her nineties, I believe, although she exercised a lady’s privilege of subtracting a few years. She had been in frail health for some time and uncertain in her temper as a result. Also, she was Squire’s mother-in-law, which you will allow may make a difference.”
    “But her name was Condrycke, too.”
    “Yes, sir, Squire took the family name when he married her daughter, the late Dorothy Condrycke. There was no male heir at that time, you see. Miss Dorothy was an only child.”
    “You surprise me. One gets the impression Squire is to the manner born.”
    “One does indeed, sir. One does not, if I may say so, do anything to contradict that impression.”
    Rhys nodded. “One wouldn’t dream of it. A most affable host, certainly. As a matter of vulgar curiosity and between countrymen, was Graylings his or hers?”
    “Graylings was built by the Condryckes, sir, at the peak of the lumber industry in these parts. Lumber was the foundation of the family fortunes.”
    “And who controls those fortunes now?”
    “Under the terms of his marriage agreement, Squire holds life tenure as overall manager of the Condrycke interests.”
    “Drove a shrewd bargain, did he?”
    “Squire is an excellent man of business, sir. His late father-in-law recognized that fact and so did the late Mrs. Condrycke. It was in her interest to let him continue handling affairs at Graylings as he had done so successfully for many years. Even in her more heated moments she has never suggested a desire to change. There would have been no point in his doing anything to hasten her demise, if that is what you are thinking, sir.”
    “It would be most ill-bred of me to think any such thing,” Rhys protested.
    “It would be natural enough in your case, sir, I believe.”
    “Ludovic, you are a credit to your dark and devious race. How did you ever wind up on the Bay Chaleur?”
    “It beats a Cardiff coal mine, sir.”
    It would beat a Cardiff jail, too. If Ludovic could recognize a Mountie in his pajamas, there was probably a reason. Rhys smiled up at the butler in comradeship.
    “Is Miss Wadman awake yet, do you know?”
    “The young ladies are both asleep, sir, or were when I glanced into their room. Miss Valerie does not take tea in the mornings as a rule.”
    Ludovic took the empty cup from Rhys. “Speaking as a Welshman and not as a butler, sir, I have seen a great many young ladies in and out of this house, but never one to beat Miss Wadman. She is not also Welsh, by any chance?”
    “Her mother was a Hughes, so she must have one foot over the border, at any rate. The Wadmans came out from Derbyshire, I believe, shortly after that unfortunate disagreement among the colonies. They were yeoman farmers and bought part of a Loyalist grant down in Pitcherville.”
    “The land has remained in the family, sir?”
    “Absolutely. Her elder brother is doing an excellent job with the ancestral acres and is raising three fine sons to carry on after him.”
    “You will be doing the same soon, sir.”
    Rhys smiled. No doubt Lady Rhys and Janet had that all arranged between them. A boy’s best friend was his mother. “Mine is not a hereditary position, Ludovic. Who gets the property after Squire?”
    “Strictly speaking, Squire has never had it. Mr. Cyril, as the eldest son, is the legal owner. There is an entail of sorts. Excuse me, sir. I have enjoyed the unexpected pleasure of your conversation, but I must be getting on with my work.